As the finals rumble on toward a potentially dramatic
conclusion, the 2012 NBA postseason is already memorable in one
respect: It has produced a lot of heart-stopping finishes.
Nearly 25% of this year's postseason games have been decided by
three points or fewer, the highest percentage in 31 years.
Close finishes have been on the rise in the NBA in the last
decade and have spiked since 2010—perhaps the result of overall
scoring declines (read: more people playing defense) and
financial rules designed to promote parity. But this trend is
also adding heat to an old strategy debate that's never been
properly resolved: How should teams handle the final seconds of
a tight game?  In Game 2, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant missed a
shot with 9.9 seconds left that would have tied the game. The
Heat won 100-96. Reuters  Nearly everything about the way the
final 30 seconds of a hotly contested professional basketball
game is executed, defended and judged has changed over time. In
the '60s, '70s and even part of the '80s,