tonight, it dawned on me the advantage the game gives to teams that can shoot free throws. i had a single-digit lead against the Marauders late in the fourth, which means foul time -- but my team has been good for 80%+ this season, so the AI strategy of fouling actually helps me preserve the lead. its like bringing mariano rivera to save a game -- i will happily exchange an 80% of hitting two free throws (1.6 pts. per possession) as opposed to a 35% chance of scoring against BM's defense (.7 pts per possession). for the first time, i realized a six - eight point lead with less than two minutes to go is money in the bank.
i don't claim to be original -- i noticed from BuzzerManager that half-a-dozen teams hit 80%, so others have already figured this out.
)