Rest-Day Efficiency and What it Means for the Orlando Magic in the 2009-2010 Regular Season

by erivera7 on Aug 7, 2009 2:00 PM EDT in Analysis

Rest.

For the Orlando Magic, too much rest was a problem for the team this past season. The statement may seem paradoxical in nature, but it makes sense when one thinks about it. One hears concepts of game rhythm and such, and in this case, when the Magic aren't playing games for an extended period of time, it's detrimental to the team. How much rest was too much rest? Three or more days.

A few times at Third Quarter Collapse, we have referred to the rest day efficiency statistic in an attempt to ascertain how beneficial it is for the Magic to have days off in between games, and according to the numbers at NBAstuffer.com this past season, Orlando ranked 27th in efficiency differential with three or more days rest. In other rest day scenarios, the Magic's statistical production didn't dip dramatically.

With the backdrop set, here's a look at how Orlando's schedule will shape up for the 2009-2010 regular season, in accordance to how many days rest the team will receive. A rundown of how the Magic performed statistically last year will coincide with the breakdown, to provide a reference. It is fair to note that the results from this past season and this upcoming season will be different, but it doesn't hurt to get a rough idea (likewise, it is fair to note that some of the sample sizes are small).

2008-2009 regular season	Games	Efficiency Differential (Ranking)
4 games in 5 days	2	-2.5 (13th)
3 games in 4 days and played yesterday	7	10.9 (1st)
3 games in 4 days and rested yesterday	11	9.8 (t-3rd)
back-to-backs	7	-2.5 (16th)
1 day of rest	37	8.8 (1st)
2 days of rest	15	7.8 (5th)
3 days of rest	3	-7.5 (27th)

2009-2010 regular season	Games
4 games in 5 days	3
3 games in 4 days and played yesterday	11
3 games in 4 days and rested yesterday	12
back-to-backs	5
1 day of rest	32
2 days of rest	14
3 days of rest	5

With a new roster and a new season, perhaps things change.

Or maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same.

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With the Magic

The less rest the better.

If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
-Akrobatik

by Bestjagfan on Aug 7, 2009 2:31 PM EDT reply actions

Yep.

Essentially.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 7, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Off topic/thread jack:

lol@ Ben Wallace’s corpse returning to Detroit to back up Kwame Brown.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

"My features are that of a god, its not a facade these rappers wanna be NaS"- Nasir Jones QB's Finest

Kristin Kreuk is teh love.

Still miss em: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvvgVn0gg1E

by Wasabi Steak on Aug 7, 2009 2:32 PM EDT reply actions

Off the hook!

You guys kill when it comes to statistics but I always wondered, why the name, “Third Quarter Collapse”. I know this question has been asked before so please excuse my lateness.

by telka on Aug 7, 2009 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

It's an ode to Brian Hill and his teams for regularly blowing big leads in the third quarter of games.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 7, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Ahhhh, I remember!! LOL

by telka on Aug 7, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

As do I.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 7, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions

As do we all. sigh

At least the team has recently broken away from that trend.

Let's observe a moment of silence for CLee, Skip to my Lou, Batman, and The Michael Jordan of Turkey...

Welcome Back Polish Hammer and Welcome Vinsanity, Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, and Matt Barnes!!

by malars on Aug 7, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Thankfully.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 8, 2009 6:39 AM EDT up reply actions

It's not really all that surprising.

Too much rest can throw off your rhythm no matter what you do for a living.

"Fun fact: Larry Hughes, who couldn’t stay healthy if all his human parts were replaced with bionic implants, is out for the next four weeks with a bruised leg. Do you think that Willis Reed ever reads about all these players missing time with bruises and sprained fingers and throws up in his mouth a little?"

by Diosnomeama on Aug 7, 2009 5:17 PM EDT reply actions

Not surprising, but it's always nice to have empirical evidence to back up the idea.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 7, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions

It looks like the "optimal" theoretical schedule for the Magic would be two games, then a day of rest, repeat

Every game (except the first two) would be a 3 games in 4 days scenario, with the first of each being a “rested yesterday” and the second being “played yesterday.”

"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"

by The Dark on Aug 10, 2009 3:25 PM EDT reply actions