Everyone loves starters. Starting is sexy. Players love to start. Fans love to debate who will and who should. The NBA makes a huge deal out of All-Star starters with an extensive voting process that involves fans, players, and media. Teams are even mandated to announce their starters publicly 30 minutes before tip-off (hat tip to Vegas).
Despite all the publicity and discourse that centers around starting, there is an open secret known to anyone with a modicum of basketball IQ: when it comes to impacting winning, starting lineups don’t hold a candle to closing lineups. Imagine if coaches had to announce their closing lineups 30 minutes before tip-off.