They didn't provide very much info on methodology here, which I suppose is acceptable for a lay article. Still, it makes it impossible to make any real use of this information. Did they compare statistics during the playoffs against aggregate statistics for the same teams over the entire year? Did they only use the middle 50% (or some other arbitrary portion) of the season, to remove early-season unfamiliarity and the effects of late-season "lame duck" teams? Did they only compare stats for games between teams that reached the playoffs (thus ensuring that they are at least vaguely similar caliber)? Did they discount elimination games, where of course the teams will be less worried about being tired and aching tomorrow, because there might not be a game tomorrow?
A better way to do a study like this would be to compare non-elimination games between the same two teams, in the playoffs and out. Unfortunately, you lose a large portion of your sample size when you eliminate variables in this way.
It would also be better to go the other way: do various regressions to figure out which stats tend to change in the playoffs, and then ask actual basketball players and coaches if it's plausible that those stats could be correlated with effort. It's not perfect, by any means, but it's better than picking some stats that we think should be correlated with effort and seeing if they change in the playofs.
The crew at Basketball Prospectus know their stuff. What I saw from this was that nobody knows how to quantify effort yet, so here are a few first guesses that don't really work.
Of course they do, not only are they playing for the right to win a championship, but their contracts have incentive clauses for advancing through and winning the title.
It also means they'll have more leverage when they negotiate for higher salaries since they have proven success in the playoffs. Some players are well-known (and well-paid) for just their playoff performances. "Big shot" Robert Horry has hit clutch shots while winning championships for the Rockets, Lakers, and Spurs.
This article doesn't make much sense. They hypothesize that effort increases in the playoffs, and to try to prove this, they find the statistic that changes the most between the playoffs and the regular season, and call that "effort."
A better way to do a study like this would be to compare non-elimination games between the same two teams, in the playoffs and out. Unfortunately, you lose a large portion of your sample size when you eliminate variables in this way.
It would also be better to go the other way: do various regressions to figure out which stats tend to change in the playoffs, and then ask actual basketball players and coaches if it's plausible that those stats could be correlated with effort. It's not perfect, by any means, but it's better than picking some stats that we think should be correlated with effort and seeing if they change in the playofs.