  The 2020 NBA playoffs were played inside of a bubble in Disney World because
of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that there were no fans in attendance,
games played on neutral courts and no traveling for teams, which in theory
removes home-court advantage from the games. This setting has attracted much
discussion as analysts and fans debated the possible effects it may have on the
outcome of games. Home-court advantage has historically played an influential
role in NBA playoff series outcomes. The 2020 playoff provided a unique
opportunity to study the effects of the bubble and home-court advantage by
comparing the 2020 season with the seasons in the past. While many factors
contribute to the outcome of games, points scored is the deciding factor of who
wins games, so scoring is the primary focus of this study. The specific
measures of interest are team scoring totals and team shooting percentage on
two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws. Comparing these measures for
home teams and away teams in 2020 vs. 2017-2019 shows that the 2020 playoffs
favored away teams more than usual, particularly with two point shooting and
total scoring.
