I've been frequently frustrated by losing to teams where their lineup is all at 80-95% stamina while mine are at 100% and are, on paper and per W-L record, a superior team. Conversely, I often play scrubs many minutes over into the individual penalty area, and they often suck enough to cost me a game. So tell, me--what's worse? Is it better to overplay guys into low stamina, or to overplay into the individual penalty?

I feel you. I'm noticing a trend of owners playing their stars 150% to nearly double real life minutes and having success with it. Add in the fatigue factor at times seeming to have no impact and yeah ... it's frustrating. I'll admittedly play my guys upwards of 115%-120% real life, but RARELY more than that, as I expect the sim to start hitting the suck button pretty hard. I also rarely let my players get to the low 90's, and have tanked winnable games just to get them back to normal. So when I see a player like Andre Drummond play 35 minutes (from his RL of 15) at 88%, and go 9-10 from the field with ZERO Turnovers against 90D Rodman ON THE ROAD (this actually happened in a game 7 finals I lost), I get frustrated too.

I once played a 32 minute guy 48 minutes 3 straight games in a desperation move, and it worked. I didn't feel good about it though, as I feel it takes from the spirit of the game. Yet I see this all the time ... 5 starters ... play them all 48 minutes for a few games. Tank. Rinse and repeat. I have little respect for that type of playoff management, and wish the sim would be less forgiving to this "max out the starters with no consequence" trend. But of course the sim is what it is.

Yeah, the 5 starters for 48 minutes and then tank is kind of pathetic, in my view. But I guess it all comes down to who can manipulate the sim the best.