The Ewing Theory

The other day I found something very interesting in a physics blog that I wanted to share here, so here it is.
Patrick Ewing is Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player. During his years in the NBA and college basketball Ewing enjoyed a more than successful career being eleven times named an NBA All-Star and also part of the original Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. He was also given the honor of being named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was a warrior and at a yearly basis, fought for the NBA championship, but it was denied every time.
So.. why are we talking about this star baller? Well, an interesting phenomenon known as 'The Ewing Theory'.
Basically, The Ewing Theory states that a team that has a 'big man' or star player which is vital to their playing scheme, is more likely to win when that player is benched. This theory (really more like a paradox) is based on a famous the famous Traffic Theory that explains how by closing a road you can improve average traffic. The article below is written by the great physics blogger,  Brian Skinner, who is also a postdoc in theoretical condensed matter physics, and explains all this in a very straightforward and engaging way.
Gravity And Levity - Braess' Paradox and The Ewing Theory