[g_sawchuk]

Their defense was, without a doubt, necessary. Without it, the scores would've been separated by a larger margin. 1405 typically stopped quite a few shots.

However, one thing to note is how vulnerable 1405 was to defense, and how easily Einstein Finals could've been won in 2 matches.

1405 typically made some close calls in regards to when they left to capture. This was clearly evident in Einstein Finals 1, where the blue alliance failed to capture due to 1405 not making it to the batter. In Einstein Finals 2, 1405 was able to get to the batter by 8 seconds, leaving at just under 30 seconds. The red alliance, at 30 seconds, could've simply flipped the courtyard roles, playing defense on 1405. They would aggressively prevent them from reaching the SP for as long as possible. The result? Pretty scary for 1405. They can't leave through a defense, because the red alliance would be close by, and contact would result in the blue alliance being fouled. You could extend this defending of 1405 until past 20 seconds, but as this point you could raise concerns/debate in regards to if you're trying to draw a foul (of course, you're not, you're just trying to prevent a capture).

All in all, if you held them until 20 seconds, based on how long it typically took them to make it securely to the batter, the red alliance would have achieved a capture, and the blue alliance would not have.

Just like that, Einstein Finals would be over in 2 matches.