Which robot(s) did you like the best this year?

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by cjl2625

They won the championship, but their record that year was 30-14-4, and their OPR was never particularly high compared to other robots that year.

Is it just incorrect to judge 71 that year based on these statistics?

Yes.

The 2002 game had two very different strategies for qualifying matches and elimination matches. In qualifying teams were ranked based on the sum of losing alliances scores. However, the elims were solely win-loss. 71's chokehold strategy was great at guaranteeing wins, but was a terrible seeding strategy, as it prevented their opponents from getting any Goal or Ball points. As such they didn't always apply their chokehold in quals, which explains the win-loss record that they had.

What they did in the elims at Champs was just unholy. Pure and utter domination. (Also helped by a perfectly created alliance.)

[dodar]

Also, a lot of people say that 71 won that year during build season. They found the biggest loophole in the rules from 2002 and exploited it to the max. And showed how a team can think outside the box.