If you start slowing down sooner, there's a higher chance that the light will turn green before you're fully stopped. Then you can blast past the people stopped in the other lane.
True. If you're smart enough to time the lights to avoid stopping, hopefully you're also smart enough to watch the cross street and never assume other drivers are obeying the rules of the road.
If you drive manual, the pro move is to engine brake all the way down. If the light turns green, you’re already in gear and possibly even higher up in revs meaning you can quickly swap right back to the gas pedal. Feels cool every time it happens.
You could also argue that going fast means you have a chance to make a light before it goes green, so you increase your opportunity. If you dont catch the green you are only as bad as par.