Reminder: enter the BSG/WoW NBA Playoff Prediction Contest!

🔖 Devin Dignam on Apr 19th, 2014

Let's start out with the most important thing: the 2014 edition of the BSG/WoW Playoff Prediction Contest is open for a limited time! You have until 12:30pm ET on Saturday, April 19th, to enter. That's TODAY! You can either click the link above or fill out the form at the bottom of this post.

Last year's contest was a smashing success. We had over 200 first round entries, and our top five finishers beat the all-time record for the format (75 points, established by our own Dave Berri). Several more beat last year's top Truehoop contestants – Tom Haberstroh and Jeff Ma – who only managed to score a measley 68 points. Here were the top nine scores from last year:

And here's how our participants fared in each series:

Eastern Conference

 

First Round

#1 Miami Heat vs #8 Milwaukee Bucks

Consensus: Heat in 4 (78%). 99.5% of participants picked the Heat.

Reality: Heat in 4

Comments: Move along, people

 

#2 New York Knicks vs #7 Boston Celtics

Consensus: Knicks in 6 (44%). 91.7% of participants picked the Knicks.

Reality: Knicks in 6

Comments: Remember the brief moment when, for an entire season, the Knicks were actually good? It's difficult, isn't it?

 

#3 Indiana Pacers vs #7 Atlanta Hawks

Consensus: Indiana in 5 (47%). 92.2% of participants picked the Pacers.

Reality: Indiana in 6

Comments: The Pacers let the Hawks win more games than they should have.

 

Brooklyn Nets vs #5 Chicago Bulls

Consensus: Bulls in 6 (25%). 50.2% of participants picked the Bulls.

Reality: Bulls in 7

Comments: This series was very, very close, and that was reflected in the percentages.

 

Conference Semifinals

#1 Miami Heat vs #5 Chicago Bulls

Consensus: Heat in 5 (68%). 99.1% of participants picked the Heat.

Reality: Heat in 5

Comments: No one thought that the Bulls had a chance last year. Could this year be different?

 

#2 New York Knicks vs #3 Indiana Pacers

Consensus: Pacers in 6 (29%). But 55% of participants picked the Knicks.

Reality: Pacers in 6

Comments: Our participants nailed the right option, but too many hadn't noticed that Jason Kidd had already mentally retired and erroneously picked the Knicks to win.

 

Conference Finals

#1 Miami Heat vs #3 Indiana Pacers

Consensus: Heat in 5 (40%). 95.5% of participants picked the Heat.

Reality: Heat in 7

Comments: Everyone thought the Heat would run away with this one, but the Pacers surprised everyone. Just like they have this year. Except they've already done it twice this season.

 

Western Conference

 

First Round

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8 Houston Rockets

Consensus: Thunder in 5 (58%). 96.6% of participants picked the Thunder.

Reality: Thunder in 6

Comments: The infamous Westbrook injury didn't really show its effects until the second round, but it probably cost our participants quite a few points nonetheless.

 
#2 San Antonio Spurs vs #7 Los Angeles Lakers

Consensus: Spurs in 5 (43%). 92.7% of participants picked the Spurs.

Reality: Spurs in 4

Comments: The Lakers were even worse than everyone thought. Sound familiar?

 
#3 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Golden State Warriors

Consensus: Nuggets in 5 (35%). 89.3% of participants picked the Nuggets.

Reality: Warriors in 6

Comments: This was the big upset that cost everyone major points; Denver got George Karled and it ruined everyone's scores. Don't talk to Dre about this one. He's still bitter.

 
#4 Los Angeles Clippers vs #5 Memphis Grizzlies

Consensus: Clippers in 7 (35%). 60.5% of participants picked the Clippers.

Reality: Grizzlies in 6

Comments: Another series that hurt many entries, and another team hurt by bad coaching. Doc Rivers might change that this year, but he is working with Big Baby again....

 

Conference Semifinals

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #5 Memphis Grizzlies

Consensus: Grizzlies in 6 (38%). 56.4% of participants picked the Grizzlies.

Reality: Grizzlies in 6

Comments: By this time, enough participants expected the Thunder to suffer from the Westbrook injury. And they were right.

 
#2 San Antonio Spurs vs #6 Golden State Warriors

Consensus: Spurs in 5 (56%). 98.2% of participants picked the Spurs.

Reality: Spurs in 6

Comments: Maybe the Warriors were better than the Nuggets after all? They put up a decent fight against the Alternate Universe NBA Champions.

 

Conference Finals

#2 San Antonio Spurs vs #5 Memphis Grizzlies

Consensus: Spurs in 7 (33%). 64.2% of participants picked the Spurs.

Reality: Spurs in 4

Comments: With the Spurs slipping a bit against the Warriors and the Grizzlies impressing many against the Thunder, our participants thought that this series would be closer than it was.

 

NBA Finals

#1 Miami Heat vs #2 San Antonio Spurs

Consensus: Heat in 6 (32%). 59.5% of participants picked the Heat.

Reality: Heat in 7

Comments: Anyone who follows basketball knows that this series was really close and one of the most exciting Finals in a long time. Here's hoping for a repeat.

 

Oh, I promised some graphs, didn't I? How's this:

Silly graph

Just enter the thing, would ya? You have until 12:30pm ET!

 

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