Magnificent Seven

I couldn't go the entire week without sharing some original sports take. It is an unwritten rule that falling down 3 games to 1 in a best of seven series is all but a kiss of death. According to the sports statistics site, Who Wins, the historical odds of winning a best of seven series in any major professional sports league (NBA, MLB, NHL) after falling down 3-1 is only 8%. In fact, the chance of surviving to a Game 6 is only 43%. In the first round of the NBA playoffs, those odds plummet to 5% and 38% respectively.

In essence, teams like the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks, should have begun packing their bags after falling down 3-1 to the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics, respectively. All four teams forced sixth games. The Hawks and Bulls lost in the final seconds. he Nuggets blew the Lakers' doors off and forced a Game 7, and the Grizzlies travel to Los Angeles tonight for Game 6.

This is why these men are paid to play. The gaps in talent between any two playoff teams are not that great. No series is over until it is over.

According to whowins.com there have only been 13 home teams to lose a Game 7 in the history of the NBA. The Lakers haven't lost a home Game 7 in 43 years and I don't expect it to happen this weekend. Still, this first round of the NBA playoffs has bucked some trends so far. Expect the unexpected. I can't wait to see what the conference semifinals offer!

Kobe Bryant was reportedly very sick with a stomach ailment before Game 6. Last night may feel like the sniffles compared to a possible death blow in Game 7. 1

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1) Image from www.latimes.com