Magic Numbers

[FromWayDowntown]

I couldn't find these anywhere, so I came up with my own based on the tried-and-true formula: Games Remaining - Games Ahead + 1. The +1 is irrelevant if one team holds a tiebreaker over the 9th place team, but at the moment, only Utah absolutely holds a tiebreaker over Golden State. I also calculated Games Ahead by using the difference in the loss column. With those caveats, I have these as the current magic numbers for West teams to clinch playoff births -- the magic number represents the combination of wins by the team or losses by the last team out (here, the Warriors) necessary to clinch a playoff birth (hence, the Spurs clinch with any combination of 4 Spurs wins or 4 Warriors losses):

NO - 5
SA - 4 (has fewer games remaining)
LAL - 5
HOU - 6
PNX - 6
UTH - 6 (based on tiebreaker)
DAL - 10
DEN - 10
GST - 10

I'm open to the notion that my numbers might be slightly off, so if anyone else has a better calculation, I'm all ears.

[Galileo]

I couldn't find these anywhere, so I came up with my own based on the tried-and-true formula: Games Remaining - Games Ahead + 1. The +1 is irrelevant if one team holds a tiebreaker over the 9th place team, but at the moment, only Utah absolutely holds a tiebreaker over Golden State. I also calculated Games Ahead by using the difference in the loss column. With those caveats, I have these as the current magic numbers for West teams to clinch playoff births -- the magic number represents the combination of wins by the team or losses by the last team out (here, the Warriors) necessary to clinch a playoff birth (hence, the Spurs clinch with any combination of 4 Spurs wins or 4 Warriors losses):

NO - 5
SA - 4 (has fewer games remaining)
LAL - 5
HOU - 6
PNX - 6
UTH - 6 (based on tiebreaker)
DAL - 10
DEN - 10
GST - 10

I'm open to the notion that my numbers might be slightly off, so if anyone else has a better calculation, I'm all ears.

Good work, waydowntown. Your numbers look good for the Spurs. I think the Spurs have a great shot at the # 1 seed, and can, at the same time, be rested and healthy for the playoffs.

[travis2]

Without sitting down and doing the calculations, I think the magic number is variable at this point due to the fact that you really have to have Dallas and Denver in the mix for the 9th spot as well...

[ancestron]

energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

[FromWayDowntown]

Without sitting down and doing the calculations, I think the magic number is variable at this point due to the fact that you really have to have Dallas and Denver in the mix for the 9th spot as well...

I thought about that and tried to account for it by making the games ahead determination one that is based on the difference in the loss column. Since Dallas, Denver, and Golden State all have the same number of losses (and the same number of remaining games) the calculation should still be correct. I can see the issue about having difficulties identifying a tiebreaker basis and eliminating the +1 from any particular team's calculation, but other than that, the formula isn't dependent specifically on the Warriors losing games (though I'll admit that I focused on the W's in my original post only to make the statement easier to understand).

In truth, the losses to focus on are the losses accumulated by whichever of Dallas, Golden State, or Denver has the most losses at any particular moment.

[Einstein's Ghost]

energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

Once again it is so good to see that the younger generation remembers me.

[ancestron]

Once again it is so good to see that the younger generation remembers me.

Nothin but love, Einie...

[ducks]

I couldn't find these anywhere, so I came up with my own based on the tried-and-true formula: Games Remaining - Games Ahead + 1. The +1 is irrelevant if one team holds a tiebreaker over the 9th place team, but at the moment, only Utah absolutely holds a tiebreaker over Golden State. I also calculated Games Ahead by using the difference in the loss column. With those caveats, I have these as the current magic numbers for West teams to clinch playoff births -- the magic number represents the combination of wins by the team or losses by the last team out (here, the Warriors) necessary to clinch a playoff birth (hence, the Spurs clinch with any combination of 4 Spurs wins or 4 Warriors losses):

NO - 5
SA - 4 (has fewer games remaining)
LAL - 5
HOU - 6
PNX - 6
UTH - 6 (based on tiebreaker)
DAL - 10
DEN - 10
GST - 10

I'm open to the notion that my numbers might be slightly off, so if anyone else has a better calculation, I'm all ears.
I think you are eyes not ears
no one can talk to you :drunk

[WalterBenitez]

energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

thanks, I always wanted to know how to say that in english :nerd