shoes22
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Welcome one and all! It's that time of year again where we fire up the ol' Magic Number countdown machine as we wind down the regular season. (I was actually going to make this thread a week or two ago, but the Cavs kept annoyingly dropping games so it felt inappropriate )
Here are the numbers you need to know:
Cavs' magic number to clinch a playoff berth: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch the Central Division: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch home court through the first round: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch home court through the second round: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch the top seed in the East: ELIMINATED
Cavs' highest seed clinched: 2nd seed
You might remember that in prior years I also tracked the Cavs' magic number to clinch the best record in the NBA, which I'm not doing this year as the Cavs have fallen so far back in that race they only have ~3% chance of doing so, according to my data model.
For anyone that needs a quick primer for how the Magic Number is calculated, it's a simple formula that's: (82 games (+1 if tiebreaker isn't clinched)) - (Cavs wins + Opponent losses).
Against which teams do the Cavs own the tiebreaker? You can consult this handy chart!
Cavs Eastern Conference Tiebreakers:
VS. Celtics: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Raptors: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Wizards: OWNED (Won season series 2-1)
VS. Hawks: UNOWNED (Lost season series 1-3)
VS. Bucks: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Pacers: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Bulls: UNOWNED (Lost season series 0-4)
VS. Heat: UNOWNED (Lost season series 1-3)
VS. Pistons: OWNED (Season series tied 2-2, division winner clinches)
Teams that are bolded mean the tiebreaker is clinched and cannot change. For simplicity, I am only factoring the tiebreaker in the Magic Number calculations in cases where a tiebreaker is clinched. The Cavs will likely clinch better records outright over all these teams before any of these tiebreakers would become relevant, but they're here for (mostly my) reference.
Thanks for participating in this thread everybody, see you next year!
Here are the numbers you need to know:
Cavs' magic number to clinch a playoff berth: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch the Central Division: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch home court through the first round: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch home court through the second round: CLINCHED!
Cavs' magic number to clinch the top seed in the East: ELIMINATED
Cavs' highest seed clinched: 2nd seed
You might remember that in prior years I also tracked the Cavs' magic number to clinch the best record in the NBA, which I'm not doing this year as the Cavs have fallen so far back in that race they only have ~3% chance of doing so, according to my data model.
For anyone that needs a quick primer for how the Magic Number is calculated, it's a simple formula that's: (82 games (+1 if tiebreaker isn't clinched)) - (Cavs wins + Opponent losses).
Against which teams do the Cavs own the tiebreaker? You can consult this handy chart!
Cavs Eastern Conference Tiebreakers:
VS. Celtics: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Raptors: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Wizards: OWNED (Won season series 2-1)
VS. Hawks: UNOWNED (Lost season series 1-3)
VS. Bucks: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Pacers: OWNED (Won season series 3-1)
VS. Bulls: UNOWNED (Lost season series 0-4)
VS. Heat: UNOWNED (Lost season series 1-3)
VS. Pistons: OWNED (Season series tied 2-2, division winner clinches)
Teams that are bolded mean the tiebreaker is clinched and cannot change. For simplicity, I am only factoring the tiebreaker in the Magic Number calculations in cases where a tiebreaker is clinched. The Cavs will likely clinch better records outright over all these teams before any of these tiebreakers would become relevant, but they're here for (mostly my) reference.
Thanks for participating in this thread everybody, see you next year!
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