Worth the replay?

1. #1

   Trail BlazersatWarriors

   NBA· NBA TVDown to the wireBig comeback

   B+

   73/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings25/25

   Comeback20/20

   Decided late15/15

   Back-and-forth8/10

   Drama 97 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 73

2. #2

   SpursatHeat

   NBA· NBA TVDown to the wireBack and forth

   B+

   70/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings25/25

   Comeback13/20

   Decided late15/15

   Back-and-forth10/10

   Drama 93 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 70

3. #3

   JazzatRockets

   NBA

   D

   31/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension10/30

   Swings14/25

   Comeback9/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth8/10

   Drama 41 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 31

4. #4

   RaptorsatKings

   NBA

   D

   25/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension11/30

   Swings15/25

   Comeback5/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth3/10

   Drama 33 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 25

5. #5

   CelticsatGrizzlies

   NBAOne-sided

   D

   8/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension1/30

   Swings7/25

   Comeback3/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 11 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 8

Ranked from each game's win probability as it was played (ESPN's for football and basketball; ours, from the goals, for hockey): how in doubt it was near the end, how far the winner came back from, how late it was decided, how big its momentum swings were and how often a team erased a deficit, with a bonus for overtime. That drama is then weighted by how good a matchup it was going in (its pre-game Watchability score), so a thriller between top teams ranks above an equally wild game between minor ones.