Worth the replay?

Wednesday, April 8's games ranked by how good they turned out to be: late drama, comebacks, lead swaps and overtime. No scores, no winners, so you can decide what to watch without spoilers.

Best games of the season →

#1
HawksatCavaliers
NBA· ESPNDown to the wire
B+
66/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension30/30
Swings23/25
Comeback12/20
Decided late15/15
Back-and-forth8/10
Drama 88 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 66
#2
MavericksatSuns
NBADown to the wire
C+
51/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension30/30
Swings17/25
Comeback1/20
Decided late15/15
Back-and-forth5/10
Drama 68 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 51
#3
TimberwolvesatMagic
NBA
D
22/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension1/30
Swings16/25
Comeback6/20
Decided late0/15
Back-and-forth8/10
Drama 30 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 22
#4
GrizzliesatNuggets
NBAOne-sided
D
17/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension0/30
Swings15/25
Comeback0/20
Decided late0/15
Back-and-forth8/10
Drama 22 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 17
#5
Trail BlazersatSpurs
NBA· ESPNOne-sided
D
13/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension7/30
Swings8/25
Comeback0/20
Decided late0/15
Back-and-forth3/10
Drama 18 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 13
#6
BucksatPistons
NBAOne-sided
D
4/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension0/30
Swings0/25
Comeback0/20
Decided late0/15
Back-and-forth5/10
Drama 5 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 4
#7
ThunderatClippers
NBAOne-sided
D
3/100
▸ Why this grade
Late tension0/30
Swings4/25
Comeback0/20
Decided late0/15
Back-and-forth0/10
Drama 4 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 3

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.