Worth the replay?

1. #1

   ThunderatTrail Blazers

   NBA· NBCBack and forth

   D

   33/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension1/30

   Swings15/25

   Comeback8/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth10/10

   Drama 34 × pre-game weight 0.96 (pre-game Watchability 92) = 33

2. #2

   Celticsat76ers

   NBA· NBCOne-sided

   D

   20/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension0/30

   Swings16/25

   Comeback2/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth3/10

   Drama 21 × pre-game weight 0.97 (pre-game Watchability 94) = 20

3. #3

   HeatatJazz

   NBA

   D

   18/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension9/30

   Swings13/25

   Comeback2/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth5/10

   Drama 29 × pre-game weight 0.61 (pre-game Watchability 22) = 18

4. #4

   MagicatKings

   NBA

   D

   14/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension6/30

   Swings14/25

   Comeback0/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth8/10

   Drama 27 × pre-game weight 0.52 (pre-game Watchability 5) = 14

5. #5

   ClippersatSuns

   NBAOne-sided

   D

   6/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension0/30

   Swings8/25

   Comeback0/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 9 × pre-game weight 0.67 (pre-game Watchability 34) = 6

6. #6

   BucksatKnicks

   NBAOne-sided

   D

   0/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension0/30

   Swings0/25

   Comeback0/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 0 × pre-game weight 0.55 (pre-game Watchability 9) = 0

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.