NBA playoffs: Ranking the five most exciting games from the first round
The NBA playoffs: where tempers flare, hearts are broken, and heroes are made.
In conjunction with Thuuz Sports, a sports entertainment company that gauges the excitement level of sporting events based on six factors (pace, parity, momentum, social media buzz, novelty, and context), we ranked the top-five most thrilling games now that the first round of the postseason is in the books.
1. Hornets at Heat, Game 5
Thuuz rating: 100/100
Final score: Hornets win, 90-88
Recap: Hornets guard Courtney Lee hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 25.2 seconds left on the clock, giving Charlotte a 3-2 series lead and their third consecutive win after falling in a two-game hole.
2. Pacers at Raptors, Game 5
Thuuz rating: 100/100
Final score: Raptors win, 102-99
Recap: The Pacers — who were up by as many as 17 at one point in Game 5 — suffered a late-game collapse, and the Raptors took a three-point fourth quarter lead. Pacers forward Solomon Hill hit a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer, but he was 0.1 seconds too late releasing the ball, solidifying a crucial comeback for the Raptors.
3. Warriors at Rockets, Game 3
Thuuz rating: 100/100
Final score: Rockets win, 97-96
Recap: Down 0-2 in the series to the Warriors and on the brink of what appeared to be a quick and painless series sweep, James Harden hit a game-winning jumpshot over Andre Iguodala to give the Rockets their first and only win of the series. A day later, the NBA announced that Harden committed an offensive foul and that the shot shouldn't have counted.
4. Celtics at Hawks, Game 1
Thuuz rating: 100/100
Final score: Hawks win, 102-101
Recap: The Hawks — who led by as many as 19 at one point in the series-opener with the Celtics — held off a late-game comeback thanks to Jeff Teague's heroics in the closing minutes.
5. Mavericks at Thunder, Game 2
Thuuz rating: 99/100
Final score: Mavericks win, 85-84
Recap: Despite the historically bad shooting night from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (combined 15-for-55 from the field), the Thunder looked to have escaped the Mavericks in Game 2 with a buzzer-beating tip-in from Steven Adams. Then they saw the replay. Just a split second too late, the Mavs pulled off a thrilling upset.
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