Okay, so I’ve been trying to get better at predicting NBA games, and today I decided to focus on the Kings vs. Cavaliers game. Here’s how it all went down.
Getting Started
First, I needed some data. I’m no expert, just a regular guy who likes basketball, so I started by looking at some basic stuff.
- Team Records: I checked out both teams’ win-loss records, both overall and how they’ve been doing lately. I wanted to get a general sense of which team was stronger.
- Recent Games: I looked at the box scores from their last few games. Just skimming through, you know, to see if any players were on a hot streak or if either team had been struggling.
- Head-to-Head: I Checked If the two teams have played each other before this season, and if the game’s result.
Diving a Bit Deeper
After getting the basics, I did some more digging:
- Injuries: I had been looking for an injury report. One key player being out can totally change a game, right?
- Home vs. Away:I looked at their record, I wanted to see if either team played significantly better at home or on the road.
Making My Prediction (and Doubting Myself)
Based on everything,I took some time and finally make the prediction by my feeling. I thought that the result maybe is…
But honestly, I kept second-guessing myself. There are so many things you just can’t predict! A player could have a randomly amazing night, a referee could make a bad call, the ball could just bounce the wrong way. It’s all part of the fun, I guess, but it also makes it super hard to be consistently right.
The Actual Game
When the game time arrived,I watched the game, and tracked if my predict is correct or not, just recorded the result of every quarter, and finally got the whole result.
What I Learned
After the game, I thought about how I did and what I could do better next time. Maybe I need to look at more advanced stats, or maybe I just need to accept that there’s always going to be an element of luck involved. I’m not quitting my day job to become a professional gambler or anything, but it’s a fun little challenge to try and figure these games out.
I plan to try this process and method to other games!
