Getty Image / Megan Briggs
The series between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics is all but over. Technically, there is a chance this series goes the full seven games, but it’s not likely.
No team in league history has ever come back from being down 0-3 in the NBA Playoffs.
However, ESPN seems to think differently and the world wide leader in sports is getting called out for it by NBA fans.
NBA Central shared an image from ESPN’s website where they claim that Boston has a 72% chance of winning the series despite being down 0-3.
Boston still has a 72% chance to win the series, according to ESPN pic.twitter.com/4vBO4HfyWT
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 22, 2023
It’s completely insane to give Boston that big of a percentage to win this series when they’ve been totally outplayed in the first three games.
On top of that, playoff history is not on their side. Maybe the get a win in Game 4 to elongate the series. But it’s large mountain for the Celtics to climb in order to win the series.
Many NBA fans are confused by ESPN’s projection for the Celtics, as the math just does not make any sense.
insanity
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) May 22, 2023
It has to be a troll job at this point, right?
Whoever’s in charge of making these is trolling
— IKD (@ESPNneedsIKD) May 22, 2023
If this is true then maybe ESPN should consider changing the model.
The BPI is skewed heavily by regular season point differential and the Celtics have the best point differential in the league (+6.5) while the Heat had a negative point differential (-0.3). That is why it’s been so lopsided and continues to be wrong.
— Post UP NBA (@PostUpNBA) May 22, 2023
Heat fans are not forgetting that 3% chance post ESPN made in the beginning of the series.
@espn also gave- Heat, 3% chance to beat Celtics. Smh
— Travel Bucket List (@TravelAndLove) May 22, 2023
Someone get ESPN a new calculator. The one they have isn’t working.
ESPN needs to crunch those numbers again
— Tall6uy (@Tall6uy) May 22, 2023
Jimmy Butler and the Heat might be causing a malfunction for the ESPN BPI machine. Or whatever it is.
Miami broke ESPN analytics 😂
— Ronald Cooper Jr. (@ronaldcooperjr) May 22, 2023
Miami has a chance to close out the series on Tuesday night. A win punches their ticket to the NBA Finals.