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Nick Wright owns āworst NBA Finals prediction of all timeā
TL;DR
Nick Wright admits to making one of the worst NBA Finals predictions ever after the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. His prediction was shared by several other sports analysts who also misjudged the outcomes.
Key points
- Nick Wright admits to a poor NBA Finals prediction
- Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets eliminated in first round
- Multiple analysts made similar incorrect predictions
Mentioned in this story
FS1Nick Wright
Boston CelticsDenver NuggetsPhiladelphia 76ers
Credit: FS1
Sports media has not covered itself in glory trying to predict the ongoing NBA playoffs.
Already, nine talking heads at The Ringer have had their NBA Finals predictions completely upended by picking either the Boston Celtics or Denver Nuggets to advance out of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, respectively. Both teams faced unexpected early exits in the first round. Three Ringer staffers selected both the Celtics and Nuggets prior to the start of the postseason last month, and it appears they were joined by at least one FS1 personality.
Nick Wright, host of FS1āsĀ First Things First, is owning up to his poor prognosticating just one day after the Celtics fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7.
āPeople are calling it the worst NBA Finals prediction of all timeā¦ and Iām not sure theyāre wrong,ā Wright posted on social media alongside a screenshot of his NBA Finals prediction from First Things First. It seems Wright got caught up in the same hype plenty of other NBA media folks did.
To be fair, the Nuggets were a popular trendy pick in the West for people that wanted to zag from the Thunder and Spurs. And Celtics believers didnāt know they were going to get a banged-up Jayson Tatum who wouldnāt play in a pivotal Game 7. No one was batting an eye at these predictions just a few weeks ago.
Still, going 0-for-2 on Finals teams before the first round even ends is a particularly rare feat in the NBA, where favorites tend to prevail at high rates in the opening series.
Q&A
What did Nick Wright predict for the NBA Finals?
Nick Wright predicted that the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets would advance to the NBA Finals, which turned out to be incorrect as both teams were eliminated in the first round.
Which teams were eliminated from the NBA playoffs unexpectedly?
The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets were unexpectedly eliminated from the NBA playoffs in the first round.
How did other analysts perform with their NBA Finals predictions?
Many analysts, including nine from The Ringer, also made incorrect predictions about the NBA Finals, primarily selecting the Celtics and Nuggets to advance.