Pretty Good, Not Bad, Ok

  Back in July I made the very big mistake of attempting to predict something sports related. My list was begging to be reviewed at some point during the NBA season and when better to do it than today, Christmas. I wanted to wake up and unwrap the gift that is realizing I am a sports seer. Well, thanks to the madness that is the Eastern Conference, that was not to be.

  In order to calculate my accuracy I had to come up with some simple formulas that are based on simple math. First, I look at my predicted standings and compare them to the actual standings. Emergency lights immediately started going off. The Atlanta Hawks are in 3rd place. The 76ers aren't even in playoff contention, although they are not out by much. The Boston Celtics find themselves renting out a room in the basement. Then, somehow, by some act of extreme wizardry, the Knicks are in 1st with 20 wins in 27 games. This last cataclysmic happening is the bow on my annoyingly wrapped gift.
  Continuing with my calculations I write down the teams that are within 2 positions, either higher or lower, of my predictions. The Heat, Bulls, Nets, Pacers, and Bucks (perfectly falling into 7th) met this criteria. That's 5 out of 8 and not so bad.
  In order to come up with an accuracy percentage I divided 100 by 8, which resulted in a neat 12.5. This magic number was then multiplied by my 5 "not so bad" predictions. I come to terms with the number produced: 62.5. If I were to change the formula so that only perfectly predicted positions were counted I would have a 12.5% accuracy rating. That is terrible and I'm much more comfortable with that 62.5%. I never claimed to be a mathematician and there is probably something horribly wrong with the way I came upon this number, but you're not a mathematician either so the blind lead the blind into a world absent of good math. (That world is called New York City public schools)
  I will be doing this again during the All-Star break with my fingers crossed. If only the Hawks would stop showing everyone that Joe Johnson is a really heavy cinder block tied to the ankle of a swimmer. If only. 

-Alex Moran