NBA

The Charlotte Hornets Have a Chance to Make History

JJ Zachariason  —  @LateRoundQB Apr 28th, 2016
After trailing the Heat 2-0 in their best of seven series, the Hornets have climbed back. They now have a chance at history.

Before last Saturday's playoff game in Charlotte, the Hornets weren't looking very hot.

According to our algorithm, after the Hornets dropped the first two games in their first-round seven-game series against the Heat, they sat at just a 20.47% chance to win the series.

Today, their probability to move on to the next round is a strong 76.08%.

This Game 5 shot from Courtney Lee has a lot to do with that.

At that point in the game -- well, after Kemba Walker's missed jumper -- the Hornets, down by a point, had just a 39.92% chance of winning the contest. Lee's shot, per numberFire Live, added 37.05% to those odds, giving them a 76.70% chance to win the game with less than half of a minute remaining.

Hornets-Heat Win Probability Game 5

Charlotte ended up winning the game by two, giving them a 3-2 series lead. And after starting the series down 0-2, that means they're in position to make some history.

In the NBA Playoffs, teams who've started a series up 2-0 have gone on to win all but 16 of those series, which is good for a 94.1% win percentage. The 2-0 deficit in basketball has historically been the toughest to climb back from among the major sports, as Major League Baseball (83.5% series win percentage) and the National Hockey League (86.1%) have seen the upset occur at a higher rate.

The Hornets, currently favorites to take the series, could become the 17th squad to make the comeback.

Maybe that'll officially retire the Crying Jordan meme.

Probably not.