With 1 minute and 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Zhang Hao just completed a counterattack layup, turning the score to 74 to 71, with the Lakers maintaining a slight lead.
Before this, both teams had held leads, but the gap never exceeded 8 points.
The first game is critical. In the history of the NBA playoffs' first round, the team that wins the first game has an advancement probability of eighty-six percent. Even when considering the entire playoffs, the team winning the first game of a series has a two-thirds chance of advancing.
Moreover, ninety-one percent of teams completing an upset in the first round did so by winning the first game.
Originally, an eighth-seeded team beating a first seed in the division had never happened, but after the Nuggets achieved this feat a few years ago, every eighth seed started to believe they could.
Furthermore, it seems this year's Lakers are potentially weaker than the SuperSonics with their 63 wins two years ago.
