Why the NBA's utter predictability is a-okay

We all know what's going to happen. We all keep watching. Here's why.

Stephen Curry.
(Image credit: Illustrated | AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

You could feel the tension start to rise, as rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell powered his Utah Jazz to a third-quarter comeback. Despite it being the arena of the enemy Houston Rockets, Mitchell looked right at home at the Toyota Center, pouring in 22 points in 12 minutes.

This was Tuesday, during Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Rockets and Jazz. It felt for a moment like the underdog Jazz — trailing 3-1 in the series — could stave off elimination and force the top-seeded Rockets to a sixth game in Salt Lake City. Their second-half run had washed away a nine-point halftime deficit and replaced it with a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. It was tempting to think the scrappy band of young players could upend the Rockets' offensive juggernaut.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.