NBA Playoffs have reached the conference finals stage, and for the first time in league history, there is guaranteed to be a new champion for a seventh consecutive season. The No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 to set up a meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.

If teams want to compete in the modern-day NBA, they need to have a robust system of scouting and analytics ready to capitalize on every tactic and trend. Still, a team's triumphs and struggles can't be explained by data alone. Sometimes, reading the vibes and energy of the cosmos can help fill the gaps.

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are meeting in the NBA Playoffs for the second-straight season. See our staff predictions.