Basketball Fans Are Starting To Believe A Corgi Has The Gift Of Prophecy After It Accurately Predicts First Five Games Of Lakers-Warriors Series

There's something of a small tradition in the sporting world where occasionally, an animal will become a viral sensation for somehow predicting the outcomes of games, making it the most trusted analyst in the business for fans and gamblers. In 2010, an octopus named Paul became a media and internet darling after it somehow managed to predict the winner of every single match for host nation Germany in the World Cup.

This week, another, (arguably) cuter creature is suspected of having the gift of prophecy: a corgi named "Steph Furry."

Steph Furry (named after Warriors superstar Stephen Curry) goes by the handle "aircorg" on social media. Evidently, one of the dog's favorite games is to sit at the top of his owner's stairs and bat an inflatable basketball toy back down to him. This has led to some great viral content (such as when Steph Furry defeated a baby in Tic-Tac-Toe), but with playoff season for the NBA and NHL upon us, Steph's owner has been making videos where the dog "predicts" the outcome of each series by knocking the ball into a bucket representing one of the teams. Each "bucket" represents one game, and the video continues until a best-of-7 winner is decided.

Furry's prediction for the Western Conference Semifinals series between the Warriors and Lakers has been frighteningly on-point. So far, Furry accurately called that the Lakers would take a 3-1 series lead and the order in which those games were won. He also "predicted" the Warriors would win Game 5, which they did. Currently, Steph is 5/5, and the good news for superstitious Warriors fans is that Furry "predicted" the Warriors would win the series in seven games.

With his simple game, Stephen Furry has become a major talking point for analysts and gamblers. Tweets from sports gambling outlets including FanDuel, ActionNetwork, br_betting and OddsShark have at least referenced Stephen Furry's potential prophecy. SportsCenter, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated are among the media outlets that have covered Stephen Furry.

If the Warriors are able to pull off the comeback, some of their fans have joked that the team mascot will have to change to a corgi. More neutral fans have expressed hope that Stephen Furry remains safe from Lakers fans if its prediction comes true.

Meanwhile, fans of other teams can take some comfort in knowing Stephen Furry's other predictions have largely been incorrect (though still adorable). For example, the corgi predicted the New York Knicks would lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round in five games (the Knicks actually won the series in five) and predicted the Miami Heat would beat the Knicks in five (the Knicks are down 3-2 heading into Game 6).