No need to watch the rest of the NBA playoffs – Facebook, Twitter and Google + have already predicted the outcome. visual.ly user kennynorton posted this nifty infographic that utilizes the highly “scientific” method of using social media status to determine the winners. And if internet popularity is any indication, the Miami Heat will be taking home the trophy.

If you ask me the guy is just a Heat fan, because the method for choosing the winner varies from round to round. The First round is decided by facebook likes. The second round is decided by total social media following. The third round by Twitter interaction (Tweets, RT, @replies, etc.), and the Tournament champion by the total number of Twitter followers for each of their players.

Change the order of those methods, or choose just one and you may get a different winner every time.

To determine the total overall social prowess of a team, you have to include all the social medias. If that is the case, The Lakers would take home the trophy with over 16 million followers, likes and + circles. The Heat has less than half of that.

When it comes to popularity nobody beats the “King”, Tweets with his name and “ring” or “MVP” show up a lot more than Kobe’s. The only exception is when it comes to comparisons with arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. Twice as many people believe Kobe takes that title with over 400,000 tweets with both their names together.

Any way you look at it, social media and the NBA just go together. Over 18 million people can’t be wrong.

Click HERE for a larger infographic.

[source: theScore, statistics provided by sysomos]