The Oscars are on Sunday, and you’re finally starting to realize that you’re not going to have time to watch all nine movies nominated for best picture.

That’s OK, you’ve got a life. You can’t just take 18 hours out of your existence to watch movies that you probably won’t even like that much just so you can be able to say, “Yeah, I saw all the Oscar movies this year.” It’s just not that important.

But in order to watch the Academy Awards with some sort of an educated opinion, you need to have at least some knowledge of the movies. So you could spend a bunch of time sorting through pretentious, esoteric, hipster reviews ... or you could just follow this guide, which compares every Oscar movie to a current NBA team.

You like movies. You like basketball. It just makes sense. Go with it.

"La La Land" - Golden State Warriors

The golden boy of awards season, “La La Land” is the movie everyone loves to hate -- sound familiar? This movie was penciled in as a best picture nominee before it was even released, much like the Warriors were expected to make (and probably win) the NBA Finals as soon as Kevin Durant signed with them last July. The movie is beautiful, just like the Warriors style of play, but many wonder whether the transcendent artistry and star-power are compensating for a lack of substance. This is almost too perfect.

"Manchester by the Sea" - Cleveland Cavaliers

Much like the Cavs, “Manchester by the Sea” is led by a big three but has an unquestioned star. Casey Affleck is LeBron James, putting the film on his shoulders and doing the heavy lifting to allow his supporting cast to shine. Michelle Williams, just like Kevin Love, is solid and underappreciated while Lucas Hedges is the young star catching everyone’s attention with his flashy perfomance -- not unlike a young Kyrie Irving.

"Moonlight" - San Antonio Spurs

“Moonlight” is a film that’s total is greater than the sum of its parts, exactly like the Spurs. Sure it has great performances -- Mahershala Ali is the Kawhi Leonard, a calming, consistent presence that helps make all the other actors better -- but ultimately the film is an ensemble led by a fantastic director, Barry Jenkins. Or should we just call him “Pop?”

"Hidden Figures" - Houston Rockets

On the surface “Hidden Figures” is a crowd-pleaser, a feel-good story with incredible performances that leaves you with a good feeling after watching it. But still, a lot of people aren’t sure if it’s a true “Oscar movie.” It’s just like the Houston Rockets, who a lot of people say are entertaining and exciting to watch, but won’t be able to sustain it once the playoffs start. But just like the Rockets, “Hidden Figures” is much deeper than it appears on the surface, and its star power (Taraji P. Henson as the James Harden of the group) makes it great.

"Fences" - Oklahoma City Thunder

Led by a polarizing, dominant alpha male, “Fences” is the Oklahoma City Thunder of the Oscar race. Much like Russell Westbrook, Denzel Washington blurs the line between greatness and madness while turning in a mind-boggling performance. Washington’s character, Troy Maxson, is so domineering and passionate that he ends up alienating his wife and partner, Viloa Davis’ character Rose, whom he has been taking for granted for years. The parallel to the Westbrook-Durant relationship speaks for itself.

"Arrival" - Boston Celtics

There’s nothing wrong with “Arrival.” It’s really, really good. But if you ask anyone if the movie has a chance to win best picture they’ll laugh in your face. This is just like the Boston Celtics, who have a really good team capable of getting to the brink of a title, but will ultimately continue to fall short. Just like Isaiah Thomas, Amy Adams does the best she can but just doesn’t have enough help to take the movie to the next level.

"Lion" - Utah Jazz

There are no true stars in “Lion,” which makes people hesitant to give it a chance to win best picture. But the story and strong performances are enough to make it worthy of consideration. The same is true for the Utah Jazz, who lack a true superstar but are so well constructed and disciplined in what they do that they find themselves toward the top of the Western Conference standings. Much like Gordon Hayward’s breakout year which earned him an All-Star appearance, Dev Patel’s breakout performance in “Lion” earned him a best supporting actor nomination. Just like after watching a Jazz game, you leave the theaters after watching “Lion” saying, “Wow, that was better than I thought.”

"Hell or High Water" - Memphis Grizzlies

There’s no better phrase to describe “Hell or High Water” than “grit and grind,” which also happens to be the motto of the Memphis Grizzlies. Neither the movie nor the team is pretty, but they both just get the job done. Jeff Bridges is the Marc Gasol of the movie, holding everything together in a subtle yet powerful way. And just like the Grizzlies, “Hell or High Water” continues to be underrated when compared to its peers.

"Hacksaw Ridge" - Atlanta Hawks

“Hacksaw Ridge,” like the Atlanta Hawks, has stretches of brilliance bogged down by stretches of great inconsistency. The film’s star, Andrew Garfield, is great and so is its director, Mel Gibson, but the movie somehow just lacks the oomph to push it over the top. The same is true for the Hawks, who ride All-Star Paul Millsap and coach Mike Budenholzer to consistent success, but just can’t seem to make it over the hump.