As Tuesday night concluded, each Conference Final, in both the NBA and NHL, sit at 3-1. It’s closing time boys… Does anyone have a chance of coming back? The answer is NO.
Let’s start with the NHL. The Oilers appear on a mission to redeem themselves from last year’s loss in the Stanley Cup Finals and bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time in 32 years; is that right? It was in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1; that’s a long time. Sure, I’d give Dallas more of a chance to come back from this deficit than any other team, but… highly unlikely. The Stars were trying to avenge their series loss to the Oilers last year in this same round; thought it would be a closer series, but… it’s all but over. Waiting for the Oilers will most certainly be the Florida Panthers, which means “rematch time”. I saw a note on this, the Stanley Cup rematch in the expansion era, on Twitter from Frank Seravalli. The last rematch was in 2009 when the Red Wings and Penguins met for a 2nd straight year; they split. In 1984, the Oilers and Islanders met for a 2nd straight year; they split. In 1978 and 1969, the Canadiens completed the back to back sweep over the Bruins and Blues respectively. How will THIS rematch go? The series isn’t over yet, but looks like Carolina is history. The Panthers are looking really good. Another 7 game series on tap? Sign me up.
In the NBA, the Knicks are getting trounced by the Pacers; what happened? Is Indiana that good, or are the Knicks this bad? Probably a little of both can be true. The Pacers are on an absolute roll, with a number of guys that can hurt you in any single game. The Knicks meanwhile, don’t seem to have the same horses. Sure, KAT has been stepping up the past 2 games, and Brunson is Brunson, but… what about OG? Hart is coming off the bench now. Couple guys have come off the bench and hit treys, but… New York seems outmatched; it looks like they won’t get their revenge for last year’s loss either. Sorry Thibs. On the other side, outside of the weird blowout in Game 3, OKC is looking really strong. This is a scary team, the Thunder, and not only for this year, but for the foreseeable future. If they get this championship, and now have the playoff experience in their back pockets, watch out. OKC vs Indiana in the NBA Finals looks inevitable.
Going into the final four in each league, I was fine with everybody except the Panthers repeating; I’ll be rooting for the Oilers. In the NBA, I wanted the Knicks, but really didn’t care; I think I’ll be rooting for OKC. Here’s hoping the Finals in each league are more exciting than the Conference Finals. Probably will not bet on it, but I think all 4 series end in 5 over the next couple days. Two seasons winding down…
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