Monday, June 19, 2006
I Hate Mondays: Playoffs?!
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"Playoffs? Don't talk about the playoffs!" exclaimed one-time Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora at a post-game press conference.
Sorry, Jim, I don't mean to irk you, but I'm going to talk about the playoffs.
Every year, the months of May and June serve as the best sporting months of the calendar. You can count in the U.S. Open of golf and the French Open of tennis as part of a strong supporting cast, but it is typically the climax of the NHL and NBA seasons that carries the load.
This year, the main course has been outstanding.
Pundits and fans alike have been raving about the basketball postseason and rightfully so. The presentation has been awesome from top to bottom. Nine overtime contests, 15 games decided by two points or less, and four series that required a deciding seventh game.
The NHL playoffs have been every bit as exciting, particularly with parity rampant and a number eight seed crashing the Stanley Cup Finals.
Several ingredients make a postseason memorable: dramatic victories, unexpected upsets, unconscionable performances, and undiscovered heroes coming to light.
Starting with the first constituent, drama has been at the center of attention in both hockey and basketball. There has been no shortage of buzzer-beaters including Kevin Martin's spectacular delay of the inevitable with a bounce-bounce-in layup against San Antonio, LeBron James cutting up the Wizards a couple of times on a last shot and then Damon Jones putting the finishing touches on Washington, Kobe Bryant's last-second heroics to put the Phoenix Suns on the brink of elimination, and then Tim Thomas pulling them off the ledge and prolonging their stay in the playoffs with a game-tying three-ball two games later. Raja Bell's game-tying three-pointer with 1.1 seconds on the clock against LA's other team was also pretty good.
On the NHL side of things, they have their own version of the last-second winners as a total of 20 games called for overtime. Many included suspenseful finishes, such as the Colorado Avalanche trumping the Dallas Stars three times in the extra frame or the Buffalo Sabres accomplishing the same feat against the Ottawa Senators. Names like Andrew Brunette or Jason Pominville might agonize or amuse you, depending on which team you cheer for.
The NBA playoffs are traditionally more predictable than the NHL playoffs and although a Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Finals is a minor surprise, the majority of the unexpected upsets have come on the ice.
For the first time ever in the NHL playoffs, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eight seeds advanced out of first round in the Western Conference. The Colorado Avalanche quickly disposed of the Dallas Stars and then were quickly disposed of by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Untouchables such as the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators also finished far short of their expectations no thanks to the Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers. At least the Red Wings can take solace in the fact that they were ousted by the eventual Western Conference champion.
While the Mighty Ducks and Sabres exceeded expectations, their work doesn't come close to the display of the courage by the Oilers. No one gave them a beggar's chance at the beginning of the playoffs, but they have played with the heart of a lion, outlasting the Red Wings twice in double-overtime, the Sharks once in triple-overtime, and most recently, staving off elimination in game four of the Stanley Cup Finals, once again in overtime.
The playoffs often serve as a coming out party for some lesser-knowns and the Oilers' roster has proven to be laced with unearthed gems such as Fernando Pisani, Shawn Horcoff, and Dwayne Roloson. You can add a few (somewhat) unheralded others to that group of Oilers who have emerged, such as Boris Diaw, Elton Brand, Cam Ward, and Daniel Briere.
It is hard to remember either an NBA postseason or an NHL postseason that was ever so complete.
Phil Mickelson blowing a lead at Winged Foot and Rafael Nadal continuing his ownership of the clay courts at Roland Garros wasn't too bad, either.
May and June and the rest of the months of the year mix like Mondays and me.
"I didn't know how to manufacture an opportunity, but I was determined that when a chance came my way, I would be ready." — Bob Dylan