Do You Care About The NBA & NHL Playoffs?
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) are currently in the midst of a two-month quest to determine their league champions for the 2023-24 season.
As of this writing (morning of May 9th), both leagues are in the second round of their playoffs. Or better known as the conference semifinal phase.
Both league champions won't be determined for another month or so. But I was thinking this morning...
Do you care about the NBA and NHL Playoffs? Here are reasons why you should:
THE PLAYERS PLAY THEIR HARDEST TO WIN
I agree with the sentiment that the NHL's Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports. You have to go through four best-of-seven game series to win it. And on many occasions, players play through injuries that would put most of us in the hospital for weeks. Remember when Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman played with a knee injury that was so bad that doctors had to break his leg to repair the knee? Players play hard to get their name on the Stanley Cup.
The NBA championship is very hard to win, too. Like in hockey, you have to go through four best-of-seven series to win the title. And unlike much of the regular season IMO, the players play hard for all 48 minutes of a game. Even though the incentive to win isn't as great as it once was because of the salaries the players make, they do play hard to win the championship.
THE REWARDS OF WINNING A TITLE ARE GREAT
I'm talking about legacies. If you don't win a championship, people won't think you're as good as other guys that did win titles. You think it bothers guys like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and John Stockton that they didn't win NBA titles? You bet it does, even now. When LeBron James won his first title with the Miami Heat in 2012, he didn't have to hear anymore that "He couldn't win the big one."
When Washington Capitals great Alexander Ovechkin won his only Stanley Cup title in 2018 (seen above), he didn't have to worry about being called a "choker" or a "loser" anymore. You see the joy in his face? The same for Pittsburgh Penguins great Sidney Crosby, who's now won three championships.
THE GAMES ARE EXCITING
There is nothing better than playoff overtime hockey. They play 20-minute overtime periods until somebody scores. And some games have gone into multiple overtime periods before somebody wins. One mistake on defense, and you could lose the game.
NBA playoff games are exciting, too. Because of the 3-point shot and the 24 second shot clock, you can come back from a 20+ point deficit and still win. And most 4th quarters in the playoffs are wildly exciting. Because just about anything can happen.
But there are legit reasons why you don't care:
NEITHER THE RED WINGS OR PISTONS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS
This is a big one. If either or both the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings were in the playoffs, fans in Michigan would care. Pistons/Red Wings playoff games are bigger deals than your regular Detroit Tigers regular season game.
But the problem is, the Red Wings haven't been in the playoffs since 2016. And the Detroit Pistons haven't won a playoff game since 2008.
YOU'RE A HARDCORE BASEBALL FAN
Once the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season begins in late March, you shut pretty much everything else out. Even though baseball isn't as popular as it once was, there are still sports fans that are like this.
YOU'RE A HARDCORE FOOTBALL FAN
There are people who are "Football, Football, Football!!!" 24/7/365. After the Super Bowl is over in February, fans look to the spring NFL Draft (or spring football in college). And then once that's over, they look ahead to training camp in late summer. Football is our National Pastime now. Whether it's high school, college, or the pros. The TV ratings prove it.
Let us know if/why you care, or don't care about the NBA and/or NHL Playoffs in the comments...