Game Fives

We have a special treat in the next two days as both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final are tied 2-2 going into game 5. Game fives when the series is tied are my favorite games in best-of-seven series aside from game 7 because of the large advantage gained by the victor, which makes the stakes incredibly high. Game sixes almost always seem anti-climactic (the 1986 World Series being a notable exception, of course): the series either ends, which is disappointing because everyone who is a neutral observer is hoping for a game 7, or the team down 3-2 wins and game 6 immediately becomes irrelevant because now there is a seventh game to look forward to.


Although it is ridiculous how many days there are sometimes in between games of NHL and especially NBA playoff series--nothing other than playing a series every other day makes sense--it is a good thing that the two leagues' playoff schedules are now synchronized to have the finals at the same time, which was not the case until recently. I remember back in 1994 the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in seven games, and the Knicks lost the Finals in seven games a week later. Both seasons drag on too long as it is, thus it is nice that the NBA has shortened things up a bit.


An important difference between the two series is the home-away format, as the NHL uses a 2-2-1-1-1 schedule and the NBA uses the more traditional 2-3-2 (as does MLB). This makes a huge difference in the importance of game 5 for the home teams. Dallas has to beat Miami tonight in Texas in order to have a realistic shot at winning the title because they are not going to win two in Miami, but Vancouver could conceivably lose tomorrow night, steal game 6 in Boston (though if they lose tomorrow the Bruins have all the momentum and will probably win in six games), and then have game 7 at home where they would be considered the favorites.


2-2-1-1-1 is slightly fairer to the lower-seeded team, so how one feels about which format is better depends on how one feels about how much of an advantage the higher-seeded team deserves. The extra travel involved in a 2-2-1-1-1 series should not count against it because it affects both teams equally, and the extra revenue generated from making the playoffs makes the higher travel expenses a moot issue. I prefer the 2-2-1-1-1 format from a logical point of view that believes playoff series should be as competitive as possible--if I were NBA or MLB commissioner I would switch to this format--but the traditionalist in me loves 2-3-2, especially in baseball.