7’s,6’s–‘Offs Update

There will be SEVEN (decisive) SEVENTH games, three all in the NHL prelims today, and four tomorrow, to determine which teams move on to the NBA semi-final round and the NHL quarterfinal round.

In the NBA, the two teams, each of whom annexed superb players to seriously help them win 2 titles each in the last decade, the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors each are (6-0) at home (remember going forward, just about every team that has made the semis in the last decades has lost at least one game at home during the ‘offs) and won their “quarters” in 6 games, beating the Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies respectively.

Miami seeking its 4th NBA crown won it in 2006 and then won 2 straight in the second and third seasons with the annexed, great player, Leb James in 2012 and 2013.

Golden State had titled in 2015 vs Cleveland, which had taken James back only to be robbed of the crown vs James and the Cavs in 2016. ‘G.S.” then went out and annexed another great, Kevin Durant and won back to back titles in 2017 and 2018, each vs James and Cleveland.

Meanwhile there are 2 #7’s tomorrow with a night Suns (menos 6) vs Dallas following a 3:30 Eastern on over the air television, #7 between the Celtics (-5) and the Bucks.

Who but me cited the eery similarity to these two teams classic 1974 NBA final?!

In each series through 6 games, it was road/home/home/ and 3 straight road team wins and through 6 Milwaukee has reversed its situation with Boston those 48 years ago as then it was Boston/Milw/Bost?Milw/Bost/Milw on Kareem’s ( Abdul Jabbar) long sky hook also in a Friday night #6) before the Celts won a third road tilt of that final on Mother’s Day afternoon in Milwaukee.

Tomorrow a week after Mother’s Day and in a rare Sunday afternoon/over the air TV’d game, Milwaukee visits Boston, to decide which team will face the East top seed Miami Heat.

In the NHL, one of three series ended last night and the top ranked Florida Panthers (their fellow Miami team, the Heat also won in 6 to advance. Both Boston teams have afternoon #7’s, starting within 24 hours, the Bruins at Carolina and the aforementioned Celts/Bucks, the two Dallas teams have road 7th’s, the aforementioned Mavericks at Phoenix and the NHL Stars at Calgary, each playing and quite possibly overlapping tomorrow night–both Tennessee teams the NBA Grizzlies beaten in a 6 game “qtr” as cited and the NHL Preds swept out by Colorado, whose fellow Denver team had been 5’d by Golden State in the prelims, were ousted in the respective overlapping NBA quarters and NHL prelims) rode series star, Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime goal to their first series win since ’96 when they made the Cup final, only to be swept by the Colorado Avalanche.

Elsewhere in the NHL as essentially cited Dallas forced a 7th at Calgary, doubling the Flames in a late night tilt in Dallas after the New York Rangers overcame a (2-0) deficit and won in Pittsburgh for the first time in the series (only 5 of the 32 ‘offs teams have not lost at home, aforementioned Miami and G.S. Colorado (2-0) and both Carolina and Boston in their all home prelim through 6 games).

Thus, say around 7 P.M. Eastern Time for Pens at the Rangers followed by Stars at the Flames, each team 2 under in previous #7’s, the Flames (5-7), the Stars (6-8).

Two more notes to conclude this long but essentially positive post on yet another dreary Saturday, the Pens are (5-0) in road 7th games and the first time the Rangers ever overcame a (3-1) series, that vs the Penguins in 2014 when there was Louise, New York won a Friday night, at Pitts #5 and a home #6/Sunday tilt before winning #7 in Pittsburgh.

#6 of this series was a Friday (last) night at Pittsburgh and tomorrow is a Sunday night (in ’14 ’twas a day game) #7 at New York game.

 

Heat executive, Pat Riley as cited here in my recollection of the great ’71-’72 Lakers a week back, has been a part of 9 title teams. (4 as Lakers coach, 1 as a Lakers player, that in ’72, 1 as an assistant coach with L.A. one as Heat coach and 2 as Heat executive).

I believe Riley has also lost 9 times in a major final entity. Those are in ’66 as a college player with Kentucky when Texas Western, with a then virtually unprecedented all Black players starting five upset the Wildcats.

Riley lost a final as a coach thrice with L.A. and once with the Knicks. He lost three as a Heat executive, one in a “b.s. bubble” season in 2020 and one as a pro player with the ’73 Lakers, who fell to the Knicks. (Fell was said just about as I typed and where is Norman and what would he say regarding “this” and much “that?!”