‘Offs To The “Quarters”

The quarterfinal round is set in both the NHL and NBA.

In fact, NHL conference top seeds, Colorado and Carolina have already won very different “quarters” openers, each by 3 goals, the overall top ranked ‘Lanche of Colorado (9-6) vs the Minnesota Wild and the ‘Canes of Carolina (3-0), vs the Philadelphia Flyers.

In ’75: Buffalo “semi’d” Montreal, but Philly repeated as Cup Winners in 6.

Elsewhere in the East, Buffalo (Sabres) and Montreal (Canadiens) will square off. Out West, tonight Las Vegas (Golden Knights) open their “quarter” vs the Anaheim Ducks.

NBA “quarters” begin tonight, and I think you have to pay extra to see the Knicks/Sixers sixth post-season series opener, the opening game winner having won all the previous series.

Yesterday both the East top seed, but not the conference “fave,” Detroit PIstons and fourth seed Cleveland Cavaliers won respectively very easily and fairly easily, vs the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors respectively and will clash in the quarters, say a half year plus after the two cities’ baseball teams met in a 12/8 preliminary type round.

A far more glorious history is recounted in the Detroit Lions’ 3 wins in four NFL title game clashes with the original Cleveland Browns in the 1950’s.

Basketball’s two best teams, but at best, only one can make the final round, the defending champion and top seed Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are huge favorites, too much of such in my opinion, respectively, vs the Los Angeles Lakers, who 6’d Houston (Rockets) and Minnesota (Timberwolves), who are without Anthony Edwards. “Minne” 6’d Denver in the prelims.

The great Bobby Layne “QB’d” two of the Lions’ wins and the one loss vs Cleveland while Tobin Rote, the father of future local New York sports reporter, Rock Rote, was at the helm for Detroit in the last of those clashes and also the last time Detroit even played for, no less won the NFL crown, that in 1957.