NBA/NHL Final Round Opening Game Notes

The road wins by both the Knicks and Golden Knights marked the seventh time in 79 possibilities (’47-2026 but no NHL season in 2005), that each road team prevailed in the NBA and NHL final round opening games.

Only once that in ’95, when incredibly both teams, sans home advantage, the NBA Houston Rockets (memo to O’Neal, the ubiquitous pitchman and great player, however Mr. Olauwon and Houston swept you and your Magic and let’s just say he outplayed you-thus before you put yourself ahead of Kareem, Wilt and Bill Russell, which is a joke were/are you better than Akeem?) and NHL New Jersey Devils swept the Orlando Magic and Detroit Red Wings respectively, did both game 1 road winners go on to win the crown.

There have been three splits and two occasions when both game 1 losers came back to “title.” (’66 Canadiens lost the first two at home but 6’d Detroit, with Henri Richard, as he did in even more dramatic and certainly clutch fashion 5 years later, scoring the Cup winning goal and Celtics who despite losing #’s 1 and 5 at home won in 7 vs the Lakers. Red Auerbach retired, having guided the Celts to 8 straight titles and 9 in the last 10 seasons.

The other was in ’91 a link of greats, Mr. Jordan and Mario Lemieux as their respective “Chi” (in “Key Largo” which I watched for the umpteenth time rather than enduring McDonough, who upon replay it was discovered that his BS’ing in the attacking zone manifested even in OT, just before Seth Jarvis’ goal got Caro, down (2-0) after 2 periods, even in their series vs L.V.–E.G. Robinson calls Chicago, “Chi”) Bulls and Pittsburgh Penguins’ teams, bounced back from final series opening game losses to win each franchise’s first crown. Chi has 6 all with Jordan, Pitts has 5, 2 with Mario, no relation to Claude, who had 4).

3 splits: ’84 Edmonton won but the Lakers lost vs the Islanders and Celtics respectively.

’93— The Bulls 6’d Phoenix (Suns) but the Canadiens 5’d the L.A. Kings

2004 The Pistons 5’d the Lakers but the Tampa Bay Lightning, under current L.V. coach, John Tortorella, 7’d the Calgary Flames.

Claire Trevor, so brilliant in “Key Largo” is pictured above.