NBA/NHL Postseason Awards

            We just ended a two-month stretch where literally every night of the week there was either a playoff basketball or hockey game on. I realize most folks are split one way or the other in which sport they favor more (especially the hockey crowd. If you want to hear a slew of inappropriate words in quick succession, ask a die-hard puck-head what they think about all of the basketball highlights on Sportscenter), but for me, they almost blend into each other. And for my wife, she complains that I hog the television for 70 straight nights (it’s been four years, she should know by now right?). For my money, the NBA/NHL playoffs are the best time of the year in sports.
            On the night that we should be watching the Bruins and Blackhawks play in an epic Game 7, we hand out some fake awards for both leagues, and in the end, pick which sport had the stronger playoff season.

Most Memorable Game

NBA = NBA Finals Game 6, Spurs @ Heat
NHL = NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 6, Blackhawks @ Bruins
            I had the Bruins epic Game 7 comeback against Toronto penciled in for this honor for a week, but when you score two goals in 17 seconds to win the Stanley Cup, that trumps everything.
            As for the NBA, Game 6 probably will go in the books as one of the ten greatest games ever played. It wasn’t a display of basketball excellence (Lebron tried to choke twice in regulation before Ray Allen bailed the Heat out), but in terms of drama, the only game that comes close in the last decade was Derek Fisher’s miraculous 0.4-second jumper in 2004 against the Spurs (which shouldn’t of counted because it should be physically impossible to catch, turn, and shoot in less than half a second, but whatever).

Team With the Best Long Term Outlook
NBA = Indiana Pacers
NHL = Boston Bruins
            Indiana could lose David West this off-season (I’m betting on him resigning, but we’ve been wrong in this space before), but with Paul George reaching franchise player status, the Pacers have two legitimate building blocks in George and Roy Hibbert. If they can add a three-point specialist off the bench (it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Pacers would’ve been in the NBA Finals if they had signed Carlos Delfino for $3 million instead of the Rockets), Indiana is perfectly positioned to contend in the Eastern Conference for the next several seasons.
            It might be hard to believe Boston is all right after their shocking Game 6 collapse, but the core of the team is still very young. Tyler Seguin still has room to grow into a franchise player (I don’t think the lockout did him any favors), and Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci established themselves as legitimate A-quality centers. The Bruins will be favorites in the East for the foreseeable future.

Breakout Player

NBA = Stephen Curry, PG-SG, Golden State Warriors
NHL = Tukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins
            It feels like years ago, but remember when Stephen Curry was assaulting Denver and San Antonio with a ridiculous 3-point barrage night after night? Watching Curry go bonkers (and simultaneously, the Warriors fans losing their minds) was the highlight of the NBA playoffs. If Curry ever figures out how to keep his ankles from rolling, Golden State now has the knowledge that a championship team can be built around him.
            Tukka will shoulder some of the blame Boston’s Game 6 collapse, but it’s important not to forget how valuable he was to the Bruins during their Finals run. He was a brick wall against the talented Pittsburgh Penguins, and was even better against New York. No one will ask about Tim Thomas anymore (at least they shouldn’t). This is Rask’s team now.

Most Disappointing Club

NBA = Oklahoma City Thunder
NHL = Washington Capitals
            The Russell Westbrook knee injury was the great what-if of these playoffs (other than of course, if the Thunder didn’t ship off James Harden before the season). A healthy Westbrook plus whatever Oklahoma City is able to add after they amnesty Kendrick Perkins (wishful thinking) should return the Thunder to the top of the Western Conference.
            I don’t think anyone was expecting the Capitals to march to a Stanley Cup, but squandering Alex Ovechkin’s return to MVP form was extremely disappointing.

MVP

NBA = Lebron James, SF, Miami Heat
NHL = Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago Blackhawks
            No Credentials didn’t go out on a limb here (both players were the playoff MVPs of their respective teams), but both deserve to be mentioned again. Kane carried the Blackhawks while Jonathan Toews was struggling, while Lebron cemented his status as one of the five greatest NBA players of all time.

Which League’s Playoffs Were Better?

            The NHL normally jumps out to a huge lead in this yearly race thanks to a Round 1 that actually is competitive (most NBA round 1 match-ups are runaways), but the NBA stepped up it’s game this year. Stephen Curry’s 3-point explosions were enough to pull off an upset of the third seed in the West. Chicago outlasted Brooklyn in a brutal triple overtime slugfest (friend of the blog Nate Robinson went ape shit remember?), and Houston was able to push the Thunder after the Westbrook injury. We’ll still give the first round victory to the NHL (Boston’s Game 7 against Toronto alone accomplished that), but it was close. Basketball scored higher marks the rest of the way however. Round 2 was highlighted by a valiant effort by Golden State against the Spurs, while the Pacers pushed the Heat to the brink in the Eastern Conference Finals. Finally, when your league year ends with it’s best player performing at his absolute best to win a title, the clear winner in the fight (unless you’re a diehard hockey fan) is the NBA.