With the flowers and warmth of spring come the crack of the baseball off the bat, the swish of a net in the NBA playoffs and the blaring of the goal horn in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The postseason of any sport brings with it a level of heightened competition and advanced dramatics. However, both the Stanley Cup and the NBA Playoffs are given the reputation of being the toughest postseasons out of the four major sports. What separates the hockey and basketball playoffs from those of both football and baseball is the fact that, in order to hoist the Stanley Cup or the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, the league champions must win at least an astonishing 16 games.
The NBA playoffs are highlighted by the return of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to Boston, where they are facing off against a young upstart Boston Celtics team. Before leaving his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio in favor of the sunny beaches of Miami, LeBron and company lost twice to the Celtics in both 2008 and 2010 — years in which the Celtics made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Once the generation’s greatest player made his way to South Beach, the Heat and their Big Three went 8-4 against Boston in the playoffs when they eliminated the Green in 2011 and 2012.
Along with the highly touted Cavaliers comes the Atlanta Hawks, who own a conference-best record of 60-22. The unique part of the Hawks and their season is the fact that all of their accomplishments came without a superstar to lead them. While teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs have been led by stars such as Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin and Tim Duncan, the Hawks have made their way to the top of the Eastern Conference with the likes of Kyle Korver and Al Horford directing the ship.
Headlining the Western Conference are the Golden State Warriors who, led by MVP candidate Curry, have gone 67-15 this season and face the New Orleans Pelicans, who hope to become the first eight seed to beat a one seed since the Philadelphia 76ers took down the Chicago Bulls in 2012. Curry has averaged 23.8 points per game and is looking to build off a phenomenal regular season in which he and the Warriors lost just two games at home.
The NBA features numerous other teams capable of winning the title, as the Chicago Bulls are the recipients of a finally healthy Derrick Rose. Along with the Bulls come the Houston Rockets and MVP candidate James Harden, who has averaged an impressive 27.4 points per game. The defending champions and the fifth seeded San Antonio Spurs, looking for a trip to their third consecutive NBA Finals, play host to point guard Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers.
On the ice, the NHL playoffs return three of the four teams that reached the 2014 conference finals. Returning from his clavicle injury, Patrick Kane leads the Chicago Blackhawks into battle against the Predators from Nashville. Coming off a postseason where they came just an overtime goal away from their second Stanley Cup Final in as many years, the Blackhawks hope to improve upon a 48-win season with a deep run in a very competitive Western Conference.
Also in the Western Conference come the St. Louis Blues led by U.S. Olympian T.J. Oshie who, along with David Backes, Vladimir Tarasenko and Paul Stastny, pilot a Blues team that put together a 109-point season. An issue though for St. Louis is its first round matchup: the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are a streaking team led by former University of North Dakota star Zach Parise on the offensive side while being anchored defensively by former Nashville Predator Ryan Suter.
The Montreal Canadiens return to the Stanley Cup playoffs after being eliminated by the winners of the Prince of Wales Trophy in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Rangers. Driving the Canadiens is defenseman P.K. Subban who has a knack for finding the back of the net during important games in the playoffs. Along with the defensive giant that is Subban stands goaltender and Hart Memorial Trophy favorite Carey Price. Price, a shoe-in for the Vezina Trophy for the league’s best goalie, has shut the door against opposing teams as the Habs have made their way to the top of the Atlantic Division with 50 wins.
Two teams from New York find themselves poised to face one another in the second round: the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders. The Rangers finished the season atop the Eastern Conference under the leadership of Ryan McDonagh, Martin St. Louis and Dan Girardi. Accumulating 113 points in the regular season, the Blueshirts face off with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. A win over Pittsburgh could possibly arrange a meeting with the Islanders from Long Island. If John Tavares and Johnny Boychuk can finagle their way past Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, a subway series with their rivals from Manhattan would give hockey fans around the globe a chance to see a possible seven games of intense, hard-hitting hockey.
While each team’s goal of 16 wins seems hard enough, the chance of glory looms heavy on the mind of every player in both the NBA and the NHL playoffs. In order to reach the top of the championship mountain, each team must fight, survive and claw its way toward those elusive trophies waiting at the summit.
