Every year, during the months of April and May, the NBA and NHL hold Best-of-7 Series to decide which team is the champion. The Best-of-7 Series is a thrilling 1-2 week feud filled with rivalries, epic battles and momentum swings that heighten the drama of sport.
Most sports such as Football, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, etc. use their own methods of finding a champion. They use a system of ranking the top teams or players, then the top ranks battle it out with just one game (2 games in Soccer), to determine the champ. But with a best-of-7 series, the teams must win 4 games to move on to the next round of the playoffs.
It may leave you asking the question why? Why do they choose to play so many games? Why not just one? Well, it prevents a team from getting lucky one night to advance. Winning 4 games truly shows that you’re worthy to move past the other team.
When two teams meet for a best-of-7 series, the teams alternate home and away locations with the higher ranked team awarded the extra home game if the series goes to the final game 7. Sometimes if one team wins the series by winning the 1st 4 games, it’s called a “sweep” .
Right now the NBA and the NHL are holding their 2010 playoff seasons and there have already been some sweeps and epic game 7 battles. The biggest story in the NHL was when the lowest ranked Montreal Canadians defeated the number one ranked Washington Capitals in 7 games. Alexander Ovechkin, considered to be the best player in the League, had brought the Capitals to a commanding 3-1 game lead. However, Haroslav Halak, the Canadian goalie, stopped 131 shots out of 134 in the last 3 games to win them and the series in dramatic style.
In the NBA, Dwight Howard and Vince Carter showed their dominant presence by leading the Orlando Magic to a 4-0 game sweep over the Charlotte Bobcats. But it’s only round one and things will get tougher as the Magic will face better teams such as the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Who do you think will win the Stanley Cup or the NBA Championship trophy. Let us know in the comments at the bottom…
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