A Loud Place
A LOUD PLACE
By The Fillerbuster
The Cast 041418
Sure, it is a nice day. The sun is out here in Denver. It is a little chilly, but a walk or hike or bike ride would be in play without a doubt. I of course would wear shorts in whatever activity I chose.
But, there is a conflict. There is a reason I am typing these words. There is a reason I am talking to you in cargo shorts on my couch. There is something in the air.
When baseball season starts, it combines the true fans of baseball surfacing, the birds chirping and all of that crap, sunnier days, and the sound of the bat making contact with the ball with green grass all around. Plus, there is the novelty of being loaded on opening day at your local MLB field.
When football season starts, there are more limited games, so every single one is important. The start of football season is of immediate importance and meaningfulness. It is the first game of a smaller, shorter season where everything counts.
When hockey and basketball season start, it kind of sneaks up on you. With me, there is slight confusion of when the preseason turns into the regular season, when your previous home’s team comes for one of many visits into town, and a general room for error overall. There is plenty of time. Fast passed teams with lesser defense feel like they can finally beat the system and give fans exciting players, slow starts are not the end of the world unless you are chasing Wayne or MJ records, and it…just happens.
But that changes quickly. This week is that week. It is when wives across the nation recover from their husband staring at the tube watching every March Madness game and every Masters golf swing (wait, is that just me?) and then realize that the PLAYOFFS start and the cycle begins again.
The regular season is great. It is needed obviously. But, now is when things get fun. They get serious. You can hear it in the crowd and you can hear it in the announcers’ tone.
Why are the playoffs so good? Why am I writing this? This is why.
SERIES:
You get the real winner. All series these days are best of seven. The regular season is played to determine who has home ice/court advantage. That becomes important. But the bottom line is this. Teams can’t get lucky. Teams can’t get hot for a game and receive advancement as a reward. This is an athletic chess match in both sports. Changes will be made game to game, adjustments will be countered with counters, which will be countered. Teams get to know each other. Injuries will happen. Fans get to know the opposing team. Head nods will be given for great plays that will be remembered, and fights will ensue between players NOT liking the long-term relationship. But, in the end, you get a winner. Typically, that result will be the better team. Cinderellas are fun during March Madness, but they sometimes dilute future matchups (look at the road for Loyola-Chicago this year). In the NHL and NBA playoffs, each series just simply gets better and the rest of the series are foreplay.
HOME COURT/ICE:
The regular season is for jockeying for the right to play more games at home. This is important, both for fast starts and great finishes. The crowd is closer to the floor. And there is not as many people treating the game as an “experience” with the husband/wife or partner or kids and getting beers during game play. It is different. You are there for the right for that NOT to be the last game. Stereotypes allude to the fact that Lakers fans are the most apathetic fans in the NBA. Many jokes are out there about how that might be true, but how they simply save all of their energy for the playoffs. They have titles to back that up. Now, we don’t have to worry about Lakers fans this year (THANK you for no LaVar in the playoffs), but know fans become passionate in a heartbeat.
For the record, I think NBA home court advantage is more important than NHL ice advantage. Maybe it is because of the blockade between players and ice or another reason totally. But, an NBA team has the better advantage. Argue with me. I have stats. Overall, an NHL team will win a home regular season game about 55% of the time. In the playoffs, that number stays just about the same. In the NBA, a team hovers at about 60% in the regular season. Playoffs? It jumps to almost 65%.
LEGENDS:
When we talk legends, we don’t focus on the regular season. Sure, there are records that are held and people try to break them, but the bigger picture is the playoffs obviously. I just spent five minutes looking at the top 15 players all time in scoring in both the NHL and NBA. Did you know there are only THREE of those 30 players to not win a title? Three. That is amazing. The best players figured out a way to pave their path to the title, whether it was with help or on their back. Now, will we ever doubt the skills of Marcel Dionne, Karl Malone, or Dominique Wilkins? Of course not. But, there are memories that we have of all of these players, and not many of them are a particular slapshot or dunk in a regular season game. Legends are made in the playoffs. Bill Russell averaged 15 pts per game during his career. He has more title rings than fingers. You do the math. On a side note, take a guy like Claude Lemieux in hockey. The dude literally seemed to WAIT until the playoffs to show up. And THAT is why we remember him. So, although we know Tracy McGrady, Mitch Richmond, and Carmelo Anthony are/were great players, they never finished the deal.
In the age of comparing LeBron to MJ, what is the trump card up to this point? Rings. That is why someone on the MJ side of the fence like me ALWAYS has the Jack of Diamonds (for another year).
GAME 7’s:
I won’t go long on this. Sure, a one time football playoff game is EPIC. But, the teams don’t have immediate history or know each other. It is intriguing because the game is NEW. In NHL and MLB Game 7’s, everyone knows each other, and they have gone head to head evenly in six straight games. Players are tired, players are tired of each other, and they are trying to find that one more gear for a final ride.
And, if the above is in a CONFERENCE game, they are rewarded by having to do the whole thing all over again.
PACE:
It doesn’t matter whether you are on the ice or the court. The pace slows. Defense becomes highlighted. You can’t showboat your way with fancy skating or alley-oops. The microcosm becomes real as all deficiencies are now highlighted and front and center. Got a weak line or bad depth inside? You will know it early and often. I remember when the Phoenix Suns with Steve Nash were one of my favorite teams to watch. But, every single year, they got slowed down from their regular season antics, and got beat by a team that matched them in relative talent when pace bothered them in efficiency. It happened for a reason. And, sure Brodeur is one of the best ever, but those Devils slowed everything down, put your weak links in the limelight, and made you feel more mortal than any well groomed beard could cover.
HOT PLAYERS/HOT GOALIES:
One of the fun things is that someone from some team WILL step up and become a household name. Right about now, the Pelicans and Bucks are hoping the Brow and Freak can pull a Jonathan Quick from a couple years ago. When a player starts to shine, or a goalie is batting down pucks seemingly effortlessly, it is fun to watch unless you are the opponent.
COACHES:
This is where they make their money. We as fans see the hits and the jump shots, but the adjustments quarter to quarter and period to period are SO important. They might not get the glamour press or the social media buzz, but the regular season is their sandbox, and the playoffs are the castle they have been working on.
THE CUP:
I am a basketball guy through and through, but I am also smart enough to know this. Although I am talking about them both in tandem for this piece, I do understand the Stanley Cup IS harder to win than the NBA playoffs in my opinion. More physical, less time in between (which makes NO sense to me), and better skills level of players from top to bottom on each roster. It is the hardest team title to win in the world.
So, officially, game ON, people. This is where it counts and when legends are made. This is when teams start the Price Is Right hiking climb and people grow beards for no reason. This is when the best teams surface and all of that regular season positioning BECOMES meaningful. This is where it counts. Arenas are noisier. Fans are yelling more passionately. Suddenly, all playoff cities are LOUD places. Game ON.
MOVIE REVIEW: A Quiet Place (no spoilers)
This was a physical experience as well as a movie viewing experience. What do I mean? Well, I can’t guarantee your theater will run like the one I went to, but ours persuaded you that popcorn was NOT a good food option for the movie. The movie is called a quiet place, but it goes full throttle with that concept. Don’t look for any award winning songs or soundtracks from this movie at the Oscars. In a world where the monsters are blind but can hear everything, the movie makes the experience that also. I have been looking for a slightly scary movie that flowed well, had a good plot, and didn’t let me down in the resolution of the plot. Here it is. Great cast, great storyline, and I was truly on the edge of my seat for 90 minutes. About midway through the movie, I thought I was watching the most stressful part of the movie. Then, another one came along, and another. All the way until the end. When you make a movie that makes you root for the people on the screen to not make ANY noise and literally shudder when they do, AND follow it up with a solid plot, then you have a great movie. Well done, you movie people, on this one. Go see it. Go see it IN the theater, as you will never have a hundred people not making one sound ever again most likely.
And someone move that damn nail, PLEASE!
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. And enjoy the beginning of the playoffs. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. Peace.
That is the end of the focus piece. Who do I have personally?
NBA:
Rockets vs. Timberwolves: The Timberwolves have the lineup to win a playoff round soon. They need to focus on the regular season a little more to get in a better position. Rockets in five.
Warriors vs. Spurs: Intriguing because we are used to this as a late round matchup in past years, it will not be this year, and the Spurs simply can’t score enough to win, with or without Leonard. Warriors in five.
Blazers vs. Pelicans: The Blazers have the stellar guards and home court, but I smell this as an upset in seven games. I think Davis is special in this one and gets them to round 2. Pelicans in seven.
Thunder vs. Jazz: Just what the HOF threesome wants to face in the first round-a young, not scared team who lost their star player and left for dead. Still, too much talent on the Thunder side. Thunder in six.
Raptors vs. Wizards: Remember when the Wizards were near the top of the East? They dropped like a rock in the second half of the season, but I still think they give the typically underachieving Raptors. The Raptors still are the better team. Raptors in six.
Celtics vs. Bucks: The Freak wakes up the world. The Celtics are banged up and no one has any clue how Brad Stevens still pulled the two seed in the East. Bucks in seven.
Sixers vs. Heat: The Embiid injury makes things a little interesting, but with Fultz back and Simmons hitting stride, I just don’t see an older Wade figuring out a way to beat these guys. Too much talent. Too much hunger. Sixers in seven.
Cavs vs. Pacers: It has been adorable reading about how the Pacers are a dangerous team for the Cavs and will give them all they can handle. Here is my trump card. LeBron does NOT mess around in the early rounds of the playoffs and that is the reason he has been in the NBA Finals for 27 straight years. Cavs in five.
Western Conference Champion: Cavs
Eastern Conference Champion: Rockets
NBA Title: Rockets
Darkhorse: Bucks
NHL:
I want to go watch games, so let’s just do the end game for this one.
Eastern Conference Champion: Capitals
Western Conference Champion: Golden Knights
Stanley Cup Winner: Golden Knights
Darkhose: San Jose