Photo: Walter Tychnowitz – USA TODAY Sports
The Florida Panthers took a 3-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers after a 4-3 win in Game 3 on Thursday night. This came 24 hours after the Celtics beat the Mavericks in Dallas to take a 3-0 series lead.
This is probably the worst NBA-NHL joint final we have seen in a long time. The first reason is that both series were not competitive. Boston won every game by more than seven points, and Edmonton, although they came back in Game 3, lost Game 1 3-0 and Game 2 4-1. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 86 shots from one of the most powerful offensive lines in the NHL, holding Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman to a combined zero goals and three assists. The Panthers suffocated the Oilers with their strong defensive scheme, leaving the skilled forwards no time to breathe. It is a clash of styles that is turning this game into a one-sided match.
Add in the fact that the matchups off the ice just weren't all that compelling. The Florida Panthers are a great team but nobody cares about them. It's one of the worst markets in hockey. The Edmonton angle was at least interesting because Canada hasn't won a Cup in a long time and they have some so-called big name players but there's no storyline to draw you in and keep you there. It was a tough series to get into for a neutral.
In the NBA Finals, things might be a little different because both teams have stars. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving. But it's clear now that the Celtics were the favorites from the get-go and exceeded expectations as the 5th seed leading into the Finals. It's been a great year for the Celtics, but they just fell flat in this series.
As a quick exercise, I looked back at the NBA and NHL finals from the past decade to see if there were any games that were less competitive and less compelling than the ones we see today.
- 2023 – Golden Knights 4, Panthers 1 / Nuggets 4, Heat 1
- 2022 – Avalanche 4, Lightning 2 / Warriors 4, Celtics 2
- 2021 – Lightning 4, Canadiens 1 / Bucks 4, Suns 2
- 2020 – Lightning 4, Stars 2 / Lakers 4, Heat 2
- 2019 – Blues 4, Bruins 3 / Raptors 4, Warriors 2
- 2018 – Caps 4, Golden Knights 1 / Warriors 4, Cavs 0
- 2017 – Penguins 4, Predators 2 / Warriors 4, Cavs 1
- 2016 – Penguins 4, Sharks 2 / Cavs 4, Warriors 3
- 2015 – Blackhawks 4, Lightning 2 / Warriors 4, Cavs 2
- 2014 – Kings 4, Rangers 1 / Spurs 4, Heat 1
2019 was arguably their best year. The Blues vs Bruins series went to seven games before Kawhi's Raptors beat the Warriors. The Warriors were hurt, sure. But I didn't care if the Warriors were eventually eliminated after winning three of their final four games. Similarly, the early Cavs vs Warriors series was good before they wore down their opponents. But I'm not sure how much interest there was in seeing the Penguins win two straight games against a couple of weak teams.
Going back even further, from 1995 to 1998, there were four straight sweeps in the Stanley Cup Finals, including a series I won't mention here. This was the same period when Michael Jordan's Bulls were dominating the NBA, Chicago beat the Jazz, and the Red Wings, Avalanche, and Devils swept their opponents to lift the cup. From my research, it appears that the last time there was a double sweep in the Finals was in '95, when Hakeem's Rockets swept the Magic and the Devils swept the Red Wings. If the Panthers and Celtics win Game 4, it will be the first double Finals sweep in nearly 30 years.
Here are some other random flops.
- 2007 – The Spurs sweep the Cavs in LeBron's first Finals, while the Ducks thump the Senators, 4-1
- 2002 – Lakers sweep Nets, Red Wings beat Hurricanes 4-1
- 1989 – The Pistons defeat the Lakers, Calgary and Montreal, 4 games to 2, in the All-Canadian Finals.
I don't think a series needs to go to 7 games to be interesting or compelling, but we are on the brink of winning two in a row. Edmonton has been a huge disappointment. The Mavs are no good. We are witnessing the worst NBA and NHL Finals since Bill Clinton.
