Hey, just so you know ... this post is now about 8 years and 10 months old. Please keep that in mind as it very well may contain broken links and/or outdated information.Usually in May and June I’m watching baseball but this year was different because both my Tampa Bay Lightning and Cleveland Cavaliers were in their respective playoffs, both teams making it all the way to the finals. Unfortunately, a strange pattern emerged as both teams ended up falling short of a championship, losing in 6 games:
| Game | Bolts vs. Blackhawks | Cavs vs. Warriors |
| 1 | 1-2 (L) | 100-108 (L OT) |
| 2 | 4-3 (W) | 95-93 (W OT) |
| 3 | 3-2 (W) | 96-91 (W) |
| 4 | 1-2 (L) | 82-103 (L) |
| 5 | 1-2 (L) | 91-104 (L) |
| 6 | 0-2 (L) | 97-105 (L) |
| 7 | N/A | N/A |
Both teams had injuries and weren’t playing at full strength. Bolts goalie Ben Bishop was clearly hurt in Game 2 (I was there!) when he left twice (and now we know he was playing through a torn groin) and Tyler Johnson was playing with a broken wrist. The Cavs lost Kevin Love in the first round to a shoulder injury, and then Kyrie Irving broke his kneecap in the first game of the Finals.
The good news is that both of my teams had great, exciting runs and have a great chance of being contenders again next year, assuming they stay healthy and don’t have too many lineup changes in the off-season.
Cool note: the Tampa Bay Lightning are the first team in history to face an Original Six team in four consecutive rounds of the playoffs in the same year: the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. Too bad they couldn’t have beaten the fourth one. 🙁
So my spring sports bonanza is over … time to watch some baseball. How are the Rays and Indians doing? Wait, the Rays are in 1st place? I need to start paying attention!
