Everyone knows that the Yankees vs. the Red Sox is one of baseball's oldest rivalries. The Patriots vs. either the Giants or Jests doesn't even come close, despite all three teams now struggling to achieve relevancy on a consistent basis.
But what about the Knicks vs. the Celtics? Or the Rangers vs. the Bruins?
All four of those teams are on course to meet in their respective leagues' Eastern Conference finals, contingent on advancing past the division semi-finals.
Tonight, the Knicks, the #2 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference, open a series vs. old nemesis Indiana.
The days of the Knicks being destined to be a lottery team have ended, at least for now. Mercurial owner James Dolan is finally letting the Knicks play without him grabbing headlines by being a world class jerk. His Steinbrenner-esque impulses have been curbed for the moment.
Dolan also owns the Rangers, and has never been one to meddle in the team's affairs unlike with the Knicks. It has been 30 years since the Rangers last won the Stanley Cup, with Mark Messier and company hoisting the Cup and ascending into NYC sports lore.
On Sunday, the Rangers began their 2nd round series by beating Carolina, 4-3. Momentum is on their side. The Boston Bruins open with Toronto tonight. If they knock the Maple Leafs out, and New York dismisses Carolina, they're going to go bananas in New York & Boston for sure.
Back to the Knicks. Indiana won 2 of 3 during the regular season. New York can change that with a win at home tonight, to set the tempo. Boston begins their 2nd round series with Cleveland tomorrow night. The same scenario is there. Knicks-Celtics and Rangers-Bruins in the post-season? MSG & TD Garden will be sold out for the conference finals if it happens.
If it happens that this is TNT's final NBA season, with rumors that NBC wants back in, they couldn't ask for a better scenario. I'm not sure if they'll have a share of the NHL conference finals, but it'd be a bonus.
The real winners, though, will be the fans in New York and Boston and their respective states. Twin playoff series in May could blow Yankees-Red Sox out of the water. Be prepared.
For me, the NBA working on a new TV/Media rights deal is worth watching(no pun intended), as it's widely expected that once they dot all their I's and cross all their T's with the deal, expansion for the league may be on the table.
ReplyDeleteI mention expansion, as I live(which i've mentioned on numerous occasions) in the Seattle area, and if expansion does happen... it's widely being reported that the Seattle is expected to recieve a franchise(which, unless those in charge of things are asleep... should be the rebirth of the Seattle SuperSonics).
After the NHL granted a franchise to the city, and after the success the team has been(at least, as far as attendance and merchandise goes), the NBA i'm sure is chomping at the bit to bring Seattle back into the fold...
That would help out your way, wouldn't it?
ReplyDelete@Hobbyfan: definitely; it would kind of suck if TNT lost the NBA at the same time, as I remember watching plenty of Sonics games as a kid through my early adult years on TNT or TBS(when they weren't blacked out locally, but that's another story altogether)...
ReplyDeleteI would kind of like to see NBC get the NBA back in one form or another though, as their theme music probably was one of my favorite sports TV themes(who knew John Tesh could write something really cool?)...
Tesh has used "Roundball Rock" as theme music for his own radio show, and it was licensed, at last check, to Fox for their college basketball coverage. If NBC does get the NBA back, but can't use "Roundball Rock", well, I'm sure they'd find some new music that would hook the viewers.
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