Finals Week Begins

The National Basketball Association's Finals and the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Championship Series begin tonight. 

The NBA Finals begin tomorrow night, and it is a match-up that has to have the league office and its television partners simply ecstatic.  The New York Knicks who sit in the nation's largest television market will face the San Antonio Spurs and their star player, Victor Wembanyama. At the age of 23 and in only his third year in the league,  he has become the Face of the NBA, if not the Face of the Sport of Basketball itself.

As I alluded in this post few days ago, I found myself really getting into the NBA Playoffs this year, and found myself cheering for both the Knicks and the Spurs as they made their way through the East and West playoffs.  I find myself very excited at watching this Finals series play itself out, and I honestly can't say for which team I will root.  

The Knicks are a fun team to watch and Jalen Brunson is just a terrific player.  The Spurs have Wemby, and what more is left to be said on that front?

The Knicks have won eleven straight Playoff games, many of them by large margins.  The Spurs have come off of a grueling seven game series against the defending champion OKC Thunder.

The Spurs are a slight betting favorite (-190) over the Knicks (+160), but the Knicks look to be on one of those unstoppable rolls upon which teams sometimes find themselves.

The Knicks have Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Timothee Chamalet, and Christopher and Bobby from The Sopranos.  The Spurs have the "Spurs Nuns" and those two young ladies with the low cut tops who sit in the second row right behind HC Mitch Johnson.

I hope it goes seven games.

The NHL's Stanley Cup Finals begin tonight between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes.  As you know, my interest in hockey wanes when the Penguins are not involved, so I turned to Linda, my Hockey Fanatic wife (her vanity license plate is HOCKEE) for advice on this one.

Prior to the season, she had me place bets on both the Hurricanes and the Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup.  She was astonished that the Knights dispatched Colorado in four games, but not surprised at the Canes being in the Finals.  She is calling for Carolina to hoist the Cup when all is said and done. Our rooting interest will be with the Hurricanes, not only because of her preseason wager, but because her sons  Jeffrey and Justin and their families reside in Raleigh now and are Hurricanes fans, and because she wants to see ex-Penguin Jordan Stahl win another Cup.

Those are good enough reasons for me to root for the Canes.  That, and the chance to see numerous shots of Rod Brind'Amour and his smooshed up nose behind the bench.

How many times do you figure that proboscis got busted up 

over the course of a 21 year NHL career?

Enjoy these two Championship Series, folks!