NBA Playoffs vs. NHL Playoffs 2014: Which Sport Has Best Postseason Competition? [Poll]
Both the NBA and NHL schedules coincide together giving fans nonstop daily action. One night, fans can watch diving saves by goalies, slap shots, one timers, and hard hip checks. The very next night, viewers can watch high powered slam dunks, long range three point shots, eye popping blocks, and half court alley-oops.
It's a close battle for superiority, so let's make the case for each league hosting the higher quality postseason and crown a champion.
Case for the NHL
"There's nothing like the National Hockey League playoffs" hockey fans will tell you. And they may be correct. The biggest advantage the NHL holds over the NBA is its unpredictability. Since 1980, only eight different NBA franchises have won the Championship. In the NHL, it's a completely different story with 11 different champions in the last 14 years. The NBA doesn't have many upsets or surprises with the highest seeds winning almost every series. Perfect example: the four remaining teams in the conference Finals are all No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
Another advantage the NHL has for its fans is contact. Watching a basketball game today with constant free throws, flops, and fouls is nothing compared to the physical play of an NHL postseason game. Bodies are flying left and right doing anything to put the puck in the net, or keep it out. Anything can happen in the NHL playoffs, as we saw with the San Jose Sharks who lost a 3-0 series lead to the Los Angeles Kings. No NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit.
Case for the NBA
When it comes to the NBA playoffs, the fans are closer to the game, as the NHL has a thick wall dividing its fans from the game. When you attend an NBA playoff game, you may be lucky enough to get a high five from a player when heading to the locker room. Another factor is the equipment. Viewers get to see LeBron James and Kevin Durant trash talking each other up close without helmets or padding for 48 minutes. No sport gives a better one-on-one matchup than basketball. Fans love to watch Tim Duncan on Serge Ibaka, Russell Westbrook face Tony Parker, and so on.
Does the NHL postseason provide a more "wild ride" of unpredictability? Yes, but in a way it's randomness. In the NBA playoffs, the best team will always win leaving no doubt who the final elite team is. For NBA fans, falling in love with a Cinderella team making a championship run just doesn't do it like other sports leagues. Television ratings are also higher among the NBA playoffs than the NHL.
In the end, the choice is yours. It's great to be a fan of both because the schedules fall in line perfectly. Both leagues are among the most globally diverse and are very popular worldwide. Feel free to vote below and voice your opinion and which postseason you think is best.