[News] ESPN Poll: NBA or NHL playoffs - which is more exciting?

[kn]

Originally Posted by Est1980

Yeah pretty much this. Every time someone tries to tell me football players play the toughest (they are tough), I point out that Steve Yzerman willed himself and his team through 4 rounds of playoffs on one knee. Shuts them up pretty quick.

This. Yzerman couldn't even get to his feet without using the stick as a crutch. Oilers beat us and Messier couldn't jump over the boards to join the celebration.

Thousands of stories of guys playing through would put mere mortals down...

[kn]

So, are there any places in Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine that want a hockey team?

[Stay Golden]

Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont - Bruins
Michigan - Redwings
Illinois - Hawks
Pennsylvania - Pens
Minnesota - Wild

[FlamesAddiction]

I have to admit, I am not a sports fan at all really - except for hockey. I gave basketball an honest shot, but I just don't like it. Football, I don't get at all. Baseball is fun to play, but I can't stand watching it. Even if you go to a live game, half the people are just there to hang out it seems.

I like soccer enough to watch a game once in a while, but not to follow a full season.

[Erick Estrada]

The odd NBA game can be exciting but in general its pretty boring. That's why NBA has more entertainment distractions going on during the game than any other sport. That said the NHL has its share of boring games but one thing about the NHL is that it's the best example of it's sport while the NBA is inferior basketball compared to top end high school or college basketball. I'm not surprised by the results as a lot of Americans grew up playing basketball but you can see in the strong hockey markets that they know what's more exciting.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Est1980

Yeah pretty much this. Every time someone tries to tell me football players play the toughest (they are tough), I point out that Steve Yzerman willed himself and his team through 4 rounds of playoffs on one knee. Shuts them up pretty quick.

You would not begin to understand what football players play through. You only just prove that you know nothing about the sport.

One thing football playoffs have on all other sports is that every single game is a game 7. If you are used to football and you watch any other sports during playoffs it's hard to get invested into any single game, because if your reference point is football then game one or three or whatever of any round really doesn't matter a whole lot.

[trackercowe]

Don't forget that a large percentage of the players in the other 3 sports are all crackhead, ######bag, druggies! You don't find many (if any) of those in the NHL. It's a shame that the other sports are all ingrained in the American identity, so really hockey will never be as big as it should be. Oh well, it's their loss.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Counting to 100 in 2 point increments? Yawn. Wake me when there are 2 minutes left.

Hockey. No contest.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by Dr. Pepper

Gee, I wonder where you should put NHL franchises?

http://espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPoll...pollId=3667233

You want teams in Vermont and New Hampshire?

[BACKCHECK!!!]

Rhode Island REPRESENT!

[savemedrzaius]

I'm surprised that even in some of the deep south states NHL still gets around 30% of the vote. Thought it would be around 10%.

[SeeBass]

As a person who played both I still have a real problem with one of the basketball rules.

2 seconds left on the clock, one team scores
Other team calls timeout right away and after a timeout get the ball at half court????

To me this rule is absolute crap and makes no sense except to reward a team real estate so they get a chance to score. They should be losing with 2 seconds left and have to go the court length to score not an automatic offensive chance.
This would be like getting scored on in hockey calling a timeout and then getting a face off in the other teams zone.
I also think that calling a timeout and then calling another one without having to run a play is a joke too.

[St. Pats]

I'm a sports fan. Think that makes a real difference in how you view things. A hockey fan has a very biased view as they have no appreciation for other sports. I can enjoy a good close fought game of virtually any sport. From hockey to curling for pities sake. A good tennis match or a Champions League tilt.

Great athletes in all of them with great games to be seen.

Last night just as example there was a boring Blue Jays game(hardly watched it) two boring NHL games(put me to sleep). Then there was decent encounter between the Sharks and the Canucks. The winner on the night was an NBA game featuring the Rockets and the Thunder. Rockets win an away game to stave off elimination.

There is no "more exciting" if you are a sports fan. It changes from night to night. Especially if your own favorite team isn't in the playoffs and you are just an observer with no real passionate ties to the teams involved. Other than, of course, hate for the Canucks.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

I'm a sports fan. Think that makes a real difference in how you view things. A hockey fan has a very biased view as they have no appreciation for other sports. I can enjoy a good close fought game of virtually any sport. From hockey to curling for pities sake. A good tennis match or a Champions League tilt.

Great athletes in all of them with great games to be seen.

Last night just as example there was a boring Blue Jays game(hardly watched it) two boring NHL games(put me to sleep). Then there was decent encounter between the Sharks and the Canucks. The winner on the night was an NBA game featuring the Rockets and the Thunder. Rockets win an away game to stave off elimination.

There is no "more exciting" if you are a sports fan. It changes from night to night. Especially if your own favorite team isn't in the playoffs and you are just an observer with no real passionate ties to the teams involved. Other than, of course, hate for the Canucks.

Painting us all with the same brush? I like the NFL just as much as the NHL and appreciate sports like even tennis as I always try to catch the grand slams. I'll even watch an NBA playoff game. I just find it boring and it has nothing to do with bias as I used to watch the NBA every sunday (before sports were widely televised sunday morning NBA was like HNIC) when I was a kid in the mid to late 80's when the league was actually interesting and not the borderline WWE sideshow it has become.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Painting us all with the same brush? I like the NFL just as much as the NHL and appreciate sports like even tennis as I always try to catch the grand slams. I'll even watch an NBA playoff game. I just find it boring and it has nothing to do with bias as I used to watch the NBA every sunday (before sports were widely televised sunday morning NBA was like HNIC) when I was a kid in the mid to late 80's when the league was actually interesting and not the borderline WWE sideshow it has become.

I should have put a pure hockey fan . Of the type seen in this thread who say that all other sports suck to paraphrase. You label every NBA game "boring". Really hard to give that opinion much credence. Like I said I don't approach games with a bias other than if it's a good game I watch it and if it ain't(no matter the sport) I flick the channel.

[moon]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

I'm a sports fan. Think that makes a real difference in how you view things. A hockey fan has a very biased view as they have no appreciation for other sports. I can enjoy a good close fought game of virtually any sport. From hockey to curling for pities sake. A good tennis match or a Champions League tilt.

Great athletes in all of them with great games to be seen.

Last night just as example there was a boring Blue Jays game(hardly watched it) two boring NHL games(put me to sleep). Then there was decent encounter between the Sharks and the Canucks. The winner on the night was an NBA game featuring the Rockets and the Thunder. Rockets win an away game to stave off elimination.

There is no "more exciting" if you are a sports fan. It changes from night to night. Especially if your own favorite team isn't in the playoffs and you are just an observer with no real passionate ties to the teams involved. Other than, of course, hate for the Canucks.

I am a sports fan as well but even hard core basketball fans should admit it is the NHL play-offs no doubt, especially in the first two rounds due to 2 major things.

1. NBA rarely has upsets and rarely has close games early on. There are the few exceptions every couple of years but for the most part the 1-8, 2-7 match-ups are walks in the park and not remotely close.

2. The NBA schedule in the first round is the stupidest set up in sports. Dragging out the first round over 2+ weeks for TV purposes makes the first round take forever. Having teams have 3 days off between games makes it tough to get into the series and reduces the intensity of the series as well.

Hockey is obviously a much better and entertaining game but not even taking that into account the NHL play-offs are still better and definitely more exciting than the NBA.

[OldDutch]

In some ways NHL is a better product, some ways NBA is better.

I honestly think on TV NHL is better, NBA is the better live event. I watch Golden State take on the Celtics in Oakland at Christmas from 3rd row center court. It was amazing, especially given GS style of play, some say is like college. Also, Garnett is hilarious, one of the most animated players I have ever seen. Given that there are no boards or nets to separate you from the play, you can see the skill and emotion on display so much better. Just all round an awesome product live.

Hockey (with exception of 2004 playoff games I went to) I find is on average quieter, and you feel more removed from the play. Plus with basketball the home team goes on a run, and excitement just builds, until a guy hits a huge 3, and the place goes nuts.

I love hockey 1st, but they are different sports, and I like each better depending if I am at home or at the game.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

I should have put a pure hockey fan . Of the type seen in this thread who say that all other sports suck to paraphrase. You label every NBA game "boring". Really hard to give that opinion much credence. Like I said I don't approach games with a bias other than if it's a good game I watch it and if it ain't(no matter the sport) I flick the channel.

Where did I label every NBA game boring? I just consider it in general a boring sport to watch much like soccer. Obviously millions of fans of each of those sports will disagree but unless you have a vested interest in a team they are boring sports to watch in general. The NBA is boring in general yes but it has its moments just like even soccer has its rare moments of excitement. Last years NBA playoffs for example were IMO better than the NHL's but that was an abnormality and not the norm.

Even Jim Rome states that the NHL is the best playoffs and he's a big Lakers fan.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

You would not begin to understand what football players play through. You only just prove that you know nothing about the sport.

One thing football playoffs have on all other sports is that every single game is a game 7. If you are used to football and you watch any other sports during playoffs it's hard to get invested into any single game, because if your reference point is football then game one or three or whatever of any round really doesn't matter a whole lot.

+1

people saying football players don't play thru pain like super tough hockey players are a joke.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Where did I label every NBA game boring? I just consider it in general a boring sport to watch much like soccer. Obviously millions of fans of each of those sports will disagree but unless you have a vested interest in a team they are boring sports to watch in general. The NBA is boring in general yes but it has its moments just like even soccer has its rare moments of excitement. Last years NBA playoffs for example were IMO better than the NHL's but that was an abnormality and not the norm.

Even Jim Rome states that the NHL is the best playoffs and he's a big Lakers fan.

Very generalized statement that has little validity to it. Way too many factors. Crappy matchups. Whether you actually have a team to root for. Intense series for whatever factor(players hate each other, cities, coach's etc.) A blanket statement that one sport's playoffs are better than another sport's is unsupportable. Whether you are a fan of the sport is a huge factor. If you aren't a big fan of the sport of course you won't appreciate anything except the classics. If you have built in bias that a league isn't as good as it once was(nostalgia) then that clouds the view as well.

To me as a sports fan the logical approach is to simply flick channels to I find a game that has some appeal. Even that logic is flawed as if the Flames(or any of my other teams) are playing I watch them regardless of the quality of the game.

A good game is a good game regardless of the sport. Are there more good games of NHL playoffs than NBA or other sports? Hard to know especially over years and years of watching sports. Even harder to tell in years where the Flames aren't in the playoffs and I have more of a who gives a crap attitude.