NBA Playoffs Random Tournament

Yesterday we saw the Totally Random NHL playoffs.  Today we have the Totally Random NBA playoffs.  While not quite as exciting as the NHL, the NBA is still good viewing.  In the Totally Random NHL playoffs, the top seeded Rangers took out the honors which is disappointing on two levels.  First, I hate the Rangers.  Second, you would think in a totally random tournament, the top seed wouldn’t win.  For the random World Cup, Spain was the winner.  At the time they were one of the top favourites.  So will we get chaos for this tournament?  The answer is yes and no.

Round 1

In the East:

Nets	2-4	Hawks
Celtics	4-2	Cavaliers
Bucks	2-4	Bulls
Wizards	4-2	Raptors

In the West:

Pelicans	2-4	Warriors
Mavericks	4-2	Rockets
Spurs	1-4	Clippers
Grizzlies	4-1	Blazers

Well what a stunning upset we have.  My Celtics nail LeBron and the Cavaliers in six and the games were not really that close.  The Celtics blew them away in some games and Cleveland had to fight hard just to get their two wins.  So far so good.  Meanwhile the West is as competitive as usual.  The Warriors take longer than I would expect to beat the Pelicans, but otherwise, any team in the West can beat any other team, so no upsets here even though two lower seeds win.

Round 2

East

Celtics	2-4	Hawks
Wizards	4-3	Bulls

West

Mavericks	4-3	Warriors
Grizzlies	4-1	Clippers

The Celtics obviously had a letdown after knocking off Vegas favourites the Cavaliers.  It showed against the Hawks though the Celtics went down fighting.

The real tear jerker happened to the Warriors.  They were up 3-1 but the Mavericks inflicted a great comeback on the Warriors to end their most promising season in forever.  Several years ago, you might recall in the real world, the 8^th seed Warriors stunned the top seed Mavericks in the first round to cause weeping and gnashing of teeth in Dallas.  In the random world, the Mavericks return the favor.  Meanwhile both the Wizards and Grizzlies seem to be peaking at the right time showing very good form.

Conference Finals

Wizards	1-4	Hawks
Mavericks	2-4	Grizzlies

Oh no, will a top seed win the random tournament again?  The Wizards ran out of gas and the Hawks cruised with some truly monumental blowout victories.  Meanwhile the Grizzlies defence proved too much for the plucky Mavericks. 

NBA Finals

Grizzlies

0-4

Hawks

Yes folks, it happened again.  A top seeded team wins the Totally Random NBA Championship.  OK, we got a stunning upset thanks to the Celtics and the West certain lost its favourites.  But in the end, Totally Random goes Chalk.  So congratulations to the Atlanta Hawks.

In the real world I have a feeling the Warriors will go down at some stage and that will be sad because I love watching them play.  I have no idea who will win.  Will LeBron be enough to propel the Cavaliers to the title?  Will the city of Cleveland be able to cope with success seeing they haven’t had any since the Dark Ages?  It would be some party if the Cavaliers can pull it off. 

I think it will be Spurs Cavaliers in the finals and perhaps the Spurs end an era with one more for the road.  I’m personally going for the Celtics of course, but since they won’t win it all, Go Warriors!

For now, though, it’s all random and the Hawks are the champions.

NHL Playoffs Random Tournament

At long last, the most exciting time of the sports year is here.  That’s right, it is the National Hockey league playoffs.  If you follow a team, then nothing beats the NHL playoffs for drama and an increased risk of suffering a heart attack.  I am still haunted by my Bruins double overtime loss to the Blackhawks in game 5 of the 2013 Stanley Cup.  My heart will not be at risk this year because the Bruins won’t be gracing the playoffs with their presence.  But for everyone else who has a team in the playoffs, it’s time to make sure your heart medication is nearby and perhaps start attending yoga classes to help you relax and unwind after each game. 

You never know what will happen.  As some of you know, I like to run a random tournament before playoffs or finals and the NHL is no exception.  Since people say the NHL playoffs are like a crapshoot, what better place for a completely random tournament.  The predictions made here have nothing whatsoever to do with records, home ice, history or anything remotely resembling good analysis.  The results are purely random.  However, as we shall see, the predicted random NHL playoff winner has a very good chance of winning the real thing, so perhaps you should run to your nearest gambling outlet, be it online or at a physical location, and wager your house on the winner.  So here goes.

Round 1

In the east we have the following.

Senators	2-4	Canadiens
Islanders	4-2	Capitals
Penguins	2-4	Rangers
Red Wings	2-4	Lightning

While in the West:

Blackhawks	4-3	Predators
Flames	1-4	Canucks
Wild	3-4	Blues
Jets	2-4	Ducks

No real shockers here.  The Penguins put up a good battle against the Rangers, probably more than I would expect, but otherwise, the East is positively predictable.  In the West again no real shockers.  Personally I would like to attend a Calgary Vancouver game in either arena because I imagine it will be war.  And I can’t help but think Montréal will get special joy out of inflicting the inhabitants of Canada’s capital with misery and disappointment.  But really, no surprises despite the completely random nature of the tournament.

Round 2

In the East

Islanders	1-4	Rangers
Lightning	4-0	Canadiens

Meanwhile in the West:

Canucks	4-1	Ducks
Blackhawks	3-4	Blues

We have some surprises here.  That Tampa Bay defeats Montréal is not really surprising especially when we consider that in the real world, the Lightning seem to have their number.  But a sweep?  To see Lightning dominance actually reflected in a random tournament is kind of frightening.  And I would say round 2 gives us our first real upset with Vancouver knocking off Anaheim.  Meanwhile the Blackhawks go down fighting as we would expect.

The all New York series proves pretty one sided.  If this situation arises in the real world, I’m all Islanders, all the way in terms of who I want to win, but I think the Rangers would win the series just as the random tournament predicts.

Conference Finals

Lightning	2-4	Rangers
Canucks	2-4	Blues

I believe the winners here would actually be favoured if this situation eventuates.  No one can seem to stop the Rangers this year and the Blues are kind of the team no one really thinks too much about but here they are representing the West in the Stanley Cup final.  Vancouver experiences another frustrating year and must still wait in hope for their first Cup.

Stanley Cup Final

Blues

1-4

Rangers

In a somewhat lopsided series, the Rangers are able to take the final step they failed to take last year and win their first Cup in forever.  This sucks!  I hate the Rangers.  But there it is, your 2015 Stanley Cup champions the Rangers.  Of course, in the real world, the Rangers are the one seed in the East and have the most points in the NHL this year so despite the fact these predictions are completely random, the top team emerges the winner.  This is why you should put the house on the Rangers.  If they can win a random tournament, they can certainly win the real thing.  And though I hate to admit it, my prediction in the real playoffs is that the Rangers will win it all this year.  May this not happen.  But regardless of what happens, may the fun and stress begin!