Twenty-Four Years of NFL Playoffs: Ranking the Wild Card Games, Pt. 1

Tier I – It’s Just Bad (sometimes just by one team), Boring Football

108.) 2002 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Colts 0 @ (A4) Jets 41

Review: This is the largest blowout since the new playoff format began. Oddly, it was also the very first playoff game since the new format began, so it really a case of “it can’t get any worse.” In a game that was 17-0 by the time Manning went back to throw his 4^th pass the Jets dominated in every way, outgaining the Colts 396-176, with Pennington going 19-25 for 222 yards and 3 tds. Manning was admittedly bad, but the Colts defense and run game was worse, in a game that marked the high-point of the Herman Edwards/Chad Pennington era. For them, it was mostly “it can’t get any better.”

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the Jets last playoff game in the Meadowlands, and the last home playoff win by either team that called the Meadowlands home.

107.) 2010 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Ravens 30 @ (A4) Chiefs 7

Review: To describe this game in one line, it was Matt Cassel against the Ravens defense. It should be no surprise that Cassel went 9-18 and somehow in those 18 passes managed to throw three interceptions. That said, this was the only time that Flacco played well in playoff game in his first three seasons, going 25-34 for  265 yards and 2 tds. The Ravens had a yardage edge of 390-161, and ran 78 plays versus 40 against a horribly outmatched Chiefs team that coasted to the AFC West Title mainly because of god-awful special teams by the Chargers.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the 3^rd straight time the Ravens played the 1pm Sunday game in the Wild Card round. All three were Ravens wins on the road, and in the three, they outscored their opponents 90-30.

106.) 2015 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Chiefs 30 @ (A4) Texans 0

Review: This game was over after one play. One special teams play. We didn't have to see one real 'snap' before the game was essentially over, as Kniles Davis ran the opening kick-off back for a touchdown - running it back 106 yards. The game after that was more sad than anything to watch, an old school blowout where the Texans never really had any life. Brian Hoyer was never removed and left out to suffer a 15-34 game with 4 INTs, for a nice 15.9 rating. The Texans defense did nothing, with JJ Watt triple-teamed most of the game. It wasn't a complete domination to the level of the first two games, but it was more sad that it was being done to the home team.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the earliest into a game the winning score was recorded, so in every other shutout in playoff history, the opening score by the winning team was scored later than this. Not a huge surprise, I guess, this being the opening play.

105.) 2005 NFC Wild Card – (N5) Panthers 23 @ (N4) Giants 0

Review: Stop me if this sounds familiar, this was a snoozefest where one team dominated the proceedings, outgaining the loser 335-132. The scariest part of this one, though, was that the Giants were the 4^th highest scoring team in the NFL in 2005, and the Panthers made their offense look amateurish. Eli Manning was awful in his playoff debut, matching Matt Cassel in throwing 3 interceptions In just 18 throws. Steve Smith was Steve Smith, but the real story was that defense that held Tiki Barber (off of an 1.860 yard season) to 41 yards on 13 carries.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: Steve Smith had a rushing and receiving touchdown in this game, which was the most recent time a receiver has done that in the same game.

104.) 2007 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Titans 6 @ (A3) Chargers 17

Review: For the first time, the losing team wasn’t held to under 200 yards. It might seem odd to rank a game that was only ended at an 11 point difference this low, but all you need to know about the game was that the Titans QB was Vince Young and the Titans RB was Chris Brown. That is how good Albert Haynesworth was in his prime, that his defense could carry a team with those skill players to the playoffs. Rivers had a nice game going 19-30 for 292 yards, but he could have done less and just let Vince Young screw it up some more.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Titans actually led this game 6-0 at the half. It is sad they didn’t pull it off, actually, because then the Chargers wouldn’t have beaten Indy the following week, plus we would have gotten that mess of a playoff team in Tennessee against the 16-0 Patriots.

103.) 2021 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Cardinals 11 @ (N4) Rams 34

Review: The Cardinals started the season 9-2 and were at the time in line for the #1 seed. They crashed and burned after that, then losing the first playoff game in Los Angeles in a long, long time. We don't get the level of blowouts in terms of yards that we used to earlier up the post, but they still outgained the Cardinals 375-183, going up 28-0, including a TD on a truly awful interception by Kyler, before the Cardinals finally scored. Kyler on the day was 19-34 for just 137 yards, while Stafford in his first playoff win after three losses in Detroit, was great when he needed to be, going 13-17 for 202 yards and 2 TDs.

Interesting/Memorable Play: I'll talk about that Kyler interception one more time. It was arguably the worst playoff interception in the entire period of this piece (2002 - 2021). It led to a whole offseason of Kyler and the Cardinals having an icy cold relationship - that at least as of this writing seems to have thawed a bit.

102.) 2024 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Vikings 9  @  (N4) Rams 27

Review: The Vikings had a dream season going 14-3 (best record ever for a Wild Card team) and all it resulted in was being humiliated and seeing every worst Cinderella "Clock Strikes Midnight" fear about Sam Darnold come through, as he was sacked nine times by a relentess pass rush that even had Darnold seeing ghosts. The Vikings ahd a glimmer of a chance in the second quarter, before a sack-fumble-six ended things once and for all.  The Rams offense didn't do all that much, mostly because they didn't really need to, with Stafford a steady 19-27 for 209 yards and 2tds. That was more than enough on a day when eight different Rams had at least half a sack.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Those eight Rams set a new record for most number of players getting a share of a sack in a playoff game. The names range from rising stars like Kobie Turner, and complete randoms like Desjuan Johnson.

101.) 2012 NFC Wild Card - (N6) Vikings 10 @ (N3) Packers 24

This game was essentially over the second it was announced that Joe Webb was starting in place of Christian Ponder. The only thing that saved this game from being last on this list was the first Vikings drive, where Webb had a nice read-option run and they drove it down and come close to getting a TD to take a quick 7-0 lead. Of course, the Packers held them to a field goal, and then started just systematically taking over the game. What hurt even more for this game was that the Vikings defense did a good job against a listless Packers offense, holding them to seven(!) straight three-and-outs in the 2nd half, not even allowing a fun blowout. 

Interest/Memorable Fact: Joe Webb set a new record for the fewest starts in the regular season for a playoff starter with zero, a rare unbreakable record. Even Rob Johnson, in 1999, started a game, as did Rex Grossman when he came back from injury late in 2005.


100.) 2005 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Jaguars 3 @ (A4) Patriots 28

Review: In classic Dynasty-Era Patriots fashion, what is a close game by yards somehow became a total joke of a game because of some long touchdowns. Asante Samuel, as he is known to do, returned an interception for a TD right after Ben Watson of all people broke a couple tackles for a long TD. Brady, in classic Brady fashion, completed just 15-27 passes, but threw for 3 TDs. In more classic Patriots fashion, Willie McGinest somehow had 4.5 sacks in this game. What I’m saying is that if you could draw up a classic Dynasty-Era Patriots blowout, this is how that game comes out.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the last playoff win by a defending Super Bowl Champion. The 2006 and 2009 Steelers didn't make the playoffs. The 2007 Colts, 2008 Giants and 2011 Packers all had great seasons (13-3, 12-4, 15-1) but lost their divisional round home game, and the 2010 Saints lost to the Seahawks.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the last time a non-Super Bowl Patriots playoff game was called by anyone other than Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (because they couldn’t, because it was on ABC). That streak will end probably sometime around 2020.

99.) 2021 NFC Wild Card - (N7) Eagles 15 @ (N2) Buccaneers 31

Review: Jalen Hurts-led rush-focused offense vs. Tom Brady coupled with a great Bucs rush defense never at all felt like a matchup that would end with anything other than this. The final score flatters this game as the Bucs led 31-0 before letting the Eagles put up long drive as they stiopped really playing defense after that. Brady was solid, mostly dinking and dunking his way to 271 yards on 29-37 passing. Hurts was the opposite. Sometimes the QB battle does just tell you the story.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Bucs did give up four sacks - which is a weird trend in Brady's playoff career where he will randomly have odd games in taking a of sacks. In another Brady playoff oddity - he wins those games a lot too (like Super Bowl LI against Atlanta).

98.) 2016 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Raiders 14 @ (A4) Texans 27

Review: This was a game about as dreadful as everyone expected, with the Raiders forced to start Kevin Cook after Derek Carr broke his leg in Week 16, derailing a potential #2 seed, and then backup Matt McGloin, who could have lead a win over a bad Houston team (starting Brock Osweiler) got hurt in Week 17. Connor Cook was every bit as dreadful as people figured he would be - going 18-45 with three picks. The Raiders actually made it 10-7 late in the first quarter, but the Texans scored 17 straight points to remove any bit of drama that the game would have. The Texans weren't great, Osweiler too  was 14-25 with a pick, but at least you had some fun with the Texans defense. In the end, the game was inevitable.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This marked the fourth time the Texans made the playoffs in their history, and the fourth time they made it as AFC South Winners. Each time, they were gifted the much maligned 4:30pm Saturday time-slot. At least they've made well, going 3-1 in those games.

97.) 2025 AFC Wild Card - (A7) Chargers 3 @ (A2) Patriots 16

Review: Drake Maye's first playoff game ended in a similar fashion to so many Brady playoff games, where the team wins easily despite the QB not having all that great a game. At the time we chalked it up to the Chargers defense, not realizing the Patriots winning with Maye doing next to nothing was a trend. Lucky for Maye, though, that Herbert did less against a Patriots defense that was oustanding. We should have known this was over when after an early Maye interception that set the Chargers up with 1st and Goal from the 10, they turned it over on downs. Maye was under pressure all night, but Herbert's weird plan to avoid pressure often by throwing super early never worked, and the Patriots were never in any real trouble, as so often happens with a playoff game in Gillette.

Interesting/Memorable Play: This was somehow the Patriots first win on Wild Card weekend in 19 years, since their win over the Eric Mangini Jets in 2006. Granted, they only played thrice on Wild Card weekend in between (helps when you get a top-2 seed nine consecutive years), but those were losses to Baltimore (home), Tennessee (home) and Buffalo (road).

96.) 2023 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Eagles 9  @  (N4) Buccaneers 32

Review: The Eagles finished the season spiraling to a 1-5 finish, and their playoff game was basically a continuation of that freefall, as they were completely listless against a Buccaneers team that was, admittedly, firing on all cylinders. Mayfield was brilliant, going 22-36 for 337 yards and 3 TDs, spraying the ball around to a bunch of different players, including long TDs by #3 and #4 WRs David Moore and Trey Palmer. The Eagles were lost, with Hurts struggling through three sacks, including a painful safety. The Eagles were never really in this game, and it came super close to costing Nick Sirianni his job (ironic, of course, as I write this after the 2024 season).

Memorable/Interesting Fact: Ever since the playoffs expanded to a MNF Wild Card Round finish (2021 season), the Monday game has never been close. This though was somehow the most one-sided, with the other games decided by 18, 20 and 22 points.


95.) 2018 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Colts 21 @ (A3) Texans 7

Review: The Colts got three TDs on their first four drives (the other ended in a lucky interception). The Texans started the game with seven drives without scoring (five punts, one pick, one turnover on downs). It was a complete beatdown, so much so the Colts seemed to not truly care to add to their lead in the second half, easily sitting on a 21-0 lead they never even seemed for a second capable of blowing. Luck was good, but the real star was the Colts revived run game, with their great OL paving the way to a 148 yard day for Marlon Mack. The defense hounded Deshaun Watson, ending a season that two weeks prior seemed to line up with a #2 seed for the Texans.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The Colts interception of Watson came on a really sweet defensive playcall, where the Colts showed a clear man defense, complete with nickelback following a tight end across the formation, but switched to zone after the snap and completely fooled Watson. So much great NFL nerdery was borne out of that play.

94.) 2006 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Chiefs 8 @ (A3) Colts 23

Review: We return to Standard Protocol here, with the Colts winning by running 80 plays to the Chiefs 45 and outgaining them 435-126. That was the 3^rd largest differential in NFL playoff history. The big story was the historically shitty Colts run defense limiting Larry Johnson, when he was still good, to 32 yards on 13 rushes. By the way, those other two games ended 41-0 (NYG def. MIN, 2000) and 62-7 (JAX def. MIA, 1999). This was one obviously much closer, and that is because Manning threw three interceptions, marking the first time a QB was ever, half-correctly, criticized in a game where he went 30-38.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Lawrence Tynes, the man who would in his 2^nd career with the Giants make two field goals that won NFC Championship games in overtime, missed a 23-yard field goal; the game was played in a dome.

93.) 2020 NFC Wild Card - (N7) Bears 9 @ (N2) Saints 21

Review: This game, coupled with the two 2v7 matchups in 2021 did not set the 14-team playoff era to a good start. Granted, the other 2v7 matchup in this period is well up on the list. Here it was a bad Bears team with Mitch Trubisky limiting the limited Saints offense to 21 points and never for a second feeling like they were in teh game. The Bears were limited to 239 yards and were down 21-3 despite Brees throwing for a patented (by this point) 6.2 yards per attempt.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game was simulcast on Nickelodeon, where Mitch Trubisky would hilariously win the 'NVP' ('Nick Valuable Player) - a factoid that is still listed on his pro-football-reference page.

92.) 2023 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Dolphins 7 @ (A3) Chiefs 26

Review: The Dolphins were never in this game, save for one freak 53-yard Tyreek TD, playing very much like a Miami team in -26 wind chill outdoors in Kansas City. It wasn't like the Chiefs were all that special on offense, but they didn't need to be. Mahomes was calm, with his biggest contribution potentially being on the ground, with 41 yards. Rookie Rashee Rice had a huge game as well. The Dolphins were particularly listless, with Tua going 19-38 for 146 yards excluding the long TD. It seemed pretty clear at this point 

Interesting/Memorable Fact: At -4 degrees (w/o wind chill), this was the fourth coldest playoff game of all time, and the second coldest in this time period (only hte memorable 2007 NFC Championship Game was colder).

91.) 2014 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Bengals 10 @ (A4) Colts 27

Review: The Colts won their 2nd straight Wild Card game, but unlike the previous year that needed a furious comeback (a game way, way up this list), this time the Colts walked over a sleepless, overmatched Bengals team. The Bengals were missing AJ Green, and were going back to a place they lost 27-0 earlier in the season. In that sense, I guess you can say the Bengals kept it closer, but their offense was overmatched. Andy Dalton once again had a poor playoff game, completing 50% of his passes for under 10 ypc. Andrew Luck was brilliant, if a little controlled, as the Colts repeatedly got stopped in the red zone, but this game had little doubt in terms of who would win.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The only real highlight from the game was a patented 'Oh My God, Andrew Luck is amazing!' TD that he threw to Donte Moncrief. It was a 40-yard strike thrown as he was getting hit and being taken to the ground. It was an amazing play that got lost in one of the more boring playoff games in recent years.

90.) 2022 NFC Wild Card - (N7) Seahawks 23 @ (N2) 49ers 41

Review: In a weird game that was somehow a blowout on the scoresheet, and never in serious doubt for San Francisco, they were actually trailing at halftime, after Geno Smith hit DK Metcalf for a 50-yard TD, and then 56 yard field goal at the gun, turning a 13-7 defecit into a 17-16 lead. It was not to last. The 49ers offense was dominant, with 500 yards on the day, three straight TD drives to start the 2nd half, with the capper a 74-yard catch and run to Deebo Samuel. Purdy was brilliant, going 18-30 for 332 yards, with the 49ers getting their 11th straight win.

Interesting/Memorable Play: That small moment when the game was in doubt, was caused by one of the dumber penalties, with Jimmy Ward being called for unneccessary roughness on a sliding Geno Smith with a second to go in the first half. That moved the Seahawks into the edge of field goal range, and then their momentary lead.

89.) 2016 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Dolphins 12 @ (A3) Steelers 30

Review: The 2016 Wild Card Playoffs were a disaster, mostly due to the imbalanced QBs. In the AFC, both the losers (the Raiders in the game ranked worse than this) were playing backups. For Miami, making their first playoffs in eight years, it was losing Ryan Tannehill late in the regular season and starting Matt Moore - not as much of a downgrade as Derek Carr to Connor Cook, but it was still dreadful. Matt Moore actually played decently, but most of that occurred after they were already trailing big. The Steelers scored TDs on their opening drives, both catch-and-run's by Antonio Brown, which more or less ended the game right there. Roethlisberger took most of the second half off, with the team just relying on Le'veon Bell. This too seemed inevitable, and it ended up being so.

Interesting/Memorable Play(s): On the Steelers third drive, where they scored a third straight TD to take a 21-3 lead, the Steelers ran 10 plays, each a run by Le'Veon Bell. On the first eight, Bell gained at least 5 yards on each, and gained 82 yards. That took Pittsburgh to 1st and Goal on the 1 yard line. Two Bell plays later and the game was definitely over.

88.) 2024 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Chargers 12 @ (A4) Texans 32

Review: The Chargers were a trendy upset pick, what with Herbert rising and Stroud and the Texans having a fairly meek season. Well, in this one, that meekness didn't really matter, since the Texans defense just dominated Herbert and that offense, forcing Herbert into a 14-32 game with four INTs, four sacks and a pick-six. The Texans offense didn't suddenly solve itself - Stroud was good but had his own bad pick as well, but Joe Mixon had 106 yards on the ground, and the secondary led by Derek Stingley, was just dominant throughout. As nearly always, the Texans got that 4:30pm Saturday slot, and played a fairly staid game, but this time it was their defense making it so.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The Chargers, for all their offensive ineptness, still led 6-0 near the 2:00 warning, when the Texans, facing a 3rd and 16 from their 17, got Stroud to pick up a bad snap, roll around, and throw for 34 yards to Xavier Hutchinson. Six players later they had a TD that gave them the lead for good. 

87.) 2023 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Browns 14 @ (A4) Texans 45

Review: Another year, another 4:30pm Saturday Texans game, and another blowout where teh defense sacked Flacco four times, got two picks, and returned both for TDs. Unlike the following year, Stroud and the offense was great in this game as well. Stroud went 16-21 for 274 yards, and a nearly perfect 157.2 passer rating. All the TD passes were lengthy ones too, including a 78-yarder to backup TD Brevin Jordan. The Flacco resurrecting the Browns story was fun for a bit, but always had a definite expiry date. This was it, in a very loud, loud way.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Texans had six TDs, and all of them came on plays for more than 10-yards - the three Stroud TDs, a Singletary run, and both pick-6's. This made them them the first playoff team to have 6+ TDs, all of at least 10 yards.

86.) 2025 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Texans 30 @ (A4) Steelers 6

Review: This game sets an interesting dichotomy of both being a 24-point blowout and close and yet the winner was probably never in doubt. Arguably the league's best defense, or certainly the one of having the most dominant performances, just laid waste to old man Rodgeres, sacking him four times, picking him off once, having two defensive TDs, which helped turn a 7-6 Texans lead after three quarters into a 30-6 blowout. This would end up being the last game in teh Tomlin era, and while for a moment it seemed they may BS their way to a win, like they did so often over the last few years, we realized pretty quick that BS still only works in the regular season. 

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This kept up a weird trend where the MNF playoff game has been terrible every time. This time it came the closest to being "good" - see the 7-6 score after three quarters, but somehow still ended in a 24-point margin, which follows margins of 22, 17, 24, and 18.

85.) 2004 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Broncos 24 @ (A3) Colts 49

Review: Since I placed the Episode 1 of this two-part movie quite a bit higher than it probably should, I am downgrading this game for being a bad sequel. Instead of accentuating what was fun about the first iteration of this playoff game, the Colts did the opposite. Their long TDs came via YAC instead of bombs by Manning. Manning threw a pick which allowed him to avoid another perfect passer rating playoff game. The Broncos actually played decent against a prevent in the 2^nd half this time, making the game seem slightly closer than it was the first time. All in all, the least enjoyable Manning blowout win ever.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Marvin Harrison did little in this game as Champ Bailey blanketed him (while Roc Alexander did the opposite of blanket Reggie Wayne), but he did lay a hellacious block on Bailey on Wayne’s 2^nd touchdown.

84.) 2005 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Redskins 17 @ (N3) Buccaneers 10

Review: This game happened right before the one right above it, and is easily among the worst one-score playoff games in my lifetime. The Redskins won the game, but did it with a record-low 120 yards, and a record-low 25(!) net yards passing. Mark Brunell went 7-15 for 48 yards, while Chris Simms (remember him – he was the starting QB for an 11-5 team) went 25-38 for just 198 yards. Sean Taylor (RIP) returned a fumble for a touchdown, and that and a disputed non-catch that would’ve been the tying touchdown by Edell Shepard (again, who?) marked the only two interesting things to happen.

Interesting/Memorable Play: Sean Taylor, after his TD, was ejected for allegedly (but pretty clearly) spitting in the face of Cadillac Williams.

Interesting/Memorable Fact II: I was babysitting for a friend during each of these two 2005 Saturday Playoff games. We started playing NFL Blitz in the middle of the Pats game. Way more fun than the alternative.

Tier II – Meh… I won’t rewatch, but at least I didn’t want to stop watching.

83.) 2011 NFC Wild Card – (N5) Falcons 2 @ (N4) Giants 24

Review: Just imagine if the Falcons convert either of those two failed 4^th-down conversion (I believe the scores were 7-2 and 10-2 when they happened), this game could have been higher up. It was oddly defense-heavy in the 1^st half, but the Giants started dominating. Eli Manning finally put up a great playoff game at home, going 23-32 for 277 yards and 3 tds, after two destitute performances in his first two. Hakeem Nicks was the real hero, though, breaking off a long TD to make it 17-2 and slam the door on any chances the Falcons had. One thing: why are there so many QBs that get caught doing illegal grounding in the End Zone?

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was Matt Ryan’s 3^rd playoff game, and the 3^rd out of those three games that he has failed to have 10 yards per completion or throw for 200 yards. He had 199 yards on 24 completions in this game, after having 186 on 20 in 2010 and 199 again on 26 in 2008.

82.) 2008 AFC Wild Card – (A6) Ravens 27 @ (A3) Dolphins 9

Review: In one of those incredibly predictable games the Ravens did all of those Raven-ish things, like win by forcing five turnovers against a team that had only 13 on the season, and picking off Pennington four times after he threw just seven picks on the year. The Ravens won when their QB completed just 9 of 27 passes. The only reason that this game is high is because watching the Ravens do Raven-type things is usually quite fun. WatchingEd Reed picking off two passes is fun. Watching Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis andTerrell Suggs dole out hellacious blocks on Reeds TD return was awesome. At their best, the Ravens defense is easily worth the price of admission.

Interesting/Memorable Play: On Ed Reed’s second interception, he basically sprints the second the Dolphins snap the ball to a spot to cut off a slant, and starts this well before Pennington even looks to that side, and easily picks off a pass. If ever you can describe Ed Reed in one play, that one is it.

81.) 2024 AFC Wild Card - (A7) Broncos 7 @ (A2) Bills 31

Review: Five plays into the game, the Broncos were up 7-0 after a 50-yard TD to Troy Franklin, this after completing a 3rd and 8 earlier in the drive. It felt very much like the Broncos were going to give the heavily favored Bills a decent game. They didn't. The Bills eventually just choked the life out of Bo Nix, and Allen was brilliant against a graet Broncos defense, going 20-26 for 272 yards, and nothign close to a mistake. The run game was great too, with a 120 yard day for James Cook. Like teh Bills at their best, it wasn't flashy, there was no spate of forced turnovers. The highlight, if any, was a catch and weave 55 yard TD by Curtis Samuel (against DPOY Patrick Surtain II). It was just an all too familiar Bills Wild Card blowout.

Interesting/Memorable Play: This wouldn't ahve at all changed the outcome, but there was still some spectacular bits, mainly the 4th down heave leading to a slide, barely in bounds at teh back of the endzone catch by Ty Johnson. The play was insane, made it 19-7 (to be 21-7 after a 2PC) and basically end things formally.

80.) 2014 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Cardinals 16 @ (N4) Panthers 27

Review: 78. That's the only real takeaway from this game. That number represents the number of total yards the Cardinals had in this game. That's a little skewed as they lost about 20 yards on the game's final play - a lateral-o-rama, but still this was the most dominant defensive performance in a long time. Of course, the Cardinals were starting a hapless Ryan Lindley - who threw his first career TD pass in this game. The Cardinals actually led at halftime because of a bad Cam Newton pick and good special teams play, but it was inevitable the Panthers would take over. The final stats for Lindley was two picks and 82 yards (on 16-28 passing), and with the four sacks they got 51 net passing yards. The star for the Panthers was, unsurprisingly, Luke Kuechly, but it was a total team domination of a hopeless offense.

Interesting/Memorable Play: To me the play of the game was Luke Kuechly's leaping interception near the goal line. This came right after a sack-fumble by Cam and a return by the Cardinals to the 8 yard line. Despite the putrid offensive performance, the Cardinals were 8 yards away from making it 27-21. On the first play of the drive, Kuechly made his interception, capping a brilliant day for him in particular.

79.) 2019 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Seahawks 17 @ (N4) Eagles 9

Review: While not as one-side in yards as the game we just covered, this one too is told by the losing team having to play a bad QB and going nowhere. In his last game for Philly, Carson Wentz would get concussed on the Eagles' second position, and Josh McCown entered to a full game of misery, taking six sacks in the process against what is usually a porous pass rush. The Seahawks never really got it going until Russell Wilson went off in the second half to take hold of a game that was close than the score.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The only real cool paly of the game was a 53-yard TD to DK Metcalf. The Seahawks would lose their next two playoff games (and final ones of the Wilson era) but f this one moment it seemed like we were back in old times.

78.) 2008 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Eagles 26 @ (N3) Vikings 14

Review: This is the first game on the list that I didn’t watch live and didn’t go back and watch at any point other than brief highlights. Not much to share here. It was a close game in a way, and featured some big plays, like a long touchdown run by Peterson, a 76-yard screen pass for a TD to Brian Westbrook. And of course, like the sun rising and taxes, Asante Samuel returned an interception for a TD in a playoff game. Also, this game was notable for the fact that it provides evidence that Tarvaris Jackson started a playoff game. He had a most-Tarvaris like day, going 15-35 for 165 yards and a pick. The scariest thing is that if he wins the starting job, Tarvaris has a shot at starting another one with Seattle.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Vikings leading wide receiver on the day was the one and only Bobby Wade. It is odd that he hasn’t played since 2009, considering he put up decent depth receiver type numbers over the course of his career.

77.) 2024 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Steelers 14 @ (A3) Ravens 28

Review: A fairly misleading score here, as the Ravens went up 21-0 at halftime, and a 44-yard TD run by Derrick Henry made it 28-7 and effectively kill any chance the Steelers had. Some vintage Wilson moonballs gave the game a semblance of competition in teh second half, but the Steelers were, fully expectedly, thoroughly outmatched by the Ravens. Derrick Henry just repeatedly gashed the Steelers porous rush defense for 186 yards and 2 TDs, and they were no better against Lamar, who calmly went 16-21. The Steelers just never really had a chance in this one, as what used to be the best football playoff rivalry reached its nadir if anything in a game that was never really all that interesting or in contest.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: fff

76.) 2003 NFC Wild Card – (N6) Cowboys 10 @ (N3) Panthers 29

Review: I was in Italy during Wild Card Weekend in 2003, so I know little of these games as well, especially this one. What I do know is the Panthers dominated, outgaining the Cowboys 380-202, but were forced into five field goals by John Kasay. Jake Delhomme started his first postseason game and played well, with one perfectly thrown deep fade to Steve Smith for a TD. As for the Cowboys, all you need to know is somehow the combination of Quincy Carter and Troy Hambrick couldn’t score enough points. Actually, given that it was them, I’m surprised they got to 10.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game set an NFL record for most sub-40 yard field goals, as all six field goals kicked in the game were from under 40 yards.

(I totally made this record up, This game could very well have it, but who knows – overall, I couldn’t think of anything interesting or memorable about the game).


75.) 2013 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Chargers 27 @ (A3) Bengals 10

Review: Well, they all can't be good. The three other games on Wild Card Weekend in 2013 were all great, and appropriately way higher up the list. This was a sad game, really. Hard to watch. The Bengals were a really good team, with probably one of the 3 most talented rosters outside of their starting QB. Well, sadly for them the starting QB is important. Andy Dalton had his 3rd straight bad playoff game, this time with two awful 2nd-half turnovers including a back-breaking pick when the Chargers retook the lead. The Bengals defense finally seemed to miss Geno Atkins and Leon Hall, as they had no real answer for the Chargers offense, who were at their most efficient. Rivers did not have to do much, but he was solid. Dalton was not. And the wait for a playoff win continues for the Bengals.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The game turned when, tied 7-7, the Bengals were driving for a TD to go up 14-7 and Gio Bernard fumbled at the 3-yard line. The Bengals never got that close to a TD again.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Bengals made it a 5th year in a row that a team that went 8-0 at home in the regular season lost a game, joining the '09-'10 Pats, '11 Packers and '12 Broncos.


74.) 2022 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Cowboys 31 @ (N4) Buccaneers 14

Review: In what will go down as Tom Brady's last name, his Buccaneers, fresh off an embarrassing 8-9 season, were never in the game, trailing 18-0 at halftime, and having two garbage time scores make it look respectable. They had a shot, as down just 6-0, Brady threw an interception in the end zone. The Cowboys got two more TDs in the first half and dominated with Dak Prescott playing the game of his life, going 25-33 for 305 yards and 4 TDs, with some amazing throws. The Cowboys defense was nearly as good - just pure domination for a team who must have been disrespected with so many picking the 8-9 Bucs over teh 12-5 Boys.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: The Cowboys won 31-14, but really should have been 35-14 - and a 28-0 lead, but somehow Brett Maher missed four straight extra points. The first was wide one way, the second wide another and then it was clear he just had the yips, big time.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This game will be memorable for me in that the Manning Bros' did their ManningCast broadcast for Tom Brady's final game. Even if Peyton and Tom are clearly quite friendly, I'm sure Peyton took a small delight in seeing Brady being dominated.

73.) 2007 NFC Wild Card – (N5) Giants 24 @ (N4) Buccaneers 14

Review: The Giants started their march to the 2007 Title a lot like how they started their march to the 2011 title, with a solid win over a good but not great team from the NFC South. In both games, the Giants scored 24 points, and Eli Manning had multiple TDs and no picks. The weirdest part of the game was the fact that the Giants had -1 yards of offense in the 1^st quarter, with no first downs, and still won the game rather easily. I guess that is what happens when the other team has an offense that features a guy who the Giants cast off in 2004 (Ike Hilliard) and Earnest Graham.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Michael Pittman caught 5 passes for 62 yards, being the Buccaneers best receiver on the day. What is interesting about this: Michael Pittman is a running back who had just one carry on the game, and also the fact that I was shocked Michael Pittman was still in the league in 2007.

72.) 2009 AFC Wild Card – (A5) Jets 24 @ (A4) Bengals 14

Review: The Jets have a way of following the Giants. In 2002, they matched the Giants 41-0 playoff score. In 2009, they matched the Giants 24-14 score from two years previous. This game could easily have been tight had Shayne Graham not shanked two field goals from inside 40 yards. Either way, Cedric Benson and Shonn Greene both had good days, but only one of the two QBs did. Carson Palmer was undone by drops and the power of Darrelle Revis. Mark Sanchez was brilliantly efficient, going 12-15 for 182 yards and a TD.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: In the game, Jets punter Steve Weatherford got hurt early, so kicker Jay Feely punted, and didn’t embarrass himself, with 7 punts with a 32 yard average.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The game was stunningly called by the trio of Tom Hammond, Joe Theismann and Joe Gibbs. Surprisingly, Theismann was better than Gibbs, but overall it worked about as well as the Matt Millen as NBC Football Expert idea. NBC smartly replaced those two with Mike Mayock the next season.

71.) 2019 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Titans 20 @ (A3) Patriots 13

Review: This was the final game Tom Brady would play for the Patriots, ending in a pick-six (the Titans were winning 14-13) in a sullen last moment. A Patriots season that started 9-0 with some ludicrous scores, ending with the Patriots giving up 140 yards to Derrick Henry, losing even when Ryan Tannehill went 8-15 for 72 yards. But the Patriots couldn't overcome Brady's inability to make it work with by far the most patchwork set of offensive players since their prior 2006 nadir.

Interesting/Memorable Plays: Towards the end of the game, Mike Vrabel employed the same tactic that Bill Belichick did in a regular season game against the Jets, intentionally getting a delay of game and then false start penalty to take 1:20 off the clock. Of course, Belichick who cackled when he did it against the Jets was irate in a hilarious twist.

70.) 2016 NFC Wild Card - (N6) Lions 6 @ (N3) Seahawks 26\

Review: The Seahawks went in the Russell Wilson era from playing a slew of great playoffs games to a steady diet of bad ones, this being way up the list. Russell Wilson was great, the Seahawks defense better, and the Lions never really had a chance. They did cut it to 10-6, but the game ended quickly thereafter with two Seahawks TD drives buttressed by two quick punts by Detroit. In the end, the Lions were in no real position to challenge Seattle. The Lions were outscored for the year, easily the worst playoff participant on the NFC half, and played like it.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The only truly memorable play in the game was Paul Richardson's circus catch on an early TD. It was just two yards, but featured a bit of patented Russell Wilson scrambling, him throwing up a lob to a fully covered Richardson, and Richardson going through a player to catch one on the back line. The Seahawks receivers have never been all that great - Doug Baldwin aside - but have made some special catches.


69.) 2012 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Colts 9 @ (A4) Ravems 24

Just like the other two miracle Giants runs, the Ravens started their four-game march to the Super Bowl in a slightly listless game against the Colts. The only memorable part of game was that it was the start of Joe Flacco's amazing playoff run. Flacco wasn't even that good in the 1st half, but facing a 3rd and 19 early in the 3rd quarter, he just threw one up to Boldin for 50 yards. On the next drive, he threw another lob up to Boldin for 46 yards. This would become a recurring theme for the Ravens in their playoffs, as were other things, like Ray Lewis' impending last games (this was his last home game), and Ray Rice fumbling. 

Interesting/Memorable Fact: With this win, the Ravens became just the sixth team to win a playoff in five straight seasons, the most recent being the 2003-07 Patriots (right behind them, the 2000-04 Eagles).


68.) 2024 NFC Wild Card - (A7) Packers 10 @ (A2) Eagles 22

Review: The Packers fumbled the opening kickoff, and three plays later Hurts hit Jalen Dotson (the like 5th target for the Eagles) for a TD. It was never closer than seven points. Of course, it was never wider than 13 either, so it was more just a plodding game where the Eagles' league best defense played up to that ranking. They harrassed Jordan Love throughout, picking him off three times, including two by soon to be Eagles playoff heroes Zack Baun and Quinyon Mitchell. The Eagles offense never really got out of 3rd gear, because they didn't really need to. Hurt was fine, Barkley got 119 yards, and Dallas Goedert had an amazing catch-and-stiffarm-and-run TD to make it 16-3 and give the Eagles effectively the comfortable lead they would hold the rest of the way. It was a calm, if inauspicious start to an eventual Super Bowl run.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Eagles have had many memorably moments at Lincoln Financial Field, but this was the first home Wild Card round win in 18 years ('06 over the Giants), where in the interim they lost four different home Wild Card games.


67.) 2012 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Bengals 13 @ (A3) Texans 19

In a rare playoff rematch, the Bengals and Texans met at the same place at the same time on the same network (NBC's kind of black-sheep 4:30 Saturday Wild Card Game), and despite this game being 15 points closer than last year, it was probably a little worse. Instead of the energy of the first playoff game in Reliant Stadium, the fans were dour as their assumed first round bye had slipped through their fingers. Instead of this being JJ Watt's coming out party (2011 Playoffs, when he pick-sixed the Bengals to break a 10-10 game), it was a relatively quiet game by Watt's standards. Instead of a dominant Texans effort, it was more about how awful Andy Dalton was on deep throws. Just a forgetttable game that is propped up because at least it was somewhat close.

Interesting/Memorable Play: It was during a play early in the 2nd quarter when NBC cutaway to Al and Cris at Lambeau to give us the news that Christian Ponder would not play against Green Bay, making this the first game to not only be boring, but to cause people to already dislike the game to come.

66.) 2018 AFC Wild Card - (A5) Chargers 23 @ (A4) Ravens 17

Review: The Chargers led 23-3 in this game before a furious Ravens rally that always seemed a bit too farfetched. In the end, they were given 45 seconds to go 66 yards which unsurprisingly didn't happen. What's weird is the Chargers took their 23-3 lead despite not playing all that well on offense (granted, against the league's best defense), instead capitlizing on a brutal start by Lamar Jackson (fumbling twice) and the special teams (long punt returns). The Chargers defense was great, being able to physically keep up with the league's craziest run game despite playing no linebackers and seven DBs. In the end, the Chargers dream season continued for one more week, and the Ravens lost their first home playoff game in 12 years.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: The Chargers got a lot of plaudits for their inventiveness of playing seven DBs agianst the Ravens. Of course, this was somewhat by necessity and the next week they would simiarly try that against New England, and let's just say it didn't work out so well.


65.) 2021 AFC Wild Card - (A7) Steelers 21 @ (A2) Chiefs 42

Review: The Chiefs had an up and down offensive season in 2021, one that would ultimately cost them two weeks later, but in tis game they showed the full might of their offensive powers. The Chiefs actually started out with three punts, a pick and a fumble that was returned for a TD, but were down just 0-7 and then put up six straight TDs to close it out. They came in every way, including a ridiculous stretch of 11 minutes of game time featuring five Mahomes passing TDs to five different players. That was the Cheifs.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was Ben Roethlisberger's last game for the Steelers, and third straight one-and-done to close out his playoff career. The weirdest part is this massacre where his team gave up six straight TDs was actually their best defensive performance of the three, giving up 45 to Jacksonville in 2017 and 48 to Cleveland in 2020.

64.) 2023 AFC Wild Card - (A7) Steelers 17 @ (A2) Bills 31

Review: The Bills have turned the "win a Wild Card game at home easily" into a science at this point, easily swatting aside an overmatched Steelers team led by Mason Rudolph was just never really in it. Still, why it isn't back in the 80s or so is because teh Bills offense is at times worth the price of admission, as they were here. Made to play on a Monday afternoon due to a Sunday blizzard, Allen was absurd, none more so than his 53-yard TD run where he broke through three tackles. Separately, Khalil Shakir had his own highlight TD where he was nearly tackled, spun aroudn using his arm as a pivot and raced into the end zone. These bits of Bills magic were enough to warm a still recovering from blizzard-iing Orchard Park into a fantasy world.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: This was the second time in this time purview that a playoff game was postponed due to adverse weather/snow. And the Steelers were involved in both of them - ironically both times as the road team. In 2016, it worked out, with a win in Kansas City. Here, well, it didn't exactly work out.

63.) 2015 NFC Wild Card - (N5) Packers 35 @ (N4) Redskins 18

Review: It seemed strange entering the game to see the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers as underdogs on the road against a Kirk Cousins-led Washington team, but it made sense given the way the two teams entered the game, and even more so when through the first 18 or so minutes, the Redskins sacked Rodgers for a safety, and put together two nice drives for a FG and TD to take a 12-0 lead. But 12 is not a huge lead, and by halftime it was gone. Aaron Rodgers finally got some protection, and more than that, relied on a resurrection from his running game. Both Eddie Lacy and James Starks combined for 120 yards on 24 carries, and they even used Randall Cobb out of the backfield. By halftime, it was 17-11 Packers and the game was basically over, a sad slow end for what was a really nice run for the Redskins.

Interesting/Memorable Play: The momentum seemed to turn when following the Redskins TD to make it 11-0, Dustin Hopkins missed the PAT. In the first year of the extended PAT, this would not be the last time it would wreak havoc in the playoffs.

62.) 2020 AFC Wild Card - (A6) Browns 48 @ (A3) Steelers 37

Review: Hey, it's that game we just talked about at the end of the last Steelers one. The Browns took a 28-0 lead scoring a TD on their first three drives after a TD on a snap recovery on the first play of the game. The Steelers had one of the strangest games, going fumble-int-punt-int-punt-int on their first six drives, but somehow ending up with 550 yards of offense. The Steelers closed it to 35-23 in the third quarter, but the Browns scored on their next possession on a 40-yard catch and run by Nick Chubb in probably the single best moment for the new-Browns to date. Certainly this was the best win they've had to date, with Mayfield having a 115 passer rating, and Chubb & Hunt rushing for 134 yards.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Ben Roethlisberger threw for 501 yards and was never sacked and threw 4 TDs - in maybe the worst performance for a player to hit those marks. Which is what happens when you also throw 4 picks, and do it all - including the 501 yards - on a ridiculous 68 attempts.

61.) 2023 NFC Wild Card - (N7) Packers 48 @ (N2) Cowboys 32

Review: In the game that would finally see the end of the Mike McCarthy era, a talented Cowboys team that got the #2 seed saw it all fall away, becoming the first #2 seed to lose to a #7 seed - and in reality by a lot more than the 16 point score would indicate. The Packers offense was incredible, with six TDs on their first seven possessions, and somehow mixing in a pick-six in the middle of that as well. It was TD by committee, with three different Packers catching TDs to add to Aaron Jones's two TD runs. Love was great. Prescott was not, even if he piled up garbage time yards to end with 400 yards on the game. In many ways, this game was similar to the one above, the upstart road team racing out to a big lead and the battered home team not disappearing, but never really being in it. The memory of the game really was the silent horror reaction in Jerryworld to Darnell Savage's pick-6 that made it 27-0 before halftime. That was the moment the McCarthy era ended, and maybe we'll end up saying the same of the Prescott era as well.

Interesting/Memorable Fact: Jordan Love went 16-21 for 272 yards and 3 TDs in his playoff debut. Why is that interesting? Because it was almost the exact same statline as CJ Stroud the day before, who went 16-21 for 274 yards and 3 TDs in his debut.

2026 World Cup: Ramblings on the Group Stage

= It has been cool seeing the world take to America. This country is amazing. It is also run by terrible people. This is true of many countries. In a way, it reminds me of 2018, which yes Russia is led by awful people and politically has done some awful things, but the Russian people themselves are fun, welcoming, etc. The US is like that but x10 in terms of largesse, in terms of variedness of locations and terrains and micro-cultures. Seeing the locals in Lawrence, KS take to the Algerian team, and so many take to Bucees or Bass Pro Shops, or even New Jersey diners. Yes, some of the twitter and instagram content is almost certainly staged or just for clout, but a lot of it has been so damn charming and wonderful to see - that this country, behind its awful macro-political environment, is awesome, charming, welcoming and unique.

= Its amazing the energy in teh stadiums. Yes, the ticket prices were too high (mostly a FIFA problem, rather than a US one), but still in the end the stadiums have been packed. I remember the jokes after the second game of the World Cup, a South Korea v Czech Republic match in Monterrey had a few open seats - so many European snobs taking to twitter about how this was a disaster. Instead, pretty much every match has been filled to the brims - colorful, regalia, loud, action packed, lovely. The fan experience seemingly has been amazing, from in the stadiums, to the various countries taking over districs in New York or Boston or so much else. The World Cup is the World's Party, truly, and I'm realizing this in ways I just never knew, or at the very least underestimated.

= I think it is fair to say the overall quality in terms of true stars or "Golden Generations" of this tournament is low, but has led to more scoring. We're on pace for a record goals per game. We've had more teams score 3-4-5 goals (even cutting it off through teh group stage, which had as many games as a 32-team world cup had in total). Truly, other than maybe i guess Argentina, or the continuation of France, there is no "Golden Generation" for one of teh top countries this time. It is truly as flat as it has ever been. Other than maybe Curacao, no team seemed unworthy of being here. The other debutantes all did reasonably well (to doing amazingly well, in Cape Verde and the DRC). It was a wonderful group stage in the base level of competitiveness of all the group stage matches has never been higher.

= The best example of this is Africa - for the last 3-4 World Cups, we've heard about the growing competitiveness of the African teams. Generally 1-2 did well, but the others underperformed. Well, nine of ten made the knockout stage. Yes, four of them through the 3rd place route, but then five made it the old fashioned way. Morocco has been as good as advertised, but the likes of Senegal, DRC, Ghana have all been quite good. And of course our old friends Cape Verde, who we should of course remember would've made it even in a 32-team World Cup. This has been the continents coming out party, a bit overdue, but better late than never.

= The 48 team thing - it is very true there were at least 16 more deserving teams that dont seem out of place. But the third place teams making it thing is difficult. From just the optics of it, to the incredible number of permutations it creates, none of which seem all that enticing. It wasn't great in the Euros either (16 of the 24 make the knockouts) and not great here either. Well, good news, because...

= It will go to 64, be it in 2034 or 2038 and I think that is a win-win - there are probably sixteen more teams of which thirteen or something will be well deserving. There's always going to be those bottome 3-5 teams or so, but because say eight of any new sixteen would go to Uefa or Comnebol, probably not. And even if tehre are a few more minnows - that is OK. There is no huge push to remove the #13-#16 seeds in March Madness, is there. And of course, the best part, of course, is we can go back to 16 groups, four teams each, and a clean top two make it.

= More fun that hosting a World Cup in home soil, is the timing of the games - specifically the night games. The fact there were three games that started midnight EST was super cool, the whole PAC-10 After Dark redux. It certainly gave some of these a March Madness or first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs type feel, with most days there being some World Cup football after midnight. Starting games at midnight was diabolically cool, though. That first game, Turkey v Australia, with "underdog" Australia winning was one of my favorite memories of the Group Stage.

= The US being good has certainly helped, but more than anything back to the first point - America likes a good time and likes visitors. 

= It's been amazing to see the stories adn twitter reports of how incredible people find our stadiums - and yes they are, but we're scratching the surface. It's like Europeans didn't understand taht there were 31 NFL stadiums all around 65,000 - 85,000 people, that host a sport that makes more money than soccer. It's funny that because of various cities declining FIFA's various commands - such as Chicago or Phoenix (probably the heat there too), but even stadiums in Vegas, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Cincinnati are all lovely venues worthy of a World Cup (remember this).

= It's not just the US - the scenes in Canada, and specifically Mexico, have been excellent. The shots of Korean fans and Mexican fans signing arm in arms was wonderful. Mexico had World Cup fever showing up in the cities before the US even did, and I'm sure it has been lovely. Seeing those shots of the mountains behind the Monterrey stadium even led me to impulse book a weekend in Monterrey in teh fall after my next trip to our Mexico City office. Canada has long been a place with incredible local culture, people, sites, etc., and again just great to see them take to so many cultures. 

= Finally, get ready because it seems pretty inevitable that in 2038 the World Cup is coming back here. The ridiculous South America --> Europe/Africa 2030 version didn't just lock in Saudi 2034, but locks in US 2038. Of course, FIFA could change the rules and allow Europe to host again, but unless they do, US is happening. And honestly, the US can flex and host it in cities that didn't host it this time around - hell throw in Mexico and Canada too for a city. And to me this doesn't mean just going to the B-sites - hell we can do Chicago, DC, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tampa, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Denver. Let's get to planning.

Giannis leaving Milwaukee

I don't know why Giannis's saga of him leaving Milwaukee is effecting me, making me sad. Certainly, his run in Milwaukee had more than run its course. It was certainly time. We can chalk it to the macro of another NBA star fleeing a small market for the bright lights, but Giannis also chose not to flee multiple times before. Giannis also brought a Championship to Milwaukee. It seemed like the beginning of something bigger, but injuries be it to him (2023, 2024) or Khris Middleton (2022 - where they without Middleton barely lost to the eventual Eastern Conference Champs in Boston in seven games) exposed that the team never was all that great. They jsut had a singular talent, one that I do think we've all forgotten about too much. For that reason, I hope Giannis goes to Miami and balls out and reminds us all why he was a two time MVP, a defensive player of the year, one of maybe three men that can say they had a better Finals clinching game than the one Jalen Brunson just had. But that's for later - for know it is sadly mourning this era.

Look, I am no Bucks fan, so I'm not losing sleep over the Bucks being back to probably some sort of irrelevancy (though they have often been a competitive team in their history). But I do think we've been so tired of the will-he / wont-he drama of his exit, that we've forgotten just how cool the actual story was. Let's take a trip back to draft day 2013. Long known, and rightly so, as the worst NBA draft maybe ever - a young man named Anthony Bennett was taken #1 overall. There are some real dogs in that Top-15, from Bennett himself (arguably the worst bust ever - given he didn't ahve some offcourt reason he failed, he just sucked). But there was also Cody Zeller at #4, Alex Len at #5, Nerlens Noel at #6, Ben McLemore at #7, and the great Shabazz Muhammad at #14. And then, there at #15 is that name - Giannis Antetokounmpo. I had heard about him in sone draft coverage - with the comp being "he looked like Durant". Not taht he played like him, but this tall, gangly as shit Greek kid had the same dimensions as Durant. When he was drafted, I texted my main group chat that the Bucks drafted "Kevin Durantopolis" - this was one of my best lines. Got a ton of likes. Little did we know...

Giannis's rise wasn't meteoric. He got materially better each year for five years, in seemingly constant increments, turning that franchise from doormats into dominant forces. His Points per Game increases are just beautiful - 6.8 as a rookie, to 12.7 -> 16.9 -> 22.9 -> 26.9 -> 27.7, that last year being his first MVP in 2018-19. He did it again the next year. Some argued that it should've been James Harden the first year. No one really argued the second time. The 2018-19 Bucks were a great, great team - dominant through two rounds of the playoffs, taking a 2-0 lead on Toronto, before the Raptors won Game 3 in OT and won three more close ones to shock the 60-win Bucks.

Of course, the Raptors won 59 - this was no real big "upset", but was seen as Giannis failing. And maybe it was - he was not great the last four games (the rest of the team was worse), and the Bucks probably do beat the Warriors if you assume the same injuries. But whatever it did, it motivated them the next year. The 2019-20 Bucks were a sight to behold. They went 56-17 (it was the Covid break year). They were actually 52-8 before a 1-3 stretch right before lockdown, and that killed all their momentum. In the bubble, Giannis got hurt and the Heat beat them in teh second round, but had Covid not happened (which, admittedly is an earth-shattering type "what if") the Bucks might have done osmething phenomenal that year.

No worries, they did it the next. We'll probably lose the 2020-21 Bucks to the annals of history, a random 1-time Champion in a run of one-time Champions, but without the legacy of the Celtics, Knicks, Lakers or Warriors, and not even a great story in that they beat an even more random finalist. The 2021 Finals being a matchup of the Suns and Bucks doesn't feel real, but it was, and Giannis put together one of the all time finals (which also is being forgotten). It wasn't just the clincher, that immaculate 50-point game where he managed to astonishingly go 17-19 from the line, but it was his block in Game 4, and his alley-oop to close out Game 5. He was that series. He was the best player in the World. His will, and the Bucks development team, made this scrawny little Durant-lite into a one of a kind monster.

Sadly, of course, the story didn't end there. They remained good for years, but the supporting cast that was overrated, in retrospect, never got better. Age, injuries and then short-sighted decisions (the Jrue for Lillard swap, which granted Giannis did ask for) ended any real chance of a second ring. But do we need one? Shouldn't we jsut celebrate that Giannis brought a title to Milwaukee in a sport built for a city like Milwaukee to not win?

The comp to make is Jokic - another transcendental superstar who was not a top pick, who slowly year by year just got better to the point he was back-to-back MVP and won a title in a non-traditional market, where we are slowly realizing it will probably be his only one. Injuries cost him other great shots - particularly in 2021 and 2022, when a potential title-worthy team was short-circuited by Jamal Murray's ACL, which then cost him the next year. For Giannis, it was often his own injuries. These are the stories we should be celebrating - both have been the alpha in their places or 8-10 years, won multiple MVPs, a title, other deep playoff runs and been just great players throughout. That's about all you can ask for.

There is a chance Giannis comes back, stays relatively healthy (he'll probably be never fully healthy again), and the Heat do great. There is a chance we are underestimating a future Hall of Famer who has a legitimate claim to being a Top-30 All Time player. Hell, in his half-season last year, he had a crazy good campaign statistically. But he'll be doing it in Miami, and that is just a bit sad. Not because he chose to leave - he earned if after thirteen years. But because we don't know when Milwaukee, or a similar type market, will find the next Giannis. That's their only real route - they found one in the midst of the bleakest draft ever, and he turned to a monster and they won a title. Mission accomplished - you ran the good fight, Giannis - we'll see you in Valhalla (Miami).

The 2026 NBA Finals - Rambling Thoughts

It was only five games, but five of the most closely played (though not well played...), dramatic, insane games featuring record comebacks, all time gaffes, all time moments and so much more. Of course, it all ending with capping off the Knicks, the damn Knicks!, winning a title. So much to say, about the winners, the losers, and of course, this magical city. So little cohesion, between my own thoughts and the sports world's thoughts, to do this with any structure other than just some rambling thoughts....

= Oh to have been in the city on Saturday Night - even in Hoboken. That celebration was going to be insane any day of the week, but make it Saturday Night, with no one having to work the next day, and a city that has a 4am last call anyways, and you were going to get something special, but in the end also so wholesome as well. The impromptu crowds singing Empire State of Mind, or the Fuck Trae Young chants, to so much else. That was the biggest party New York has seen in decades.

= The only two things I was kidn of there for was the Yankees 2009 World Series win, which was a huge celebration too in the city, and of course the day Osama Bin Laden was killed, which started around a similar time of day (11pm) but of couse was a Sunday, and somehow just as fun. Then again, I was in college at NYU for both of those things. The Knicks thing wasn't just drunk 18-22 year olds, but reveling 15-65 years old.

= As for the game (I'll get back to teh New York thing latter - this is going to be in random order throughout), it is just amazing how the script played the same each time. We talk a lot about teh Spurs blown leads, and they did blow leads of 15 or more in three different second halves (Games 1, 4, 5), but whats crazy is in every single game they led by 10+ in the first quarter itself. The Knicks couldn't start strong the entire series. Other than Game 4, which of course the Knicks still did win, the Knicks chased down that first quarter lead by halftime, then saw the Spurs go up big again, and just do it again. Hell, even in Game 3, the Knicks recovered to lead by seven at halftime, only to see the Spurs comeback in that one. I don't know why the Knicks couldn't start well, but their ability to chase the Spurs down became comical.

= The last point also ties into this one, that the whole "The Spurs led for 72% of the series" thing is well overblown. I mean, factually that is true, but also a factor of the Spurs getting the big lead each game. Basically, the Spurs massively won the collective five first quarters, but the Knicks won the other three quarters collectively - so you can as easily say that the Knicks won 75% of the quarters over the series. The Knicks just shat the bad at the beginning, but by the second quarter on, they were nails.

= At some point, I'll write a whole piece on the magical brew that is Jalen Brunson, King of New York, but a quick hit-list of the other guys who made this team so fun to watch, so easy to root for (again, this is true for the general public despite this being NEW YORK). 

    = From Karl-Anthony Towns who fought so many soft allegations, raising his game to outplay Wemby through two games, all the time giving love to his mother up in heaven who tragically died of Covid in 2020 (among a few people in KAT's family that he lost). 

    = To OG Anunoby, who couldn't play during the 2019 Finals due to Appendicitis, and then gutted out on one leg in Game 7 two years ago against Indiana, to the injury scare against the Hawks, but making it out healthy and humming in this series, a person who was a conceivable Finals MVP candidate.

    = To Mikal Bridges, who will never have to hear the fact that he was traded for five first round picks, No one will care about that, even if we already shouldn't given where those picks have ended. Bridges sacrificed a lot of personal stats taking the role he has (well compensated to do so, of course), and made it work.

    = To Mitchell Robinson, who of course is now well known as the longest tenured Knick, a crowd favorite despite his horrendous free throw shooting. One of the gerat moments in the series was when he somehow hit both of this free throws on a trip in Game 3, one of the loudest moments in the garden.

    = I could go on - from glue guy Landry Shamet, to three-ball man Deuce McBride who had some huge moments in prior series, to Jordan Clarkson who didn't play much in the playoffs but had big moments throughout the season, to Josh Hart being the best small man rebounder I've ever seen. The Knicks were likeable, underdogs and just fit together like glue

= On the otehr side, a quick couple notes about the Spurs - first on Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, who will only get better, and will make a great, championship level starting backcourt once they decide to bench or trade D'Aaron Fox. Harper plays so smooth for a 20-year old; he was arguably the Spurs best player in a lot of the series (or at least made it a closer discussion than it should have been with Wemby). Castle is an impossible cool, boss-like player. If he ever develops a jump shot, the league may true and well be cooked.

= Let's get to Wemby, who in the end had a good series, and a magnificent playoffs, and will likely win an MVP over the next couiple years, and almost certainly a Finals at some point in his life, but this finals was a black mark for him. There's him tiring out in many games by the second half. There's his continued weirdly physical outbursts and borderline dirty play. There's the quick exit from the court without shaking anyone's hand (which I'm shocked isn't getting more airtime). Then there's the times he got caught in the moment, the quick, unneeded shot in Game 2 which came before the turnover and foul on the pass. There's the missed free throws in Game 4 and a couple more in Game 5. This was not a good series for Wemby, but one he can absolutely learn from. He probably will, but there is a bit of Icarus there for him this year.

= On Fox, yeah, he was a disaster for much of the series. Especially in Game 5, where it was ridiculous that not only Mitch Johnson left him out there so long, but that he was such a prominent part of the play calling. But let's not forget as the Spurs were close to blowing Game 3, Fox had the biggest shot of the game to put the Knicks away for good. He was a key part of their one win. He was also good in teh Western Conference Finals. It seems clear Harper will overtake him, but I think we are all kicking a man too much when he's down.

= Anyway, back to funner topics, namely - Mike Brown. I, like most, found the move to fire Tom Thibodeau a bit rash last year, given he took the Knicks further than they've gone in 25 years. But Mike Brown is a better coach for this group, and maybe just a better coach period. Now, it is hilarious to remember the Knicks trying to pry away like six other people first, but they landed eventually on the perfect person.

= It will never not be funny that the Knicks finished the playoffs 15-1, and the one game they lost is the one that Trump decided to come to. In the end, stories from the game did make the added security measures seem a bit overblown in how much trouble they gave people, and it seems the city was anyways going towards a little more enhanced security around MSG anyway, but still - Trump chose a reason to insert himself in a cool trend and just killed it, fell asleep and then nicely fucked off for the next two games where the Knicks went back to winning. I 100% believe it was karma that this was the game the Knicks lost.

= I still can't believe that 16-3 run, or more aptly the 15-1 finish. We can say whatever we want aroudn level of opponent, but the Spurs are a great team and the Knicks turned them away in five. Sure, five close games, but their clutch time play is one of the bigger edges the Knicks have - an edge they rarely needed for the prior eleven games given how dominant they were. I will never get over them running train for 11 games with the best point differential over an 11-game span in NBA history. It was mesmerizing to watch.

= What I love most about this Knicks title is that we aren't immediately crowning them as an impending dynasty - probably a first for a winner since the 2022 Warriors, because they already were one. It happened in 2021 with the Bucks, 2023 with the Nuggets, 2024 with teh Celtics and of course last year with the Thunder. It would've happened had the Sprus won. But this time we can just enjoy this, I don't think even Knicks fans will really see themselves as the favorite next year, and I don't think Knicks fans care. This team was perfect for this year. Granted, I can easily see them getting back to the Finals, but they were healthy, all in their primes (some at the later stages of that prime) and it just worked - much like the 2021 Bucks (who looking back were a far older team than we realized) or most notably the 2011 Mavs (granted, the Knicks aren't that old). Just a perfect team.

= Back to the New York thing to wrap this up. I think its overstated that there are more Knicks fans than Giants fans or Yankees fans (definitely at the end of the day, football is just more popular than basketball) but it is definitely true that the Nets don't even register. There is one basketball team. There is no vocal minority of basketball fans mad that their cross town rivals won. That allows for this all-timer type of party - a bueatiful weather on a Saturday, Summer night helps (vs when the Giants beat the Pats). And of course, the 53-years - which I forget what podcast it was who made teh graet point that while 53 is not 86 (Red Sox), realistically, it's basically the asme - a vast majority of Knicks fans have never seen their team win. It all came out over these last two months and more specifically last two weeks. I couldn't help like and bookmark tweet after tweet about the incredible scenes. I will cherish those forever to see my city, the world's best city (yes, I mean that) having such a good time.

= It did get me thinking what is the next example of this we can see - where a metropolis explodes in such unbridled exuberance. Now, I'm not thinking about say Buffalo if the Bills were to win, because it is too small (granted, the scenes will be amazing!). I'm also not thinking of say Philadelphia fans who will burn that city even if the Eagles win now their third - but Philly was probably our msot recent example of a team winning a long awaited title with teh Eagles first win - and of course Chicago with the Cubs and Boston with the Red Sox previously. I have two specific answers: one is Chicago with the Bears. I still say Chicago is a football town above all else and it has been now 41 years since 1985, with only a few close calls since. That city will go insane if the Bears win a Super Bowl. And the final one is probably the closest analogue to the Knicks - what will the scenes be in Toronto if the Leafs ever do win the Cup. It's up to 60 years next year (1967). It is the sport Toronto cares about the most. Hockey is to Toronto what Basketball is to New York City. It will be the best thing in the six if it happens, and even though I have no affinity to them, in the spirit of how amazing this Knicks run was, I'm now fuily behind wanting to see the Leafs win a cup (and honestly, all Canadian hockey teams are eligible for this at this point). That's probably the best way to end this - wanting more to see that level of civic celebration again.

The Best Combined NBA & NHL Finals Ever

There's a good debate going on that through four games the 2026 Stanley Cup Final is one of the best ever - an insane series that has featured a team coming down from at least two goals down in every game - a game that has been tied with four minutes to go in each, that has had two OTs, that has every team score at least three goals in every game - a first in decades. It has been insane, some of the most incredible hockey we've seen. There is a very good argument it has been the lesser of the two finals going on right now.

The NBA finals through four games has also been incredible, featuring two one point games, two others that were tied with two minutes to go, that has featured some insane shots and threes adn defense adn runs and atmosphere. And of course, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. And again, there is an argument this is the worse of the two series.

Ever since ESPN/ABC and TNT got back into the hockey game five years back, wwhich has e've basically had the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals run in parallel, alternating days.. Weirdly, the current TV deals has it where ESPN/ABC has both one year, and I guess NBC and TNT will have it the other year, but overall, we get them back to back, which has somehow only increased how good these series are. There is no time to rest, before we ingest how good one NBA game is, hockey is dropping its puck the next day. So far, the closest we've come to having two good series in a year is probably 2022, when the Lighting and Avs in hockey, and the Celtics and Warriors each went to six games. But other than that, its been one good and one bad - be it last year where hockey ended early, but the NBA went seven, or the prior year when it was the opposite, it is hard to get both good both years... until now.

It is so rare to get two series this good that both feature the best of the sport, and the silliest of the sport. Arguably, neither series has been all that well played, at least by the standard of their sports best - but both teams have been equally loose, equally wild, equally silly. That's how you get four straight games with a team blowing a two-goal lead on the hockey sidhas e (even if the Knights won one of those). And how you get four games where the Spurs blew a 12+ point lead, even if they won one of those. You can say that is a commentary on teh Spurs, but in Game 2, the Knicks nearly blew a 14-point lead with four minutes to go, which if anything would have been a bigger collapse than what the Spurs did in this most recent game. This has been wild, if only that the games have been a bit unvarnished, a bit "real".

The thrill of seeing these back to back has been unreal, in the best ways and again with it basically being on back to back nights in parallel, you get this great crossover. Each feeding to the next. Both series are getting their best ratings in years. For the NBA, this makes sense - the Knicks alone being in the finals taps into the biggest media market in the country in a way the NBA hasn't had the ability to do in 27 years. For the NHL, its weird that this series featuring two untraditional markets in Carolina and Vegas would draw so well. Part of it is the hockey has been thrilling and close. Part of it has been the carryover effect from the Olympics (which is absolutely a thing). At the end, though, some of it is just some folks watching ESPN one day watching basketball, and deciding to watch the hockey the next day.

In the end, neither of these series may go to seven games. Hell, the NBA finals may end in five - but even if it does, it will still be remembered forever. Not only because that means we have a New York Knicks team winning the finals, which is still a bit crazy to conceptualize, but we've had some amazing games. The Stanley Cup Finals may end in six, but it will still end that way setting numerous records in terms of mutual goal scoring and comebacks. However this ends, this will have been a glorious two weeks of watching these two sports toss it back and forth, and show again why these two sports deserve each other in the best way possible.

Re-Post: Nostalgia Diaries, Pt. 1: Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals

I started the Nostalgia Diaries series nine years ago, and the first one talked about a game taht was already at that point six years old. Now it is 15 years old. It was the best played game in a series that was generally well played (if too defensive), in one of the most energized finals, the first of the Heatles. At the tail end, after Jason Terry hit one of the great Heat Check threes in Finals history over LeBron, Jeff Van Gundy said "This is one of the best Finals games I've ever seen", and I think 15-years later, it still remains one of the best I too have ever seen.

*****************************************************************************

Let's take a trip down memory lane, to a place in time that was recent enough to be this decade, but long enough ago to when the Warriors were a mess of a franchise, the world hadn't heard of Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Rose was the reigning MVP, and Dwight Howard probably should have won it. Yes, now all of these diary entries can start with a similar 'back in the day' lineup of events not to have occurred yet. But this really was a different time. LeBron James was the most hated athlete in America. The Mavericks were the perennial chokers who with a band of random aging ex all-stars thrown together like the Expendables fought back against the Heatles for the good of America. It all crested in one of the best NBA finals games ever, a back-and-forth, dagger-filled game of multiple 'Bang's' a signature 'Hand down, Man down!' and the world of basketball coming together behind Dallas as it took on the world.

37-year old Jason Kidd had never won a title. Jason Terry was 33, Peja Stojakovic was 33, Dirk Nowitzki was 32 and Shawn Marion was 32. But in NBA terms, after tons of deep runs they were all, in normal terms, in the great twilight of their effective NBA careers (Nowitzki excepted, of course). That they, with a 28-year old Tyson Chandler, and aging role players in Deshaun Stevenson and JJ Barea, could beat the Heat seemed impossible. They won Game 2 of the finals with an all-time quick-hit comeback, goign on a 20-3 run to end the game after falling down by 15 with six minutes left in the 4th quarter. They won Game 4 by playing a ridiculous level of defense. Actually, the first four games of the series were defined by defense. No one scored 100 points in a game. Hell, no one even scored 30 in any quarter until Game 5. It was 2-2, entering Game 5, back in the days of the 2-3-2 series. Dallas needed that game. Miami wanted it. Dallas won it, in the best way possible.

Until that series, Dallas had never really been an underdog, a place where the crowd had to get behind their raggedy team, but playing the Heatles changed that, and that Dallas crowd was all in, from the beginning with a quick start by Dallas giving them a 15-6 lead. Miami came back, but never pulled away, and the crowd was riotous the whole way through. What defined the game was what the crowd cheered for more than anything, a complete, unmistakable, before-its-time barrage of threes.

Dallas finished the game 13-20 from three. This is in a pre-Warriors, pre-Rockets era when that was fairly unheard of. Each one was better than the rest. There was aging, balding, custodian-like in every way Brian Cardinal, to DeShaun Stevenson mean-mugging a pair, to Jason Kidd, to so many others. Some were just audacious. Jason Terry hit a bank three off balance falling backwards. JJ Barea hit a pair, including one of the highest-arcing threes I've ever seen. If ever there was a three that could compete with the height of Barea's it would be the one that Dirk Nowitzki hit a few minutes later.

The Heat came to play as well. Mario Chalmers, before he became the starting PG for two title teams, high three threes. Mike Miller added a few. This was the year before the Heat really figured out their rotation, when hilariously, Juwon Howard and Mike Bibby were rotation players. So many small moments in the game stay with me the few times I've rewatched, but nothing more than this being an intersection between the game as it would become (jacking threes from all over) to the game of the past that I'm really nostalgic for (Peja, Kidd, Terry, Matrix, Bibby, etc.). The first half was an incredible back-and-forth run of threes and jams and fast breaks, ending with Dallas up 60-57. The pace slowed in teh second, but the intensity remained and the legacy grew.

The Big 3 of course made their mark in such different ways. LeBron only really took the alpha dog role in Miami the next year, and in this series you had to wonder who was the actual alpha. Wade was far better than LeBron in the 2011 Finals, and this game featured that odd dynamic to a tee. Wade injured his hip in teh first half, and twice needed to recede back to the Heat locker room for treatment. He twice came back, fueling Heat runs both time. LeBron was healthy, but mentally impaired. He continued arguably his worst playoff series of his career. James was absent, so often standing behind the arc catching and passing off the ball in one continuous motion. His few drives seemed lazy and uninspired. James learned so much from this series, never taking a playoff series off in his life again. He learned, we all did.

The game hit its apex late in the game, with the Jason Terry three heard around the NBA world. The Mavs were up 105-101 but a few stops and the Heat had a chance. Haslem walled off and denied Nowitzki well, leaving the Jason's Kidd and Terry to pass the ball back and forth. With the shot clock hitting five, Terry pulled him, dribbled a few times and launched. Launched it over James, over the NBA aristocracy that was supposed to make the season a foregone conclusion, and nailed in. Breen gave an All-Time bang. JET, despite saying he wouldn't do it until the series was over, ran down the court, arms extended in his trademark pose. He popped the Jersey. He earned it. The Mavericks as a whole earned it.

The game returned to Jackson pounding James defense in a way only he can ('Hand down... Man DOWN!') and Van Gundy called it the best finals game he had ever seen. Van Gundy isn't one for hyperbole but he was right, this was truly a special game. It was still to date, the last stand for the old non-Big Three / Superteam driven NBA. With a style that would become in vogue but a team far from it, the Mavericks showed what depth, what drive, what passion could do. They would wrap things up in Game 6 in Dallas in a surprisingly easy road win, but this game was the true legacy one. It was a show for a city that embraced basketball for years getting their due, with a handful of players who have Hall of Fame cases collectively getting theirs.

The Villains of Vegas

The Vegas Golden Knights are playing in the Stanley Cup Final, and are if anything somehow the betting favorite. A sleeping giant all year, one that always had really strong underlying numbers despite having awful luck, they awoke fully when coach Bruce Cassidy was fired with eight games to go in the season, repalced by John Tortorella. The Knights suddenly didn't lose in those eight games, avoided a scare against the Ducks, and then ran roughshod over the heretofore clear best team in teh league. The 2026 Knights are a fun story, but the fact that this is their third trip to the Cup Final in nine years of existing, and a whole other host of issues are putting a dark, Golden Knights gray-themed cloud over everything.

Let's start with one clear point, the Vegas players, with one (huge) exception I will talk about, are mostly blameless. We can quibble about Mitch Marner's drama in leaving Toronto and shitting on them on the way out, but whatever. On the ice, he's a great player who is finding another gear. There are a lot of generally talented and likeable players on the team, from Mark Stone, healthier than he has been in years, to Jack Eichel, to youngsters like Dorofayev and so many others. But everything about Vegas the organization is just tough to deal with right at this second.

Let's start with maybe the most ridiculous thing going on right now, which is the saga of teh Vegas Golden Knights not letting fired coach Bruce Cassidy interview for the Edmonton Oilers job. Yes, I get that the Oilers are a division rival, but I just don't understand how the Knights should be able to block someone they chose to fire. I get that technically tehy gave him some other FO role or something, but this just wreaks of the "we don't have to play by teh rules" approach that they've had for years now. How no one has made a bigger deal out of this is beyond me.

Then there's the signing of Carter Hart, one of the Canada Hockey guys who went on trail for sexually assaulting a woman. Yes, they were found not guilty, and a level further than just standard "not guilty" (though critically, not "innocent") but there was a lot of weird stuff that went on in that trial even outside of anything to do with the players. Most of the five players caught up in that have been persona-non-grata in the league. They all got suspended for a while. No one touched Hart, until the Golden Knights had goalie trouble, and of course Hart has repaid them by being brilliant (it always works out for the worst people).

We can go further on this, both micro - like them not speaking to the media, which resulted in a big fine and losing a 2nd round pick (honestly, good on Bettman there). And then macro, like their repeated playing aroudn with the salary cap / LTIR rules when it came to Mark Stone. Yes, many other teams did something of the like, including memorably the Lightning with Kucherov in the 2020-21 season, but teh Knights did it multiple years in a row with the same player without even the least shred of guilt.

Finally in my list of greivances is yes, the cold ruthless way they've churned through players. Now, to be fair, by all reports they are an extremely accommodating franchise to current players, but the second a player outlives what they feel his usefulness to be, by god to they go for the jugular. The first and most memorable example was Marc-Andre Fleury and the famous back-stabbing photojob by his agent after they traded for Robin Lehner. At the time, people were mostly in the "come on Marc, grow up" camp, but little did we know that was the first in a series of cruel, cold, calculating decisions. Now, most of them have worked - its why this team has made its 3rd Stanley Cup Final with a roster that includes just three of the misfits from the first season, but its also led to a lot of sour memories. 

None of this matters if you are a Vegas fan, and more than that, a fan of the NHL at large. Vegas's success out of the game, and more than that even, their continued success, is a story worth celebrating for the league. They took the jump into Las Vegas before anyone (a city that by 2031 or so will likely have all four major sports), and I've read a lot of reports that Vegas cares about the Knights more than the Raidres, adn certainly will more than the A's (if that even happens at this point). I would dare claim they'll remain more popular than the NBA team. The NHL moved first, and it has paid off spectacularly creating a singular event-like atmosphere there, as the team's game production has leaned far into the things Vegas affords you. Still, you just wish you could like the organization a bit more.

Eight years ago I wrote about Vegas when they made that first Cup Final, and wrote largely that I was fine with that fact. I awsn't jealous of this upstart team making a final. It helps when I had watched my favorite team win a few by that point. I thought it was cool that the NHL had this magical story, and the Knights that year were one. The second that second year, when they traded for Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, becuase they rightly realized their first season was still a bit of a fluke, and they became this ruthless, never-ending series of trades, signings adn cap machinations, it quickly became less magical. In 2018, I wasn't mad at Vegas for making the final, but was greatly hoping they wouldn't win, mostly because I wanted Ovi to get his cup. There's no Ovi on the 2026 Hurricanes, but still - for the good of all of us, Vegas, just lie down. Especially since god knows what a loss in teh final will convince their ownership and leadership to try next.