We are back with another subjective ranking by yours truly. This time, I ranked the seven playoff games from least entertaining to most entertaining. Though this is obviously a site about the Bucks, we are taking a detour for this article and applying it to any random team. Simple exercise to kill some time before the NBA season proper tips off—let’s run it.
#7: Game 2
To me, Game 2 is easily the least entertaining game in a playoff series. How often do we see the underdog win Game 1 and the media cycle go wild
with “man, the [higher-seeded] has all the pressure right now,” only for that higher-seeded team to course-correct and blow the doors off their opponent in Game 2? Game 2 is also often when the better team establishes a 2-0 lead and heads on the road with confidence, usually ending the series in at most three more games. Ultimately, Game 2 offers little utility.
#6: Game 1
Game 1 just pips Game 2 primarily because it has the allure of novelty. It’s fresh and exciting. Storylines are being developed, and people (me) are eager to see how the jerseys look against each other. Overall, Game 1 is intriguing because it is new. Then, as I alluded to above, you can get the Game 1 upset. But at the end of the day, nobody really remembers many Game 1s.
#5: Game 3
Game 3 is the touchpoint where a series’ structure and storylines start to take hold; they aren’t fully formed yet, but they’re getting there. You have the Game 3 win after a 1-1 tie; you have the Game 3 win after a 2-0 deficit (usually on the lower-seeded team’s home court). And then, of course, you have the Game 3 win by the team up 2-0 to end the series. Frankly, Game 3 sits in a different tier than Games 1 and 2.
#4: Game 5
Game 5 matters for a few reasons. Of course, a team can complete the gentleman’s sweep in Game 5, but it can also be crucial in a 2-2 series. Game 5 is also often the game that gives the fans of a team down 3-1 hope—“just win one more, and we’re right back in it!”—only for them to get drilled in the next game, LOL.
#3: Game 6
Game 6 and Game 5 were incredibly close for me, but I went with Game 6 here. This game is intriguing on several levels. The team up 3-2 wants to end it, while the team down just needs to reach Game 7. Home court can play a huge role in the drama too. If the team that is up started on the road as the lower-seeded team, they are desperate to win at home and not have to play the next one in front of the other team’s sold-out arena—like Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals in Milwaukee—while the other team needs to win one on the road and then they suddenly become the favourite.
#2: Game 4
Maybe a controversial take, but other than Game 7, Game 4 has always been my favourite. Why? Because the stakes are nearly as high as Game 7: One team is up 2-1 and can, for all intents and purposes, end the series, while the other can flip it on its head with a win to tie. The stakes are huge. And then you consider the mind games that can be played if the team that was down wins—especially if it was a close win—because they know they are right back in it and have momentum on their side, while the team that was up could easily feel as if they missed a golden opportunity.
#1: Game 7
Self-explanatory. No two words in sports are better than “Game 7.” Two teams fighting in the ultimate winner-takes-all contest. No second chances. This game defines legacies. I mean, look no further than LeBron James’ Game 7 against Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals: 27 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds—with that iconic chase-down block on Andre Iguodala—to complete the 3-1 comeback. Basically, Game 7 is so awesome because there is nowhere to hide; are you a man or a mouse?
Alright, now it’s your turn. Give us your 1-7 rankings below, Brew Hoop family.
