Here ’ s One Upside to COVID
The rare ‘ Sports Equinox ’ of the four major professional leagues
One good thing that COVID has brought to us is the rare “ Sports Equinox ,” when all four major professional sports play on the same day . This is an occurrence we usually see about once a decade , but it actually happened multiple times in September .
Even more , we are certain to see another sports rarity : After we have a winner in the World Series between Los Angeles and Tampa , one city will claim two titles in this strange , condensed sports year .
Because there has been so much going on , the Chieftain thought it might be a good idea to get you caught up on the professional sports that have wrapped up their 2020 seasons , just in case you missed something .
Is LeBron James now the G . O . A . T .?
NBA
The NBA season took an interesting turn of events due to COVID-19 , which resulted in the creation of the “ Orlando bubble .” Twenty-two teams entered the bubble on July 22 to duke it out in six play-in games , to determine playoff seeding . Then the best 16 competed for the Larry O ’ Brien Trophy .
During the playoffs , the surprise team , hands down , was the Miami Heat , led by Jimmy Butler and the outside shooting of Tyler Herro and former U of M star Duncan Robinson .
On the West side of the bracket , history was made when the Denver Nuggets , led by Nikola “ The Joker ” Jokic and Jamal Murray , set an NBA record with two 3-1 comebacks , accomplishing the feat against the Jazz in the first round and the Clippers in the second round .
In the Western Conference Finals , the Cinderella Nuggets ’ story ended , as the far superior L . A . Lakers dominated the court in typical Showtime fashion .
In the Finals , the Heat fell to their ex-King , LeBron James , and the Lakers . James was awarded the Finals MVP trophy and got his fourth ring , strengthening his case against Michael Jordan in the ongoing G . O . A . T . argument .
-Patrick Karam
Photo by Sportskeeda . com
NHL
After the Detroit Red Wings once again failed to entertain the state of Michigan , many of us chose to watch the 2020 NHL playoffs rooting for teams like Dallas , Boston , or maybe even Tampa .
A lack of fans and a few other little quirks showed the effect of COVID on the game , but those problems faded once the play began . Early in this year ’ s playoffs , the Vegas Golden Knights showed potential after destroying the Blackhawks and grinding out a win in Game 7 against the
promising Vancouver Canucks .
However , Dallas came out swinging and took down Vegas to win the Western Conference . The Stars were led by Miro Heiskanen and Tyler Seguin .
But that wasn ’ t enough to hold back Tampa , who did not play a single Game 7 in the entire playoffs . Led by Ryan McDonough and Kevin Shattenkirk , the Lightning proved themselves to be the dominant team in the NHL this season .
-Luke Washe
MLB
After a very interesting season , with teams playing only 60 games , we are finally in the World Series . The Rays and Dodgers are the two teams that remain .
The Rays were an unexpected playoff team , based on their history the past few years . They have a chance to win it all this year , mainly because of their amazing pitching staff , led by Tyler Glasnow , Blake Snell , and Charlie Morton .
The Dodgers , on the other hand , have one of the most stacked teams in baseball , with at least three MVP candidates in Mookie Betts , Clayton Kershaw , and Cody Bellinger . They showed it , with the best record in baseball this year .
Other players who stood out this season are Fernando Tatis , Jr ., ( Padres ); Ronald Acuña , Jr . ( Braves ); Tim Anderson ( White Sox ); Gerrit Cole ( Yankees ); and Jacob DeGrom ( Mets ).
-Joe Simpsn
Tyler Seguin and the Stars couldn ’ t hold off Tampa
Brother Rice High School Chieftain Page 15 octob e r 2020
Photo by DailyHive . com