13
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NFL division with 3 teams in the playoffs
The NFL started allowing two wildcard teams per conference to enter the playoffs in the 1978-79 season, and went to three wildcard teams in 1990-91. With only three divisions per conference, it was ...
- 8,572
8
votes
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Why do NBA stars keep playing in playoff blowouts?
Wikipedia lists quite a few comebacks from deficits of 25+ points in the 3rd or even early 4th quarter. The odds are certainly small that a team would turn it around, but even a glimmer of hope to ...
- 1,948
8
votes
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Can a team sign an NFL player during the playoffs?
This other answer covers categories of players in which there is a deadline to sign that particular type of player. The answer is correct, but not all-encompassing and (I feel) misses the spirit of ...
- 1,024
7
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Why do NBA stars keep playing in playoff blowouts?
As it is mentioned in the question, the stars are pulled out with a few minutes left in the game. How early they are pulled depends on the point differential, the coach, and the team's momentum.
In ...
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6
votes
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Longest time between goals in NHL playoffs
The longest time between two consecutive NHL playoff goals for a player is 11 years, which has been done by 5 players:
Craig Ludwig: 103 games apart, 4079 days
04/09/1988, Montreal @ Hartford
06/10/...
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6
votes
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What was the worst result for a president's trophy winner in the playoffs?
There have been eight NHL teams thus far to win the President's Trophy but be eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The worst Stanley Cup finish by a President's Trophy winner was ...
- 395
6
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History of reverse sweeps in the Stanley cups finals?
The list of comebacks from 0-3 down in NHL playoffs (entirely, not just the Stanley Cup finals) is very short:
1942 Stanley Cup Finals (Leafs over Red Wings)
1975 quarterfinals (Islanders over ...
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5
votes
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Has there been a time the 2 NBA or NHL teams in the playoffs final series got there without losing any games?
tl;dr: NO
NBA
There has not been a single team in the NBA going 12-0 into the finals. This is also due to the first round being a best of 5 game series until the 2003 playoffs. The 2000-2001 Los ...
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4
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NFL conference top seed hosting divisional round playoff game as an underdog
There have only been 7 times in NFL history that a home team in the divisional round was an underdog (source: Pro Football Reference). Here is a list of the games:
1979-80 #2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4....
- 1,657
4
votes
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How many times both conference finals series made it to game 7 in NBA history?
It seems, according to this list of NBA game sevens, that the only other time (besides the 2018 playoffs) both conference finals made it to game 7 was in 1979, where the Seattle SuperSonics beat the ...
- 395
4
votes
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According to what, MLB teams advance from regular to playoff
Not sure where you're getting 7 postseason teams. I think there's a proposal for it, but wouldn't happen before 2022.
Since 2012, MLB has had 5 teams from each league qualify for postseason play: ...
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4
votes
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Why are Grizzlies in the playoffs and GSW are not, even though Warriors have more victories?
For the 2020-21 season the NBA introduced a play-in tournament (somewhat similar to those we saw in 2019-20 post Covid shutdowns).
As part of these play-in games, the 7th and 8th seeds of each ...
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4
votes
Can a player unretire when the postseason starts who hasn’t played all season and be eligible play in the postseason
When a player retires while under contract, a team can add them to the Reserve/Retired List, in which case the contract progression pauses, and would resume if the player unretires.
Also, a player who ...
- 141
3
votes
North American expansion team reaching Championship final in inaugural year
Baltimore Stallions:
In 1994 the Baltimore Stallions made it to the Grey Cup finals, in their inaugural year, making them the most successful American team in CFL history. Despite not winning the ...
- 395
3
votes
Fastest power play goal in the history of the NHL
Adrian Kempe of the LA Kings broke the record on January 9, 2020. He scored 1 second (actually 0.9, since it was inside the last minute of the period and the clock was showing tenths) into the power ...
- 31
3
votes
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World cup winners qualified through play-offs
There was no such World Cup where the winner would qualify through play-offs. It's also worth to mention that qualification rules were constantly changing and sometimes winners played only few matches ...
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3
votes
Does the 2-2-1-1-1 format get used in 7-game series anymore?
I believe the NHL still uses the 2-2-1-1-1 format. Three of the series in the most recent playoffs went to seven games and followed that format (PIT vs WAS in Eastern Semi Finals, ANA vs EDM in ...
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3
votes
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Has any player on the Edmonton Oilers roster (16-17 season) played a postseason game as an Oiler before this season?
No. Eberle has the longest tenure with the Oilers with 7 seasons played, but as you mentioned before, it has been an eleven year hiatus.
With an eleven year drought, the only eligible members on the ...
- 186
3
votes
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Why did the NHL move to the current playoff format?
The logic behind the new system is that it means more teams are in the playoff race down the stretch, which increases attendance and fan engagement.
In the old system you have one playoff boundary: ...
- 450
3
votes
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NHL Playoffs format
The NHL regular season overtime format has undergone quite a few changes over the years. The first season with sudden death overtimes was 1983-84. The whole purpose of including them was that people ...
- 1,659
3
votes
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What are the biggest comebacks in NFL postseason history?
Stealing unashamedly from ESPN for the top four:
32 points: Bills vs Oilers, 1993: Buffalo trailed 35-3, but went on to win 41-38.
28 points: Colts vs Chiefs, 2014: Colts trailed 38-10, but went on ...
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3
votes
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Most consecutive NBA finals appearances by a player
10 Consecutive NBA Appearances - Bill Russell
Bill Russell holds the record for the most consecutive NBA final appearances, at 10! From first joining the Boston Celtics in 1956, Bill made it to the ...
- 395
3
votes
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NFL Overtime Rules - why are they like this?
Why do the NFL's overtime rules allow for a team to potentially lose
without their offense ever taking the field?
NFL's overtime is a variant of sudden death in that if the first team scores a ...
3
votes
Has there been a best-of-seven series where all games were won by the away team?
This, from MLB.com on October 30, 2019:
The Nationals’ season-saving 7-2 victory over the Astros in Game 6 on Tuesday night made road teams a perfect 6-0 in this year’s Fall Classic. It’s the first ...
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3
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Has the Stanley Cup playoffs games ever been held on neutral ice?
Sort of. No complete series in the modern game was played entirely at a neutral site, but some series had one or two games played at neutral sites.
The 1925 Stanley Cup Finals, for example, was ...
Joe♦
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3
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Has an NHL or NBA champion ever won all playoffs series with the same record?
The NHL has been hosting best of 7 playoff rounds since the 1986-87 season. Looking at Hockey Reference there has been no Stanley Cup champion winning all rounds with the same score.
The NBA has been ...
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3
votes
History of reverse sweeps in the Stanley cups finals?
The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team in the NHL history to make a comeback after being down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals series. All other reverse sweeps were made in the first 3 rounds.
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible