Game 7's

Seeing the Boston Bruins take game seven 1-0 over the Tamba Bay Lighting got me thinking...Game seven's are the most exciting thing in all of sports, but is there a way to make them even more exciting?

As much as people like to throw around the term "must-win game," games 7's really are the only true "must-win's". It's the one game where you can throw out all trends, stats, and anything else new-age sports geeks like to use to predict which player or which team is better. Granted there's home-court advantage for one team over the other, but if you're that road team do you really care where that game is? Hell no. Both teams are scratching and clawing and the usually the team that wants it more wins.

Anyway, back to my original point. Is there a way we could make game 7's more exciting than they already are?

Take the NHL for starters. Obviously the game is win-or-go-home, but unlike the regular season there is no shootout if there is no winner at the end of the overtime period. There are just more overtime periods until one team finally scores. That to me makes no sense. I'm a football fan first and foremost, and basketball second, but hockey shootouts are the coolest thing that could possibly happen in any sport during the regular season, why not carry that over to the postseason? How much more exciting would it be if game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals was determined by a shootout after the overtime? It wouldn't matter who was playing, I know for a fact I would watch that, and so do you.

Now what about the MLB. Game 7 of the World Series, Cleveland versus Philadelphia (just taking the two best records), game tied going into extra innings, sure, a walk-off hit by the home-team in extras to clinch would be cool, but what if instead of extra innings there was a sudden-death at-bat for each team between any pitcher or hitter that team chooses. No walks, only a hit can win it for the hitter's team, and just for fun lets say the pitcher has to get a strikeout (clearly there are flaws here, but lets have some fun with this). How about to make it more interesting the opposing team gets to pick who you send to the mound and the plate??? Holy shit. I need to digress from this one, it's getting too awesome.

Now the NBA is where you can really have some fun. Say game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Mavericks and the Heat goes into overtime, instead of that stupid five minute extra period you go into a dunk off (obviously the Heat would win that one)? Or a three-point shooting contest? What about a game of around the world (Ok, I'm just kidding with that one). Ok, how about this one, a game of one-on-one, first to 11 by ones and twos, best player from each team, Lebron versus Dirk, win by two. Oh ya, that's the winner.

The NFL I think has done the best it can by implementing the new rule of giving each team a chance if no touchdown is scored, somewhat adopting the college rule for overtime. As awesome as football is, you simply can't have a series, especially to seven games, people would die...sorry that was a little dramatic.