Heavy
- NBA Finals
- Stanley Cup Finals
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Collective Soul’s Heavy, but it’s an oxymoron because this is a light read.
The song relies heavily on the riff. The Heavy title never appears in the lyrics, but as lead singer Ed Roland put it, "I was looking for a word that would fit what I was describing, like 'All your weight it falls on me, it brings me down. The riff I felt was a heavy riff, so, 'Heavy' just came up."
Upon its release in 1999, this song hit #1 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and stayed there for 15 weeks. It would be Collective Soul’s 7th and final #1 Rock hit. On the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, Heavy peaked at #73 as their 5th song to enter the Top 100 in the 90s. (Source: SongFacts)
Feels odd being a Saturday in the middle of the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals with no game tonight, but here’s a refresher on both series…
NBA Finals
The Indiana Pacers upset the OKC Thunder in the closing milliseconds of Game 1 as Tyrese Haliburton continues his absurd run of clutch play these playoffs. According to the NBA, dating back to 1971, there have only been three 15+ point 4th Quarter comebacks in NBA Finals history. After Game 1, Rick Carlisle has now coached in the last two, with the other being Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals (Mavs vs Big 3 Heat). For even more context via SportsCenter, teams down 9+ points with under 3 minutes to play in an NBA Finals game were 0-182, before the Pacers made a historic comeback.
Oklahoma City led Game 1 from the jump and seemingly had complete control of the game, hanging onto a near double-digit lead throughout. The Thunder defense was as good as advertised, producing 14 steals and forcing the Pacers to commit 25 turnovers. The only reason Indiana didn’t get totally run out of the gym was their 3-point shooting. 9 different Pacers hit at least a single 3-pointer in Game 1. From beyond the arc, the Pacers made 18 of 39 (46.2%), including 6 of 10 in the 4th Quarter. The biggest 3-pointer of the night came from Andrew Nembhard over SGA with 2 minutes left to play. A week after he couldn’t seem to find the net against the Knicks, Nembhard came through in the 4th Quarter with 8 points and 3 assists.
Indiana has had quite a few different unsung heroes on this NBA Finals run, but the same formula for completing their comebacks has been to get the ball to Tyrese Haliburton as time is expiring. This time, Haliburton didn’t need to dribble into the lane and then out behind the arc to produce the dagger, as instead he just pulled up for a good old-fashioned long 2. On a relatively quiet night, Haliburton stole the SGA Show. The league MVP led all scoring with 38 points, but it took him 30 shots to get there. OKC also switched up their rotations quite a bit in Game 1 by limiting their big men’s minutes, playing Chet Holmgren for 24 minutes and Isaiah Hartenstein just 17. The move was pretty puzzling considering OKC entered Game 1 as heavy favorites. One would think they’d be the ones dictating terms. Despite the home loss, the Thunder enter Game 2 as heavy double-digit favorites.
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals are knotted up at 1-1 after the Florida Panthers took Game 2 in Double-OT. Both games have gone to extras and have lived up to the billing of a Stanley Cup Finals re-match. The most overtime games in Stanley Cup Finals history took place in 1951, when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montréal Canadiens took five games into added time. The last time there were three Stanley Cup Finals overtime games was in the 2014 LA Kings and NY Rangers series.
In Game 1, Edmonton had to fight back from a 3-1 2nd-period deficit. The Oilers won in OT with Connor McDavid finding Leon Draisaitl for the game-winner. The combo also scored the wicked goal GIF’d above in Game 2. McDavid has been a monster this series, already assisting on 5 goals. Oilers’ coach Kris Knoblauch (no relation to Chuck Knoblauch) said in his Game 2 postgame presser, “When you win the first one, you're disappointed you don't follow up and win the second one, but we're going there with a split. We're comfortable playing on the road.” Edmonton has won 6 of its last 7 road games, so playing in Florida with their rats shouldn’t be too big of an issue. The Oilers are also technically getting more pucks on net, holding a 92 to 74 advantage in the pucks on net category.
In Game 2, Panthers LW Brad Marchand scored his 5th career playoff OT game-winner. It was the former Boston Bruin’s 2nd OT game-winner this postseason with the Panthers and his 2nd goal of Game 2. Marchand scored a nearly identical breakaway shorthanded goal in the 2nd Period to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead. According to ESPN, Marchand is the first player in Stanley Cup Final history to score a shorty and then an OT game-winner. After the game, Brad Marchand’s mother was seen in the crowd cheering him on with his family. The reporters asked him what kind of Hockey Mom she is and the future Hall of Fame winner said, “She's a hockey mom you need to put a muzzle on. She gets pretty amped up at the games. They’ve always been so supportive, like all of our parents. I don’t think there is a player in this league who could say their parents are the main reason that they’re here.”
