Just because something is more popular doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. That is especially true concerning the NBA and NHL playoffs.
Reports have viewership for the NBA playoffs at more than 4 million viewers this April, while there are only 1.5 million viewers for the first-round games of the NHL playoffs. So the NBA is more popular, sure.
Better? Not so much.
In the first week of the NBA playoffs, only 11 of the first 30 games featured single-digit defeats. Six of those 30 games were won by at least 19 points, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Philadelphia 76ers by 32 points. Twice.
Boooooooooring.
Give me drama. Give me games where you have to watch the entire 60 minutes (or more). Give me hockey.
Of the first 31 games of the NHL playoffs, 25 of them have been decided by two goals or fewer. I put two goals instead of one because sometimes the winning team grabs an open-net goal in the final seconds, and the score doesn’t reflect how close the game actually was.
Of the first 31 games, 14 have been decided by just one goal, and eight went to overtime. In the Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning series, all four games have been decided by just one goal, and three of the games have gone to overtime.
Heading into Monday night, two of the eight first-round series have been decided already with sweeps, but the losing Los Angeles Kings were only outscored by four goals in the first three games (eight overall), and the losing Ottawa Senators were only outscored by six goals in their four losses.
So yeah, give me hockey over the NBA this upcoming week. There’s plenty of hockey plus local sports, MLB, and the Kentucky Derby, so let’s get you on track (or ice, fields, or courts) on where to visit and what games to watch.
Monday
The weather is scheduled to warm up this week, so make sure to get out to local softball and baseball fields, starting Monday with a baseball matchup at Jesse Bethel High School, where the Jaguars host Castro Valley. Meanwhile at the same time, American Canyon’s softball team will look to get back in the win column after having its 11-game victory streak snapped last week. The Wolves are still in first place and take on Justin-Siena at 4 p.m.
When you come home, watch the Utah Mammoth take on the Las Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of the NHL playoffs. After that game is over, turn over to NBC where the Denver Nuggets will be looking to avoid elimination against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their first-round series.
If you’re a baseball fan, watch the Chicago Cubs in their 2025 playoff series rematch with the San Diego Padres, or tune into the Miami Marlins visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tuesday
Locally, St. Pat’s will be the place to visit around 4 p.m., as the Bruins host Vallejo in softball, while the school’s baseball team takes on Swett just a few yards away.
When those games are done, come home and watch the San Francisco Giants start a three-game series with the struggling Philadelphia Phillies. If you want to see a game live, head to Sacramento, where the first-place Athletics (not a typo) take on the Kansas City Royals. The A’s are in first place, but pump the brakes on them being a dominant team — they are the only team above .500 (15-13) in the AL West. Still, it’s nice to see the A’s competitive.
If you don’t head out to see a game live, check out the New York Knicks play the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of their first-round series. This has been one of the only series where each game has been pretty close. The series is tied at two, making it a best-of-three series. New York has two games at home if needed. The San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics should wrap up their first-round series with home games on Tuesday.
In hockey, the best game to watch is at 5 p.m. when the Minnesota Wild visit the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of a tied series. Buffalo looks to win its series against Boston with a home game earlier in the day, while Anaheim can eliminate the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 later at 7 p.m. that night.
Wednesday
It’s rivalry time, and although each team is struggling, it’s always fun to watch Vallejo and Bethel baseball go at it. The first of the two-game series begins Wednesday at Vallejo High at 4 p.m. Across the street, the Vallejo High softball team takes on Kennedy, while St. Pat’s hosts Richmond in softball at the same time in the city.
The Giants and A’s both continue their series at 4 and 7 p.m., respectively, but the non-local game to watch is in hockey, where the Tampa Bay Lightning host Montreal in Game 5 at 4 p.m. in an effort to take control of the series. The games are all tight, so if you want drama, tune into this one.
If you don’t like drama and want to see a potential blowout, watch the Houston Rockets play the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5. The Lakers may be getting Austin Reaves back for this contest, and if Kevin Durant can’t suit up (again), then Houston has a problem. Toronto and Cleveland play each other in Game 5 earlier in the day, with the series currently knotted up at 2-all. Detroit hosts Orlando earlier on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Thursday
I would get up early in the day and watch the first few innings of the Giants/Phillies at 10 a.m., and then I’d watch the A’s play a matinee against the Royals at 12:05 p.m.
When the A’s game is done, head on over to Bethel High, where the softball team is hosting rival Vallejo. St. Pat’s is also at home against Kennedy, while Benicia hosts Clayton Valley at the same time.
The time hasn’t been determined, but when you come home, be sure to tune into Minnesota hosting Dallas in Game 6 of a first-round series. If there is a Game 7, it would be on Saturday. If needed, Edmonton visits Anaheim later in the night for Game 6.
The only NBA game we know for sure will take place on Thursday is the Knicks and Hawks battling in Atlanta for Game 6. If a Game 7 needs to take place, it would be on Saturday.
Friday
Since most of the NBA and NHL playoffs are unknown at this point in the week, make sure you head to Jesse Bethel on Friday to see the finale of a two-game baseball series between the Jaguars and Vallejo High. This could be the last game of David Bernstine III’s high-school career before he heads to Cal in the fall or maybe even an MLB team if he gets drafted.
Also at Bethel that day is the softball team hosting Hercules, while American Canyon will be looking to clinch the Vine Valley Athletic League title with a home game against Petaluma. Later that night, stick around American Canyon High to see the volleyball squad host Benicia in a nonleague matchup.
The San Francisco Giants visit Tampa Bay at 4 p.m. to start a three-game series. The Sacramento Athletics begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians later that night.
The only NBA game we know will take place on Friday is Cleveland visiting Toronto in Game 6. If a Game 7 is needed, it would be on Sunday.
The only NHL game we know will take place on Friday is Tampa Bay at Montreal. If a Game 7 is needed, that contest would be played on Sunday.
The weekend
Get out your funny hats, mint juleps, and sit down for the Kentucky Derby, otherwise known as the most overrated sporting event each year.
The 152nd running starts at 3:57 p.m., but expect hours of pre-race material to cover an event that last year ended in two minutes and two seconds. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the great first Ramones album, put on the song “Blitzkrieg Bop” and see if your horse can finish the race before the song (clocked at 2:12) ends. I mean, hey ho, let’s go horsey! Also, be careful your horse doesn’t fall, or else you may be hearing the Ramones song, “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.”
If you want to watch a sport that lasts a little longer, there may be multiple NHL and NBA Game 7s this weekend, but that’s still to be determined.
Both A’s games at home in Sacramento are matinees, while the Giants game on Saturday begins at 3 p.m. and the Sunday contest is at 10:40 a.m.
Other stellar baseball matchups to watch over the weekend include Arizona at Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs, the Dodgers visiting the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Cincinnati Reds visiting Pittsburgh. The Sunday night baseball game on NBC is the Texas Rangers visiting the Detroit Tigers.
Read
“Stars and Strikes” by Dan Epstein (It’s the 50th anniversary of the 1976 baseball season).
“The Game” by Ken Dryden (To read while watching the Canadiens/Lightning NHL series).