Playoff Magic!

Outlander · Post by **Outlander** » Tue May 20, 2008 12:31 am

Ladies and Gents, a word of praise for the playoff format.

Now, I'm a Yank. We ALWAYS do playoffs. (Except for college football, which is a historical anomaly.) So to me, having playoffs at the end of a season is just the way things are.

Now, I understand that you folks have cultural traditions about crowning league champions. On this board, I see all sorts of posts complaining about how the "true champion" is decided by the table. I defer to your cultural tradition.

However, as a sports fan, I would argue that playoffs reveal true champions. As Exhibit A, I would point, not to Tigers, but to GLAWS.

2 years in a row, GLAWS have won the league.

2 years in a row, they have choked in the playoffs.

Now, I am sorry. A team that cannot figure out how to go out and win playoff games without choking is not, IMO, a true champion of anything.

I've been watching playoffs since the mid 1960s, primarily American football, basketball, and baseball, with a little NHL hockey thrown in. And I have seen scores and scores of teams who had great seasons but could not handle the special pressure of playoffs.

Playoff pressure has a way of examining a team and then revealing its weaknesses. Often, those weaknesses simply cannot be decisively revealed during regular season action.

Since 1967, I have been a fan of the Boston Celtics. As a few of you may know, they are in the playoffs this year. They were awful last year, but acquired some stars and completely dominated the regular season in the NBA.

But they had never played together in the playoffs, and that pressure has revealed weaknesses in their offense. As a result, they have struggled to advance. Already, they have played 2, count 'em 2 7th games. That is, in rounds 1 and 2, each team won 3 games and the deciding game was the 7th. The pressure of that sort of thing is excruciating. And by the way, the NBA playoffs are a marathon: you must win 16 games to take home the trophy.

So Boston is learning to play playoff basketball. They are getting there. Yesterday, they faced a young super star who scored 45 points against them. But Paul Pierce, their captain, scored 41 and they prevailed. 7th game. 2 of the sport's supreme super stars going at each other, drilling shot after shot. Man, THAT is white hot competition!

And my main point here is that, no matter how many regular season games the Celtics won this year, none of it could prepare them for playoff basketball. It is a breed apart.

In the GP, GLAWS are the team struggling with that issue. They sail along in the season, but they go tentative and break down in the playoffs. Yep. Playoff sports. It's a different animal, and in my biased, Yankee eyes, playoffs are always the true test of a champion.

So here we have Tigers, a team that have played some bad rugby this year. But when the pressure was there last week and this, they rose to the occasion. And they have a chance to win the league by prevailing in the playoffs.

American sport history is filled with cases of teams who did NOT dominate the season and then went on to win titles. It's one of the wonderful things about sports.

Well, I may not have convinced any of you Brits, but I for one am THRILLED to see Tigers roar into the final. And if they beat Wasps, I will call them worthy champions indeed!

NorthantsTiger · Post by **NorthantsTiger** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:05 am

Brilliant post

The whole playoff system was endorsed by all of the GP teams except the tigers so it would be a little disingenuos for anyone too backtrack on that now. Didn't Tigers once top the league then loose out in the playoffs themselves? Also agree with the idea that one off matches can really reveal alot about the qualities of a team that the regular season may not

NorthantsTiger · Post by **NorthantsTiger** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:05 am

Double post sorry

Anthony · Post by **Anthony** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:25 am

Couldn't agree with you less Outlander.
Yes the playoffs are a good way to make money and extend the season into a show piece event, but the true test of a league champion is the team that finishes at the top of the league.

One off cup games are a different breed, I agree with you on that front, and I also agree that its great that the Tigers have got through to the final.

However, Gloucester won the league, Wasps or Tigers will win the trophy. How that can be fair to the team that topped the table for 21 out of 22 rounds of league action is beyond me.

We'll just have to agree to disagree

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:37 am

Rules come and go.
League Championships are always League Championships.
Knock-out Cups are always Knock-out Cups.
Pay-offs are always Pay-offs.

All three are exciting in their own individual ways.
Three different formats, three different trophies!

Easty · Post by **Easty** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:58 am

Anthony, I'm sorry but do you not think, that "if" the playoff's were not in place, then teams like Tigers, Wasps & others, wouldn't just use a different approach to their season & plan to finish top instead of within the top 4 which is the current requirement?

The truth is that Wasps more than anyone, would simply just restructure their gameplans & more importantly their fitness to ensure a top position finish, or certainly put themselves in with a shot at it.

So I'm afraid the truth IMO, is that Glaws, or any other top of table finisher are NOT champions, thats not the rules of the competition, there are no prizes for finishing there, so 'certain' teams don't play to be there.

jonnyatom5 · Post by **jonnyatom5** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:03 am

I agree with the principal of playoffs, but...

Outlander, correct me if I am wrong but most of the US games, basketball particularly have a 'best of' series to determine champions, it's not a one game choke affair. American Football is different I believe, culminating in the Superbowl. So each game has it's own idiosyncrasies during playoff time. What 'seems' unfair with our playoff situation is this 'choking' situation, but as Outlander says, a true championship team will prevail. Gloucester aren't that team yet. I believe they'll get there and it will make the club stronger as Tigers have done previously.

I'm not bitter about Wasps beating us previously when we topped the table, that's the rules of the game that most of the GP teams voted for, get over it and do better next year. In my opinion it makes for an exciting end of season culminating in an awesome day out at Twickenham and for that I applaud the playoffs.

westy154 · Post by **westy154** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:07 am

And so it continues...

If anyone has reason to complain about not being champions, it is the New England Patriots. Unbeaten in the regular season, they lost the Superbowl to the New York Giants in one of the biggest upsets in the Sport ever.

It was the second most watched program in American History (after the MASH final episode).

Oh and Outlander, I wouldn't call College Football an anomoly, I would call it slightly nuts.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:54 am

I'm sorry but do you not think, that "if" the playoff's were not in place, then teams like Tigers, Wasps & others, wouldn't just use a different approach to their season & plan to finish top

Answer: No

However, I'm 100% sure Tigers planned all season to finish 4th by scoring a try in the 80th minute of the last match, having also ensured that Irish would beat Sale without them achieving a bonus point, on the same day.

ps how do you plan to finish top?
I know ... to finish top you have to score one more point than all the others (you could of course be pedantic here!).
So that's what we will do. 4 points here, 5 points there, one point here etc. Great. We're going to finish top in six months time!

kevf · Post by **kevf** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:08 am

Pete wrote:
I'm sorry but do you not think, that "if" the playoff's were not in place, then teams like Tigers, Wasps & others, wouldn't just use a different approach to their season & plan to finish top
Answer: No

However, I'm 100% sure Tigers planned all season to finish 4th by scoring a try in the 80th minute of the last match, having also ensured that Irish would beat Sale without them achieving a bonus point, on the same day.

ps how do you plan to finish top?
I know ... to finish top you have to score one more point than all the others (you could of course be pedantic here!).
So that's what we will do. 4 points here, 5 points there, one point here etc. Great. We're going to finish top in six months time!

i believe what is meant here is pacing yourself through the season as we have seen wasps do so many times... if the only trophy was awarded for finishing top of the league on the last day of the season do you not think strategies would be different? i.e get as many points as possible all the time as this would be no worry about wearing players out... were as at the present moment with the prresent rules you can afford to lose some games... i.e when you have half your team away playing internationals... so its a maore strategic season rather than a lets go out give our all every single games cos if we get more points than anyone else we win.. end of story..

although the team should give its all every game the occasional loss is no bitg wrry as long as you are there or their abouts.

MelChannerFan · Post by **MelChannerFan** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:22 am

Ironically, I think the playoffs were partly introduced to stop Tigers dominating the league after their third successive title.

It worked for a while!

It does also allow for world cup and international absences. i.e. I do not think Glaws would have been top last year or this year if it were not for others providing more to international callups.

CelticTiger · Post by **CelticTiger** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:22 am

In the Top 14 in France, the two big clubs (SF, ST)do just enough for a Semi Final position. This leads to season-ticket holding (especially) fans being short-changed when they field almost full reserve sides for some matches, having qualified early.

This hasn't happened so much in the Premiership yet, because competition is much fiercer and there's a more level financial playing field between clubs. Although usually Wasps and Tigers come out of the pack for the semis, it's not as ironcast as the two Stades in France. Let's hope the Premiership stays that way.

mightymouse · Post by **mightymouse** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:31 am

I was never a big fan of the play off system - To be trueful I am still not a massive fan of them although I can see that there is some merit in the scheme - however this IS the current system - everyone knows it and has known it and had time to get used to it and how to plan for it.

The bit I cannot understand is the whinning from the Glaws fans that they think they are the champions.

NO they are not the rules. They have not been the rules for a very long time - Just because you do not like the rules or are no good at playing does not make them invalid, it just means you lost.

When the EVLs come in next year and if we are no good at playing them - it will be be no good saying we would have won under the old laws - Tough - we are no longer playing those laws - Whatever you think are the merits or demerits of the new laws, this is what we are playing with now - get on with it!

Likewise with playoffs- stop whinning - learn to win under that system and you will be champions, just in the way Wasps have learnt and last year we finally got the hang of it.

Can anyone deny that the years Wasps won the title that they were not the best - I think we all agree that Tigers and particularly Wasps have been the top teams in recent years and therefore it is no coincidence that they are the ones that come away with the trophies

kevf · Post by **kevf** » Tue May 20, 2008 11:44 am

it is generally the supporters of the team who finish top who have the moan.. and yes you are right the brought it in because of tigers dominance...

whether you like them or agree with them matters not a jot... they are here the players coach's managers etc know what they need to do from day one... it up to them to plan for the season as it stands... not how they would like it to be ..!!!

westy154 · Post by **westy154** » Tue May 20, 2008 11:47 am

To be honest, I was expecting this much playoff bile AFTER we lose (possibly) to Wasps in the final, not after we have just profited from the system.