The month of May has started out like a lion, but unlike March, it will exit with the same exuberance in the sporting world. The first Saturday in May this year has been talked about as the greatest day in the history of sports. A world-class prize fight, the Kentucky Derby, and a smattering of baseball games all ended up taking a back seat to a couple of events that many didn’t expect to top the charts. To those of us that pay attention to the NBA and NHL playoffs, we weren’t surprised they stole the show. This year has put the NBA back into the mainstream focus of even the casual fan like myself, and pushed the NHL a little higher up on the radar. There were huge expectations for both, and so far, they’ve lived up to the hype. This is quite the opposite of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. Now, I’ve never claimed to be a huge fan of the modern day NBA. The 2000’s brought us a watered-down version of what we once knew. Individual players became the face of the NBA, and rarely did we see teams play with the same heart and intensity as the teams in the 1980s and 90s did. But, the tide seems to be turning. Yes, the stars are still there, but even the stars seem to find importance on defense and overall team play. You still have your gunners, but those guys seem to be out on the golf course during the playoffs unlike a team like Memphis that prides itself in defensive effort and rebounding. It’s the type of basketball I can get behind, and I certainly have the last two weeks. You don’t have to look very far to find a team that uses the defense-first philosophy to lead to their success. The Chicago Bulls appeared destined for a second-round exit when the Cleveland Cavaliers were put in front of them. Fortunately for the Bulls and Coach Tom Thibodeau, the ingrediants to recipe for the Bulls seem to be gelling right now, though the Cavs did even the series with LeBron James’ buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4 Sunday. While I realize that just a couple of series and teams don’t necessarily make the entire playoffs, the best is yet to come. Regardless of who comes out of the Bulls-Cavs series, they should have a pretty strong chance of playing for a title. With the Warriors getting everything they can handle from the Grizzlies, the title will be up for grabs. While the ratings would suggest that the league would be better off with two big-market teams, it might not be in the cards for 2015. Speaking of 2015, the NBA isn’t the only show in town. For the third straight year, the Chicago Blackhawks have found themselves in the Western Conference finals with a sweep of the Minnesota Wild. When you look at the big picture, a Stanley Cup championship this season could advance the Hawks into the dynasty discussion. With the possibility of playing Anaheim in the conference finals, that discussion can be put on hold for the moment. Regardless of the outcome, the Hawks have battled through quite a bit of adversity, and goaltending drama to put themselves in the best possible spot to grab their third Stanley Cup in five years. With the parity that comes along with a salary cap league, that type of success is almost unheard of. The month of May has had the Madhouse on Madison rocking! The house that Jeremy Roenick built could continue to be a very busy place on the west side of Chicago for a couple more weeks. At least with the success of the two winter teams, the city of Chicago can forget a little bit about the Cubs’ bullpen woes, or the White Sox organization woes, for a little longer.
