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Feel the Bern: The best playoffs in sports? It’s the Stanley Cup, hands down

PITTSBURGH - MAY 04: The NHL logo behind the net during the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers prior to game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2008 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) (Bruce Bennett, 2008 Getty Images)

DETROIT – If you’re a sports fan, then you are in the midst of a magical ride.

The playoffs, and let’s not forget it began last month with the NCAA tournament. And this year, the NCAA’s had an extra kick with a host of upsets along the way. And not a single top three seed in the Final Four. San Diego State made it to the championship game. Some might even say this year’s NCAAs were the best ever.

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Then there’s the NBA playoffs. And even though it’s less than two weeks old, the action has been amazing. The play-in tournament, which got a lot of heat from the fans, was terrific. Close games in most instances were the order of the day. It almost felt like the NCAAs just morphed into the NBA when it came to excitement because there was plenty of it in a short period of time.

Then you’ve got the Stanley Cup playoffs.

And for years, many have argued that the hockey playoffs were the best playoffs. The intensity is off the charts. Overtime games are the norm. Double-overtime games are always available. The speed of the sport plays a role, but it’s the players who will do anything for a win. Anything?

Remember several years ago when Nick Lidstrom of the Wings caught the butt of a stick in his groin area during the playoffs? He needed surgery. He was playing 2 days later!

Some said if it wasn’t the playoffs, he’d have been out a month. But it was the Stanley Cup. Enough said!