NHL/NBA. Men vs crybabies

Somebody please explain the logic in the following: In the Western Conference Finals of the NHL, the Chicago Black Hawks and LA Kings played back-to-back games. Play a game, suffer the physical abuse that goes along with NHL playoff hockey, take a shower, go to a motel room somewhere and try to sleep through the aches and pains, and then get up, eat a decent meal, and go back to the rink to do it again. In the Eastern Finals of the NBA, the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers both get 3 days off between games 6 and 7. Am I the only one that thinks this is bass-ackwards?

The basketball purists will tell you it's a contact sport. Indeed it is. So is touch football and water polo. But to compare the contact that happens in the NHL to that in the NBA is like comparing a tornado to a gentle breeze that makes wind chimes chime.

Yes, NHL players wear pads and helmets, and NBA players are running around in tank tops and shorts. I get that. More severe contact is expected of the guys that are flying around on skates than those that are loping up and down a basketball court in fancy tennis shoes. But there's a few things I don't get.

If an NHL player suffers a bad cut, he'll routinely be taken into the "dressing room", have it sewed up, and will be back on the ice in maybe 30 minutes. If an NBA player accidentally gets scratched by a fingernail anywhere on his face -- he'll routinely fall to the court writhing in pain like he just got tased. Amazingly enough, that NBA player is often back in action after a time-out like nothing ever happened. Turns out the scratch totally healed itself in just a couple minutes. No sign of it ever having been there in the first place. It's a miracle. Right.

Yeah, certain NHL players have been known to "flop" once in a while trying to draw a penalty. But as a whole, there are many more in the NBA that should be awarded Oscars or Emmys for some of the acting jobs they routinely try to get away with. It's shameful. What's worse is the referees, supposedly trained professionals themselves, often fall for it.

Yet no doubt, while the mighty NFL is still the gorilla in the room, the NBA is far more popular amongst fans than the NHL. I have a theory about that.

In the NBA, typically a basket is scored every minute or so. Fans don't have to wait long for SOMETHING to happen. Instant and constant gratification seem to be very popular amongst the masses these days in one form or another. Think about it. In a typical NBA game, between regular shots, 3-pointers, and free throws -- how many times did the basketball actually go through the net? 80? 100? Beats me.

But in the NHL, goals are relatively rare. Most games won't feature more than 5, from both teams combined. Those guys bust their butts and hammer each other all over the ice in the hope of getting a SINGLE goal.

In the NBA, when in doubt, a star player can lower his head and drive to the basket. Even if he doesn't make the shot, chances are good he'll find a way to "draw contact" and will wind up at the free throw line shooting "foul shots".

If a player charges the net in the NHL, chances are good he's going to draw a LOT of contact from the opponents. He'll probably wind up getting decked. No foul, and no free throws. Just a part of the game.

Though football is still my first love -- not counting a certain lady and my 4-legged kids of course -- I think I still prefer hockey over basketball.

But I'll probably check out the Miami/Indiana game 7, to see who gets to face San Antonio in the NBA Finals.

Hey, beats soccer.