FIFA WORLD CUP 2018
Taking a break from best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series to celebrate the quadrennial FIFA World Cup in Russia, WhoWins™ examines the 836 World Cup matches between 13 July 1930 and 13 July 2014, and produces a table of historical match victory probabilities given any lead at any time during any World Cup match. (18 June 2018)

LATEST HOME GOAL IN BEST-OF-7 NHL OVERTIME
The Vancouver Canucks' home-ice win over the Dallas Stars 18:06 into quadruple overtime is highlighted for its significance, and is compared to other noteworthy best-of-7 NHL playoff achievements by the Canucks. (13 April 2007)

2006 ELIMINATION OF ST. LOUIS BLUES FROM NHL PLAYOFFS
The longest active MLB/NBA/NHL streak of annual best-of-7 playoff round appearances ended in 2006; this page documented the death throes. (26 February 2006)

CONSECUTIVE MISSED WORLD SERIES
By reaching the 2005 World Series, the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros end their combined number of Consecutive Missed World Series at an unprecedentedly high 86. Only a World Series meeting by the other two MLB teams in Illinois and Texas can top that number. (20 October 2005)

REMATCH OUTCOME TENDENCIES
With the MLB Houston Astros earning an October 2005 chance to avenge their October 2004 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the question of whether rematches lead to repeats or to avengings had to be explored. (11 October 2005)

MLB POST-SEASON 2004
An essay on "How Boston Suffered; What Boston Missed" during the 2004 MLB post-season -- a time during which each step toward ultimate victory increased the would-be disastrousness of an all-too-possible (though none-too-probable) failure. (17 June 2005)

TESTED METTLE 2003
The comeback from the 3-games-1 deficit makes a comeback, but most of the teams making that comeback find the aftermath bittersweet. The "zone of unprecedented defeat" shrinks in the NHL to a few seconds. The MLB Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox show that misery loves company. (15 December 2003)

TESTED METTLE 2002
The 2002 NHL Stanley Cup finalist Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes, the 2002 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and semifinalist Boston Celtics, and the 2002 MLB champion Anaheim Angels are lauded for their highly improbable accomplishments during the 2002 best-of-7 playoff season. (01 April 2003)

TESTED METTLE 2001
Extraordinary best-of-7 playoff accomplishments by the NHL Los Angeles Kings and the MLB New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks are chronicled; a lack of competitiveness among NBA teams trailing best-of-7-format 2001 playoff games after three quarters is decried. (31 March 2003)

FIFA WORLD CUP
Taking a break from best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series to celebrate the quadrennial FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, WhoWins™ examines the 644 World Cup matches between 13 July 1930 and 30 June 2002, and produces a table of historical match victory probabilities given any lead at any time during any World Cup match. (04 July 2002)

DOUBLE-SWEEP VS. DOUBLE-EKE
For the first time in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series history, the 2001 NBA Finals pitted a team that had swept its previous two best-of-7 series (the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers) against a team that eked out seven-game wins from its previous two best-of-7 series (the challenger Philadelphia 76ers). (06 June 2001)

TO SWEEP VS. TO EKE
What happens when a team that just swept its previous best-of-7 playoff series encounters a team that just won its previous best-of-7 playoff series by the skin of its collective teeth in the full seven games? You may (or may not) be surprised by the results, which we break out for you by league. (12 May 2001, with a 05 June 2001 epilogue)

2000 CHAMPIONS: TESTED METTLE
The 2000 NHL champion New Jersey Devils, NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, and MLB champion New York Yankees faced extreme adversity and very low historical victory probabilities at points during each of their respective championship runs. (22 April 2001)

2001: YEAR OF THE NHL PLAYOFFS REMATCH
Six of the eight 2001 NHL Preliminary-round match-ups were identical to those from 2000; fourteen of the sixteen 2001 NHL playoff-qualifying teams had also qualified in 2000. (16 April 2001)

REGULAR SEASON VS. PLAYOFFS FOR NHL TEAMS
Just before the 2000 NHL playoffs got underway, we looked at how size of differences in regular-season point totals between best-of-7 playoff series opponents influenced playoff-series outcome. We fear that we jinxed the St. Louis Blues by doing so. (26 April 2000)

25TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREATEST BEST-OF-7 SERIES COMEBACK EVER
Surmounting a three-games-nil deficit to win a best-of-7 NHL, NBA, or MLB playoff series is plenty daunting. Perhaps the key to success is not knowing how difficult a task one faces in that situation. With all due respect to the magnificent Toronto Maple Leafs in their groundbreaking 1942 NHL Finals, here is our tribute to the 1975 NHL New York Islanders, with our rationale for our use of "greatest". (10 April 2000)

TIES AND ONE-GOAL DIFFERENTIALS IN NHL GAMES
The closely-played 1999 NHL Stanley Cup Finals pitting the Dallas Stars vs. the Buffalo Sabres spurred this discussion of other closely-played NHL best-of-7 playoff series. Consecutive series involving the St. Louis Blues illustrated the extremes in this situation. (21 June 1999)