Game seven

Chris Carpenter pitches to Mike Napoli in the 2nd inning of Game 7 of the 2011 World Series.
Syl Apps of the Toronto Maple Leafs after Game seven of the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals
Inside the Toyota Center before tip off of Game seven of the 2018 NBA Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets

A game seven is the final game of a best-of-seven series. This game can occur in the postseasons for Major League Baseball (MLB) (League Championship Series and World Series), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (all rounds of the NBA playoffs), and the National Hockey League (NHL) (all rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs). The game is generally played at the site of the team holding the home advantage across the series.[1]

The nature of a best-of-seven series requires that the series be tied 3–3 going into game seven, such that either team can take the series (advancing further in the playoffs or winning the championship) by winning the game. Because of this decisive nature, game sevens add an element of drama to their sports.[according to whom?][2][3][4][5][6] Aside from North American sports leagues, game sevens are also a fixture in many other sports around the world, mostly in baseball, basketball, and ice hockey leagues. Most codes of football do not employ a best-of-seven series (or any best-of-x series in general), hence game sevens are not played in those leagues.[citation needed] Some playoff rounds (such as MLB's current Division Series) are played in a best-of-five format, such that game five has similar qualities to those described above, though the suspense and drama have less time to build in a shorter series. Furthermore, the World Series of 1903, 1919, 1920, and 1921 were played in a best-of-nine format, though none of the four went to a decisive game nine.

The game seven is comparable to a final or to a single game in a single-elimination tournament or to a one-game playoff. A championship series' game seven is equivalent to the Super Bowl game in the National Football League in that the game's winner is the league's champion for the season.

  1. ^ Kamenetzky, Brian (2010-06-17). "The psychology of Game 7". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  2. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (2024-05-04). "Vegas, Dallas 'don't think anyone is surprised' series heading to Game 7". NHL.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  3. ^ "History of Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final". NHL.com. 2024-06-22. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  4. ^ "A brief history: Here's every World Series Game 7". MLB.com. November 4, 2021. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  5. ^ Adler, David (October 24, 2023). "Every Game 7 in NLCS and ALCS history". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  6. ^ Rasmussen, Karl (2024-06-07). "List of Every NBA Finals Series to Go Seven Games". SI. Retrieved 2024-08-15.