The Flyers and Sixers respective playoff series have offered us illustrations in punctuation.
In the case of each teams Game 1 on Sunday, the relevant punctuation was an exclamation point.
The Flyers Danny Briere whipped the winning goal past Martin Brodeur in overtime and sent Wells Fargo Center off its moorings. The Sixers, meanwhile, were on their way to a loss in Chicago when Derrick Rose crumpled to the floor clutching his left knee in anguish. The diagnosis of a torn ACL seemed to be the break the Sixers needed in order to manufacture an upset of the number one seed.
Both Philadelphia teams played again on Tuesday, in a Game 2 in each case, and this time the relevant punctuation was the period.
In the Sixers case, it was the third period -- an explosive 12 minutes that turned the game in their favor and led them to a blowout win. Their 36-14 advantage during those 12 minutes just might go down as the turning point of the best-of-seven series.
In similar fashion, the Devils played Game 2 without one of their key players. Seasoned veteran Ilya Kovalchuk sat out with a lower-body injury. As with Sixers-Bulls that night, the third period would be the defining point in the game. The home team was clinging rather uncomfortably to a 1-0 lead when the Devils exploded much in the way the Sixers did. With stunning and rapid precision, New Jersey ripped off four unanswered goals to shock the Flyers in a 4-1 loss.
In Philadelphia, the Jersey defense was stifling and had the Flyers off-balance. In Chicago, the Sixers defense was downright Devils-like, and took the fight out of the Bulls.
NBA
Two playoff games. Different sports. Similar themes. Exclamations and periods have defined the first two, and in each case, question marks have been the result heading into Game 3. The teams that best answer the challenges that have been raised will define their seasons at this most critical point. And, in keeping with the theme, you can put quotation marks around that.
E-mail Ron Burke at rburke@comcastsportsnet.com