|
New York Islanders: 2nd Stanley Cup Finals berth
1999 2005
Mike Francesa (flat, declarative):
“Alright, the Islanders, they win their second Eastern Conference crown, first in six years. Okay. They’re back in the Stanley Cup Final, playin’ for their second Cup in franchise history. That’s the headline. That’s the whole story. They beat the Flyers, they swept ‘em, and it wasn’t even close. That’s it. You don’t need a parade for the Conference title — the job’s not finished.”
Mad Dog Russo (shrill, bouncing in his chair):
“MIKE! MIKE! THE ISLANDERS! BACK TO THE CUP FINAL! Can you BELIEVE it?! They haven’t been here in SIX YEARS, and this is the TEAM that does it! They didn’t just beat Philly, they DEMOLISHED Philly! Four games to NONE! 14–5 in the closeout game! You gotta be kidding me! And Jack Bauer — JACK BAUER! — the guy’s a MACHINE! .476 batting average, twelve RBIs, two homers — in the CONFERENCE FINAL, MIKE! That’s not just good, that’s HISTORIC!”
Mike Francesa (cutting him off, bored):
“Dog, calm down. They won. Bauer was good. Fine. But listen — it doesn’t matter if it was 14–5 or 2–1, they got the job done. Now the Finals begin. That’s all that matters. Four more wins, period. You don’t hang banners for conference championships.”
Rocky Balboa (soft, slurred but passionate):
“Y’know, uh, the thing about the Islanders, they been countin’ out a lotta times, but dey kept fightin’. Dey took the hits, dey stayed on their feet. And now, uh, they goin’ for the big one. But listen, it ain’t gonna be easy. Nothin’ worth winnin’ ever is. They gotta keep movin’ forward. That’s how champions are made.”
Mad Dog (leaning toward Rocky, yelling):
“YES, ROCK! THAT’S IT! MOVIN’ FORWARD! HEART! PASSION! That’s what this Islander team’s got! MIKE, admit it, this is somethin’ SPECIAL!”
Mike Francesa (shrugs, deadpan):
“Yeah, it’s special if they win the Cup. Until then, it’s just noise. We’ll see what happens.”
Mad Dog (throws hands up):
“OH, COME ON, MIKE!!!”
|