Tomorrow, the NBA Finals could come to close as the Dallas Mavericks trail the Boston Celtics, 3 games to 1 game, with Game 5 on tap in Boston. On Tuesday, the NHL title could be decided as the Florida Panthers lead the Edmonton Oilers 3 games to 1 game, with Game 5 dropping the puck in Surprise, FL. We have been right on target for our predictions (for once?), and we expect the Celtics and the Panthers to finish strong.

NBA Finals

Boston went up 3-0 in this matchup rather easily, despite some dubious officiating in Game 3 that helps the Mavericks close strong in the fourth quarter to almost pull off an upset. Dallas then rolled Boston easily in Game 4, leading us back to the East Coast for Game 5. The Celtics are a 6.5-point favorite in this specific game, and we expect Boston to clinch the NBA title on its home court. We’d be surprised now to see an upset.

Why? Because if the league had decided this was going to go to 6 or 7 games, then the Mavericks would have won both games on their home court. They did not, despite the aforementioned officiating assistance. Therefore, the league certainly has surmised that Boston is the vastly superior team and deserves to not only win this series/title—but win it cleanly without the chance of randomness taking it away from them.

We think about the 2015 Finals, with the mathematically superior team damaging their own cause through poor decision-making and play at key times. It also was facing an all-time legend trying to bring a title to his “hometown” franchise, which had never won a title before then. That was a unique set of circumstances that does not exist in this current equation. We suspect the league wants to crown the Celtics—and cleanly.

And when we say “crown”? We really mean fête with a home-crown clinching moment. Boston has been the best team in the league 3 seasons running now, really, and it has yet to win a title. It’s time has come; the league wanted to maximize TV revenue, and they’ve gotten the most they can out of this situation—safely—without compromising the legitimately proper outcome. Definitely look for the Celtics to win Game 5.

NHL Finals

We all know professional hockey is not like the other 3 major North American sports: it’s still mostly pure, despite all-too-frequent stories about sexually or verbally abusive coaches in the amateur ranks. We therefore predicted Florida in five, because there are little, if any, shenanigans at play here. After the Panthers took a 3-0 lead with relative ease, of course a desperate Edmonton team won Game 4 at home.

Now Florida is poised to win Game 5 at home and share the Stanley Cup at home with its fans in South Florida. Oddly now, after the Oilers exploded for 8 goals in Game 4, the two teams have each scored 12 goals apiece in this matchup, but do not be fooled by that. It would shock us deeply if Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky doesn’t bounce back with a near-perfect effort in Game 5 on home ice. Math is math is math.