| After a long playoff drought, Blackhawks fans starving for success got, well, nothing. |
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| Many games especially those with playoff implications will go right down to the wire and be decided by a handful of points. |
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| The season is over, the playoff matchups set and it's time to bid aloha to 22 teams. |
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| Waterloo will begin playoff action on the road, but it remains to be seen where they will travel to. |
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| The first playoff game saw a rematch of their last round-robin game against the Brokenhead team from Red Deer. |
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| I think they'll be the playoff team that kind of comes out of left field this year. |
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| The Warriors hope to ride their momentum as they kick off their playoff drive this weekend. |
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| The end of August when playoff rosters have to be finalized is fast approaching. |
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| The women went into Sunday's playoff round pleased with their overall play. |
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| The team has designs on making the playoffs, and it performs like a playoff team at home but not on the road. |
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| I plan on running a mailbag each day, so feel free to send me any and all playoff questions that you have for your fantasy teams. |
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| He didn't bring a resume of playoff success, but he had pure talent and the ability to backstop a risk-taking team. |
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| And oh, by the way, he has backstopped the Rangers to their first playoff appearance after a seven-season sabbatical. |
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| The rest will feature game after game of hotly contested matchups with nightly playoff implications during the final two-dozen games or so. |
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| Always a heated rivalry, this Friday tilt could shape up to be a playoff matchup preview. |
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| However, in each of the postseason matchups, his team rallied from behind to win, the exact opposite of their playoff predecessors. |
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| A couple of scouts and coaches offered their expertise in breaking down the divisional playoff matchups of the upcoming weekend. |
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| The teams have battled to four straight Game 7, winner-take-all playoff matchups, with New York winning the last three. |
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| Nothing has been decided at this point because we are quite busy trying to predict the new head coaches and analyzing the playoff matchups. |
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| Their group went to a three-way playoff but the congestion wouldn't have occurred if the matches had been played earlier in the season. |
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| Each of the four first-round playoff meetings is a rematch from the regular season. |
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| When the teams tied for the pennant at the end of the regular season, they played a three-game playoff. |
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| What, you weren't expecting a 6-3 point guard to post up late in a tied playoff game? |
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| The Celtics gave Beantown the worst home playoff loss in franchise history. |
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| Each series requires the same playoff intensity, the same passion, the same work ethic. |
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| Once a playoff series commences, each game played is subjected to even closer scrutiny. |
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| Each of those teams has a starter who is capable of winning two games in a playoff series. |
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| Somewhere that doesn't convince us that will help the team win a playoff series. |
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| This earned them a spot in the playoffs where they clinched a playoff berth. |
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| Because of the shortness of the season, no satisfactory playoff system has ever been agreed on. |
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| A team which plays offensively as the Yanks do may find it tough to change their MO during playoff time. |
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| The Lakers are just one of 16 playoff teams trying to phase out the tribulations and tumults of the 82-game regular season. |
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| Before next season, the league needs to tweak the playoff system and introduce a refined seeding approach. |
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| Why would Ray Bourque agree to go to the Avalanche, a team on the bubble in the Western Conference playoff race? |
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| That will leave 3 playoff spots for the best deserving of the non-conference champs. |
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| I can imagine the butthurt if a team that finishes the regular season top 4 in the polls gets left out of the playoff. |
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| All four teams have fresh legs, thanks to first-round byes followed by the pleasure of playing divisional playoff games at home. |
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| The team is perched atop the Pacific International Junior Hockey League standings and odds-on favourites to repeat as playoff champions. |
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| The capper was a Week 17 loss to Carolina, which doomed their playoff chances and led to a very long offseason. |
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| I've always said if you aren't going to go up as champions then a great way to do it is in a playoff final. |
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| Tucker made another visit there the night before Toronto's playoff series opener against Ottawa. |
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| The Bulls were expected to challenge for a playoff spot but instead got blasted early this season. |
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| They exacted sweet revenge later that year, beating Ireland 1-in a playoff in Paris, ending Cantwell's last hope of reaching a major finals. |
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| Although Detroit had nothing left to play for, everyone on the team suited up and played at playoff speed. |
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| The competitive broomball season came to an exciting conclusion this week with a playoff that was full of surprises. |
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| He was ineffective for the first two games of the Pistons' playoff series against the Heat and sat out the final game as Detroit was swept. |
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| The only question, it seems, is whether St. Louis will finish off baseball's worst-ever playoff team in a sweep or in four games. |
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| Winning the first matchup in Pittsburgh last Sunday was nice, but the Ravens might need a sweep to assure themselves of a playoff spot. |
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| The Cardinals, who lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series last year, are the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season. |
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| Needing just one win to clinch the last playoff spot, the C's have now lost three straight. |
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| So when Mark Hensby tapped in his par putt on the second playoff hole to clinch his victory at the Deere, he also earned a spot at Royal Troon. |
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| In his last five regular-season games, he record nine goals and an assist to help clinch the top playoff seed for the Fusion. |
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| Daly had an opportunity to force a playoff, but also stroked his four-foot par hole past the pin. |
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| In what other sport do the players line up at the end of a playoff series to shake hands? |
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| The Clippers never will amount to more than playoff wannabes until they plug the gaping holes in their interior defense. |
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| Hard to imagine Miller anywhere but Indiana, and with his playoff flameout this year, it's hard to imagine other teams lining up to sign him. |
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| Thus they had been swept in back-to-back postseasons, still having not won a playoff game since the 1988 World Series clincher. |
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| Tennessee had just recovered a fumble at midfield late in the third quarter of its playoff game against the Patriots. |
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| He can steal a playoff series if he's on his game, but the Lightning never is sure what it is going to get from him. |
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| You'd think the team's long history of past playoff pratfalls would be motivation enough. |
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| Should Topalov win the final game, the match will be decided by a playoff later in the day. |
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| Dunham is a solid NHL goaltender, but he's never been the man in goal for a playoff run. |
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| He was coming off one of the more impressive Stanley Cup playoff runs any goaltender has had in recent years. |
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| On their way from playoff also-rans to just plain also rans, the Timberwolves have made an improbable detour into the NBA's elite. |
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| If there was a chance for the men's hockey team to gain ground on a playoff spot, it came twofold last weekend. |
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| Until a team is eliminated from playoff contention, the goal is to win now. |
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| In three head-to-head duels with Ben Hogan, including the 1954 Masters playoff, Snead won them all. |
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| But with no one in the low post who can draw a double-team and rebound effectively, this team is a candidate for a first-round playoff exit. |
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| It has been four years, three teams and countless off-the-field incidents since Kerry Collins quarterbacked a playoff team. |
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| Dallas can't afford either to be coughing up points to their Western conference competitors while jockeying for playoff position. |
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| Backup Gus's poor performance showed he wasn't up to the playoff challenge. |
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| Given that impetus, the Jets went on to whomp the Packers and gain the coveted spot in the playoff. |
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| After winning their first playoff game, the Magic then had an epic battle with Lethbridge. |
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| Slovenia scored a priceless away goal and succeeded in holding Croatia to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their playoff. |
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| Berard could be the piece the Bruins were missing last season and the offensive boost they need to make the difference during a tight playoff series. |
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| But the flurry of trade activity before last week's non-waiver deadline reshaped the pennant races, but left eight teams as the most likely playoff qualifiers. |
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| But if a playoff team loses a player or decides it's a rebounder short of being a contender, don't put it past Rodman to make yet another return to his pogo-stick-like career. |
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| He eventually pitched up at Sheffield Wednesday, leading the team to playoff glory in League One, and a deserved assault on this year's Championship. |
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| They spent much of the 2002 season ranked among the best in the province, only to stumble in an abbreviated playoff format due to a labour dispute. |
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| Critics of his career point out that his teams finished with winning records in only two of his 13 seasons, and he played in only 17 playoff games in four total postseasons. |
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| With two new divisions and no additional playoff spots, the realignment shuffle is going to make it all the more difficult for teams to reach the postseason as a wild card. |
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| By 1990, he was a NFL side judge, officiating in four playoff games. |
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| Apparently, some of the Avalanche goaltender's playoff magic has rubbed off on rookie left winger Alex Tanguay, who has lived in Roy's basement all season. |
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| The St. Louis Cardinals became the first major league team to clinch a playoff spot this season, winning the NL Central for the third time in five seasons. |
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| During a Patroons playoff game, Richardson had screamed profanities and a gay slur at hecklers. |
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| We needed to beat these guys to clinch the playoff berth for us. |
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| A playoff would make fans care about all four major bowl games. |
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| Chippenham Town are currently 16th in the premier division of the Dr Martens League and are hoping to sustain their playoff push over their five remaining games of the season. |
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| They made the playoffs just four times and managed to eke out only one playoff series win. |
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| They then pulled off a huge first-round playoff upset, a thrilling seven-game, first-round ouster of the President's Trophy-winning St. Louis Blues. |
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| A first-round playoff flameout ended the season on a sour note. |
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| While the first two games were both blowouts, the first playoff game in Memphis' history was highly competitive with the Spurs never leading by more than 6 points. |
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| A group winner, playoff side, and gallant loser must be found. |
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| In fact, the Penguins muddled to a sixth place finish in the regular season standings with a.500 record to become one of eight playoff qualifiers. |
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| When asked last week about the possibility of a team tanking in the final days to improve its playoff position, the deputy commissioner said the league was not concerned. |
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| There is to be a Fifa investigation into the scenes of violence that marred the end of the World Cup qualifying playoff game between Turkey and Switzerland. |
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| Certainly looked like Patriots had been sampling local wares during Denver playoff game against Broncos. |
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| The New York Giants won a Super Bowl in 2012, and the Knicks made a playoff run this year. |
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| In week 16, they clinched a playoff spot by knocking out the Pittsburgh Steelers with defensive scores. |
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| Tickets are being scalped as if it were a playoff or even the World Series. |
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| It was just so disappointing to lose the playoff by a single point. |
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| Three playoff matchups from last fall will be revived this weekend. |
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| The team was a sure-fire playoff competitor in the NAIA championship. |
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| And for a team like the Calgary Flames, which has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, you need a pretty big spark to ignite playoff hopes. |
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| Yet the league could add another playoff weekend, boost interest, sell more seats, and draw more ratings without any dilution in the quality of the tournament. |
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| If the league had 16 playoff teams, byes would be eliminated, and that is very appealing to a cross-section of owners who believe byes give teams unfair advantages. |
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| One of the playoff appearances was a cheapie resulting from the 1981 strike. |
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| Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. |
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| A debate conflicted with a Boston Bruins Stanley Cup playoff game. |
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| A native of Argentina, Coceres notched his first tour victory in a five-hole playoff at the 2001 WorldCom Classic. |
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| If there is a tie after the regulation number of holes in a professional tournament, a playoff takes place between all tied players. |
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| The first penalty save and first red card came in the Conference National playoff final between Exeter City and Morecambe. |
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| The squad went into their last qualification match against Wales needing a point to progress to a qualifying playoff against Australia. |
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| Yeovil achieved promotion to the Championship in 2013 after beating Brentford in the playoff final. |
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| But now all those slumps are history, buried along with the notions that Wade Phillips and Romo couldn't win a playoff game. |
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| The Chargers have been streakier than a Foxwoods regular as they seek to secure a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. |
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| Below the border were five teams that undergone 3-game playoff wherein the Pin Raker bested Pin Rockers Thunder Balls, Amri Team and Scratchers. |
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| Several coaches complained about the section's mandate that Spalding balls be used in all playoff games, citing the balls' slickness. |
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| By falling five games below the Lakers and Denver for the final playoff spot in the West, the Clippers are all but mathematically kaput. |
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| Samp conceded a goal three minutes into injury time against Werder Bremen and then lost out in extra time in their Champions League playoff. |
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| If the ball goes a long way past, Palmer could miss the par putt and need two birdies just to get to the uncertainty of a playoff. |
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| And ordinarily, for an Edmontonian, the natural choice would be the inevitable CFL playoff game at Commonwealth Stadium. |
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| With the playoff race as tight as it is, Worcester needs every point it can scrounge up. |
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| They made the Grand Final, by defeating Leigh, who were huge favourites in a playoff semi final. |
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| The Bulls were definitely stung by the Hornets at the beginning of this first playoff game. Some Bulls were lost in action. |
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| Mickelson, needing a birdie at the last to tie Rose and force a playoff, blocked his drive and could not reach the green in two. |
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| In 1995, John Daly's playoff win over Italian Costantino Rocca began another era of American domination. |
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| Should it come down to the final hole, as two of the three playoff tournaments have, that could very well stop some channel surfers in midclick. |
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| A new playoff structure was also introduced with two teams being promoted to the Championship. |
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| Ireland and the Netherlands, having reached the final, qualified outright, while Scotland won the third place playoff beating Kenya to also qualify. |
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| The top six teams qualify for the next season's European Rugby Champions Cup whilst the team in seventh place advances to a playoff for another place. |
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| He came from behind to get into a playoff with Raymond Floyd, once again winning on the second playoff hole after Floyd pulled his approach shot into a pond left of the green. |
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| Rose won the European Tour Order of Merit title for 2007 in a thrilling climax to the season at the Volvo Masters, which he won in a playoff on 4 November. |
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| Rose entered the week on the playoff bubble at 34th in the standings, knowing that he needed a good finish to make the final event at East Lake Golf Club. |
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| They came close to yet another promotion in 2007, when they reached the League One playoff final, but lost to Blackpool at the newly reopened Wembley Stadium. |
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| On 29 June 2014, Rose won the Quicken Loans National, beating Shawn Stefani at the first hole of a playoff, with both players having tied at 3 under par after 72 holes. |
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| The former Moseley prop, now director of rugby at the Birmingham University-based outfit, guided his team to a convincing 42-11 playoff victory over Paviours on Saturday. |
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| The playoff round winners play in the World Group for the next year's tournament, while the losers play in Group I of their respective regional zone. |
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| Soccer boffin Kevin Pullein with his weekly dose of betting wisdom THIS afternoon in the last playoff final Norwich or Middlesbrough will win promotion to the Premier League. |
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| Hurly Long dropped a birdie putt to give Oregon a one-stroke victory over USC in a playoff at the Itani Homes Collegiate men's golf tournament on Tuesday. |
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| Bristol City were promoted to the second tier of English football in 2007, losing to Hull City in the playoff for promotion to the Premier League that season. |
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