PlayOff

A playoff in sports (North American professional sports in particular) is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion, or a similar accolade. Play-offs originated as a way to determine a champion only when the season could not, like the similarly named run-off does in elections. They have since become so popular with fans (and thus lucrative for clubs) that more sports use them every season, and include more and more teams.