One of the most common expressions in sports is that teams “control their destiny,” an idiomatic phrase generally used in reference to teams that are close to clinching playoff spots. Though the semantics of the phrase can be argued (can anyone actually control their own destiny?), the idea that a team does in fact control its playoff situation by winning a necessary amount of games regardless of how any other team performs will always be a narrative.
But a team “controlling its destiny” is so much more than just winning games towards the end of a season.