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Wow its nice when the 1st team in your division disappears. Only one more team to worry about......

Wow he's really gone.

yea its a little weird, but im not complaining. see ya in the conference championship.

OK, Playoff time is here! Will a sleeper team end up on top this season, or will the favored San Diego Eagles win it all and earn a spot in D.III? Lets do a preview of all the games this week:

Big 8

#1 Georgia PowerRiders v. #4 The Whalers
Newly added team The Whalers will have a lot of trouble containing one of the most prolific offenses this season. The Georgia PowerRiders are averaging 107 points a game this season, led by MVP candidate Donát Gubán. The Whalers will need a big game from Juán Paine, both offensively and defensively, if The Whalers want to have any shot of pulling off the upset.
Predicted score: GEO 128, THE 62.

# 2 The Blood Suckers v. #3 B.I.GBallers
Probably the most up-in-the-air game this week, The Blood Suckers will try to avenge last weeks loss to B.I.GBallers, and in order to do so will need their top player and MVP candidate Zhao Xiuguang to perform well. The B.I.GBallers will need rebounding machine Urmas Nael to dominate the glass and shoot high percentage shots in order to limit the multidimensional offense of the Blood Suckers. The B.I.GBallers havent lost since Nov 2 and go into these playoff games as one of the hottest teams, however will they be able to recuperate from last week's big win and do it again on the road?
Predicted score: TBS 121, BIG 113

Great 8

#1 San Diego Eagles v #4 Sheboygan Red Skins
The Sheboygan Red Skins have had trouble against top teams this year, winning only 2 out of 10 games this season against playoff contending teams. While having a quality starting lineup and serviceable backups, they played the San Diego Eagles admirably early in the season, but they will need a big game from their utility man Jorge Valiente Mariscal if they want to come out on top. Meanwhile the San Diego Eagles have steamrolled through just about every team this year, winning by an average of 33 points a game, with their only loss coming to last season's Great 8 champion New North Star, who retired this season. With a dangerous inside game, led by MVP front runner Txema Navarro Ruiz, the San Diego Eagle need only to limit turnovers and win the rebounding battle in order to keep Sheboygan Red Skin's prominent offense from keeping this one close.
Predicted score: SD 108, SHE 87

#2 Saint Paul Murderers v. #3 Bull Knights
Bull Knights hope to continue their winning ways and topple the newly formed Saint Paul Murderers. The Bull Knights have lost only twice in the past two months, with those two losses coming to the top ranked team in each division at the time.The Saint Paul Murderers will need to somehow stop MVP hopeful Mustapha Hajri to be competitive, and will need big man Chip Hawes to dominate the glass and the paint. With a youthful team full of potential, the Saint Paul Murderers will have success in the future, however that potential wont translate into a win these playoffs.
Predicted score: BUL 101, SAI 49

Now that the first round is done and over with, we have two exciting games this week pitting the two best teams from each conference against each other. There were no surprises last week, but that doesn't mean there wont be any this week! Lets take a look at the conference championship match ups:

Big 8

#1 Georgia PowerRiders v. #2 The Blood Suckers
Both teams took care of business last round, with easy victories for each team. They split the season series this year, with The Blood Suckers winning the first game by 13 points, and Georgia PowerRiders taking the second by 15. The key to victory for the Blood Suckers is to somehow stop the scoring king, Donát Gubán. Stopping him directly will be no easy task, as he is shooting 48% from the field and 36% from behind the arc. But if The Blood Suckers can keep the ball out of his hands by pressuring his point guard, Ewold Oppenheim, who is averaging 6.5 assists per game, then they might be able to limit his scoring. The key to victory for GeorgiaPowerRiders is too stop Zhao Xiuguang and have a balanced attack. Even with Donát Gubán in the game, The Blood Suckers have more skill in their backcourt, with Tim Barnes and Jason Torres being very skilled players in their own right, and stopping Zhao Xiuguang from feeding all of these weapons will give the Georgia PowerRiders a better shot. Also everyone and their mother knows that the GeorgiaPowerRider will rely on Donát Gubán, who is taking 31% of the teams shots, but they should rely on their inside game where they have a sizable advantage. This game will be very exciting, as the two top scoring teams and two best scorers go at it. We will see which team will make it to the finals.
Prediction: TBS 118, GEO 116
I believe that even though the Georgia Power Riders have the best player, The Blood Suckers have a better overall team, which will translate to a win this week.

Great 8

#1 San Diego Eagles v. #3 Bull Knights

Each team dominated their opponents in the first round, and as the Big 8 showcases the two best offenses, the Great 8 will showcase two of the leagues best defenses. So far the San Diego Eagle have dominated the Bull Knights, winning all 8 of the match ups over the past 3 seasons, and sending the Bull Knights home each season after the first round. But this year the Bull Knights have added Mustapha Hajri to their team, who has carried them all the way to the conference championship. Curiously we did not see him play in the first round, which only means that he will be coming into this game well rested. The key to victory for the Bull Knights is to limit the San Diego Eagle's possessions by dominating the glass and keeping the ball out of the paint. Since coming back from an early season injury, Stefan Antonsson has dominated nearly every game, grabbing 13.8 rebounds since his return and shooting 54% from the field. But he will be going up against arguably the best player in the league, Txema Navarro Ruiz. Ruiz has been a force all season, grabbing 14.7 rebounds on the season and having a 15.3 average rating, the best in the league. If the Bull Knights can keep the ball out of Ruiz and Adis Seldinš hands, then they will expose a limited outside game, where the San Diego Eagles shoot only 25%. The key to victory for the San Diego Eagles is to have a balanced offense and limit Mustapha Hajri. Ruiz is not the only one the Bull Knights have to worry about, as the San Diego Eagles have a balanced offense that is unmatched, with 9 of their players averaging at least 10 points a game, and 6 of their players averaging an 11 rating. Also if the San Diego Eagles can eliminate Hajri from the game, they will force some of the Bull Knights younger players to step up in order to win the game.
With two of the best big men in this game, this should be one defensive and physical game to watch.
Prediction: SD 99, BUL 91
The San Diego Eagles are just too talented everywhere on the court, and even the on bench.

Great write ups man, let's see what happens. Thanks for a preview.

Great season. You will definitely be one of the favorites to win it all next season

Thanks man, it was great playing against you, maybe we will have a rematch in the future. Good luck in D.III

Finally we are at the finals. The last two teams are ready to start this best of three series to determine the Season 25, IV.10 League Champions! We have the best offense vs. the best defense in this years finals, so we will see which one prevails. Lets take a preview of the series:

#1 Georgia PowerRiders v. #1 San Diego Eagles
The San Diego Eagles destroyed the Bull Knights in the conference finals, winning by 21 points in game where the dominated in almost every aspect of the game. Txema Navarro Ruiz dominated the game, finishing with 19 rebounds and 19 points, and the Eagles effectively shut down the Bull Knight's offense, holding them to 32% from the field. It was a bitter sweet win however, as they lost their starting SF, Walter Nuñez, and will be missing him for the finals. They will have to find a suitable replacement, as the Georgia PowerRiders have 2 very skilled SFs in Gustavo Lousada and Allan Niidumaa. It will also spell big trouble if Jon Wilson, Ruiz's backup, is unable to play in the finals, but he is expected back soon. As for the Georgia PowerRiders, they had to hold off a furious rally by The Blood Suckers, relying heavily on the free throws of Donát Gubán, who knocked down 16 free throws on his way to 62 points! Donát Gubán will probably not have it so easy in the finals though, as he will be guarded by Ignacio Gudiel, who held Mustapha Hajri to only 8 points and 16% shooting in the conference finals.
The keys to victory for the San Diego Eagles is the same as every team facing the Georgia PowerRiders: stop Donát Gubán.
Any team that will allow him to take 40 shots will most likely have a hard team winning, as a 47% shooting percentage and 4.2 three-pointers will result in lots of points. Man to man defense might work with a talented guard like Ignacio Gudiel, but it might be safer to put some extra pressure on him and force the other players to take some shots. The Eagle's front court should hold up fine against the Georgia PowerRider's, so a 3-2 Zone would also prove effective in shutting down the highest scoring team in the league. The Eagle's offense has been a model of consistency all season, and they can score at will from any position on the court, so a balanced offense should find the hole in the PowerRider's defense, which will most likely be along the perimeter.
The keys to victory for the Georgia PowerRiders is to get open shoots and knock down key three pointers. With a player like Donát Gubán, taking 25 three-pointers as a team isn't such a bad idea, and points from beyond the arc probably have a better chance of going in than shots from near the paint, with Ruiz guarding the basket. But the Georgia PowerRiders have to be careful with their shots, as taking careless shots will result in the Eagle's offense, which is shooting 47% from the field, getting the ball back. Ewold Oppenheim will have to play great basketball, limiting turnovers and driving into the Eagle's defense, which will force them to collapse and leave Donát Gubán open on the outside. Also the Georgia PowerRiders should try to take advantage of the injury to Walter Nuñez, so expect big games from Gustavo Lousada if they are to win the championship.
Predicted score: Game 1: GEO 93, SD 102 Game 2: GEO 110, SD 92 Game 3: GEO 97, SD 109
SD in 3

The last time these two teams played, the Georgia PowerRiders were held to their lowest point total and Guban was held to just 33% from the field. Home court advantage and a possible take-it-easy game by the Eagles will give them a win in game 2, but the Eagles should take it in three. The San Diego Eagles are just too talented across the board, and besides we all know that defense wins championships.

Injuries are going to ruin my season

WHAT A GAME 3!!!!