(4) THE LIZARDS vs (5) STRANGER TEAM
D1 Sun Playoffs (1st Round) – Saturday, March 25, 1pm at Fashion HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| THE LIZARDS have been here before, though not with the all the same faces. But this is a calm and collected team with (G) Joe Zenz & (G) Adam Bottorf at the helm, with some streaky outside shooting from (G) Christian Jordan, who is very capable of creating his own shot. This is also a very big front-line, built for the playoffs. |  LIZ 4-3 |
58-56 |
STM 3-4 |
Young-ish and athletic, STRANGER TEAM is an enigma. Possibly D1’s most athletic team with (F) Pete Panos, (G) Dylan Rafferty, and in particular, (F) Chris Tsatsis, but more than 50% of their FGAs come from behind the 3-pt line, and not at a strong clip. When they get hot, they can beat anyone. But too often, bad shot selection does them in. |
| Key Player: Joe Zenz
Perennially a top PG in D1, Zenz might also be the best rebounder at the position we’ve ever seen. A pass-first setup man who can score if called upon, Zenz always gives his team a chance to win. |
 Pos: G12.8 ppg 7.8 rpg 4.5 apg |
 Pos: G 23.3 ppg 3.7 3pg 3.9 rpg |
Key Player: Dylan Rafferty
Young gunner Rafferty led D1 Sun in scoring this season, he’s one of those streaky shooters that just can’t miss when he gets hot. Barely even looks at the rim, ball barely touches the net. But he is a volume shooter. |
(2) JAPAN UNITED vs (7) THE CRUSTACEANS
D3 Sun Playoffs (1st Round) – Saturday, March 25, 2pm at Fashion HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| There are really only two contenders in this season’s D3, STR and JAPAN UNITED. And United is the deeper team on offense, they just don’t have the defensive stoppers STR has. Which is to say, if you don’t put up a strong defensive effort right from the beginning, JPU will blow you right out of the water. |  JPU 6-1 |
60-51 |
CRU 2-5 |
Despite their reg season record, THE CRUSTACEANS had good showings against D3’s top teams. They did this with tough D, and streaky shooting. But in each of those games, they didn’t finish strong. So, here’s another chance to see if they can figure it out. Their superior size will help. If they can control the glass and give CRU second shots, they’ll have a chance. |
| Key Player: Daniel Mosley
Mosley is the steady anchor to all of JPU’s outside speed. he does all the dirty work, gets all the tough buckets for them. It’s his ability to create something out of nothing that puts JPU on the same level as STR above the rest. |
 Pos: G/F14.7 ppg 10.3 rpg 3.1 apg |
Pos: G 16.1 ppg 7.3 rpg 3.1 apg |
Key Player: Jason Lai
Lai is a streaky shooter with a sneaky crossover. Also a willing rebounder and solid passer, he is CRU’s most versatile player and focal point. He can’t hesitate, CRU bigs need to give him as many chances as possible to get hot from 3. |
(8) GOAT HERDERS vs (9) SPAGHETTI RAMEN
D2 Sun Play-In Game – Saturday, March 25, 2:30pm at MLK HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| The GOAT HERDERS have more than enough talent on the roster, but they needed to win 2 of their last 3 just to squeeze into this play-in game. (F) Pete Tsevdos and (F) Andrea Kormosis are finishers in the paint, and Tsevdos is even their best 3-pt shooter, but finding consistency in the backcourt is key. |  GOA 3-4 |
61-52 |
 SPR 2-5 |
The veteran SPAGHETTI RAMEN will be missing a lot of key players in this play-in game, but if they have a key piece available in (G) Ryan Chong, they may have a chance. He hasn’t quite lived up to the PAAG Tourney MVP billing he earned last summer, but he is capable. Chances here will be slim regardless. |
| Key Player: Pete Tsevdos
The veteran Tsevdos has carried this GOA team for a long time now, and he always does so with a smile. Arguably the most formidable big man in D2, he will be called upon to carry a heavy load here again. |
 Pos: F/C19.8 ppg 12.6 rpg 1.6 spg |
Pos: G 15.3 ppg 5.3 rpg 3.3 spg |
Key Player: Ryan Chong
Word on the street is (G) Leuis Ng will not be available. If so, Chong will need to carry a very heavy load. He is a streaky shooter with deep range but hasn’t found the stroke this season. They’ll need it today. |
(3) THE BLOUSES vs (6) THE PANDAS
D3 Sun Playoffs (1st Round) – Saturday, March 25, 3pm at Fashion HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| THE BLOUSES are suddenly hit with the injury bug. Key players (G) Roswell Lo, (G) Mark Feeney, and (C) Danius Giedraitis are all out for the playoffs. This leaves a huge whole in the offense that won’t be easily compensated. Veteran (G) Brent Morita will do his best to keep his team in play. They’ll need strong D and a little luck for the rest. |  BLO 5-2 |
51-53 |
 PAN 3-4 |
They may consider themselves lucky, THE PANDAS just missed out on playing a powerhouse in BLO. They have had their own struggles this season. The new personnel hasn’t meshed as quickly as they’d hoped. So they’ll have a chance here to get it together. If they can get by BLO, maybe they turn that momentum into some team chemistry. |
| Key Player: Brent Morita
One of the best setup men in TDL history, Morita will have to pick up the scoring with Feeney and Lo out. Tough ask for a player who’s not used to shooting first, but there’s not much Morita can’t handle. |
 Pos: G5.2 ppg 5.2 apg 2.8 spg |
 Pos: G 16.7 ppg 5.5 rpg 2.8 apg |
Key Player: Eddie Tsao
Tsao may be the fastest player in D3 but not only are his numbers down this season, his overall impact has seemed to diminish as well. But it’s playoff time, and he is very capable of putting up a big game. |
(1) STREET DREAMS vs (8) GOON SQUAD
D3 Sun Playoffs (1st Round) – Saturday, March 25, 3:30pm at MLK HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| Led by reigning MVP (G) Miguel Melbourne, STREET DREAMS is the odds on favorite to win it all. Last season’s best player stacked his roster this season in a bid to win it all. (F) Neil Dumadag is having a dominant season on D, the favorite to win Def MVP, as Melbourne is to win overall MVP. |  STR 7-0 |
60-48 |
 GOO 2-5 |
If GOON SQUAD has anything going for them, it’s that they can be very streaky shooters, and STR probably doesn’t know who those shooters are. If (G) Bob Zhang and (G) Charles Zheng get hot in this game, they can give GOO a chance. Outside of that, they need to control the boards to even smell a win. |
| Key Player: Miguel Melbourne
Unstoppable one-on-one, Melbourne is D3’s biggest match-up problem. He can be as dangerous on defense as he is on offense, too. The shot has not been as efficient this season, but the steals and easy transition points have made up for most of that. |
 Pos: G21.9 ppg 3.9 apg 3.9 spg |
Pos: G 14.5 ppg 6 rpg 2 spg |
Key Player: Bob Zhang
Zhang is a streaky shooter who can carry an offense in stretches, and if he and Zheng are hitting, this is a team that can put up some points. So, GOO will let it fly and hope for the best in this one. In single-elim, you just never know. |
(3) ADAM D GAMBLERS vs (6) SHAWN KEMP’S KIDS
D1 Sun Playoffs (1st Round) – Saturday, March 25, 4:30pm at MLK HS
| Team Notes | Team | Score | Team | Team Notes |
| If the playoffs were meant for big, defensive-minded teams, then the ADAM D GAMBLERS are built for success. With D1’s biggest (and heaviest) lineup, they were also the league’s top D, giving up a paltry 44.1 ppg. Their biggest short-coming has been 3-pt shooting, where they shoot 13%, a league low. | ADG 4-3 |
44-43 |
 SKK 3-4 |
If ADG has a weakness, it’s speedy guards that can beat their man, and force TOs. And SHAWN KEMP’S KIDS have plenty of those. They also have some solid size with (C) Graham Diamond in the pivot. SKK’s back court was held at bay in their first meeting but if they play well, this one’s a toss up. |
| Key Player: Erik Jerrard
ADG (F) Rich Schuler is their most capable scorer, but Jerrard is their biggest mismatch. He doesn’t need plays called, he just waits at the box for his team to shoot and pushes any defender under the basket for an easy put-back. It’s all day. |
 Pos: F/C13.5 ppg 14.5 rpg 1.2 spg |
 Pos: G 17.7 ppg 5.8 rpg 3.0 apg |
Key Player: Donovan Walsh
Walsh at his best is like the Isaiah Thomas of D1. Undersized but able to finish tough acrobatic shots at the rim, and knock down big 3FGs in crunch time. He does, however, throw up some stinkers from time to time. SKK can’t afford that here. |