(1) YIELDMO

VS

(9) TBT

They have D3’s most dominant player on the roster in (F) Max Paynter. And two very  crafty guards in (G) Derek Lu and (G) Anthony Rocker, particularly on defense, averaging a whopping 7.8 spg combined. Yieldmo had one slip-up early in the season vs a very focused SNB team, but they have otherwise cruised to the #1 seed. This is a deep roster with good size in the front court, which is great for playoffs. they’re the team to beat. 

TBT finally got the offense they needed to get a result last night in the play-in game, their first win of the season. Three players scored in double figures including (G) Bobby Woodworth who had it going early from the 3-point line and kept it going for a team-high 18 points. (G/F) Mike Klain also made huge contributions, particularly on the defensive end of the ball. It will still take just about a miracle to beat YIE, but in single-elim, anything’s possible. 

Paynter is the Lebron of the D3 WN. Bigger and more athletic than most, with guard skills, but what makes him so dominant is his motor. Add those tools to a player that just never stops coming at you and good night. He’s a match-up nightmare for any team, but especially for undersized TBT.

In his best game this season, the rookie was dominant on both sides of the court, leading his team in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Facing a much tougher defense in YIE, with a bigger front line, he’ll have to really be on point offensively in this one for TBT to stand a chance.

(4) SMASH N BOUNCE

VS

(5) FLAT EARTHERS

At times, this has looked like Smash n Bounce’s best season. They’re the only team to have beaten YIE this fall. But when they have lost, they’ve lost badly. So, it’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation here. They’re not very balanced on offense, so they need (F) Nathan Kan to be on his game, but they’ll never had any shortage of hustle and D. Capt (G) Andrew Tu makes sure of that by leading the way.

As much as SNB has been hit or miss this season, so too are the Flat Earthers. So it’s fitting that they’re both in the 4 vs 5 match up. When the Earthers are playing well, they look like they can beat anyone. But there’s also the vice versa to this scenario. For some reason, sometimes, they stink. (G) Julian Choi will lead a very solid, deep back court, but somehow, they have to get (F) Sam Kang more involved.

Kan is on this team to provide offense, and he does so as well as anyone in D3, mostly by launching 3FGs (at rate of 11.8 per) . But he’s also the only player on SNB that scores in double-digits. If FLA decides to double him, the Smash will have to find someone else to step up.

In his 2nd season now, Choi is a dynamic scorer from the guard spot, able to hit the three, drive to the basket, and get to the FT line. But guarding the perimeter is one of SNB’s strengths. But Choi is an adept passer (4.5 apg) as well, he’ll still be the focal point here.

(8) SPACE JAM

VS

(9) TRIBE

Space Jam has had its moments, losing 5 of 6 games by no more than 6 pts. But that means they’re still struggling to close out games in crunch time. Jam could have (maybe should have) been 4-2. With that said, they have a solid offense led by (F) J.L. Novosad and (G) Andrew Shih. And they have D2’s biggest front line. But they need to somehow get former MVP (F) Nick Liveris more involved.

This is Tribe’s first season, and even with veteran players on the roster, it can take awhile to get acclimated. With that said, they stomped an MLGB team that looked good to start the season and went toe-to-toe with 2-time defending champion DPY. So, that may very well mean if they can find a way to win this game, they might make a decent run. It’s a balanced offense with a solid defensive presence.

Novosad has shot efficiently this season even if his scoring is slightly down. He is still a strong rebounder at his size and finished with a career-high 3.5 apg this season. He is a streaky shooter, and if he gets hot, it will be a 3-pt barrage, but he’s not a creator off the bounce.

Tribe gets consistent scoring from a number of positions, but if long-time veteran Yu can get hot from behind the arc, it can open up the offense even more for his team. The key is staying patient, this game will likely be a shootout, plenty of chances to get it going.

(4) GUARD ME MAYBE

VS

(5) MLGB

There were times when the Maybes looked unbeatable. Then they hit a rough patch, losing 3 of their last 4. To be fair, they were missing key players in each of those L’s. At full strength, this roster is a beast. Led by the man-beast himself, reigning MVP (F) Brian Law. They have (G) Tommy Wong, who’s hot this season, and (F) Stefan Chaplin playing his best ball. This team may be the dark horse to sneak out a title.

Like GMM, MLGB looked poise to challenge for the title this season with a red hot 3-0 start. But then they finished the season 0-3, with a couple of bad losses on the tail end. They have to bounced back to salvage the season here, but pulling GMM as their 1st rd opponent is a tough way to do it. This is a scrappy, physical team that sacrifices a lot of its offense to be tenacious on D. Apparently it works about 50/50. 

Maybe the most athletic player in D2, Law is a like a force of nature, able to get it done on both sides of the court. Nobody goes harder than Law from start to finish, which can tire him out on occasion, taking him off the floor. But GMM needs him on the court as much as humanly possible.

In his second season, Gu has emerged as one of the toughest, most clutch guards in D2. The power guard does not back down from anyone, and has a penchant for knocking down clutch jumpers and game winning shots. If this one is close, watch him go to work.