We're down to the semifinals! So far chalk has played out, but this is where things could get really interesting. Let's preview these games, shall we?
BPE Bombers(21-2) vs Gators(18-5):
In the regular season, BPE swept the series, though the second of those matchups could kind of be tossed out the window because the Gators weren't really putting a lot of effort into that game with the playoffs around the corner. With the difference in points between the playoff game against Hooch and the second regular-season game against Hooch, it's obvious that the Gators found their next gear for the playoffs; obviously, I don't expect a 40 point swing for the BPE matchup as their defense is too good for that and they're not gonna full-court press as they saw how that turned out last game. I do expect some tactical shake-ups for the Gators, though nothing too drastic, however. Going into a breakdown position by position, since the Gators seem to have settled into a Basham-Bayramov-Lackey-Pihrohnen-Calderon starting five, I give BPE an advantage at their point guard spot, I'll give BPE a combined small edge at the post positions, and I'll call the wing positions a draw. With all this being said, this game will likely come down to the wire...and despite BPE winning this matchup the past 3 times including playoffs, I feel that this will be an even closer game than last year's 5 point playoff game with the Gators getting the surprising victory.
Raleigh Capitols(22-1) vs Hard2Guard(22-1):
the matchup we've all been waiting for! Part III of this instant classic series that probably never happens again unless they meet up in the same III league in the future or decide to scrimmage each other a lot. For the positional matchups, I have to give Hard2Guard the post positions and Raleigh the point guard and wing positions. That being said, it was Hard2Guard's guards who came up big in their regular season win against Raleigh while Raleigh's likely MVP point guard missed several shots and committed a seemingly unnecessary foul in the last 2 minutes of that game. Unlike the Gators, these teams don't seem to shake up their tactics at all, though I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see Hard2Guard maybe go to a more balanced offense so they can shoot a few more 3's. Either way, this looks like an instant classic...but if this is a close game, I wonder if Jandula's late-game struggles in their loss show up again. That being said...as much as I want to see H2G finally move up, a player like Jandula is too good not to show up in a big playoff moment like this. I say all that to say that I think this ends up being definitely less than a 10 point game, probably less than 5, and Raleigh moves on to the championship series where they are likely to win and move up.