When they had lost eight games in a row, I didn't envision what has happened since.
The Erie BayHawks have made the come up.
Eight teams make the D-League playoffs and heading into Monday's games, the BayHawks (22-17) are seventh in the playoff chase. This is based on winning percentage.
1. Colorado 23-10 (.697)
2. Austin 25-12 (.676)
3. Idaho 22-14 (.611)
4. Utah 20-13 (.606)
5. Iowa 21-14 (.600)
6. Dakota 21-16 (.568)
7. Erie 22-17 (.564)
8. Bakersfield 20-17 (.541)
9. Albuquerque 19-17 (.528)
10. Sioux Falls 20-19 (.513)
Erie coach John Treloar has the Erie BayHawks soaring.
Erie has won 11 of its last 12 games and is only a game out of first place in the Central Division. The BayHawks complete their six-game home stand Friday with a big divisional game against Dakota (21-16), which is tied for second in the division with Erie.
The divisional winners receive the top three seeds. So if Erie was to win the Central, they'd receive a higher seeding. If they don't win the division, the BayHawks would be seeded much lower and might miss the playoffs all together.
The BayHawks have 11 games left, but six of them are on the road. They've also have played the second most games in the D-League at 39. Fort Wayne has played the most at 40.
The good news with that is they'll have some rest time between now and their final game on April 11 against Fort Wayne. The bad news is the others teams have more games to catch or surpass the BayHawks in division and in the playoff chase.
Will Ivan Harris and the BayHawks still have a smile on their face when the playoffs begin?