My oh my. The D-League just got a little more interesting.
This playoff format of allowing the divisional winners to pick their first-round opponent is crazy, but I like it. If the season ended today, these teams would make the playoffs.
The three divisional winners will be listed first. The list is based on winning percentage.
1. Colorado 23-10 (.697) - Southwest Division
2. Idaho 22-14 (.621) - West Division
3. Iowa 21-14 (.600) - Central Division
4. Austin 25-12 (.676)
5. Utah 20-14 (.588)
6. Dakota 21-16 (.568)
7. Erie 22-17 (.564)
8. Bakersfield (.541)
The divisional winners would play their first-round games at home even though they may face a team with a better record in the opening round.
Now that's a little foul, but let's do a little case scenario.
Idaho will look to defend its 2008 D-League championship in this year's playoffs.
Let's stay it stays like this when the season ends next month. Colorado would have the first pick.
The logical thing to do is to pick a team you can beat because it's a one-game playoff in the first round and semifinals.
You lose. You go home.
Let's see. Colorado is 3-4 against Austin, 1-0 against Dakota and Erie, 2-0 against Bakersfield and hasn't finished its first game against Utah yet.
A player was mistakenly fouled out of their earlier meeting so the Flash and 14ers will finish the last 25.2 seconds of that game April 10 and start the rematch right after it.
So let's just take Utah out of this scenario.
So 14ers would be wise to pick either Erie, Dakota or Bakersfield even though they're more familiar with Austin.
Now let's look at one more scenario.
Say Erie winds up winning the Central Division and they just switch places with Iowa in the standing listed earlier in the post.
Right now, the BayHawks are 4-2 against Iowa, 2-0 against Bakersfield, 1-0 against Utah and Austin and 2-3 against Dakota.
Since Erie would get the third pick of the divisional winners in this scenario, let's say Colorado picks Bakersfield and Idaho choose Iowa.
That would leave the BayHawks having to pick either Dakota, Austin or Utah.
Although they've beaten Austin, that was early in the season. They beat Utah in Erie, but they had an NBA player in Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Darnell Jackson play for them in that game.
The BayHawks are 2-3 against Dakota.
See the dilemma in that?
This is going to be fun.
Forward Ivan Harris is looking to help the BayHawks make the playoff in their first season in the D-League.
Comments (1)
I'm sure you've heard by now, the BayHawks have picked up former Sacramento King Quincy Douby.
Posted by Jon | March 11, 2009 12:14 AM
Posted on March 11, 2009 00:14