Playoffs 2014: Chamberlain Conference

Matchups:

• #1 Sour Snails (17-2) vs #4 Squirtle Squad (10-9)
• #2 Eron, Joven and Chandler (13-6) vs #3 Half Man Half ImAsian (11-8)

#1 Sour Snails (17-2)
Are we headed for another season of inevitability? In 2010, Snails went 16-1-1while waltzing their way toward a championship -- they also won a title in 2008, pre-league reset. After starting off 2-2 this year, Snails haven't lost a game since WK4, which was back in late November. And in case you’re wondering, that fifteen game streak is a league record, breaking their own mark of thirteen straight from 2010. The lone holdover from that championship squad, then rookie Steph Curry, now captains his own ship. And it’s a ship that appears to have no weaknesses. Sour Snails is first in PTS and STL, second in 3PT, third in AST, fifth in REB and BLK. Plus they’re a nifty sixth in both percentage categories. Oh yeah, they also just got Russell Westbrook and Tyson Chandler back from injury, plus snatched up Tyreke “March Madness" Evans from waivers somehow.

Curry and Westbrook lead the charge alongside a newly efficient Monta Ellis and co-Splash Brother Klay Thompson. DeMarcus Cousins is making his case for best fantasy center in the game with 22.2 PTS, 11.7 REB, 1.5 STL, 1.3 BLK, 48.7 FG%. He and Chandler are plenty in the middle for this team, since they have some high rebounding point guards, as well as two swingmen who put Snails over the top. The mid-season trade for Rudy Gay can be called a success as Gay’s upped his shooting to 45.9 FG% and is contributing 21.1 PTS, 6.0 REB, 3.1 AST, 1.4 STL as the fourth option on this team. And then there’s glue guy Trevor Ariza, who is dumping in 2.5 3PT and 1.8 STL, while also contributing 15.0 PTS and 6.4 REB. I’ll just say it now: This team is an embarrassment of riches, I'll be shocked if anyone beats them. Not only did Snails dominate the regular season, they are getting stronger at the right time, and now they have an incredible nine man rotation.

MVP: Can we just say everyone? Let’s go with Steph Curry for staying healthy, leading the team in GP, and dropping 23.4 PTS, 8.6 AST, 4.4 REB, 3.3 3PT, 1.6 STL, 46.0 FG%, 87.3 FT%.
LVP: This is getting nitpicky but the Snails’ draft was just so-so, and they cut their only potentially contributing selection, Jared Sullinger, early in November before he had a chance to establish himself. Then again, would Sully even play for the Snails now?

#2 Eron, Joven and Chandler (13-6)
The Transformers division are sending three teams to the playoffs (just like in 2012) and EJC leads the pack while taking their first division title of the Lucas era. Previous ownership got one in 2010 but that was a long long time ago. While they aren’t quite the world beater that Sour Snails are, EJC will enter the postseason on a 6-1 winning streak and will have a shot at the title for the third time in franchise history. After just six wins last year, second year owner Lucas really turned this team around quickly. During his first off-season, he exchanged Dwight Howard for Blake Griffin and Carmelo Anthony, and then he made two big moves this year, adding Jeff Green and Dirk Nowitzki. Here were the 2005 NBA All Stars in 2011: Howard, Jason Kidd, Jason Richardson, Antawn Jamison, Manu Ginobili, and Ricky Rubio. Eron, Joven, and Chandler’s likely keepers this off-season could be Griffin, Anthony, Nowitzki, Rubio, Enes Kanter, and likely Jamal Crawford. An over the hill core turned instant contender! Applause all around.

Eron, Joven and Chandler play a high flying style heavy on the PTS. Blake, Melo, Dirk, and Crawford pour in the buckets from every spot on the floor. They are team SlamCenter highlight. The depth on this team has suffered a bit post-trades though, and Lucas has been on the hunt for solid rotation players all season. Look at this list of players who have logged GP for them. It just goes on and on! What that tells us is that EJC has a very strong core but could be relying on the likes of Jordan Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Caron Butler to push them toward a championship this year. That could be a large feat with Sour Snails in their conference. Then again, anything can happen in the playoffs and EJC could notch their first postseason win in franchise history if they can get out of the first round. Regardless of what happens, what Lucas has done in just two years to flip this moribund franchise around has been very impressive.

MVP: The Flying Lion, Blake Griffin! He’s at 24.4 PTS, 9.7 REB, 3.6 AST, 1.1 STL, and very importantly, an almost respectable 69.8 FT%. Plus he shoots 53.5 FG% on 17.1 shots per game.
LVP: A 2014 draft that literally brought in nobody of value. Cody Zeller was a big first round bust, and then it was Danny Granger, Jarrett Jack, Nick Young, Vince Carter, and Jordan Hill in subsequent rounds. All waiver wire fodder. Actually, Lucas’ 2013 draft yield no players either from the looks of it. Is this GM Lucas’ one Achilles heel?

#3 Half Man Half ImAsian (11-8)
After three straight years in the playoffs, 2013 saw Oliver’s team dip to seven wins and out of the playoffs. It wasn't all bad, though, as they won the Toilet Bowl. Half Man Half ImAsian got back on track this year, powered by Kevin Durant’s MVP-like season. They narrowly missed out on a division title, losing to EJC in the last week of the regular season. Incredibly, Half Man has finished second to the division leader in wins for each of their postseason excursions. Always the bridesmaid! Half Amazing is stumbling a bit as they end the regular season, with only one win in their last five games. In fact, they’ve been a bit erratic for a successful team. They’ve been unable to string together more than three wins in a row this year -- although they haven’t lost more three in a row either. The recent injury to LaMarcus Aldridge, which could cost him a game or two, could be crucial for Half Man Half ImAsian’s playoff fortunes. Aldridge was up at 23.4 PTS, 11.1 REB, 1.0 BLK, and 0.9 STL.

Having Greg Monroe from a trade earlier this offseason will help fill that void, but at 14.7 PTS and 9.2 REB, he’s not going to replace Aldridge’s scoring. Maybe a typical late season run by Ersan Ilyasova can help, but it looks like Durant will have to carry the load here. The good news is that side pieces like Amir Johnson and a freshly returned Anderson Verejao add depth to a strong front line. Where will Half Man get outside shooting though? Not having J.J. Redick has been painful all season, and while Mario Chalmers and Wesley Johnson can spot up beyond the arc, this team is still ranked near the bottom in 3PT. We’re not sure if Half Man is currently only a half contender without Aldridge, although they could start a nice postseason run by avenging their WK19 loss to EJC, in a rematch of a game that was closer than the final 2-7 score indicated. We won’t ever doubt the ability of a team that has reached four postseasons in five years, but Oliver is facing an uphill battle this year.

MVP: Kevin Durant, who else? 31.8 PTS, 7.6 REB, 5.6 AST, 1.4 STL, 2.3 3PT, with sterling percentages.
LVP: Ben McLemore, first overall pick of the 2014 draft and mostly riding the pine, having only 24 GP for his team with 7.7 PTS and 1.0 3PT.

#4 Squirtle Squad (10-9)
Our favorite Pokemon dudes had to win their last five games of the season to get into the playoffs (for the third straight year), but here they are! A 2-7 midseason swoon is a distant memory and they’ll get first shot at a huge first round upset. They are very good at BLK and TO, but they’ll need to turn it on everywhere else to have a chance to advance past Sour Snails. The good news is that they seem to be relatively healthy. Most of their big guns have missed time, and a season that started off with a lot of promise dissolved into tempered expectations.

Still, Squirtles has a very balanced roster with the backcourt of Ty Lawson, Bradley Beal, and Deron Williams all peaking at the right time. Lawson’s 19.0 PTS, 10.6 AST, 2.0 STL, 1.8 3PT over his last two weeks could be very key. Beal has found a groove and is really come on with 17.0 PTS and 2.0 3PT in his second season. Rookie steal Tim Hardaway Jr. is also hitting a hot streak, and he's a nice complement with his PTS and 3PT. The wingman combo of Tobias Harris and Wilson Chandler contribute nice touches of everything too, and are also picking up their games at the right time. All of these guys are centered around Serge Ibaka, swatter of 3.0 BLK per game as well as notching career highs of 15.2 PTS and 8.9 REB. Ibaka's frontcourt mate, Nikola Vucevic, only has 43 GP but he’s absolutely healthy now and ripping down 12.1 REB while also putting up 16.5 PTS over the last month. And if this isn’t the funnest bench in SlamNation to boot. Kelly Olynyk’s awkward moves and awesome hair, Kent "Summer League MVP" chucking up shot after shot, and "In Giannis We Trust." All that plus Patrick Beverly, the masked Nancy Kerrigan versus Sour Snails' Russell Westbrook and DeMarcus Cousins. Do we smell upset?!?

MVP: Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka. He led Squirtles in GP and it was rumored that Ibaka is so valuable that GM Brian recently turned down an offer of a very high value point guard straight up for Ibaka.
LVP: A couple of injuries made this a tough season all around but no big losers stand out. Maybe the non-emergence of keeper Tobias Harris for most of the season? Although Harris is up to 18.2 PTS, 6.2 REB, 1.3 STL over his past thirteen games.