SlamNation: 2019 Championship: Still Sweet

Well, we've all been here before haven't we? After a losing record last regular season, we figured the reign of Sour Snails might be over. Instead, they made a mega-trade before last year's post-season, took themselves to a proper title defense, and only conceded a title to Chunky Monkeys. Not bad, but we assumed Snails would be in a bit of a rebuild as they entered the 2019 season with Brook Lopez and Isaiah Thomas on their keeper core, which was not ideal.

Even with Steph Curry and Kevin Durant on-board, we thought the Snails had floated to the middle of the pack as they were 5-4 at midseason. But then they went 9-1-1 to close out the regular season and finished atop Chamberlain Conference -- again. Of course, that one loss was against Swamp Dragons, the kings of Russell, and Snails had already lost to Eddie's team twice this season.

However, after a small scare in RD1 from Fat Jubas, Sour found its stride again and demolished Squirtle Squad in RD2 before handily dispatching a Swamp Dragon team that failed to put up much of a fight. The final score for the title game was 7-2 after a huge start to the week by Swamp -- albeit losing Jusuf Nurkic early on. But the incredible shooting by Snails -- Durant put up 62.5 FG% on 25/40 shots, Siakam shot 58.6 FG%, Curry threw up 22 3PT -- and it was all she wrote for the week.

In the end, Snails showed off their playoff best combined ODE rating by putting up a first in efficiency, second in defense, and eighth in offensive rating over the past three weeks -- a huge dip from their regular season offense. This playoff run really had to rely on Snails' defense, as they ranked first in BLK behind rookie Mitchell Robinson's monstrous contributions, as well as the timely addition of DeMarcus Cousins just before the post-season. With injuries to Zach LaVine and rest days for his Warriors, Trieu really had to utilize our new non-roster lock rules to churn out useful players.

A list of guys who hit the floor for Sour Snails during championship week: Maxi Kleber, Lance Stephenson, Marco Belinelli, Justin Holiday, Tyus Jones, and Bruno Caboclo. (Those guys are all gonna get rings! Haha.) During their RD1 matchup versus Fat Jubas, Trieu used seventeen players in total. That's some crazy management and strategy, and could be a preview to how our future playoff matchups will have to be going forward. Flexibility and matchups won the day!

And it's been the Midas touch for Trieu all year as he hit huge on draft picks, free agents, and trades. There was the emergence of 2019 RD4 pick Pascal Siakam of the Pascal Siakam All-Stars, the free agent grabs of Montrezl Harrell and Mitchell Robinson, and the six trades that shuffled the core lineup yet again. Overall Sour Snails went from a weakened keeper six to suddenly a team brimming over with depth all over again. Heck, Trieu even traded away Julius Randle, Harrell, and Caris LeVert for future assets and still won the 2019 title!

So to sum it all up for our best franchise ever, in ten years since our reset Sour Snails has accumulated nine years in the playoffs, seven division/conference titles, four best record in the league years, been to seven title games -- this is their fifth in a row -- and won five rings, including a three-peat 2015-17. Oh and they made a Toilet Bowl finals in their only year out of the playoffs too. What's next for Sour? Will it be another repeat? Another three-peat?! Another podcast episode!?!

As for Swamp Dragons, it was a very successful season as they emerged as the top regular season team in SlamNation after four years out of the playoff sunshine, they hit on a number one pick in DeAndre Ayton after the failure of Markelle Fultz, and they won every trade they engaged in with Funk Coalition by a landslide. Alas, Swamp will have to settle for a runner-up trophy yet again after their third title game loss, but at least they are now positioned to be contenders for the forthcoming future behind Paul George and Nikola Jokic. Better luck next year Eddie, and we're counting on you to challenge for a ring next year -- and not the Toilet Bowl kind!