Playoffs 2014: Russell Conference

Matchups:

• #1 NJ All-Stars (14-5) vs #4 Fighting Dragons (10-8-1)
• #2 So Buckets (11-8) vs #3 Spade (12-7)

#1 NJ All-Stars (14-5)
Eddie hasn’t missed the playoffs since entering the league in 2012, they’ve gone 37-13 in three seasons while leading SlamNation in wins in 2013, plus they went to the Finals a few years ago on the strength of an exhilarating series of upsets. All they need to immortalize themselves is a championship. They are Russell Conference favorites for a second straight year and quite nasty a lot of categories. Despite just average scores in FG%, FT%, REB, NJ All-Stars make up a lot of ground due to being ranked first in 3PT and second in PTS/AST/STL. They are dead last in BLK and turn over the ball tons due to their scoring ways but that's to be expected. NJ All-Stars are a heavy favorite and perhaps the only team, on paper, capable of taking down Sour Snails -- they met in WK4 this season, with Eddie taking the win despite playing eight less games.

Most of the other SlamNation teams are lucky to have one player with 60+ games played. All-Stars has five such players. Plus they have two other players with 50+ GP in Jose Calderon and Reggie Jackson. That’s super continuity and a top seven rotation that barely misses any games. That ill first five features Kyle Lowry at point, Lance Stephenson at shooting guard, Paul George as small forward, LeBron James at the four, and an ideal spread big man in Spencer Hawes. We talked about how many 3PT this team puts up before, but it’s seriously gross. Hawes, the center, averages 1.6 3PT per game. Lowry, Calderon, and extra big man shooter Channing Frye all average two plus threes a game. This team is seriously inverted as LBJ, George, and Stephenson grab a ton of rebounds. And if Coach Eddie needs a bit of a boost, J.J. Hickson and his 9.1 REB are available -- not to mention a surprising useful late season burst by Kris Humphries. And let’s not overlook Stephenson’s crucial 5.0 AST, which is second only to James Harden’s for pure shooting guard eligible players. There’s a lot of superlatives to use for this team, probably too many. NJ All-Stars are entering the postseason with five wins in their last six games. It’s championship or bust for them!

[Edit: In late breaking news, right before the roster lock, Eddie moved two players who are out for the season, Ryan Anderson and All-Stars' 2014 RD2 pick Nerlens Noel, for Joakim Noah. The deal could solidify their playoff positioning and they've now officially pushed all their chips into the center of the table. Bold moves!]

MVP: The King, LeBron James. A "down year" of 26.7 PTS, 6.9 REB, 6.5 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.4 3PT, and 56.9 FG% while hitting 74.6 FT%? No weaknesses.
LVP: Maybe a name change. NJ All-Stars? We want to advocate for a flashier name that would better reflect the winning ways of this franchise. Maybe a rebrand is in order if a trophy comes to town.

#2 So Buckets (11-8)
The other owner that joined us in 2012 has been pretty successful too. After a 3-9 inaugural season, Josh has ripped off two straight division titles while slowly adding talent to his core. This year’s highlight addition is DeMar DeRozan, a 2014 RD2 pick that has blossomed into a NBA All-Star and is averaging 22.5 PTS, 4.4 REB, 3.8 AST, 1.1 STL. The draft also yielded Nikola Pekovic in the first round, and the Montenegrin brute crushes to the tune of 17.7 PTS, 9.0 REB, and 53.5 FG%. After starting off 1-4 this season, So Buckets righted the ship with four straight wins and then strong-armed their way to that repeat division title with a 6-3 finish, narrowly edging out Fighting Dragons. Trivia: This is the second year in a row that So Buckets is higher seeded than their opponent from Thundercats Division, despite having a lower record.

With last year’s waiver wonder Larry Sanders ineffective all year, it’s been good to see Pau Gasol return to proper Gasolian numbers. It’s been an uphill battle for Josh, as in retrospect, their dispersal core of Pau Gasol, Andre Iguodala, Gerald Wallace, David West, Darren Collison, and Toney Douglas yielded some pretty big zeros. (Why is Wallace the bane of all our dispersal drafts?) More to add to this year’s successes: Jodie Meeks’ late season Kobe-lite impression with 18.8 PTS and 2.1 3PT; Jared Sullinger’s contribution of 12.9 PTS and 8.3 REB; and Evan Turner was throwing up some big numbers before getting traded to Indiana. It’s fair to say that this is definitely So Bucket’s most talented team. Oh right, and then there’s franchise cornerstone Kyrie Irving, the prize from the 2011 Toilet Bowl win by the previous owner. Irving may an All-Star game starter and fantasy wise he’s gold with 21.2 PTS, 6.2 AST, 1.4 STL, 1.8 3PT, albeit with 42.8 FG%. [Edit: Irving is out for a few weeks with a biceps injury. Just like Irving's late season injury last year, this seriously curtails So Buckets' playoff advancement hopes.]

MVP: DeMar DeRozan. Kyrie is the easy answer as he leads this team in PTS, AST, STL, and is second in 3PT, but DeRozan became Toronto’s first All-Star since Vince Carter and leapt from draft pick to important key cog for Buckets.
LVP: Andre Iguodala. His still has some fill-the-stat box value with 4.5 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.0 3PT but only 9.3 PTS hurts.

#3 Spade (12-7)
Before the season started, I was honestly afraid Randall’s team would have a shot at going undefeated. His roster was insane. Spade came roaring out of the gates with nine straight wins and there looked to be no stopping them. Then the injuries hit. And damn did they hit hard. At one point I think first year owner Randall had like half a roster filled with players with a red mark next to their names. We knew Kobe Bryant would miss a lot of games, but losing Al Horford for the season after 29 GP was unexpected. Then Eric Bledsoe’s breakout year was put on pause for months. And then Kawhi Leonard was dinged up, as was Kevin Martin, and now George Hill. Spade spun out to only one win in their next six games, yet had accrued enough victories to get the second most wins in Russell Conference. They are only a lower seed in name only, as they face So Buckets in Round 1, a team they beat 9-0-0 in WK2 and is only higher seeded by virtue of a division title. (To be fair, So Buckets got payback with a 7-2 win in WK15.)

The good news is that there’s only two red “O’s” next to Spade’s players now. Kobe and Horford are definitely out, however, the rest of the roster is back. Oh wait, that’s horrible news for everyone! Spade still has the ability to go far after such an up-and-down season. I mean, Kevin Love is healthy isn’t he? And Paul Millsap is back from a short injury absence and will continue being fantasy gold with 17.7 PTS, 8.2 REB, 3.1 AST, 1.1 3PT, 1.8 STL, 1.1 BLK, and good percentages. Yup, Millsap has basically evolved into a slightly lesser in-prime Dirk Nowitzki! Speaking of breakouts, how about Arron Afflalo with 19.5 PTS, 3.6 REB, 3.6 AST, 1.9 3PT? Anyone see that coming? It’s not even worth looking at Spade’s season long numbers because with Bledsoe, Martin, and Leonard back, they are an entirely different team. It’s crazy but everyone healthy on the roster, aside from recent pickup Nate Wolters, averages around one or more three pointers per game -- highlighted by Kyle Korver’s 2.7 3PT per. The deepest team in the league is officially back to scary status and there could be lots of nightmares ahead for opposing playoff teams.

MVP: Kevin Love. Aside from his 26.4 PTS, 12.9 REB, 4.2 AST, 2.5 3PT, plus 81.5 FT% on 8.4 attempts, Love had 58 GP and didn’t get injured for any stretches.
LVP: Has Randall made any wrong moves yet? I haven’t seen any.

#4 Fighting Dragons (10-8-1)
Thien’s team went into the final week of the season on a 4-1-1 tear, fighting for a division title, but were upended in WK19 by So Buckets in a game that came down to a handful of REB, STL, and BLK. Still, the former Super Ninjas keep their streak of not having a losing season alive by making the playoffs for their fourth consecutive year. They finish a half game behind the division leader and now get the honor of facing the high powered NJ All-Stars. Here’s the good news: In the past two years, the #4 seed from Russell Conference have upset their way all the way to the Finals -- with 100 Acre Wood Heffalumps taking the title last year. (In 2011, the year before those four seed runs, it was #3 seeded Human Amoebas who streaked all the way to an improbably title.) Obviously, fate shines on with the lower seeded Russell Conference teams.

Since acquiring Damian Lillard to pair with John Wall, Fighting Dragons is 9-5-1, and they’ve handily dispatched NJ All-Stars before, during that run, in WK10. The Wall plus Lillard pairing combines for 41.0 PTS, 14.3 AST, 2.6 STL, and 4.0 3PT per game. They also share just about the same percentages on similar shots and free throws attempted. Behind that wonder duo is a few more question marks. Dwyane Wade has become a part time player with only 39 GP for this team. When he plays he’s a monster but he tends to sit out a lot. Dragons will need all of Wade for a playoff run. Paul Pierce was moved last week for Khris Middleton and Kendall Marshall, which should be a net positive. Robin Lopez and Brandon Knight were the #3 and #4 most GP for Thien, which speaks to the turnover this team has experienced.

Lopez has been all alone in the middle this year, post-Chandler trade, and he’s been useful with 10.8 PTS, 8.5 REB, 1.7 BLK. Knight has been pretty spectacular, relatively. With 17.4 PTS, 4.9 AST, 1.6 3PT, 1.0 STL, and a high rate of free throws at 81.9 FT%, he’s helped Dragaon lead SlamNation in that category. Surprise spark plug D.J. Augustin has been playing out of his mind while hitting 51.7 FG% while putting up 18.8 PTS and 2.4 3PT on an extended two week hot streak. Old fogey Vince Carter and young buck Terrence “51” Ross both bomb 3PT from the outside and are basically interchangeable. Fighting Dragons have morphed into a small ball team, with only Lopez, Andrew Bynum, and Jeff Adrien capable of playing the big men spots. We love that their unpredicable swerve in that direction but we’re pretty sure small ball is a bad matchup versus NJ All-Stars.

MVP: John Wall leads this party. He's put it all together this year and aside from a bit of FG% issues, is dominant across the board.
LVP: Andrea Bargnani. Bynum could be a choice here as his corpse has been on the roster for two years, but he's at least got a chance to play this postseason for Dragons. Instead we'll go with 2014 RD2 pick Bargnani who had the opportunity, in real life and in SlamNation, to play as the perfect small ball center for a team that could've use him.

Deadline Bombshells

With minutes to spare -- and a bit of overage -- two huge deals went down right at the deadline after a flurry of desperate communications league wide. The first one could have championship implications as the #1 seed in Russell Conference, NJ All-Stars, flipped future assets for a win now mentality that could put them in the driver’s seat for a championship. Oh wait, there's still Sour Snails over in Chamberlain Conference, the betting man's favorite.

As we’ll show in tomorrow's article, NJ All-Stars is a big threat and also a championship caliber team. Powered by LeBron James and Paul George, they play an intriguing small ball style that features plenty of outside shooting. What management felt they needed to put them over the top was someone capable of heavy REB, nice BLK, and a good FG%. With intriguing assets sitting on his injury report, Ryan Anderson and rookie Nerlens Noel, GM Eddie was looking to deal. NJ All-Stars had been pounding the wires trying to get a big man for his team but no takers bit. It looked like he would have to head into the playoffs with J.J. Hickson and Kris Humprhies as big men fill-ins.

• ID#43: NJ All-Stars trade Ryan Andersen, Nerlens Noel, and 2015 RD2 to Fob Stars for Joakim Noah.

As the clock ticked down however, Fob Stars emerged from his Los Angeles hole to move his present for the future. Joakim Noah, acquired in a 2011 draft day trade, had been fully healthy for all of 2014 and was throwing down 12.4 PTS, 11.3 REB, 1.5 BLK, 1.1 STL, on 48.8 FG%. For Jimmy, parting with his team's heart and soul will be tough but there’s no doubt Noah deserved to play for a contender. The son of Yannick fits perfectly into NJ All-Star’s roster, even giving them an extra boost with his unexpected 5.0 AST from the center position.

In return, Fob Stars receive the prototypical stretch power forward for his third-to-last ranked 3PT team. While Anderson had an injury plagued lost season this year, he did average 19.8 PTS, 6.5 REB, with 3.0 3PT during his 22 appearances. He’ll boost Jimmy’s PTS and 3PT while not losing too much in REB, which Fob Stars already excels in and this move is a fine example of quite a few ideas from "Trade Machine." And finally, the mysterious Nerlens Noel, who is intriguing due to his wide range of NBA comps. Is he Tyrus Thomas? Is he Andre Drummond? Is he Will Smith? Is he Anthony Davis-lite? Heck, is he Joakim Noah redux? Noel doesn't yet have much of an offensive game but his actual rookie year next season should yield REB/BLK/STL galore for a Fob Stars team that could use an uptick in both.

Overall, this looks like a perfect deal for both sides as NJ All-Stars get the extra sauce they need for a title run and Fob Stars trades his 29 year old vet for a 25 and 19 year old who are bouncing back from injuries. The extra RD2 Fob picked up from All-Stars was just grease to make the deal go. Well done all!

Another trade slipped in maybe a little post-deadline, one that dramatically alters the shape of the Toilet Bowl field. Inept Henchmen and Funk Coalition just made a move a few days ago, the immortal Kevin Garnett for Tony Wroten exchange. That turned out to be the appetizer for this main meal.

• ID#44: Inept Henchmen trade Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, and 2015 RD1 to Funk Coalition for Dwight Howard, Tony Parker, Avery Bradley, Kirk Hinrich, and 2015 RD2

After multiple failed talks trying to flip a premier center for a premier point guard, GM Jon finally decided he had to roll the dice on former NBA MVP Derrick Rose. It’s not worth going over Rose’s numbers pre-injury because it’s been so long since he’s played for real. Rose's upside is obvious, but his career could also go the way of Penny Hardaway and Brandon Roy. (If I knew how to play craps I would make a craps analogy right now. Double twelves?)

For Inept Henchmen, last week’s uplifting win versus MoRRie’s Pogiboys -- resulting in a higher seed -- made them take note when an instant rematch was scheduled for round one of the Toilet Bowl. GM Trevor set out to find an extra piece to take him over the top in REB, the category that he won by a mere +7 in WK19. Well, adding Dwight Howard and his 12.4 REB should do. Howard will be slotted in alongside Derrick Favors, Kenneth Faried, and Andrew Bogut to do battle with Anthony Davis, Roy Hibbert, Miles Plumlee, and John Henson. It should be quite the matchup!

The twist is that Inept Henchmen’s upcoming 2015 RD1 is now Funk Coalition’s. Inept will receive Funk’s 2015 RD2, likely to be one of the first selections of the round, in exchange for his pick. This gives Funk two first rounders -- at worst a top five and a top seven selection -- in a loaded draft. That’ll match the number of picks Chunky Monkeys have this year, which is an intriguing turn for their round one Toilet Bowl matchup. Basically, Monkeys and Funk both have another team working toward their potential high draft choices. Note: Andre Drummond could be out for the week though, and it’ll be quite the battle for Funk on the boards without both Dwight and Drummy Bear.

Also included in the deal was Tony Parker, Funk Coalition’s last remaining original keeper. Although Parker had served his team well, Funk decided to go in a different direction and opted for more of an outside touch. Parker is averaging 17.5 PTS, 6.2 AST, 50.2 FG% but doesn’t provide any three pointers. Eric Gordon solves that problem with his 1.6 3PT, while adding 15.7 PTS and 1.2 STL. Funk also threw in a still recovering Avery Bradley and recent free agent addition Kirk Hinrich to bolster Inept Henchmen’s current state of affairs. The two guards are expected to take Harrison Barnes and Derrick Williams roster spots, as well as pushing out Tony Wroten. Yes, that Tony Wroten...

Overall, an interesting deal on both sides as Funk Coalition pivots away from his huge lineup to add two injury risk guards while Inept Henchmen builds on his already strong frontline for a play at ultimate big ball, and with a point guard ready to the floor immediately. An unexpected rebuild for two bottom dwellers, we love it!

Scheduling Mixup and Roster Lock Adjustment

A few housekeeping tidbits. First, the schedule for our 2014 season was unfortunately faulty. Somehow, perhaps owing to commissioner error (ahem), it looks like teams didn’t play the allotted matchups correctly. So for example, the usual matchup includes seven out-of-conference games, but instead we got just five this year, and that may even include two matchups from one out-of-conference opponent. For example: Funk Coalition played Half Man Half ImAsian twice while not matching up against Sour Snails, Buffy, or Jedi Knights once. They should have only not played one of those teams.

Obviously, this means our 2014 win-loss records were skewed, but it’s too late to do anything about it now. This never happened in previous years -- I checked -- and we’ll be more diligent moving forward. Also, if you ever see any scheduling errors in the future, speak up! The schedule is carefully calibrated for divisional finishes but manually entering 19+ weeks of games can lead to errors sometimes. Apologies all around.

Also, it was brought to our attention that a player on waivers during/after the roster lock can’t be grabbed. That’s not really fair, as owners could just drop someone pre-deadline and prevent him from getting picked up. Instead, we’re adjusting our roster lock to allow owners to grab a player on waivers if they submit their claims pre-lock. Does that make sense? Please just email the commishes to let them know beforehand, and who you’ll want to drop in exchange. The downside of angling for a waivers player is you likely won't receive them for a day or two.

For the record, we have an instance of this upcoming, likely on Wednesday, so just be aware that it was pre-approved.

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.

Playoff & Toilet Bowl Seedings: 2014

PLAYOFFS

*= division winner
Chamberlain Conference
#1 Sour Snails (17-2)*
#2 Eron, Joven and Chandler (13-6)*
#3 Half Man Half ImAsian (11-8)
#4 Squirtle Squad (10-9)

Russell Conference
#1 NJ All-Stars (14-5)*
#2 So Buckets (11-8)*
#3 Spade (12-7)
#4 Super Ninja (10-8-1)


TOILET BOWL
Chamberlain Conference
#1 Fat Jubas (9-10)
#2 Fob Stars (8-11)
#3 LA Buffy (5-14)
#4 Jedi Knights (5-14)

Russell Conference
#1 Chunky Monkeys (9-10)
#2 Inept Henchmen (6-12-1)
#3 MoRRie’s Pogiboys (6-13)
#4 Funk Coalition (5-14)

Tie-Breakers
Divisonal Winner
No ties at the top spots. Although, for the second year in a row, So Buckets receives a higher playoff seed despite the lower overall record. They finished with one less win than #3 Spade.

Playoff Wild Cards
No ties.

Toilet Bowl Tie-Breaks
Buffy beat Jedi Knights H2H in a WK6 matchup, so they get the higher seed.