Here's my thoughts on the increasingly crazy Naga playoff puzzle
Beijing Black Dragons (12-1)
Not only do they control their own destiny, but they have a 2-game lead on East St. Louis, the head-to-head tiebreaker and games left against Pa Dong (2-11) and Mongolian (1-12). Without a complete collapse to end the season, Beijing is going to be the No. 1 seed easily.
East St Louis Tire Fires (10-3)
They come back into SEA Pro looking just as strong and dominant as ever, sitting alone in second place while the rest of the pack jostles for position. The bad news is there are four teams sitting just one game behind them and another three sitting just two games behind them. The Tire Fires finish out the season with three playoff contenders in Ujung (7-6), Portland (9-4) and Cambodia (9-4), and any slip-up here will give breathing room and potential tie-breaker power over ESL. Regardless of their finish, they're already in the playoffs, but they could be anywhere from the No. 2 seed all the way down to who knows where. (Too many possibilities)
Portland Dirty Penguins (9-4)
What happened to the Penguins? Three straight losses has dropped them from 9-1 and leading the league to 9-4 and creating must-win games to end the year: Ujung (7-6), Winona (8-5) and ESL (10-3). It's within the realm of possibility that a 9-7 team might miss the playoffs this season, but it's pretty unlikely, so Portland is probably in. But they need to right the ship quickly or they could be looking at a bad seed and an away playoff game.
Cambodia Mountain Men (9-4)
After having their seven-game winning streak snapped, the Mountain Men dropped key games against Thai (8-5) and Palembang (8-5) and are now looking at a brutal three-game stretch of Beijing (12-1), Winona (8-5) and ESL (10-3). Cambodia, which has yet to win a playoff game in SEA Pro despite four straight playoff appearances, is trying to prevent another late-season disappointment.
Mekong Delta Force (9-4)
The preseason favorites have looked both very good and very overrated at various times this season, but that's nothing new for SEA Pro's historically schizophrenic team. And while the Force have endured a brutal schedule, only the Jam (9-4) still look like a major threat on their remaining schedule that also includes Bacolod (5-8) and Bali (3-10). Then again, both Bacolod and Bali are soild teams who just haven't had much luck this season and either one could play a huge spoiler role if Mekong isn't careful.
NBA Jam (9-4)
Oh, what to say about these guys. They're definitely not as bad as we thought they'd be entering the season, but they're definitely not as good as they think they are (because seriously, no team could be). The Big-Ballers have endured the tough part of their schedule, but they don't finish out with any cupcakes in Mekong (9-4), Ujung (7-6) and Bacolod (5-8). Bacolod, as mentioned before, could play a spoiler role before this is all over, and there is a good chance that Ujung will be playing for their playoff lives in that matchup.
Palembang Drunken Monks (8-5)
Oh what a difference three games make. In a do-or-die stretch over three weeks, the Monks knocked off Ujung, Portland and Cambodia, making them the hottest team coming into this stretch of the schedule and forcing a lot of other teams to have to run the table to finish ahead of them. The Monks, you see, had their prayers answered when they discovered they'd be ending the season with Pa Dong (2-11), Anchorage (3-10) and Mongolian (1-12). Do Anchorage and Pa Dong have upsets in them as they try to avoid relegation? If not, the Monks are 11-5 and have some key tiebreakers.
Thai Fighters (8-5)
How about four straight wins and six of their last seven, including wins over Portland, Cambodia and Winona. And this is the only team to beat Beijing all season. Now the fighters (who stayed true to their name) are another team that will give fits to the 9-5 teams above them because they end the season with Mongolian (1-12), Anchorage (3-10) and Phnom Penh (4-9). Only Anchorage in this bunch has anything left to play for, as Mongolian is sadly all but relegated already and Phnom Penh looks to be safe.
Winona Warriors (8-5)
The former SEA Pro bad boys don't look so bad now that the Jam have out-played them on the field and out-douched them in the forums. And they still have games left against Portland (9-4), Cambodia (9-4) and a Pa Dong (2-11) team that is way overdue for a shocking upset or two. But how much of the Winona tail-spin is real, and how much is a disguise? We will definitely find out in the next two weeks, since losses to Portland and Cambodia could leave Winona looking like the odd man out of the playoffs if the other Warriors get hot.
Ujung Pandang Warriors (7-6)
They've come all this way as the final team with a real shot at the playoffs, only to have to face ESL (10-3), NBA Jam (9-4) and Portland (9-4). And they will definitely have to win two of those game, and possibly all three, just to make it into the dance. If you've got some temp boosts, guys, now is the time to use them! Ujung is a very solid team, and it's likely that they will pull the upset in at least one of these games, but picking which one is a crapshoot. They could play a huge spoiler role, though, if they get hot and win out, giving themselves a solid playoff spot and sending the rest of the SEA Pro seedings into an even bigger jumble.
Beijing Black Dragons (12-1)
Not only do they control their own destiny, but they have a 2-game lead on East St. Louis, the head-to-head tiebreaker and games left against Pa Dong (2-11) and Mongolian (1-12). Without a complete collapse to end the season, Beijing is going to be the No. 1 seed easily.
East St Louis Tire Fires (10-3)
They come back into SEA Pro looking just as strong and dominant as ever, sitting alone in second place while the rest of the pack jostles for position. The bad news is there are four teams sitting just one game behind them and another three sitting just two games behind them. The Tire Fires finish out the season with three playoff contenders in Ujung (7-6), Portland (9-4) and Cambodia (9-4), and any slip-up here will give breathing room and potential tie-breaker power over ESL. Regardless of their finish, they're already in the playoffs, but they could be anywhere from the No. 2 seed all the way down to who knows where. (Too many possibilities)
Portland Dirty Penguins (9-4)
What happened to the Penguins? Three straight losses has dropped them from 9-1 and leading the league to 9-4 and creating must-win games to end the year: Ujung (7-6), Winona (8-5) and ESL (10-3). It's within the realm of possibility that a 9-7 team might miss the playoffs this season, but it's pretty unlikely, so Portland is probably in. But they need to right the ship quickly or they could be looking at a bad seed and an away playoff game.
Cambodia Mountain Men (9-4)
After having their seven-game winning streak snapped, the Mountain Men dropped key games against Thai (8-5) and Palembang (8-5) and are now looking at a brutal three-game stretch of Beijing (12-1), Winona (8-5) and ESL (10-3). Cambodia, which has yet to win a playoff game in SEA Pro despite four straight playoff appearances, is trying to prevent another late-season disappointment.
Mekong Delta Force (9-4)
The preseason favorites have looked both very good and very overrated at various times this season, but that's nothing new for SEA Pro's historically schizophrenic team. And while the Force have endured a brutal schedule, only the Jam (9-4) still look like a major threat on their remaining schedule that also includes Bacolod (5-8) and Bali (3-10). Then again, both Bacolod and Bali are soild teams who just haven't had much luck this season and either one could play a huge spoiler role if Mekong isn't careful.
NBA Jam (9-4)
Oh, what to say about these guys. They're definitely not as bad as we thought they'd be entering the season, but they're definitely not as good as they think they are (because seriously, no team could be). The Big-Ballers have endured the tough part of their schedule, but they don't finish out with any cupcakes in Mekong (9-4), Ujung (7-6) and Bacolod (5-8). Bacolod, as mentioned before, could play a spoiler role before this is all over, and there is a good chance that Ujung will be playing for their playoff lives in that matchup.
Palembang Drunken Monks (8-5)
Oh what a difference three games make. In a do-or-die stretch over three weeks, the Monks knocked off Ujung, Portland and Cambodia, making them the hottest team coming into this stretch of the schedule and forcing a lot of other teams to have to run the table to finish ahead of them. The Monks, you see, had their prayers answered when they discovered they'd be ending the season with Pa Dong (2-11), Anchorage (3-10) and Mongolian (1-12). Do Anchorage and Pa Dong have upsets in them as they try to avoid relegation? If not, the Monks are 11-5 and have some key tiebreakers.
Thai Fighters (8-5)
How about four straight wins and six of their last seven, including wins over Portland, Cambodia and Winona. And this is the only team to beat Beijing all season. Now the fighters (who stayed true to their name) are another team that will give fits to the 9-5 teams above them because they end the season with Mongolian (1-12), Anchorage (3-10) and Phnom Penh (4-9). Only Anchorage in this bunch has anything left to play for, as Mongolian is sadly all but relegated already and Phnom Penh looks to be safe.
Winona Warriors (8-5)
The former SEA Pro bad boys don't look so bad now that the Jam have out-played them on the field and out-douched them in the forums. And they still have games left against Portland (9-4), Cambodia (9-4) and a Pa Dong (2-11) team that is way overdue for a shocking upset or two. But how much of the Winona tail-spin is real, and how much is a disguise? We will definitely find out in the next two weeks, since losses to Portland and Cambodia could leave Winona looking like the odd man out of the playoffs if the other Warriors get hot.
Ujung Pandang Warriors (7-6)
They've come all this way as the final team with a real shot at the playoffs, only to have to face ESL (10-3), NBA Jam (9-4) and Portland (9-4). And they will definitely have to win two of those game, and possibly all three, just to make it into the dance. If you've got some temp boosts, guys, now is the time to use them! Ujung is a very solid team, and it's likely that they will pull the upset in at least one of these games, but picking which one is a crapshoot. They could play a huge spoiler role, though, if they get hot and win out, giving themselves a solid playoff spot and sending the rest of the SEA Pro seedings into an even bigger jumble.
