Season 56 Playoff Preview

 DEMONS HEAVILY FAVORED

With four consecutive championships under their belt, the Dallas Demons are the prohibitive favorites to tie an all-time record of five straight titles, accomplished in Seasons 29 through 33 by the Philadelphia Phobia.

This season the Dallas club (8-2) led the league in scoring for the fourth straight season (79.4ppg) while finishing in second place (to San Jose) in defense (67.6ppg). That gives them a league-best 11.8 points differential on the positive side, the fifth straight time they have been No. 1 in that department. They also led the league in 3-point shooting and blocked shots. 

The Mighty Demons have gone 5-0 in the last two post-seasons and a betting man would be ill-advised to buck the odds of them sweeping the playoffs again.

The All-MBA guard combo of league scoring leader and MVP Vicious Hick and Hall of Famer and runner-up MVP Juzan Djinn has to be considered, if not the best, at least the second-best tandem in league history. 

The team's only two losses came at the hands of Oklahoma City and playoff contender San Jose. They should breeze by the short-handed Gillette team in the SemiFinals.

NOW OR NEVER FOR THE FIGHTING AMIGOS

With three key players (Vinny Zazeech, Hall of Famer J.J. Gargantuan and top sub Handsy Joe Potatoe) retiring after this season, the team from San Jose (8-2) has its championship window slamming shut following the playoffs.

This is a fine aggregation, hanging its collective hat on the 75-64 cross-over triumph against Dallas during the regular campaign. But one game is a far cry from besting Dallas in a series. The San Jose loss to Seattle in the last game of the season erased what would have been home court advantage throughout the playoffs, so that didn't help matters.

The Amigos boast the league's stingiest defense (66.2ppg) and best shooting percentage (57.5). They have a balanced attack that ranked third in scoring 76.5ppg) behind Dallas and Milwaukee and posted an excellent plus 10.3 points differential.

The SemiFinal games against the Greyhounds could be the most competitive of the entire post season. 

The Amigos were easily dispatched by Dallas in the SemiFinals last season, but improved their roster with the addition of rim-protector Gargantuan.

GREYHOUNDS AIMING FOR FINALS

The Milwaukee Greyhounds (6-4) were the surprise team in the East this season, gaining a post-season spot for the first time since Season 52 and finishing second in the MBA in scoring at 78 points per game.

They were, however, sixth on defense, yielding 74.5ppg.

Milwaukee came tantalizingly close to beating Dallas in both of their meetings this season, losing 66-64 and 90-81.

Ehhy Table and Itstha Bishop are a strong guard combo and center Johnny Bananas is a proven scorer with the ability to put points up on anyone. The most unexpected and welcome contributions came from forwards Zippy Wunderslug and Scobee Bryant, both of whom posted 20-plus GVPs for the first times in their careers.

Don't count them out against San Jose, in what should be a very competitive Semis.

CRIPPLED GILLETTE AWAITS EXECUTION

The Gillette Humps (6-4), making their second playoff appearance, come limping into this post-season minus the services of its two best players; center Blob Dylan and leading scorer, rookie point guard Maboroshi No Hotcake. That is not a formula for success when going up against maybe the greatest team in MBA history. 

When fully whole, the Humps counted Milwaukee as one of its six victims during a satisfying regular season. But without its top two scorers, it certainly appears that Gillette will have to wait until at least next season to possibly win the first playoff game in the history of its franchise.

NEXT UP: SemiFinals Game No. 1...Gillettee at Dallas.