2014-2015 Playoffs

	1. Orange
3. Light Green		1. Orange
	6. Grey
6. Grey
			1. Orange
4. Red			Champion
	4. Red
5. Dark Green		2. Dark Blue
	2. Dark Blue

Round One, Game One: #3 Light Green (Brennan) versus #6 Grey (Johnson)

-While Light Green certainly struggled at times this year, they still figured to be a major player in the postseason. Light Green started three strong, quick athletes that should have given them the edge over most starting lineups. However, the same poor floor balance and non-existent cohesion that plagued them all season long proved fatal for this once-promising squad. Team Grey played a steady game, getting contributions from multiple players, but there were no heroic efforts for Light Green to overcome. Light Green lost this game more than Grey won it, which is a shame, as it proved correct the general consensus that Matt Koll and Jerry on the same team is better on paper than it is in action. Grey moves on in a minor upset in the first round

Round One, Game Two: #4 Red (Beave) versus #5 Dark Green (Conway)

-Matchups are everything in HatchetBall. Most of the "shocking" upsets we've seen over the years can be readily explained by a player to player positional comparison. Dark Green's preferred style of play was to spread the floor and bomb away from triple territory; their roster was not built to operate in transition or to defend in anything other than a soft zone. Red, of course, has one of the best shooters in HatchetBall, who has torn apart zones his entire career. These elements exploded in Round One, as Mike torched Dark Green by biblical proportions. Mike scored a staggering 42 points with 8 three-pointers (both HatchetBall playoff records). Dark Green mustered no response and gave up early in this one, losing by a ridiculous margin. Luke, as is his style, took advantage of the sloppy garbage time to accumulate a hefty stat line of his own, finishing with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 7 blocks. His efforts were largely unnecessary, but impressive nonetheless. It's safe to say things will not be as easy for Red in Round Two, but you should certainly take all the cheap playoff victories you can get your sweaty, Greek paws on.

Round Two, Game One: #1 Orange (Matt V) versus #6 Grey (Johnson)

-Most HatchetBall playoff games are competitive down the stretch, as teams tighten up their defenses and horrible free throw shooting gives every underdog a chance. However, there's certainly something to be said for the perception of "playing from ahead" or "playing from behind". Even in very close games with 1 or 2 point differentials, it's an advantage to feel like you're the team dictating the action, whether you're the team holding onto a lead you've had most of the game or the team who's trailed all game and staging a furious comeback. Team Orange loves to play with a lead. Their vulnerability has been a lack of cohesion when finding themselves on the short end of the scoreboard. But when they are winning, Orange has a steady, calm balance about them that is tough to overcome. Grey also preferred playing from ahead. Relying heavily on an array of shooters, they excelled when making other teams play catch-up. All this is to say that Team Grey's horrid start might have doomed them in this matchup. Several of their best players were cold early on and Grey, while never more than a few points behind, always felt like they weren't playing their best, especially compared to the impressive performance they put together in Round One, holding off a comeback bid by Light Green. Orange did not play their best game of the season, but they controlled the game and got timely buckets when they needed them. There were no extended runs in this game other than the 10-0 start to the game. Rob chipped in 19 points, Matt V somehow snagged 10 rebounds, and Steve hit a couple three-pointers in a balanced attack for Team Orange. They advance to the Championship.

Round Two, Game Two: #2 Dark Blue (Bo) versus #4 Red (Beave)

-In just his second season in HatchetBall, Steigerwald has already left his mark as one of the most skilled offensive players to ever grace the HatchetBall Stadium. He followed up his scorching Round One performance of 42 points and 8 three-pointers with 33 points and another 8 three-pointers. It would be hard to exaggerate how well he played during this season and postseason. Mike scored at least 22 points in every game he played in 2014-2015. However, Steigerwald has quickly become a cautionary tale for teams relying too heavily on their star. Sure, the numbers are great, but as Rob will tell anyone, they are good for nothing in the one-and-done playoff structure. You simply cannot win a championship by yourself. Looking back, the more important performance in Round One was the 19 points contributed by Luke. His lack of production really cost his team in their showdown with Dark Blue. Mike could shoot as many times as he wanted, if players like Luke aren't there to offer some balance, it becomes a struggle to get wins over the quality teams that are still around come playoff time. Dark Blue relied on their spread offense to get everyone involved. No particular player had a standout game and they still threatened to coast to a 20 point victory. Steigerwald refused to let the game get quite that out of hand with a ridiculous array of contested jumpers, but it took nothing more than some quality free throw shooting from Mark to seal this one away. Dark Blue advances to the Championship, Mark's 5th in a row.

Championship: #2 Dark Blue (Bo) versus #1 Orange (Matt V)

-There's a misperception in sports that intangible factors play a large role in determining results. We care a lot about sports (probably more than we should), and attributing cosmic forces to our sports validates the emotion we invest in them. But one should be careful about attributing luck or chance or destiny to sporting outcomes. More often there are physical or scientific absolutes that separate winners from losers. It would be easy to say that fate was on Orange's side in this one, after so many years of frustration for Rob and Matt V. That it was just "their time." But really, Orange just played a better basketball game than Dark Blue and they earned the victory by merit alone. Orange did everything you'd expect a championship team to do: they shared the ball, they hit their open shots, they rebounded as a team, and they stayed aggressive for 40 minutes, making it very difficult for their opponent to mount a comeback. It was another great year of HatchetBall and we certainly ended up with a worthy champion. Congratulations to the winners. On to next year.