2020-2021 Playoffs

	1. WHITE
	8/10/21 - 6:30 PM
4. YELLOW		1. WHITE
8/3/21 - 6:30 PM	5. Orange
5. ORANGE
		8/17/21 - 7:30 PM	1. WHITE
3. BLUE			Champion
8/3/21 - 7:30 PM	6. Green
6. GREEN	8/10/21 - 7:30 PM	6. GREEN
	2. RED

Round One, Game One: #4 Team Yellow versus #5 Team Orange

-We often talk about the wild fluctuations from year to year in HatchetBall. Things just seem so different every season. We should also give some extra attention to how things change while the season progresses. Team White went from a slow brood in the first half of the season to a juggernaut in the second half. Team Red seemed to stabilize as well, winning 4 of their last 5 games. On the other side of the scales was Team Yellow. After starting the season 4-1, they would close out the year losing 5 of their final 6 games, culminating in a first-round blowout loss to the lowly Team Orange. Matt V was consistently vocal that his roster was the best if they all showed up. Well, Declan started coming to the games, but then Konrad was deported to Poland and Matt V went camping. Matt V will continue to make this claim, but he’s wrong. This tiny team was flawed from the start and we should document the fact that Matt V traded down in the draft to assemble this turd roster. Team Orange took advantage of the opportunity and played their finest team game of the year. 4 players were in double-figures for only the second time on the season, including Luke, who shocked everyone with his first double-double of the year. Orange will get a shot to truly shock the world when they take on the top overall seed Team White in Round 2. Everyone will be rooting for the upset.

Round One, Game Two: #3 Team Blue versus #6 Team Green

-The downside to playing too many close games is obviously that you can’t win them all. Seemingly random occurrences, like one player playing above expectations, can change the outcome too easily. Team Blue might not have had a double-digit lead all season. Every game was a dogfight for them and they emerged from the rubble with a 6-4 record, which was respectable enough for a roster that wasn’t built to dominate anyone. A first-round matchup with Team Green seemed to be a major blessing for Team Blue, seeing as they had beaten them twice in the regular season and their opponent’s first-round, leading scorer was out with injury. But it didn’t turn out that way. After seeming to take control of the game in the first half, Blue allowed a shocking 47 second half points and let the game (and season) get away from them. It’s one thing to bemoan bad offensive output, which we could certainly do here. 2^nd Round Pick Troy mustered only 6 points and 3^rd Round Pick Ali finished with a whopping 2 points. To further the point, Troy finished the year at 8.9 ppg and Ali at 8.0 ppg. Of the 24 players drafted in the first three rounds, there were only 2 players with lower scoring averages: Jerry and Luke. Jerry brings consistent defense, rebounding, and effort that more than compensates for his layup yips. Luke basically took the year off. However, a lack of scoring wasn’t the ultimate death knell for Team Blue. In fact, they scored 73 total points in this game, which was their 4^th highest output of the year. It was defense. Or, more fittingly, their lack of defense. Short-handed as they were, Team Green attacked the basket relentlessly and Blue just couldn’t get any stops. They’ve earned a very winnable game against the combustible Team Red in Round 2. If they can keep that one close, it’s a sure thing that Red will crumble led by the dedicated doucheness of their team captain.

Round Two, Game One: #1 Team White versus #5 Team Orange

-It became clear in the second half of the season that Team White’s greatest strength was actually their defense. The ability to put 4 guys on the court working together on that end is critical, especially in the playoffs when points are already hard to come by. Stringing together stops can be just as good as hitting a few shots in a row depending on the momentum of the game. Team White allowed the fewest points per game in HatchetBall by a huge margin, almost 5 points lower than the next closest. In their last three games, they’re holding teams to just 50 points per game, which is truly incredible. However, after 20 minutes of playoff basketball, they had given up 38 points to Team Orange (on pace for 76 full game points) and faced a 10-point halftime deficit. This was AFTER Rob had scored 20 of his game-high 28 points in the first half. Then, they applied the clamps and allowed just 12 points the rest of the way en route to a comfortable 11-point win. Team Orange didn’t score a single basket inside the 3-point line in the second half. However, they shouldn’t feel badly with their effort in the playoffs. After some attendance issues throughout the season, Team Orange came together for a good 1-1 showing in the playoffs and were certainly in this game for a long stretch. Tip of the cap to Big Lucaduc who, after scoring just 15 points the entire regular season, scored 29 over two playoff games. White advances to the championship.

Round Two, Game Two: #2 Team Red versus #6 Team Green

-Just like COVID-19 numbers popping back up when you think, “this couldn’t possibly happen again…”, Steve’s karmic masochism returns for yet another year, spoiling an extremely promising close to the season for Team Red. Let’s recap: last season, Steve was Team Red and drafted Chuck in the first round. That season ended in disaster, losing to random substitute teenagers in the semi-finals. This year, Steve was Team Red again and drafted Chuck in the first round…again. This time, they were bested by some slightly older hoopsters, but the disappointing lack of effort and organization was the same. In juxtaposition to the other game in Round 2, Red clearly lost this one on the offensive end. Mustering just 48 points against a small, short-handed team is inexcusable. Team Green gave up 73 points last week to the constantly-gassed and age-handicapped Team Blue. Every player on Team Red’s roster scored below their season average. Even Steve, their fearless Team Captain, who boasted an almost impossibly low season average of 4.1 ppg was able to outdo himself and score exactly zero points in this one. Good riddance. Team Green plays the part of Cinderella story this year, galloping to back-to-back victories after their first-rounder went down in the last game of the regular season. They’ll need a minor miracle to keep the streak going against Team White, but you can count on everyone hoping they find a way.

Championship: #1 Team White versus #6 Team Green

-It seems like much longer, but just 2 short years ago, only Matt V was a HatchetBall team captain. When I took over the league, it was necessary for several people to step up and become captains, but I don’t think we realized how that would change the dynamic of the league. Certain players/captains have struggled with building teams that fit around themselves. Others have flourished, but none more than 5.3 points per game Jerry Hahn. Jerry secured his second straight title (3^rd overall) leading Team White to a dominant season and title run. Team Green deserves a ton of credit for persevering through an extremely disappointing regular season and losing their first-round pick one game before the playoffs. In they end, they were within 12 points of winning the whole thing. Like most other teams, they struggled mightily to find offense against Team White, which may go down as the best defensive squad in HatchetBall history. Jerry, I’m sure, is very proud of that fact. Which he should be. But, of course, things change quickly in HatchetBall. Success will make you a target. It also seems unlikely anyone will be able to snag Rob AND Steigerwald ever again, let alone buoyed by some solid HatchetBall rookies that other captains would be happy to have on their roster next year. So, just like we do each season, we congratulate the winners and then tell them to go fuck themselves. A new year is just around the corner and everything resets. Can’t wait.