2022-2023 Playoffs

	1. Pink
	4/24/23 @ 7:00 PM
4. Yellow		1. Pink
4/17/23 @ 8:00 PM	4. Yellow
5. White
		5/1/22 @ 8:00 PM	1. Pink
3. Blue
4/17/23 @ 7:00 PM	3. Blue
6. Purple	4/24/23 @ 8:00 PM	3. Blue
	2. Green

Round One, Game One: #3 Team Blue versus #6 Team Purple

-While the outcome of this one was a foregone conclusion, it was still pleasantly surprising to see Purple show up with 4 guys and play hard. They were outgunned in every capacity and have been for several months. They likely didn’t belong in the playoffs at all and were faced with an insurmountable handicap losing their captain and best defender, rebounder, and playmaker. May Jerry Hahn Rest in Piss with the rest of his Purple cohorts. Team Blue used great performances from Justin and Konrad to easily get through to Round 2, where a rematch with Team Green awaits them. Light the beacons.

Round One, Game Two: #4 Team Yellow versus #5 Team White

-Most years, attendance isn’t a problem in the playoffs. Almost every team struggles to get their guys there in the regular season, but the playoffs are such a lightning round that most guys understand the importance of being there no matter what. Unfortunately for White, after beating Team Yellow one week earlier, they were missing two of their starters and got blown off the court. No magic from Rob in this one. Steven Jones made his playoff debut in a big way with 41 points. No one could stop him. They advance and get a crack at the top-seeded Team Pink in Round 2.

Round Two, Game One: #1 Team Pink versus #4 Team Yellow

-We’ve seen some supernova performances in the playoffs over the years. Rob has had some stand-out games and Steigerwald was red hot back in 2015. Interestingly, there isn’t a ton of evidence these one-man shows actually increase your odds of winning the title. Most of the years were won by the best overall team and rarely required their best player to do the lion’s share of the scoring. It’s possible riding one horse to the promised land isn’t a great strategy. That being said, it’s hard to second guess a guy when he’s rolling the way Stevan Jones was in these playoffs. He ended with 41 points in the first round and followed that up with 39 in the second round against the best defense in HatchetBall. His ability to isolate and hit tough, contested jumpers time and time again won’t soon be forgotten, even if his team will be. Yellow led this one by double digits for most of the first and second half. But, true to form, Team Pink just wouldn’t give up or panic. They worked as a collective unit to identify mismatches and came up with some timely steals to slowly chip away at the lead until they took over near the end. Even with some missed free throws keeping them from putting the game away, they were again able to rely on their defense to get a critical stop at the buzzer and secure their spot in the championship game.

Round Two, Game Two: #2 Team Green versus #3 Team Blue

-In a rematch of a thriller from Week 16, Team Blue looked like the dominant team in this one from the very beginning. Justin took the personal challenge of guarding Chris and was the difference maker, not just holding Chris to a low scoring game, but doing so on an island, allowing his teammates to stay home on Green’s many shooters. Green’s lack of secondary playmaking was glaring and their good looks were few and far between. Blue kept the pressure on all game and eventually Green seemed to bury themselves beneath the onslaught. Blue advances to the title game in a showdown between the 2 best teams in HatchetBall.

Championship:

-For a team that came into the championship with a 12-1 record, Team Pink’s last 2 months weren’t quite as smooth as you’d expect. While they continued to win games, many were very close and uglier than they would have liked. On the flip side, Blue was coming off of one of its best games of the season in the semi-final. Most expected a close game, but perhaps Blue had a slight edge on paper. Instead, we got an absolutely dominating defensive performance from Team Pink that allowed them to win comfortably. Team Blue was held to its lowest output of the season with just 51 points. Only 2 players reached double figures, but outside of Justin, none of them played up to their usual standards. Pink kept the pressure on and dominated the glass on both ends of the court. They shared the ball and took advantage of every mismatch they could, flipping the script on Team Blue by having 4 players in double figures for their second straight game. The takeaway from this season will be Mark’s 6^th ring and historic 13-1 season, but it should also serve as a stabilization year, where player retention and league parity will start to increase. We have a solid new home for the league, a wildly popular podcast in place, and a new generation of HatchetManiacs looking for glory. Next year should be even better.