Atlanta Records vs Philadelphia Row
For a 1-8 series, this one started off surprisingly close. The Records actually led Game 1 at halftime, 64-60, thanks to a buzzer-beating five-point heave from B/ZB Tim Morris, and were keeping things close with Philly until early in the sixth inning, when things took a turn for the worst. Atlanta B/K LaVarius McCargo, playing against his former team, jammed his finger against the goalpost while robbing F/K Chris Gray of a goal. McCargo stayed in the game initially, but with his finger soon swelling to twice its normal size, it became clear that it was a pretty severe fracture. Head coach Kole Charles turned to rookie B/K Kyle Fry to finish off the game, and while it wasn’t a complete disaster, the Row did score 17 of their 28 eighth-inning points past Fry on their way to an 18-point win.

Atlanta stuck with Fry in Game 2, and he did a bit better this time around, only allowing 44 points the entire game, but it was clear that the Records’ road had become much steeper without McCargo in net. Back home for Game 3, the Records tried something new, slotting B/C Anthony Wallace at keeper. Wallace had been alternating time down the stretch with B/C Thomas Notz, who was finally starting to slow down at age 44, and Charles thought he might as well try playing both at the same time. Unfortunately, this ended up the worst result of them all. Philly scored 183 when all was said and done, which can partly be attributed to Wallace, but was also largely the result of the Row offense going off. B/ZB Kenton Snowberger led the team in points contributed with 61, followed by F/Ks Ray Thomas and Chris Gray with 42 and 36 respectively. With Fry back in the lineup in Game 4, Atlanta couldn’t do much of anything except roll over. A 66-point victory and a sub-100 showing for Philly’s defense sent the top seed back to the second round.



Seattle Sawyers vs Texas Redbacks
If you weren’t worried about the Redbacks’ chances to win yet another title, you probably were after Game 1 of this series. While Philly was almost losing to an 8th-seeded Atlanta team, Texas was introducing their division rivals to abject humiliation. The Sawyers only managed 80 points in Game 1, and a W/ZB Williams Denson goal with under 30 seconds left was the only thing separating them from a new playoff low. The Backs, meanwhile, put up 184 points, handing Seattle a 104-point loss in the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Sawyers, and the 99% of the country that was rooting against the Redbacks, this theme would continue throughout the series. Game 2 would be marginally closer, but nowhere near enough to make a difference.

As the series shifted to Seattle … nothing changed. In fact, Texas seemed so determined to prove that nothing had changed that they hung a 200-spot in Game 3. B/K Semarias Garcia finished just one shy of 70 points contributed, while his linemate W/ZB Larry Whitt scored 54. Game 4, like every other game in this series, would also be over by the second inning, as the Redbacks demolished the Sawyers easily to move onto the semifinals.



Miami Palms vs Chicago Frost
When these two teams met in the first round last year, the away team won all but the seventh and final game. In Game 1, it looked like that trend might continue, as Miami took a 63-49 lead into halftime in front of a rather disgruntled Chicago crowd. Frost head coach Leonard Fisher was apparently able to flip a switch during the break, though, as his team started crawling back. Notably, B/ZB Tony Bennett and F/C Greg Bauer dominated the sixth inning, with Bauer scoring 18 points in the inning alone, of which Bennett assisted on 14. Early in the seventh, B/ZB Dewitt Golf gave them the lead, and they never looked back, taking a 1-0 series lead. That momentum seemed to pick up right where it left off in Game 2, as Chicago never trailed, cruising to a 57-point win as the series moved to Florida.

In Sunrise, the Palms were able to get things back under control. As usual, much of the team’s offense revolved around B/ZB Gerald Hartline, who contributed 48 of the Palms’ 123 points on the night. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be enough to beat the Frost, as Greg Bauer continued to have the series of his life, scoring 50+ for the second game in a row, helped along once again by 38 PA from Tony Bennett. In Game 4, the Flakes would put the nail in the coffin early, getting out to a 38-21 lead before letting off the gas a bit. While certainly a lot less entertaining this time around, Chicago would eliminate Miami for the second year in a row and move on to a Finals rematch against the Redbacks.



New York Chargers vs Nashville Fugitives
With this series featuring the NDL’s most improved team against the league’s most disappointing team, many were calling for an upset here. With most of the pressure on them, the Fugitives came out and controlled Game 1. The two-headed monster of F/C Michel Blanchard and W/K Will Orleans dominated both sides of the ball as usual, as the two combined for 72 of the D-squad’s 86 points in the opening match, while only conceding a total of 14. New York was able to put up a respectable 109, but this game proved that Nashville was indeed the better team. Game 2 saw a very similar game ultimately lead to a very similar scoreline, and down 2-0, the Chargers would have to change something up as the series moved to Manhattan.

Change things up they did. New York began double-teaming both Blanchard and Orleans whenever possible. This did lead to some moments of defensive confusion, as the Fugues began to send both players to the same place, sometimes leading to a wide-open man. B/ZB Jack Odom largely capitalized on this to the tune of 24 points, but overall, the strategy worked for the Bulls. The game would be tight going into the final inning, and Chargers B/ZB Brandon Walter would hit a three-point bucket to tie it at 116 with just 4 seconds left, all but sending the game to overtime. Unfortunately, the Fugitives had other plans. B/K Paul Cox collected the ball for the defense and found B/ZB Dave Sanderson just inside his own 5-point line. Sanderson would throw up a prayer, and by some miracle, it would fall through the basket, giving Nashville a thrilling victory. New York fought hard to avoid the sweep in Game 4, but Nashville’s offense couldn’t be stopped, as players continued to pick up the slack for Blanchard and Orleans, and the Fugitives would complete the “sweep of sweeps,” moving on with the fourth 4-0 victory of the round.

That's the chalkiest chalk round I've ever seen. Hopefully the semi-finals will provide some fireworks!

Well that was pretty boring. Okay Chicago do everyone outside of Dallas-Fort Worth a favor!

Come on, Frost, show those Redbacks what for!

Darknes wrote:

Well that's um..exciting..jeez 4 sweeps and all the favorites won

Steelman wrote:

That's the chalkiest chalk round I've ever seen. Hopefully the semi-finals will provide some fireworks!

Rugrat wrote:

Well that was pretty boring. Okay Chicago do everyone outside of Dallas-Fort Worth a favor!

Yeah, it wasn't a very exciting round. I tried my best to add some interesting bits and pieces, but there's not much to do when the top seed wins literally every game. I think this just shows how much of a hierarchy there was - it was really the top 4 teams and then everybody else. I know it's a low bar, but I can safely say the next two rounds will be more fun to read.