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4/26/2021 3:02 pm  #561


Re: National Dashball League

Haters gonna hate. AHTR!



AHS Admin. Creator of the THLPUCHWHA: Redux and Retroliga.
 

4/26/2021 3:07 pm  #562


Re: National Dashball League

Honestly, I hope LA upsets Texas, but I don't think that is going to happen realistically. I agree with the others in thinking that it is going to be another Philly-Texas final.

Last edited by Kingsfan11 (4/26/2021 3:09 pm)





 
 

5/08/2021 11:05 am  #563


Re: National Dashball League

Hey y'all! Sorry it's taken so long to get the first round done, but I've been really swamped with homeworks and final project for the last couple weeks. Fortunately (?), my school's servers have been down for the last 24 hours or so, giving me more time than expected to get this finished up. Without further ado, let's just jump into it:

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Los Angeles Sabertooths vs Texas Redbacks
This series was billed as a division rivalry, and, well, it was, but given that the Redbacks had as many wins this season as the Tooths had had over the previous eight seasons, was it really a rivalry? LA had finally managed to beat Texas this year for the first time since 2022, but lost their other five matchups. All of this is to say that when the Sabertooths went to the locker room with a 3-point lead, it was a bit of a surprise. They weren’t able to hold the lead for long, as Texas tied it up on their first possession of the fifth, soon took the lead, and ended up winning by 17, but at the very least, the Tooths were able to hang with the Redbacks. Game 2 saw the Backs pulling away a little earlier, though LA kept it slightly closer in the end.

Game 3 saw Staples Center’s first NDL playoff game in nearly a decade, and boy, was it a game to see. The lead went back and forth all game, with no team really going on a run or leading by more than 6 or 7 points at any time. Naturally, it would come down to who had the ball last, and fortunately for the home crowd, it was LA, as Texas W/ZB Ricky Parron had just put his team up by two. Needing any score to tie and a 3 or a 5 to win it, W/ZB Jase Manley would take the final shot, and while it would beat B/K Rick Delaney, it wouldn’t beat the crossbar. Texas would hold on to take a 3-0 series lead, and a 34-point performance from W/ZB Larry Whitt would put a bow on the series, as the Redbacks would earn the sweep, albeit a closer one than they might have liked.



New York Chargers vs Orlando Orbits
A rematch of last year’s first round series, this was expected to be a close, hard-fought series, and Game 1 certainly lived up to the hype. The teams went at it for the full 64, exchanging narrow leads until the very last minute. The Chargers were holding onto a narrow 1-point lead, but on the game’s final possession, OPOTY B/ZB Frank St. Peter found F/C Erik Magana in the crease for a game-winning, two point goal. The crowd in Orlando was ecstatic, and eyes everywhere gravitated towards this series - surely this thrilling first game would lead to an exciting series, right?

Unfortunately for those fans, and New York fans in particular, they’d get some devastating news right before Game 2. Chargers W/ZB J.K. Hardin had broken his thumb while trying to turn on the hotel shower and would be out for the rest of the series. Without him, the Chargers couldn’t quite pull things together, and the Orbits came up with a decisive win to take a 2-0 series lead. The Bulls were a bit more composed on their home court, as DPOTY B/ZB Brandon Walter led them to play a more defensive style, and while it was a low-scoring game, it wouldn’t work out, leaving them in a 3-0 hole. Their efforts to avoid the sweep would prove fruitless, as Orlando would get revenge on New York and move onto the second round for the first time in franchise history.



Chicago Frost vs Philadelphia Row
In contrast to the previous series, this wasn’t expected to be particularly close, but Game 1 defied expectations. With two of the top 5 defensive teams in the league going at it, the series opener saw a tight, low-scoring game, with the former East Division rivals fighting tooth-and-nail for every point. Surprisingly, Chicago was staying in it, and were even beginning to smell an upset late in the game. B/ZB Tony Bennett put the Frost up by two with less than a minute to go, and the defense even managed to get a stop on the ensuing Row possession, but with a chance to ice the game (get it?), disaster struck. W/ZB Terry Rothgeb, who had just knocked down a pass in the end zone, went to retrieve the ball near the goal line, but so did F/ZB Jasper Davila. The two got tangled up, Rothgeb twisted his ankle, and the ball trickled back over the goal line, putting it back in play for the Philadelphia offense. W/ZB Benny Ochoa alertly found it with his feet and put a shot on goal from what should have been an impossible angle but which a 38-year-old W/K Nico Boyer couldn’t quite react to in time. The goal was worth three points and would prove to be the final score of the game, giving Philly a nail-biting Game 1 win.

The Row looked to re-establish themselves in Game 2, and did just that, cruising to a 30-point win on the backs of 40+ points contributed from Ochoa, B/ZB Kenton Snowberger, and F/K Chris Gray. Things would shift in Game 3, though, as Chicago’s offense decided it was their turn to go off. The Flakes scored 127 points, a figure that Philly had only allowed eight times over the course of the regular season. Tony Bennett showed everyone why he was the first player in NDL history to win three straight MVPs, finishing with 33 points assisted, many of which went to F/C Greg Bauer, who scored 39 on the night. With that, the Frost became the first 8 seed in NDL history to win a playoff game.

That high wouldn’t last long, though, as the teams would be thrust into another defensive battle in Game 4. This time, Philadelphia would get out ahead, and stay ahead for the vast majority of the game, but Chicago wouldn’t go away, and the game stayed consistently within 6-12 points. The Frost would turn up the pressure in the final minutes, but couldn’t consistently convert on opportunities, ultimately falling by seven. With the series back in the Keystone State, the Row wouldn’t miss an opportunity to put the final nail in the coffin. A lockdown defensive performance would hold Chicago to 87 points, as the NDL’s top team survived a closer-than-they’d-like first round.



Nashville Fugitives vs Miami Palms
A 4-5 series between two evenly matched divisional rivals? Folks, you’re not gonna see many series better than this one. Unlike the other three series, though, this one didn’t get out to a particularly exciting start. In fact, Miami led by 20 at halftime of Game 1, a result which would pretty much hold throughout half number two. The Palms would go on to win by 25, the largest margin of any Game 1. Game 2 started out similarly, but things would quickly sour for the Neon Trees as F/ZB Mack Lauder hyperextended his knee after landing awkwardly on a catch. F/ZB Rook McMillian subbed in, but neither he nor F/ZB Chuck Johnson is an especially prolific scorer, and Nashville was able to capitalize. W/K Will Orleans scored 36 to lead both teams, and the Fugitives earned the split, taking the series home tied at one game apiece.

Miami wasn’t about to give up hope, though. Head coach Patrick Sanders, Jr. unrolled a new strategy for Game 3. Johnson and McMillian would effectively camp out in the crease, making sure the center and keeper both had to keep an eye on them, and thus freeing up the other five guys on offense to move around more. Sanders would later jokingly refer to it as the “Sean Avery method,” and while it wasn’t as blatantly obtrusive as the former Ranger’s antics, it certainly paid off. Together with a greater focus on defense, the Palms slowly pulled away and grabbed a road win of their own. Not only that, they pulled it off again in Game 4; Nashville couldn’t quite seem to counter with their own adjustment, resulting in a disappointing result for the Trashville faithful as they’d lose two in a row at home and head back to Sunrise for an elimination game.

Fortunately, with an extra day of rest, the Fugues seemed to have it figured out. Will Orleans called it “mostly a mental problem,” saying they just had to keep them out of their heads. The result was the closest game of the series by far. Orleans would find F/ZB Eddie McDonald in the end zone to go up by 4 with just a few ticks left, and W/ZB Bruce Pointe’s long heave would fall well short, keeping Nashville alive. They’d use that opportunity to finally put on a show for their fans, as Orleans and McDonald combined for 52 points and young B/ZB Taylor Quick helped them out with a solid 33 points contributed. Nashville really should have saved some of that for Game 7, however, as defense once again returned to being the star of the show, and Miami’s put up a stellar performance. The Palms held the Fugitives to just 97 points, and survived a roller coaster of a series for a date with Philly in round 2.





[url=ahsports.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=23]National Dashball League[/url] || [url=boards.sportslogos.net/topic/119263-r/]US Quadball Redesign[/url]
     Thread Starter
 

5/08/2021 12:04 pm  #564


Re: National Dashball League

Well, at least the Miami-Nashville series was good. Real shame for New York, they could've kept it close with the Orbits if not for that injury. Hopefully we get some upsets in Round 2, otherwise we're headed for Philly-Texas again.

 

5/08/2021 12:20 pm  #565


Re: National Dashball League

Great series between the Palms and Bandits, It's a shame that it's the only one that went the distance. I'm gonna predict a finals match-up between Philly and Orlando.





 
 

5/08/2021 2:06 pm  #566


Re: National Dashball League

AHTR



AHS Admin. Creator of the THLPUCHWHA: Redux and Retroliga.
 

5/09/2021 10:29 am  #567


Re: National Dashball League

Let's go Palms! Shake things up, upset the Row.



2x Alt Champion :: AltLB Champion Oklahoma City Bison - 2022 :: AltFL Champion New York Emperors - 2022

 

6/03/2021 7:59 pm  #568


Re: National Dashball League

Orlando Orbits vs Texas Redbacks
After last season, when the 2-3 series between Chicago and these same Texas Redbacks was decided by a single possession, it was a bit of a disappointment that Orlando and Texas had finished 12 games apart in the standings. The Orbits weren’t slouches, sure, but they didn’t look like they belonged in the same conversation for the first half of Game 1, as the Redbacks took a 27-point lead into halftime. To their credit, they managed to chip away at the lead in the back nine, but could only chip about halfway, taking a 15-point loss. Not about to let any momentum keep shifting the Orbs’ way, the Redbacks came out to prove a point in Game 2. W/ZB Larry Whitt was electric, scoring 44 points and assisting on 17 more, but the defense played just as big a part, holding Orlando to just 96. W/C Elide Amigazzi and B/K Rick Delaney put on a show in the even innings, shutting down all but six scoring opportunities that came their way throughout the course of the game.

Down 2-0, Orlando was determined to make something happen for their fans in Game 3. They did put on their best offensive performance of the series, with B/K Gene Martin contributing 36 on the night, but unfortunately for them, so did Texas. Larry Whitt continued to ball out, including a much-GIF’d alley-oop from B/C Kevin Hur that posterized Martin, making his night all the more frustrating. With the series all but decided in Game 4, both teams looked extremely sloppy all night. Both head coaches made substitutions at halftime, almost unheard of in the sport, to try to send a message to their respective teams, but it didn’t make much of a difference, leading to one of the lowest scoring games in NDL playoff history. The Redbacks became just the second team ever to eliminate an opponent by scoring less than 100 points, winning an ugly match 99-75 to - say it with me! - advance to the NDLCS.



Miami Palms vs Philadelphia Row
Coming off a grueling 7-game series with Nashville, the Palms started Game 1 looking noticeably sluggish. They fell behind by 23 by the end of the third inning, and while they were able to more or less keep pace from there, it was probably more because Philly had slowed down to match them than because they were actually playing better. That showed in Game 2; while Miami played a more consistent game throughout, so did the Row, who scored a century and a half. Led by W/ZB Benny Ochoa’s 38 points and W/ZB Leon Leyva’s 32, the blue and brick cruised to a commanding win to go up 2-0.

Something must have clicked back on the jet black court, though, because Miami’s defense stepped it up in Game 3. Maybe it was the extra day of rest, maybe it was playing in front of their home crowd, but whatever the reason, the Palms were hanging in there. Former Redbacks B/ZB Gerald Hartline and W/ZB Kyle Barb led a stifling zone back defense and B/K J.D. Gilley rebounded from a disappointing start to the postseason to shut down his share of the net. Even still, it was barely enough to stay afloat, but stay afloat they did. With time winding down, W/ZB Rich Abbott would find space past F/K Cai Lai, giving Miami a 2-point lead but also giving Philadelphia another chance. He didn’t leave a whole lot of time, though, and a long heave from B/ZB Kenton Snowberger would rim out, marking the second time this postseason the Row had lost in Game 3.

Like in the prior series, they played a better Game 4, but still a close one, as the Palms once again hung around for much of the game. Through seven, the score sat at 101-94; a two-possession game and one which could certainly go either way in the final frame. Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Row could’ve not scored at all and still won the game, as Miami’s offense went completely cold, putting up a measly five points all inning. Philly would take Game 4, and with yet another rematch with Texas in their sights, would cruise to a Game 5 win as well, holding the Palms to just 96 points and beating them by 40. For the fourth straight year, the Finals would feature the same two teams: Cleveland and Golden St- I mean Philadelphia and Texas.




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Hey gang! This bit's at the end now. Sorry this post took literal years, but on top of graduating from college and hitting the job market, I realized when I first went to write this that I had made a mistake while simulating. Fortunately, it didn't affect the final results, but it did mean that a fun plot point that I was really looking forward to writing had to get nixed because the results no longer worked well for it. That left me super unmotivated to write this, and it took until earlier tonight for me to even start, but I figured I'd just go do the damn thing and, well, I done did it. Hope you enjoyed, and I promise I'll get the NDLCS up before July. Thanks for reading!

-idm

P.S. Fun little tidbit: both of the teams that got eliminated in this round can take some solace in the fact that their respective NDDL teams faced off in the NDDL Championship Series, with Phoenix taking down Raleigh in 6 games.



[url=ahsports.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=23]National Dashball League[/url] || [url=boards.sportslogos.net/topic/119263-r/]US Quadball Redesign[/url]
     Thread Starter
 

6/03/2021 8:07 pm  #569


Re: National Dashball League

go row

Last edited by Sevsdast (6/03/2021 8:15 pm)



Owner of the Indiana Cardinals (2005 AltBA Champions) the owner of the Memphis Kings, and new owner of the Milwaukee Mallards! #HoosierBirds #KingUp #QuackQuack
 

6/03/2021 8:29 pm  #570


Re: National Dashball League

Damn, a Philly-Texas match-up in the finals, who would've thought it?  But seriously, go Philly!





 
 

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