The second season is upon us, and we have 7 teams who will be competing for the right to be the Fall Tuesday Comp Division Champions. The Summer 17 Champs Sharks will be looking to repeat as champions and will face a stiff challenge to do so with a few other teams that can be looked at as favorites. Hong Shing has had a great run his season, but will they be able to overcome their first loss of the season with an extra week off with their bye? Let’s look at the 1st round matchups we have this week:

7:10pm - #3 New Era (6-2) Vs. #6 Salami & Cheese (3-5)

Salami & Cheese were able to sneak into the playoffs with a convincing win over Bugatti in Week 9. Their reward is a date with a red-hot New Era team with only 1 loss in their last 5 games. This matchup is a contrast of styles, with New Era showcasing a fierce transition attack and swarming defense. Salami & Cheese counter that with a strong physical presence on both ends, and a new found ability to hit from deep consistently that has helped turn their season around.

Key Matchup: Kwasi Adu-Basowah Vs. Christian Coldea

Both of these guys are considered the glue to their team, and their impact on a game can have a huge impact on their team’s success. Both are known as tenacious rebounders and show similar qualities on offense as well. Kwasi holds the edge in playmaking ability, however, and should be able to utilize that against an S&C team that tends to overcommit while guarding on bigs. Coldea will look to attack from the mid-range, and has the physicality to make this a tough matchup for Kwasi.

8:20pm - #4 Crane (4-4) Vs. #5 Sunnybrook (3-5)

With the win last week, Sunnybrook was able to secure a playoff spot and move up in the standings because of their tie-breaker advantage. They have not performed up to their usual ability this season and will be coming out hungry to redeem this season with a strong playoff showing. They will be in tough against a potent Crane team that is able to explode on offense if their shooters are in. They also do a great job on the glass defensively, which they use to fuel their lethal transition attack.

Key Matchup: Leon Samuels Vs. AJ Serjue

AJ Serjue has been flat out dominant throughout this MVP caliber season, leading the league in scoring, rebounding and assists per game. Samuels is one of if not the best 1 on 1 defenders in the league and will need to be on his A game defensively here. Samuels will need to also keep Serjue on his toes defensively and has the ability to kill defenses with his lethal mid-range game. This matchup should have a large impact on which of these teams emerges with the win.

9:30pm - #2 Sharks (7-1) Vs. #7 Bugatti Boys (3-5)

What better way to end off the opening night of playoffs than to have a Summer 17 title game rematch between the 2 teams that went down to the buzzer for the chip. Sharks have been rolling this season, with their only setback coming against Hong Shing. Bugatti has been up and down during the season and appear to be in tough against a team they have had problems with the last 2 seasons. The size of the Sharks creates problems for the Bugatti backcourt and if they don’t find a way to get out on the break and take advantage of their speed, they could be in tough.

Key Matchup: Dan Bederman/Vlad Kovalevsky Vs. James Clark/Tristan Stern - A big game from the Bugatti frontcourt duo of Clark and Stern will be essential to slow down MVP candidate Dan Bederman and Vlad Kovalevsky. The Sharks duo has locked up the paint and has controlled the glass on the defensive end for the Sharks, who turned in the leagues best defense on the season. Which duo will push their team over the top to move to the Semi-Finals?

Bye Week: #1 Hong Shing (7-1)

After nearly completing an undefeated regular season for the 2nd time since joining Megacity Basketball in 2016, Hong Shing will sit and wait to see who their opponent will be in their Semi-Final matchup next week. With an extra week off to think about their loss to New Era to close their season, look for a motivated Hong Shing team to show up with a spot in the final on the line.

Good Luck to all teams in the playoffs, and make sure you don’t leave the house without your bag of onions tonight or it could be your last trip to the gym this season.

Writer - Clayton Conway