SLOE'S 1st EVER INTERACTIVE PLAYOFF CONSOLATION BRACKET

[IamQuailman]

So your team got knocked out in Round 1 and you are feeling down in the dumps? Well chin up, because you still have something to play for!! And no I'm not talking about pride... you are now competing for the 1st ever... unofficial...

SLOE PLAYOFF CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

*pause for applause*

How will this work you may ask? Well I will start with the SLOE CONSOLATION CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS. Here i will pit the losers (in similar bracket order as the actual playoffs) against one another and discuss the matchups between said teams. After the match-ups are posted for all Semi-Final teams, I will then list polls that will run for 2 days where voters can pick who they think would win in each matchup. Feel free to write up a one paragraph blurb why you think your choice will win if the comments of the poll. If you blurb it up for every poll, you might even be able to claim 1 pt** for your team's bank!

** Have no received official "ok" on this... so I'll let you know one way or the other

Once the Semi Finals are done, we will move to the CONSOLATION CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! In a similar fashion, we'll have polls and blurbs and winners that will inevitably advance to the CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP, where they too will have a poll and potentially blurbs. ONCE WE HAVE A WINNER CROWNED, I will award said winner with a very special banner that can be used in their SLOE sig. OOOOH WHAT FUN!

So let's get started with our Matchups!

CONSOLATION CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

Western Conference
Nuggets vs. Pelicans
Trailblazers vs. Rockets

Eastern Conference
76ers vs. Bobcats
Hawks vs. Wizards

Match-up deep dive coming soon!

[IamQuailman]

NUGGETS vs. PELICANS:

How they got here:

The Nuggets were looking to be a pushover in their matchup with the T-wolves. After getting handed a 0-3 hole to dig out of, the Nuggets showed true grit as they scratched and clawed their way back to a would-be reverse sweep. Each of their last 3 games were pushed decided by 6 points or less. In Game 6 they had a chance to tie/go for the win, but blew it with an errant pass on the last possession of the game (#ThanksKyleSingler).

Conversely, after the Pelicans' wings got clipped in Round 1 by the Grizzlies, they look to rebound in the SLOE Consolation Playoff Bracket. After a couple close losses at home, they gave up and didn't put up much a fight in VanMemphis (wherever the hell that is). The Grizzlies swept them like a dirty floor.

Tales of the Tape:

The Nuggets have a formidable and deep squad, with the only true weakness being at the Forward positions. Don't get me wrong; Kyle Singler had one of the best seasons of his career. He is just a defensive sieve in a league where perimeter defense is so important. Likewise for James McCormick, who had a fantastic rookie campaign. He can contribute on the offensive end, but the old cliché goes "Defense wins championships!" And well... let's just say Defense also doesn't send you to the second best bracket in the league... THE CONSOLATION PLAYOFF BRACKET. Chet Dooley and Jrue Holiday are phenomenal on the perimeter and facilitating the offense. With Buddy Hield coming off the bench, this is one of the nicer 3-guard rotations in the league. Lamarcus Aldridge and Tyson Chandler shore up their front court, with James McCormick getting the nod ahead of Chandler in the starting 5.

The Pelicans are similar to the Nuggets in a few ways. Their guards are very talented. Damian Lillard finished Top 5 in scoring this season, posting career best field goal percentage while not really dipping off in the usage. They added Brandon Jennings mid-season who helped them to make a late season push. Blake Griffin seems to have the advantage here over James McCormick, and should dominate him in the paint on both ends. Mozgov is serviceable (even if he is a Russian spy) and should be able to give Aldridge fits. But then we get to Aaron Gimme Dat Money Gordon... Who has been the season-long thorn in this team's side. If the Nuggets can attack him (along with Damian's weak defense), they could very much so have a shot.

[IamQuailman]

TRAILBLAZERS vs. ROCKETS:

How they got here:

Not to pile on, but talk about one of the more disappointing finishes for a team this season... The Trailblazers, despite going all in, were upset by the Pashitfic Division Champs Phoenix Suns in a 4-1 series. Is it really an upset when going against the 2nd best OP in our league? Not really. But the expectations of it all after going all in with Rose, Faried, McCullom, Ed Davis, Lamb and Tatum was much higher than a first round exit and early season finish.... luckily for the Blazers, their season is NO LONGER OVER!!!

The Rockets have possibly hit the reset button after a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the surging Mavericks. One of the oldest teams in the league, many pundits say the Houston vets legs just started to give out from underneath them down the stretch. Hopefully they have a little gas still left in the tank... because they have at least one more round of basketball to take care of!!

Tales of the Tape:

The Trailblazers are one of the rosters in the league. Rose and McCullom are phenoms with the ball, scoring at will. Faried, Bogut, and Davis will grab whatever they do not make. With those 3 up front, it's hard to imagine them struggling in the paint, whether its manning up or creating havoc at the point of attack. The question lies with their SF position. The Blazers have been back and forth on who to give the edge to here. Jayson Tatum has all the athletic and offensive tools to make an immediate impact, but on defense he's more lost than a person driving in a foreign country with no map or GPS. Lamb, on the other hand, can play some defense, make some shots, and fill the role required. Issue with Lamb is size and athleticism.

The Rockets are very top heavy. Al Horford, Chris Bosh, and Thaddeus Young are 3 starters that are long and can get their opponents fits. The problem is in the guard rotation, with everyone NOT named Ty Lawson. After Lawson, the Rockets struggle with consistency from their other starter and reserves. Cory Joseph has been serviceable for them, but he's not a guy you can count on day in and day out. The biggest matchups between these two teams will be seeing if Horford and Bosh can power through the Blazers' front court while praying that Lawson, Joseph, and Young can hold off the offensive onslaught from Rose, McCullom, and the law office of Tatum and Lamb.

[IamQuailman]

76ERS vs. BOBCATS:

How they got here:

Two letters: A. D. Or maybe O. P. Either way, the Sixers ran into the Playoff wall named Anthony Davis. It was an unfortunate 1st round matchup, because I felt like the Sixers were on a hot streak the 2nd half of the season. They still gave the Detroit ADs a fight, getting 2 wins against them. Bravo! Fortunately for you though, you can throw that participation trophy away.. because you are going for the real prize now. REDEMPTION IS REAL IN THE CONSOLATION BRACKET!!!

The GMOY Candidate DarthVegito has some amazing talent on this team. However, the Nets unfortunately had more talent in the Bobcats' areas of weakness to overcome the extremely deep, extremely prolific scoring rotation of JKLK (John, Kyrie, Lavar, Klay). The Nets overpowered the Bobcats, who probably would have matched up better against the Pistons to be honest with you. Life's about 2nd chances, and you have one now!

Tales of the Tape:

The Sixers are quite the accumulation of talent and athleticism. So many highly skilled players that are versatile and difficult to game plan for. If you look at this roster, there is no real weakspot. In fact there is not a starter on this team below 6'7". That is scary AF. Gordon Hayward, not your prototypical PG, is facilitating the offense and running point. Size alone he's a matchup nightmare. Grimaldi is 6'7" and coming into his own. While he's showcased his offensive abilities this season, he's also showcased that he's still a turnstile on defense. Harrison Barnes is your do everything forward that plays just enough defense that you don't complain. He's a perfect 3rd (or 4th or even 5th, in this case) banana. Ben Simmons has been having a coming out party all year. Still a little green behind the ears, and his defense can be exploited. Enes Kanter is one of the most solid (and underrated) bigs in the league, and will be a fun matchup to see Kanter go against his old team.

The Bobcats love to run the small ball line-up featuring their boy band... JKLK. Each player is interchangeable where they play, and this versatility can drive GMs insane. We've seen Darth run Kyrie at the 3 with Klay at the Point, just to then play Kyrie at the point and Klay at the 4. You never know where these guys will show up or matchup on your team. And they will need this kind of confusion to get past the Sixers. My only real concern is if you go small against the Sixers do you stay back on the perimeter and fire away or do you attack and try to get the defenders (who are not really that great defensively... yet) on their heels. The talent on both teams is great; it's just how you use them.

[IamQuailman]

HAWKS vs. WIZARDS:

How they got here:

Since 2012, the Hawks and Cavaliers have met in the playoffs 5 times. 2012 was the last time the Cavaliers advanced to the 2nd round (they played the Hawks and got swept). Of the 4 other times, the Hawks always met the Cavs in the 1st round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and the result had always been the same... HaWWWks. Except this time, the Cavs gave the Hawks a shocker (no not that kind...) and stole a W from them in A-Town. Now the Hawks are sitting pretty... FACING A CHANCE TO BE THE FIRST EVER SLOE CONSOLATION PLAYOFF CHAMPION!!!

The Wizards squeaked into the playoffs this year, just edging out the Pacers and Knicks. And with that tie-breaker over Indy, the Wizards were honored with the opportunity to get backhanded repeatedly by the 1st seed Orlando Fire-Hot Magic. They took a couple Ls to start the series, but gave the Magic a little scare once they took a win at home and almost stole another in Game 5. Unfortunately, they just didn't have the offensive firepower to keep even with Orlando.

Tales of the Tape:

So much talent on the Hawks. Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Daniel Randle, ageless Deron Williams, Harland Ellinger, Greg Monroe, Thomas Robinson... How the hell did these guys lose in round 1?! That said, this is one of the best and deepest squads in the CONSOLATION PLAYOFF BRACKET, and who knows where you will find Daniel Randle lining up. If you are lucky, maybe he'll line up as coach... even then he may still block 3 or 4 of your shots a game... WITH HIS MIND.


The Wizards have a very large roster, somewhat similar to the Sixers. MCW is an interesting player as he's a bit of a Tyreke Evans lite. He has the versatility to play either guard spot or small forward too. Byron Odell has been a HUGE find for them. A 7' SF with 53 QKN. Incredible. The fact that Xist has Drummond and Adams as at least 2 other bigs he can throw at Monroe and Robinson, this could make things pretty interesting. Scoring over a quick 7' forward isn't the easiest thing to do. The talent on the Wizards is still a little raw, but upsets can happen any day. Hawks got upset once already; could it happen again?

[IamQuailman]

JUST LIKE THAT, our Semi-Finals are OVER!!!

In our first series, the Nuggets and the Pelicans had a heated and intense series going to 7 games, and after a cheap shot clear-out elbow to the head by Aaron Gordon to take out Jrue Holiday for the remainder of the game, the Pelicans won Game 7. A tight series, just like we all thought it would be!

The Trailblazers came out swinging and got up on the Rockets 2-0 out the gate. Rockets came back and managed to win a home game, but they lost the second, which sent the elimination game back to Portland. Derrick Rose and CJ McCullom were thrilled with the chance to FINALLY advance in a playoff round and came out firing a combined 75% from the field. Nothing could stop them. Sorry 78; Trailblazers won game 5 and advanced.

Many wrote the Bobcats off coming in, and the many definitely wrote them off after going 0-2 against the 76ers. However, once the game came back to Charlotte, the Bobcats surged back winning both home games, and tying the series up 2-2. That momentum carried over into game 5 as well, as they were up by 3 with 2 minutes remaining. But then an adjustment of Harrison Barnes and Ben Simmons playing the 4 and 5 was too much of a mismatch for the Bobcats to overcome in the closing minutes. They lost Game 5 and, subsequently, lost Game 6 as well. The promise is there for this team... just needs a piece or 2 and watch out. But until then, fishing season is upon us! Sixers advance, 4-2.

Poor Wizards came in to face the angry Hawks, who looked absolutely determined on decimation of their foe, regardless. After starting game 1 on a 25-0 run, there was no coming back for the Wizards as they were emotionally and physically broken (literally their entire line-up was D2D with minor injuries after Game 1). Hawks advance, 4-0.

OUR CONSOLATION CONFERENCE FINAL MATCHUPS ARE:

PELICANS v. TRAILBLAZERS (Pelicans have home court advantage)
HAWKS v. 76ERS (Hawks have home court advantage)

Polls will be up shortly!

[ballsohard]

You can claim 5 points for this, thanks for doing this doug!

[IamQuailman]

WHAT A WILD FINISH TO THE CONSOLATION CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!

In the West, it wasn't really that wild.... unless you really enjoyed the ending to Old Yeller. The Pelicans won game 1 of the series, but subsequently got beaten by 20+ points in each of the last 4 games, as the Trailblazers finished VERY strong. Rose and McCullom LIT UP the back court of the Pelicans, blowing by and blowing up the box scores. Jennings became the ultimate chucker, and the Pelicans didn't have the bodies up front to steal the offensive glass away from the Blazers. Congrats to Kucoach and the Portland Trailblazers on their CONSOLATION FINALS BERTH!!

The East was very different from the West this season... and this series did not disappoint. After alternating victories until Game 7, the Hawks and Sixers did not show any quit. Each game (except 2) was decided by 5 points or less (2 of which in OT). Game 7 itself was insane. After Draymond Green got into early foul trouble, the Hawks surged back after being down 15 in the 3rd to make it a 85-87 score (Sixers up). The Sixers then had a scare as Ben Simmons tweaked his ankle with 5 minutes to go in the 4th, allowing the Hawks to take a 5 point lead. With an impressive showing from Harrison Barnes and Markelle Fultz, the Sixers got the ball back down 1 with 15 seconds (and 1 time out left). The Sixers advanced past half-court and inbounded the pass to Hayward who tried to shake Williams. With 8 seconds left, he launched a 3 that rimmed out. Monroe secured the rebound... but then had it stripped by Grimaldi under the basket and put up a hail mary lay-up back in the hoop as time expired. The refs checked the clock, and the ball was out of Grimaldi's hands with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. Sixers advance!

CONGRATS TO THOSE WHO ADVANCED TO THE FINAL ROUND of the SLOE CONSOLATION PLAYOFF BRACKET!!! I'm going to try something a little different instead of a poll. So please bear with me while I try to get it together. If I can't manage to do what I plan to do... I'll put up a poll to decide our 1st ever Consolation Champion!!

[ballsohard]

you’re capped out homie but i loved the series


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