2011 Postseason Preview: This is What It's All About

With the playoffs starting later today, here a few questions regarding this year's tournament.

Who's the favorite?
There isn't one. The field is wide open this year, with the likes of Team Dawson, Hill, and Calderan all near the top, but I think they could be beaten on any given night. Team Stewart would easily fit this void if Noah Burkholz was in the lineup, but without him they are severely vulnerable. Mark Robinson's teams are always competitive, so I don't think it's out of the question that they could make a run to the championship, but I just don't see it personally.

Who has a chance to surprise everyone?
Team Debreceni. If they take care of business today, I think they could squeak by Team Calderan in the second round, and carry their momentum on to the finals. Mike Allen has really stepped up and provided a great alternative scorer to Dustin McEvoy, averaging 24 points over the last two games. I'm not saying it's likely that Team Debs can pull this off, but if they can ride the hot hands of D-Mac and Biggie, they could open some people's eyes.

Best first round matchup?
I think DeLuca versus Hill (Saturday, 2:00pm @ MSS) will be intense and exciting. The Hill's know how to win and the Kyle DeLuca and crew certainly want to win. This game should provide a glimpse of rec basketball at its finest, so I would encourage everyone to be there (plus you could root for Team Stevens in the game after...).

Will the Dawson and Calderan curses hold true once again?
Each and every year, Team Dawson and Team Calderan have great regular seasons, but have trouble translating this into success in the playoffs. With (9-1) and (7-3) records respectively, they have certainly help up the first end of the bargain. But I think this year, one of these teams' luck is going to change. I'm picking Calderan versus Dawson in the finals.

Which team wins it all?
In a finals of Team Calderan versus Team Dawson, I think Dawson finally ascends the ladder of rec ball greatness, to win the championship. I picked them at the beginning of the year so I'm going to stick with them to take the crown.