Round 1 of the Playoffs are Here!

First Round of the Playoffs Schedule:

• Tuesday, 7PM - Rolling Loud vs. Jelly Fam (OTE Arena)

• Tuesday, 9PM - Diamond Doves vs. Blue Checks (OTE Arena)

The first game of this year’s playoffs is set to be one of the most impassioned games of the season, as Rolling Loud and Jelly Fam have a lot of history to be unpacked in this single elimination game. Rolling Loud and Jelly Fam have played three times this season, all within the last three weeks, with Rolling Loud holding a 2-1 edge in the matchup. However, it is not the results but instead how the games themselves played out that is the reason for the level of intensity in this matchup

In their first meeting this season, Rolling Loud pulled off a massive 101-78 upset over Jelly Fam, marking Jelly Fam’s first and only loss in the month of January. Two weeks later, Jelly Fam avenged their loss in an 84-81 overtime thriller in which Ian Jackson went nuclear with 28 points, including the game-winning layup in OT. Finally, in their most recent matchup that occurred just last week, Rolling Loud got their revenge, blowing the doors off of Jelly Fam 98-60, marking the largest margin of victory in any game so far this season. These two teams come into this matchup with two of the top four scorers in the league in Jackson and Larry Johnson, and both teams will need superstar level performances from them if they hope to book their date with the Cold Hearts in the second round ⭐

The second matchup of the night will be a high octane duel between the Diamond Doves and the Blue Checks, as the two teams have their fair share of shared history as well. The Doves and Checks have played twice this season and are 1-1 against each other. The first matchup was played all the way back in early December, with the Checks earning a 22-point victory over the Doves in an unremarkable meeting. The second matchup provided fireworks galore, as the Diamond Doves won 73-70 last week, marking their first victory as a team since December 10

In the most recent matchup, it was reigning OTE Player of the Week Jeremiah Johnson who was the catalyst for the Doves win, as he scored 16 points, including the go-ahead layup with just 30 seconds left to play in the game. The Doves enter the playoffs with the most momentum they have had all season, as they have won their last two games and players appear to have settled into their roles across the roster. The Blue Checks bounced back from their loss at the hands of the Doves with a 26-point throttling of Rolling Loud in their season finale, giving them a nice boost of good vibes heading into the postseason

The winner of the Rolling Loud and Jelly Fam matchup will face the #3 Cold Hearts in the second round of the playoffs beginning on Thursday at 9PM. The team to emerge from the Blue Checks and Diamond Doves battle will draw #4 RWE in the second round with the first game in the best-of-3 series to be played on Thursday at 7PM on Prime Video