{"id":15897,"date":"2017-10-27T08:26:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T12:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.btsh.org\/bruise\/?p=15897"},"modified":"2017-10-27T11:55:53","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T15:55:53","slug":"2017-semifinals-previews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/2017-semifinals-previews\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 Semifinals Previews"},"content":{"rendered":"

Filthier at Rehabs<\/strong>
\nby Isaac<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n

In this corner:<\/b> FILTHIER (12-3-3, 28 goals differential), who finished 4<\/span>th<\/span> overall in total points for the 2017 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The road so far: <\/b>Pretty favorable. \u00a0They opened the playoffs against a depleted Sky Fighters team and then narrowly escaping a \u2018We\u2019re just happy to here!\u2019 Poutine team.<\/span><\/p>\n

The history books:<\/b> Not great<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0It took absorbing another team\u2019s superpowers for Filthy to even taste the Frozen Four and that year they won the franchise\u2019s only BPR Cup. \u00a0However, before that, and even post, they\u2019ve been stymied from enjoying any postseason success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Injury report:<\/b> Does being pregnant count? \u00a0Yeah, didn\u2019t think so. \u00a0But still the loss of Jesse this season has been noticeable at times. \u00a0We blame JJ.<\/span><\/p>\n

One player to watch:<\/b> We\u2019ve already talked about<\/span> Kate<\/span><\/a>, and everyone knows about<\/span> James\u2019 heroics<\/span><\/a>, but the player to keep an eye on is their rookie Mike. \u00a0He was brought on this season to make up for the loss of that guy that went to Toronto and so far things have gone . . . okay. \u00a0Yeah, not great, but not terrible either. \u00a0If Filthy is going back to the Championship Game then Mike needs to start contributing more than his weekly $5 towards post-game suds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key number:<\/b> Zero, zilch, nada. \u00a0That is how many goals they\u2019ve allowed so far in the playoffs. \u00a0The defense has done a remarkable job of clearing the ball out of their zone and giving Tim enough space to see every shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dominant narrative: <\/b>Do they have enough defensive depth to hold off a high-powered offense? \u00a0James only has so much in his back-checking tank before it runs out.<\/span><\/p>\n

The big question:<\/b> How the hell did Jamie wind on this team?! \u00a0Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with him. \u00a0He comes off as a real swell guy. \u00a0But it just seems like an odd fit. \u00a0Having said all of that, I guess the real question is what are they going to get out of him against the Rehabs?<\/span><\/p>\n

Bandwagon-ability:<\/b> Through clinched teeth and deep <\/span>Manson lamps<\/span><\/a> I\u2019ll admit it is rather high considering the team\u2019s that are remaining.<\/span><\/p>\n

One good reason not to root for them:<\/b> Suvin<\/span><\/a> isn\u2019t around anymore. \u00a0The lone ray of light on a team of dark souls has gone out and with him all hope is lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> And in this corner:<\/b> REHABS (13-3-2, 28 goals differential), who finished 2<\/span>nd<\/span> overall in total points for the 2017 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The road so far:<\/b> After easily sweeping aside the Demons in the Sweet 16 they ran into a freight train last Sunday and lived to talked about it. \u00a0Needless to say this squad is playoff tested.<\/span><\/p>\n

The history books:<\/b> During this dynasty history has been pretty favorable to them. \u00a0Most of their players are under contract for at least another season or two so their fan base is letting it ride while these times are good.<\/span><\/p>\n

Injury report:<\/b> Nothing confirmed yet, but something is probably wrong with Showtime.<\/span><\/p>\n

One player to watch:<\/b> Monique. Yep, she\u2019s back baby! \u00a0Right when you thought you\u2019d seen enough of this team\u2019s weapons she shows up and dominates the party. \u00a0Playing her up allows for Sena and Amber to hang back and play clean-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key number:<\/b> 3. For the past three seasons, including this one, they\u2019ve advanced to the Frozen Four. \u00a0The previous two they made it to the Championship Game and last year ran away with the PBR Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dominant narrative:<\/b> Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? \u00a0One thing that we haven\u2019t mentioned this season is that there are too many players on this team that need the ball in their hands (so to say). \u00a0There\u2019s only one rock to spread around and it is starting to look a little thin.<\/span><\/p>\n

The big question:<\/b> Will Bryan W. be allowed to play? \u00a0From top to bottom the Rehabs are nearly a complete team, but one of their worst kept secrets is how vulnerable they are when he\u2019s on the court. \u00a0Sena knows this and might have to make a heartbreaking, yet easy, decision on Sunday morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bandwagon-ability: <\/b>Pretty low. \u00a0We saw them win last year and even though this dynasty is young they seem to have already grown old.<\/span><\/p>\n

One good reason not to root for them:<\/b> We\u2019re still sore about Eric\u2019s decision two season\u2019s ago to leave Gut Rot (BITCHEZ) for a ring. \u00a0Fine, KD did it in the NBA, but this league is different.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction: <\/span><\/i>Filthy has delivered all season long, but just like these two team\u2019s previous meetings this season it\u2019ll be the Rehabs collecting the W and moving onto their third straight Finals.<\/span><\/p>\n

LBS, Inc. at Fresh Kills<\/strong>
\nby Jerome<\/em><\/p>\n

Preamble<\/em>
\nInteresting that all the sides remaining are from the top division (too bad this wasn\u2019t Fuzz\u2019s year). Will next year have the Butchers and Fuzz in the final four, then? Creamy, make sure you lend Rachel your BCAA stash<\/a> for next season. Rich\u2026 what can I say? Good luck finding the new Mel P. (now Mel D.).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0In this corner:<\/strong> #1 Fresh Kills<\/strong> (17-0-0-1, 35 pts.)<\/p>\n

How they got here:<\/strong> A convincing win over the Riots in the sweet sixteen and a close shave with Mathematics in the quarters helped get Roxy and the true blue crew here.<\/p>\n

The history books:<\/strong> In the days of Foster, they had the league on a string: two championships in the Tompkins era and probably many more on the birdbath side of Corlears.<\/p>\n

One player to watch:<\/strong> With a record so pristine, Barch would have been the one on whom to focus. But we take a page from the 2010 Elves, whose vice-captain and motivator (now league \u201cSultan\u201d) took a crucial timeout to guide the green (read: electric lime) men to victory. Therefore, I must present that Soko is the key player to watch; what he says and does as a leader will reflect on his teammates and will make or break the team\u2019s ambition to reach the final stage for the fourth time in nine seasons. No pressure.<\/p>\n

Key number:<\/strong> 1. It\u2019s their league rank. Also, the opposition has scored this many goals\u2014or less\u2014in the azzurri\u2019s<\/em> 11 of 17 wins. Stalwart defending and reducing the morale of the opposition is tantamount to keeping the tally low.<\/p>\n

The big <\/strong>question:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Will Soko <\/span>finally<\/em> put Scott Lee in?<\/span><\/p>\n

Bandwagon-ability:<\/strong> You\u2019ll roll your eyes and think, \u201cwtf another Fresh Kills title?\u201d Honestly, though, I can\u2019t find anyone to absolutely despise here\u2026 unless you\u2019re the Sultan and you talk about Gabe sounding like you wish you were him. I mean, you are <\/em>playing offense now, Rich; I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll teach you everything you know about playing the role.<\/p>\n

One good reason not<\/em> to root for them:<\/strong> They\u2019ve got more championship rings than the amount of times the Kardashians have been sued for copyright infringement. It\u2019s not necessarily a dynasty, but it\u2019s quite enviable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/a>In this corner:<\/strong> #8 LBS., Inc.<\/strong> (11-5-0-2, 24 pts.)<\/p>\n

How they got here:<\/strong> In the Round of 16, Zac and Justin caught Sizzler slippin\u2019 but in the end Karsten and the party machine<\/em> ensured enough to advance. In a thrilling quarterfinal against the Hookers, it almost seemed as if the LBS.\u2019 fairy tale would abruptly end, but just like the classic Disney film, Gaston saw his demise\u2026 to [K]aston. And now here we are.<\/p>\n

The history books:<\/strong> Los blancos<\/em> forcefully took the championship from Fresh Kills in 2012 and almost retained the title the following season, only to fall to\u2026 the Hookers. Consider last week\u2019s win revenge for what transpired four seasons ago. Even in last year\u2019s final, they fell victim to a stubborn, relentless Rehabs\u2019 side where $#0\\\/\\\/+!m3 acted like he won his very first trophy (let\u2019s not ask what happened to said trophy).<\/p>\n

One player to watch:<\/strong> Everyone\u2019s gonna watch Scott. It\u2019s inevitable. The yelling disguised as encouragement, the sleeveless Blink-182 shirt, the backwards cap, the same neon shorts, and possibly the cookies (all intact, I hope)\u2026 there will be no shortage of entertainment. If he\u2019s louder than the Heckle Wall\u2122, I won\u2019t be surprised one bit.<\/p>\n

Key number:<\/strong> 8. Never forget where you came from; you\u2019re facing the highest seed because you\u2019re the lowest seed, and you had to work hard to get that seed. You made a 6-0-1 push in your last 7 during the season and you\u2019ve stayed the course through extremely tough opposition twice in the dance. 8th<\/sup> is your seed; 8th<\/sup> is your identity. Let it keep you grounded and modest as you face your harshest test yet.<\/p>\n

The big question:<\/strong> How thick is Arya\u2019s dossier on Ariel?<\/p>\n

Bandwagon-ability:<\/strong> Hop on it, fam. Lowest seed in the dance should always receive full support from the crowd.<\/p>\n

One good reason not<\/em> to root for them:<\/strong> You play for Fresh Kills. There\u2019s no other explanation.<\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Head-to-head, Fresh Kills dominates LBS.: they\u2019ve won both season games and the opposition had no goals in either matchup. This is an open-and-shut case for the azzurri<\/em>, right? No way\u2014like all postseason games this October, this one will cause a real heartbreak. Barch will be the guy that causes it (I mean, he stopped my shootout attempt in W13 so anything goes). Karsten and Scott will tally, but Gabe, Ariel, and Nick will send a barrage of shots on Sizzler. Roxy will even partake in the festivities, and her goal will be the nail in the coffin. Fresh Kills hasta el final<\/em>, 4-2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Filthier at Rehabs by Isaac In this corner: FILTHIER (12-3-3, 28 goals differential), who finished 4th overall in total points for the 2017 season. The road so far: Pretty favorable. \u00a0They opened the playoffs against a depleted Sky Fighters team and then narrowly escaping a \u2018We\u2019re just happy to here!\u2019 Poutine team. The history books: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6355,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-league-info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15897"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6355"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15897"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15912,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15897\/revisions\/15912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}