Before we start, the rest of the series from here on out will be 7 games, and the game structure will be like the NHL, a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher seed (except the Honolulu-New Orleans series) having home field advantage.
ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Finals
Atlantic Conference
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#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles
Tale Of The Tape
-------------------Orlando Wizards-------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles------------------
Matchup Summary
A few experts panicked after Game 1 of the Orlando-Annapolis series, when the Angels took a slim 4-3 win in 19 innings. They asked if the Wizards would choke their #1 seed away so quickly, or if they would falter under the pressure of the big lights against a team they (relatively) struggled against. They went on to win the next 3 games by a combined score of 19-9 to set up a Conference Finals matchup with one of the most balanced teams from the other AC division, the Sandusky Beagles. The Beagles controlled their series with Nashville, playing the Music like a fiddle, outscoring them in a low-scoring series 12-4. Their starting pitching was dominant, and the bullpen was shut-down. Will that pitching dominance continue against an Orlando team that won the season series against Sandusky 4-2, or will Orlando assert their ABO dominance again and go to the ABO Finals?
Prediction
Wizards in 5
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Pacific Conference
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#3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics
Tale Of The Tape
---------------------New Orleans Krewe-------------------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics-----------------------
Matchup Summary
In the preview for the Honolulu-Glendale series, I wondered whether or not Honolulu's bats would show up against the Copperheads, and boy did they. They steamrolled the team with the best record in the Pacific Conference by a combined score 23-5, hitting nine taters in the process, including four in the clinching Game 3. Now they face off with a team that has given up the 4th-fewest home runs in the PC, the New Orleans Krewe, who had to go the distance to beat the San Diego Surge. Some might say the Krewe got lucky that Surge LF Steve Adams went down with an injury, or that their luck came from San Diego's 5 errors in Game 5 (including 3 in the 12th inning), but they capitalized on both of those situations with timely hitting, and managed to win in 5 games to make the Conference Finals. The New Orleans Superdome doesn't give up too many homers, while Honolulu's does, and the latter be the site of the first 2 games of this series, and 4 of the 7 games. The Krewe went 4-2 against the Topics in their matchups this year, with every game featuring at least one home run. This will be an interesting matchup of smallball vs. longball, and whoever strikes out less will win this matchup.
Prediction
Tropics in 7
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So, who do you think will make the ABO Finals? Sound off in the thread!