The Dallas Flash continued their winning ways with a win at MLP Chicago. That makes it two event championships in a row for Dallas, and they will now sit out the regular season finale in Orlando. There were important standings points on the line in Chicago, and some teams made their move up the standings, while others are now eliminated or in danger of missing the playoffs. Who is in and who is out? As usual, we will separate fact from fiction and determine which teams are likely headed to the first round of the MLP playoffs.

 

 

After their win at MLP San Diego, I wrote that Dallas was not a top championship contender, but had a longshot chance. Others disagreed, notably Zane Navratil in his podcast, who said he did not think Dallas even had a one in a 100 chance. I disagreed, saying I would bet on Dallas at 100-1. With the win in Chicago, will that change anyone’s mind? On the good side, Dallas has now beaten Columbus, LA, and Brooklyn in consecutive weeks. That’s three of the Big Five championship contenders. On the bad side, Dallas has not beaten St. Louis or New Jersey. Dallas is playing well. JW Johnson is a legitimate MVP candidate. Augie Ge is one of the most underrated players in pickleball. Danni-Elle Townsend is playing like a top 10 woman. Brooke Buckner has been very steady in mixed doubles. They are good at DreamBreakers. There is a lot to like about Dallas.

 

But, in the end, the lesson may be that instead of a Big Five, we really have a Big Two. If there were odds in Las Vegas on which team will win the championship, St. Louis and New Jersey would each be close to even money, while no other team would likely be any better than maybe 10-1 at best. I still like Columbus’ depth. I still think any team with Ben Johns cannot be ruled out. I still think Brooklyn has a solid lineup for both doubles and DreamBreakers. And you have to like Dallas’ momentum. But, it is hard to see any team besides St. Louis or New Jersey winning this year.

 

 

 

Atlanta came into MLP Chicago on the playoff bubble, while SoCal appeared to be cruising in. MLP Chicago was the last chance for both teams, as neither plays at MLP Orlando to close the regular season. Atlanta did what they needed to do in Chicago, finishing sixth and grabbing eight standings points. That helped Atlanta jump to 36 total points and 9th place in the standings (top 12 make the playoffs). SoCal came into Chicago with 33 points, with 20 in their last two pool events. But SoCal stumbled, scoring only one point in Chicago. SoCal’s 34 points puts them in 10th place. It likely is enough to make the playoffs, but there are potential scenarios in MLP Orlando which could knock out SoCal. If Orlando or Las Vegas finishes fifth (or better) in Orlando and California finishes eighth (or better) and Chicago finishes sixth (or better), SoCal would be out. Considering the pools in Orlando, this is not an impossible scenario. SoCal should be home resting on the couch, if they could just have won one more match in Chicago. Instead, they will need to be scoreboard watching, hoping the trailing teams do not all do well in Orlando.

 

 

 

In my preview of MLP Chicago, I said California would fight for second in their pool, and that they have a playoff-worthy roster now. Both proved true in Chicago. Dylan Frazier is one of the very few top 10 players who is not on one of the top teams in the standings. California made a trade just before the trade deadline to pick up Frazier, and he is immediately paying dividends. California also picked up Zoey Weil, who has solidified their women’s doubles lineup, and she has been great in the fourth slot in DreamBreakers. California rode their new lineup to a third place finish in Chicago. They have now scored 23 points in the last two events, after scoring only seven in their first two. California now goes to MLP Orlando, where a fourth place finish in their pool should be enough to grab a playoff spot.

 

Miami is the Cinderella story of MLP. Their strategy all year has been to spot underappreciated talent, develop it, and trade those players for money. They have made almost $500,000 off trades this year. With all those trades of good players, you would think their playoff chances were zero. Indeed, I was among those writing them off after MLP San Diego. But Miami’s trade moves brought over new talent, and the new lineup finished fifth in Chicago, good for 10 standings points. Miami will go to MLP Orlando with an outside chance at making the playoffs. The good news for Miami is that two of their closest competitors (Orlando and Las Vegas) are in their pool. Miami needs to defeat Orlando and Las Vegas, and then get some help. Miami is a longshot to make the playoffs, but it is not impossible.

 

 

 

The schedule gives us a treat to finish the MLP regular season. St. Louis and New Jersey are both in action and are in different pools. St. Louis is joined in their pool by Brooklyn, while LA is in with New Jersey. Thus, we have a preview of what could well be the semifinals and finals in the playoffs. Brooklyn and LA have a decent shot at facing each other in the playoffs, and no one at all will be surprised if the finals pit St. Louis and New Jersey against each other. LA is trying to catch Columbus for the third spot, while the higher finisher of St. Louis and New Jersey will earn the #1 seed for the playoffs. Brooklyn has an outside shot at finishing as high as third in the standings, but it will require Brooklyn to upset St. Louis in pool play. Whether it is in pool play or Super Sunday play, the matches involving St. Louis, New Jersey, Brooklyn, and LA are all previews of the matches we are likely to see in the semifinals and finals of the playoffs. Who doesn’t want to see that?

 

MLP Orlando begins Thursday. Every pool play match will affect the playoff standings. Watch them all on Pickleballtv.

 

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