NECam Season 2/2012 Playoffs B

One of the best div B fields in a long time. We've got a few former winners and lots of div A experience in the field. Should be a good one to watch and as always the winner and finalist will receive invites to the prize trny. Preds were mostly done by Brice

Quarter-Finals

#1 ll_eskimo_ownage_ll vs #9 cyberinferno1 - Probably the first marquee matchup of the div B playoffs and it's no surprise that it should happen in the final 8. Petey is coming off probably the most dominant div B season in the history of the competition and followed that up with a solid win against the other Chad in the previous round. So far Petey is 1-0 against people named Chad in these playoffs so it'll be interesting to see if that trend continues. Chad has had his own domination of the group stage as well the past couple seasons as well. He looks like he's playing pretty well of late as he took out 8brcam's div B finalist in round 1 and just destroyed Rob in round 2. From what I know Chad still relies pretty heavily on runs, while Petey is way more willing to do use his all around game. As long as Petey knows that he's up against a pretty good player here and plays the set that way then he should prove himself to be the better player. If Chad truly is running as well as his previous scores indicate then that'll be the great equalizer. Still I don't think Petey is ready to bow out so early in the playoffs.  

8-6 Petey (Jon)

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Round 2 

#1 ll_eskimo_ownage_ll vs #17 hustle - So Petey's first go around in Div B was a smashing success as he posted a perfect 5-0 record and grabbed the top seed. He pretty much destroyed everyone in his path and might just be the favourite to win the competition. Generally speaking the top seed in the playoffs hasn't had a ton of success but I think Petey might break that curse. His opponent is no slouch by any means. Chad has been a finalist in div B before and had a pretty strong run once again last season as he was eliminated in the semi-finals. He just picked up a blow out win in round one against Moon and looks like he's playing pretty well. The difference in this set will be that Petey is probably just as good of a shooter as Chad, but Petey also doesn't mind playing slow. He'll wait for easier opportunities in general and over the course of the race that strategy should pay off. Should be a pretty close set and watch out for Chad because he can get hot with his runs. 

7-4 Petey (Jon) Result - 7-5 Petey

#8 t.wolves vs #9 cyberinferno1 - Round 2 rolls on with a match between Rob and Chad. Rob is back in the competition after quite a long time off. He actually was the winner of div A in second official season of the competition. Times have changed quite a bit as he's in the thick of a competitive div B playoffs now. His opponent, Chad, has been doing very well in the group stage of div B the past 3 seasons but won't be satisfied if his playoff run ends here. He's coming off a pretty good win against 8br div B's runner up from last season, Joey. Pretty early in Rob's comeback tour here but he's proven it's no fluke with another solid performance in 8br's div B. Rob definitely has a more well rounded game than Chad but I think Chad might be better at the thing he does best which is running. Just a hunch, that Chad is overdue for a big win in the playoffs.

7-5 Chad (Jon) Result - 7-2 Chad

#4 ItsAJ vs #13 so-great - no pred

Result - 11-9 AJ 

#5 Xx_SaTaNs_MaSTeR_xX vs #12 KrazyKerry - I don't know much about Luis seen him play a couple times and he's a pretty decent player. Had a good group stage going 4-1 with his only loss coming to Adam who is a solid player in his own right. Kerry could be presented a problem if Luis can get a good run game going when he plays her. Kerry has been getting better as of late though. She has been able to clear tables still makes some silly mistakes but all in all she has gotten better. Still needs to get a bit better at snooking her bank game has always been solid. She may not be fully warmed up as she got a DQ win in round 1. I think Kerry can pull off the upset win.

8-6 Kerry (Brice)

#2 Xx_Difference_Class_xX vs #15 llvllechanic - I know these two players' games very well as I have played Naveen countless times lately and Matt is just a solid player as he always has been. Matt has the better overall game and Naveen will have a challenge although I do think he's up for it. Matt has a solid run game and a solid snook game. Surprised that he is in Division B to be honest as I think he is Division A talent. Naveen makes some silly mistakes that will cost him sets if his opponent takes advantage of them. And seeing as Naveen beat me in round one that's something I failed to do but he does have a good game so kudos to him. However, if he makes as many mistakes as he did vs me he won't stand much of a chance vs Matt. I think Naveen rebounds his game but Matt comes out with the win.

7-4 Matt (Brice)

#7 sicc.stoned vs #23 back_luck_ - Only 2 days into the playoffs we already have one fairly significant surprise result. David was able to knock off Eddie in the previous round in fairly decisive fashion. After starting out pretty slowly in the competition, he's finally looking like he might be able to make some noise. A win here would be an even bigger upset as, his next opponent is Derek. Derek is a former winner in div B and is once again one of the top contenders to pull it off again. He's just got superior shot making and has experience playing in div A which has helped him round his game a little moreso than before. It's hard to say what to expect from David here because the last round was so much of a surprise. Pretty sure that Derek will be able to get it done here even if he doesn't bring his best game.  

7-4 Derek (Jon) Result - 7-5 Derek

#3 xnice_shotx vs #14 Mr_Wonderful__ - Another pretty interesting match up here. Phil was one of the 4 players in div B to pull off the perfect season as he made quick work of his group. It almost seemed like he wasn't really challenged throughout. I'll be looking forward to seeing how he reacts to having to play against a good player such as Adam. Adam isn't a guy I've really seen play but his result from the previous round where he blew out Rees, means he should be taken seriously. Another thing about Phil is that he played all of these sets almost 3 weeks ago and it's hard to say if he's still on that good form. Adam will definitely put up a fight but I don't see Phil's competition ending quite yet.  

7-5 Phil (Jon) Result - 8-6 Adam

#6 jj-man vs #11 __thaman__ -  This is one of the more wide open matches from round 2 where there isn't really a clear favourite. JJ is coming off his most impressive season in the competition after finishing with a 4-1 record. He's always been in the playoffs but this is his highest seed yet. Thomas also had a pretty good season and managed to get through round 1 on the strength of a DQ win. Was a little surprised by Thomas' success from this season but he's been doing pretty well in 8br too so maybe it's not as much of a fluke as it appears. Last season JJ played very well in the playoffs before disappearing in the later rounds so he'll be looking to avenge that. Hard to call a favourite here because both guys have a lot of holes in their games. Look for JJ to come out on top in a pretty sloppy set.

7-5 JJ (Jon)

Round 1

#16 rubiiiiiiii vs #17 hustle - Moon had a decent season going 3-1, and she faces a decent opponent in her round 1 matchup in Chad who also had a decent season also going 3-1. Moon is a decent player and has her days where she can play some good pool and can run some good tables. She is a bit too inconsistent though which worries me vs Chad. Chad is also a decent player in his own right, while some might make the case he could be in A, he is a better 5 sec player than he is untimed and is like Moon, a bit too inconsistent. Chad does have the better run and snook game though which should give him the edge in this matchup, unless of course he lets his attitude get the best of him and rage quits. I think Chad pulls this one out though.

7-4 Chad Result - 7-2 Chad

#9 cyberinferno1 vs #24 nevvf - Chad went 4-1 with his only loss being to the eventual group winner. He faces Joey who I believe if he truly regains his old form he can move up to Division A. Joey only played 2 sets and got into playoffs, but some people just don't play there sets I guess. But back to the pred, Chad has a pretty decent run game his snook game is subject at times which will get him into trouble vs Joey. Joey is a solid player all around who just needs to brush the remaining rust off. Joey had a deep run into 8br finals last season which makes me think he's getting his old form back. Just by going off recent games I've seen of Joeys and not seeing Chad around as much lately, I have to go Joeys way on this one.

7-3 Joey Result - 7-4 Chad

#13 so-great vs #20 SideShot - Josh had also had a decent season going 3-2 with his key wins coming against Kerry and DJ. He's facing Chris who went 2-3. Josh is the better overall player in my opinion here though Chris can pull out some good wins. Josh's run game is pretty good but can be sketchy at times if he's not really trying which he will need to avoid if he hopes to win this playoff set. Chris though also shouldn't be underestimated as he also has a decent run game his self. While he won't run break you every game you give him a open table or a runnable table and theres times where he will run it with his eyes closed. Overall though Josh is the better player here and should pull this out and advance.

7-5 Josh Result - 11-9 Josh

#12 KrazyKerry vs #21 lvlr_l7ry - Honestly it's surprising to see Carlos seeded this low in Division B. But Kerry has been doing well for herself lately and has gotten better. While she isn't the best, she has gotten pretty good and her game has progressed and it's been showing. She still isn't the best snooker but her banks are still some of the best and her run game has gotten better, she does face a tough challenge in going up against Carlos here. Carlos is the better overall player no doubting that, but he can't underestimate Kerry as she has been pulling off some upsets in Friendlies and has been keeping races close. Carlos' run game has gotten better as well and his overall game has gotten better. Though I do believe Carlos is the better player, I just feel like the upset is going to happen.

8-6 Kerry Result - DQ win for Kerry

#15 llvllechanic vs #18 x_choke.king_x - This one is actually a rematch from this season's group stage where Naveen comfortably defeated Brice by a 7-2 margin. Despite that result both players did end up having pretty good seasons with each of them picking up 3 wins. Both guys have been in the playoffs most seasons with Naveen having slightly more success than Brice. While the group stage result isn't always a huge determining factor, I still think Naveen is a stronger player than Brice. Naveen is more versatile in his game and even though he can sometimes make mistakes, over the course of the race to 7 the result should swing in his favour.  

7-4 Naveen (Jon) Result - 9-7 Naveen

#10 _Eddie_2 vs #23 bad_luck_ - Okay, so in all honestly I don't know who David is unless this is bmx David. But, Eddie made it to Semis last season in NE Cam and in 8br Cam. So Eddie has improved from seasons past but can he reproduce those deep runs into the playoffs? His run game has gotten better as has his snook game. If he can play well he could make another deep run. But, going off of Davids stats he went 2-1 in group stage with wins against Sterlo and Jason. Which are decent wins. But I still have to give the edge to Eddie here. 

7-3 Eddie Result - 7-3 David

#14 Mr_Wonderful__ vs #19 pobody's nerfect - Okay, so what I've gathered from people, Adam is decent and going off his group stage he went 3-1 with wins over Sacha, Jenni and the winner of his group Luis. Now Rees is no pushover so Adam can't take rees lightly. Rees didn't have the group stage he wanted going 2-3 with his 2 wins coming over Bryan and Jose. Now, Rees if he decides he wants to play and not mess around can play some mean pool at times. And not really have tons to go off of, and just knowing Rees's playing style I have to give the edge to Rees on this one.

7-4 Rees Result - 7-2 Adam

#11 __thaman__ vs #22 gb.elite91 - While Thomas has gotten better, Steve is no joke. People underestimated Steve cause they didn't know who he is, well I gotta tell ya when this guy is on, he's on he can run some good tables which is why he should be looked out for. Thomas can run some tables as well and has gotten better. He isn't consistent enough for me to say he can constantly win playoff matches but he can pull out a couple wins I think. But he did get a tough draw here going up against Steve who I feel is the superior player in this matchup. Thomas will need everything he can pull out in order to win this set. He should keep it close but Steve will in the end, win out.

7-5 Steve Result - DQ win for Thomas