OTE Finals Preview

(1) FaZe vs. (3) Cold Hearts

📍 Thursday, March 5 - 7:00 PM (Game 1)

📍 Friday, March 6 - 7:00 PM (Game 2)

📍 Sunday, March 8 - 5:00 PM (Game 3)

📍 Thursday, March 12 - 7:00 PM (Game 4)

📍 Saturday, March 14 - 5:00 PM (Game 5, if nec.)

📍 Sunday, March 15 - 5:00 PM (Game 6, if nec.)

📍 Wednesday, March 18 - 7:00 PM (Game 7, if nec.)

The 2026 OTE Finals are tipping off tonight with a matchup between FaZe and the Cold Hearts that could produce one of, if not the, greatest series in OTE history. FaZe is the most dominant team OTE has ever seen while the Cold Hearts have produced one of the most incredible “worst to first” stories there has ever been 🏆

FaZe has won 17 straight games, the longest streak in OTE history, and everything is lined up for them to go down as the greatest team OTE has ever seen. Only one other team has ever produced an undefeated postseason run and that was the 2023 City Reapers, a team that featured the Thompson twins, and they only had to win five games. FaZe has already won five straight postseason games and if they keep up their current level of destruction they could finish this postseason run at a perfect 9-0 🤩

Marcus Spears Jr. has been the catalyst that makes everything go for FaZe as his impact on both ends of the floor is truly unmatched. FaZe has the best defense in the league, as evidenced by holding RWE to nearly 24 points per game lower than their season average in the semis, and Spears Jr. is the focal point of that defense. Spears Jr. is top ten in the playoffs in steals (1.4 SPG), blocks (1.4 BPG) and rebounds (7.6 RPG). Spears Jr. is the engine that makes FaZe run and if he continues to play at this level he could be well on his way to an OTE Finals MVP 🏅

In addition to Spears Jr., FaZe has two other players who have made an unbelievable impact up to this point. DaKari Spear, who alongside Spears Jr. took home the inaugural Best Duo award, has been phenomenal on this playoff run, averaging 16.6 PPG on a blistering 40.7% from beyond the arc. Austin Goosby has been the team’s x-factor, as they have not lost a game since he joined the roster in early December. Goosby has been doing anything and everything in the playoffs for FaZe, averaging a robust stat line of 12.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.4 SPG and 1.0 BPG 😤

The Cold Hearts have been on an inspirational run this season. After finishing last year 3-17 and dead last in the standings in the regular season, the Cold Hearts came into this season with relatively low expectations. Well they have blown those expectations out of the water, finishing the regular season 13-5 which included a nine game winning streak, the third longest of all-time. After three straight years of semi-finals appearances, the Cold Hearts finally managed to get over the hump this year, making their first ever OTE Finals appearance after sweeping the YNG Dreamerz in the semis 🥶 

OTE MVP runner-up Adam Oumiddoch has been truly exceptional in the playoffs and is now nearing a number of OTE records. Oumiddoch, who has played for the Cold Hearts each of the last three seasons, is currently on a streak of 17 straight games of scoring 20+ points which is one game shy of tying the longest such streak in OTE history. On top of that AO finds himself just 37 points shy of breaking Meleek Thomas’s record for the most points in a single season in OTE history (673 points). AO has been on a tour of proving people wrong ever since he got to OTE three years ago and now he has one last opportunity to do so as he pushes to get the Cold Hearts to their first title in program history 🥹

Anderson Diaz has been the single biggest breakout star of the entire playoffs. Diaz, who has averaged 19.0 PPG and 7.5 APG, had the greatest moment in these playoffs so far when he scored the game-winning layup with under a second left to play to sweep the Dreamerz out of the playoffs. The Cold Hearts will need a third player to consistently step up and deliver to take down the juggernaut that is FaZe. The most likely candidates to fill that role are Marcus Gillespie (12.0 PPG) and Asher Elson (11.2 PPG) although Gillespie is currently slated to miss game one with an injury 😱

Make sure to tune in to every game of the OTE Finals on OTE’s YouTube channel to see who will be crowned the next OTE champion 📱

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