OTE’s 2nd Round is Here

The OTE Playoffs continue into the second round on Thursday night, with two stimulating matchups that are sure to provide many highlights and much excitement. The second round will be two best-of-3 series, with battles between #4 RWE vs. #5 Blue Checks and #3 Cold Hearts vs. #6 Jelly Fam 🍿

Second Round of the Playoffs Schedule:

📍 Thursday, 7PM - Blue Checks vs. RWE (Prime Video)

📍 Thursday, 9PM - Jelly Fam vs. Cold Hearts (YouTube)

📍 Friday, 7PM - Cold Hearts vs. Jelly Fam (Prime Video)

📍 Friday, 9PM - RWE vs. Blue Checks (YouTube)

📍 Sunday, 1PM - Blue Checks vs. RWE (YouTube) (*If nec.)

📍 Sunday, 3PM - Cold Hearts vs. Jelly Fam (YouTube) (*If nec.)

The first matchup of the second round will be a duel between the Blue Checks and RWE, a matchup that on paper appears to be very evenly matched. The two teams have played twice this season, splitting their two tilts. The Blue Checks downed RWE in their first matchup thanks to 19 points from Jahseem Felton. In their next matchup, RWE got their revenge, defeating the Checks with a 19-point drubbing, as Karter Knox contributed 32 points in the beatdown. The Blue Checks and RWE are two top-heavy teams, so look for the stars to dictate the outcome of this matchup ⭐

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RWE comes into this matchup with the fourth seed and a record of 9-8, with things appearing to click into place at the right time for this highly talented squad. RWE saw their season marred with injuries, but two major wins in their final two games seem to suggest the tide may have shifted. RWE took down the Cold Hearts and first seeded YNG Dreamerz in the final two games of the season, with Knox shouldering much of the offense, as he went for 30+ points in both games. RWE hopes to carry that momentum and a fully healthy squad, marked by the impending return of Nathan Missia-Dio, into this matchup with the Checks 💪

The Blue Checks are the fifth seed in the playoffs and enter this matchup just a single game behind RWE with a regular season record of 8-9. The Checks faced off with the Diamond Doves in the first round of the playoffs and came out of that matchup with a convincing victory on their hands. The Checks defeated the Doves 71-57, as Rakease Passmore broke the 20 point barrier for the ninth time this season, finishing his night with 22 points. The Checks rely heavily on the brilliance of Passmore, as he is top five in the league in scoring this season and the winner of the Knox-Passmore battle will likely determine the direction of this star-studded matchup 😩

The second matchup of the second round will be played between the Cold Hearts and Jelly Fam, two teams that have played three times this season, although both teams have undergone major changes since their last meeting. The Cold Hearts hold a 2-1 advantage over Jelly Fam this season but the two teams haven’t played since early January. Since their last meeting, the Cold Hearts made a change at Head Coach, moving Dave Leitao into the top role and the team has gone 4-2 since he took the helm. Jelly Fam has taken on two different identities since their last meeting with the Cold Hearts. They were the hottest team in the whole league in January, losing just once the whole month, and then in February they only managed to scrounge together a single win before capturing a much-need win over Rolling Loud in the first round 😰

The Cold Hearts enter into the playoffs as the third overall seed with an impressive record of 11-6. After winning their first four games with Leitao at the helm, the Cold Hearts find themselves in the midst of a cold spell as they head into the playoffs. The Cold Hearts dropped their final two games of the regular season to top tier playoff caliber opponents and now find themselves in search of answers. The team’s identity to this point has been a three-headed scoring machine in Mikel Brown Jr., Kanon Catchings and Adam Oumiddoch, with one of the top interior defensive presences in the entire league in John Bol. That core four will have to elevate their play if they hope to advance past a tough Jelly Fam squad 🥶

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Jelly Fam came into the playoffs as the sixth seed with a record of 8-9 and were reeling before the first round. Jelly Fam had lost five of their previous six games before procuring a major win over Rolling Loud in the first round, defeating them 86-69 in what was a very convincing win. Ian Jackson continues to be wonderful, but it was the play of the supporting cast that gave the team the fuel they needed to win in the first round. Dellquan Warren had his highest scoring game of the season with 21 points, while Jordan Skyers also matched his best performance of the year with 20 points of his own. If Jelly Fam wants to go deeper into the playoffs they will need more of these types of performances from their supporting cast, especially against a deep Cold Hearts roster 🍇

The winner of the RWE and Blue Checks matchup will take on the first seeded YNG Dreamerz in the semi-finals next week, while the victor of the Cold Hearts and Jelly Fam duel will face the second seeded City Reapers in the semis ⏭️

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