The San-en NeoPhoenix are the Central Conference Champions and the no. 2 seed, while the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins are the Western Conference Champions and the no. 3 seed in the 2024 B.League Playoffs.
The Nippon Life Insurance B.LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP 2023-24 are officially a go, and assuming the top seeds hold serve, two Pinoy Asian Quota Players are on a collision course.
Thirdy Ravena’s San-en NeoPhoenix and Ray Parks Jr.’s Nagoya Diamond Dolphins could meet in the B1 semifinals, provided they handle their business as home teams in the 2024 B.League Playoffs which tip off this weekend starting May 10.
[RELATED: Thirdy Ravena's San-en NeoPhoenix crowned B.League Central Conference champions]
San-en finished with its best-ever record in the B.League, going 46-14. Despite having the third-best record, the NeoPhoenix were elevated to the no. 2 seed as this year’s Central Conference Champions.
Nagoya is the no. 3 seed, finishing with a 41-19 mark to be the Western Conference Champions.
The Diamond Dolphins will host the 36-24 Seahorses Mikawa in round one, while the NeoPhoenix will take on the 36-24 Hiroshima Dragonflies.
Thirdy Ravena was instrumental is San-en’s breakthrough season, averaging a career-high 12.6 points per game, no. 4 on the team and the best mark outside of the NeoPhoenix’s world imports.
For the season, San-en set a franchise-best 16-game winning streak, powering their entry to the playoffs for the first time since the B.League’s inaugural season in 2016-17.
[RELATED: Ray Parks Jr., Nagoya Diamond Dolphins crowned as B.League's B1 Western Conference Champions]
Meanwhile, Parks Jr. averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game, but appeared in a career-high 53 games for Nagoya.
Ray is making his third-straight B.League playoffs appearance with the Diamond Dolphins, and they are as healthy as they can be this year compared to the previous two seasons when they were decimated by injuries, limping to the postseason.
The other side of the playoff bracket feature a who’s who of B.League powerhouses.
The Eastern Conference Champions Utsunomiya Brex (51-9) will host longtime rival Chiba Jets (35-25), the reigning East Asia Super League and Emperor’s Cup champions.
Meanwhile, defending B1 champion Ryukyu Golden Kings (41-19) are on the road for their title defense, taking on Alvark Tokyo (48-12).
Tokyo missed out on a top-3 seed after losing the East title to the Brex, while the Golden Kings dropped four of their last five to end the regular season, losing in tiebreakers to Nagoya for the West championship.