Ray Parks Jr. and the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins managed to snatch the Western Conference championship away from defending B1 champion Ryukyu, finishing with a 41-19 record.
Count the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins as the official dark horse of the 2024 B.League B1 Playoffs.
Nagoya managed to snatch the Western Conference championship away from defending B1 champion Ryukyu, doing so by way of an 80-68 win over the Saga Ballooners Monday to close the regular season.
The Diamond Dolphins and the Golden Kings finished with identical 41-19 records, but the team of Ray Parks Jr. gets the edge after tiebreakers and will host a round 1 playoff series.
Nagoya is making a third-straight B1 playoffs appearance, but unlike the last two, the Diamond Dolphins are as healthy as ever.
The Diamond Dolphins are also red-hot, owning the best active stream among all eight playoff teams with a six-game winning streak.
The streak included a weekend sweep of the Golden Kings, which greatly helped in turning the tide for the Western Conference crown.
Despite averaging a B1 career-low 8.8 points per game, Parks Jr. has been at his healthiest this season for Nagoya, appearing in 53 out of 60 games.