With Toronto fans getting ready for a taste of the playoffs, a delicacy not available in these parts for five years, I wish that only my fantasy hoops season had gone as well. It obviously wasn’t my year. But I digress. How do we keep the fantasy bug biting well into the Spring? Well, who says the fun and games have to stop at the end of the regular season? Perhaps you and your league-mates can consider setting up a playoff pool.

Here are some options and ideas on game play.

Of course, if you are still very much alive in the h2h playoffs, here again is the fantasy playoff weekly breakdown to help you out.

1. March Madness bracket-style

If you covet a low-maintenance plan, then this is for you. Players simply fill out the playoff brackets, selecting the winners, and eventually the NBA champion. To add another layer, have everyone also guess how long each series lasts, with bonus points added for being right on. This differs from regular season play in that whole teams are considered, and everyone can pick the same teams.

This adds an interesting spin to keeper league play, especially. Set it up as a standard roto league. Your roster is the exact same as the one you ended the regular season with. What if most of your squad is headed home after missing the playoffs, you ask? Too bad! Alternatively, you could protect a few players (for example, one guard, one forward, one center) and then hold a mini re-draft prior to the playoffs.

This is what my hometown friends and I do. To keep it easy to manage, we allot one “point” for each point, rebound and assist. We then hold a draft right before the playoffs start (this year’s is scheduled for Friday, April 20th). For a 10-12 team league, six of seven players is plenty. The fun part comes when players are eliminated from the playoffs, thereby creating big holes on rosters. Do you pick the bench player on a championship-contending team, or do you go with the stud like Kobe Bryant, even though he might not play more than one round?

Please feel free to comment below if you have suggestions on how people can extend fantasy hoops play into the NBA playoffs. As an aside, even though we are winding down the regular season here on Dropping Dimes, we have our own ways of keeping hoops on the brain during the warmer months. Be sure to visit us here for that!

Peace.