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| Eric Bigham, WLB, New York Stars |
The New York Stars might be the team nobody wants to face in the playoffs.
The Stars (8-8) ended the regular season with six wins in their last seven games, including victories over the playoff-bound Philadelphia Bell and Shreveport Steamer and postseason contenders Charlotte Hornets and Georgia Force. The Stars will be at Shreveport on Monday in one of the National Conference wild card games.
The Honolulu Hawaiians (14-2) actually have the longest win streak among the postseason entrants, having won seven in a row to close the regular season. The Pacific Division champs get a first-round bye.
The 12-team field for the 1981 playoffs includes only one team—the Detroit Wheels—that has previously won a World Bowl. The Oklahoma Outlaws (14-2) and Baltimore Stars (14-2) are the top seeds in their respective conferences. Baltimore hasn't made the playoffs since the league's first season, 1974.
A look at the wild-card games:
Arizona Wranglers (9-7) at Chicago Blitz (12-4): Arizona had won six of seven before falling to Detroit in the regular-season finale. This is the second playoff appearance for the Wranglers in franchise history. Arizona beat Oakland in the 1977 first round, then fell to the Los Angeles Express. The Blitz, Midwest Division champs, won six of their last seven and are back in the playoffs after sitting out the postseason each of the last five years. They played in World Bowl I, losing to the Florida Blazers. Chicago leads the regular-season series, 4-1, including a 30-24 victory in Week 2 this season.
Detroit Wheels (10-6) at Denver Gold (11-4-1): Denver is in the playoffs for the first time since 1974 after claiming the first West Division title in franchise history. The Gold will be trying to avenge a 15-10 defeat to the Wheels three weeks ago that gave Detroit a 3-1 lead in the regular-season series. The Wheels went into a skid at midseason, losing four of five, then bounced back to beat Cleveland (twice), Denver, and Arizona in their final four games.
New York Stars (8-8) at Shreveport Steamer (11-5): Don't let the Stars' record fool you. Not only have they won six of seven, but that streak includes a 16-13 triumph over Shreveport in Week 14. The Steamer are in the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years, but are 2-5 in postseason games. Shreveport was 4-0 against New York before its recent loss.
Philadelphia Bell (9-7) at Jacksonville Bulls (8-8): The two coaches wearing big grins on the sidelines are Jaybo911, who has Philadelphia in the playoffs for the first time ever, and hectorg93, who just led Jacksonville to its first-ever division title. The Bulls defeated the Bell, 21-7, two weeks ago to extend their lead in the series to 4-0. Philadelphia lost four of five to end the regular season and Jacksonville dropped three of four.
