It's not supposed to be this easy.
The defending bj-league champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix clinched a playoff spot in their 36th game of the season.
Now, they have 16 more regular-season games to play and more than two months before beginning formal preparations for the playoffs after a 104-64 annihilation of the visiting Miyazaki Shining Suns on Sunday in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture.