One victory separated the Eastern Conference regular-season champion Niigata Albirex BB and the second-place Yokohama B-Corsairs in the standings. That one game is indicative of the talent, roster depth, experience and quality coaching for both teams.
Niigata finished 36-16 in Matt Garrison's second season as head coach. Yokohama went 35-17 under second-year bench boss Reggie Geary, the 2011-12 bj-league Coach of the Year.
Garrison earned that honor before the playoffs started, guiding the Albirex to a first-place finish for the fist time since the bj-league's inception in 2005.