Get ready for the Playoffs!
On the heels of a phenomenal march madness tourney and an epic Masters, the NBA playoffs are about to begin. And if those two sporting events are any indication, these upcoming playoffs are going to be filled with barn burners and buzzer beating 3s. Here’s a quick look at the matchups, if the playoffs started today:
1. Thunder vs Lakers: We’re going to pay homage to Bill Simmon’s “Ewing theory” and predict a Lakers upset. It doesn’t strictly apply here since it’s usually associated around stars who have never won anything, and Kobe certainly isn’t that star, but it’s still applicable. The media has written off the Lakers for dead and it’s a foregone conclusion they’ll be swept by the Thunder. But the Lake Show will rally around they’re fallen star, feed off the “no one believes in us” hype, take the series to game 7 and then win it when Dwight and Pau combine for 70 points and 40 boards and World Peace plays at a mythical level.
2. Spurs vs Rockets: As much we enjoy watching The Beard and Linsanity in the backcourt, this is the Spurs final march towards immortality (haven’t we been saying this for years?). Timmy Duncan is the greatest power forward to ever play the game and he ain’t going out in the first round to the Rockets, unless Hakeem the Dream comes out of nowhere.
3. Nuggets vs Warriors: This is the sleeper pick for most entertaining first round series. Curry is hands down the purest shooter in the Association right now and can go off for 30 any night. The Nuggets play tenacious team ball, are deep and are rugged. But Klay Thompson is the x-factor here. He’ll play well and back up his boy Curry and the Warriors take this in 6. Shameless plug: use Pogoseat to upgrade your seats at the Warriors game and get courtside to watch Curry make it rain!
4. Clippers vs Grizzlies: Actually check that, this will be the most entertaining series in round one. Lob City is really just an NBA highlight reel and you can be certain Chris Paul is ready to make a deep run. When you combine the best point guard in the league with Blake and DeAndre, good things happen. But don’t think the Grizzlies will going quietly into the night. Pau’s younger bro Marc is a beast down low and Mike Conley is emerging into a legit threat on the perimeter. This will be a backyard brawl with the Clippers emerging bloody, but victorious.
Enjoy the games ladies and gents!
(Written by Pogoseat’s founder and avid hoops player, Evan Owens)
Pistons point guard, Jose Calderon, pumped up after a big play against the Wizards
We are thrilled to welcome the Detroit Pistons as our newest partner team. This Sunday we are launching seat upgrades at the Palace of Auburn Hills as the Pistons take on their division rival, the Chicago Bulls.
The Pistons are a young and energetic team. We look forward to watching them evolve and to giving their fans the opportunity to upgrade and see their favorite players from better seats. As the Pistons continue to develop and grow as a team, we will continue to develop our service ensuring that Detroit fans receive the best upgrade experiences possible.
To kick this partnership off with a bang, the Pistons and Pogoseat will be running the #FirstFive promotion at the game on Sunday. The first five groups of fans that upgrade seats at the game will receive autographed pistons memorabilia as well as other great Pogoseat and Pistons gear. Pogoseat will also be offering $10 off of each seat upgrade purchased at the final 3 pistons game for fans that use the coupon code Upgrade10p.
Upgrade options can be viewed within the recently updated Piston’s mobile app, through our mobile web app, and/or by downloading our iPhone or Android apps. If you’re going to the game you can sign up for pre-game alerts and price drop notifications by visiting m.pogoseat.com and entering your email and/or phone number on the upgrade page for the game you are attending.
Happy upgrading Detroit, go #Pistons!
Changes to Seat Upgrade Pricing
Would you pay full price for a ticket upgrade if the game were halfway over? Probably not, and we think that’s completely understandable. That’s why, with the help of the Golden State Warriors, we are proud to introduce our new pricing model.
As the game goes on we now offer different price breaks enabling fans to enjoy upgrades anytime during the game. Get to the game late and don’t like your seats? Score is tied up at half and you want to get down for the second half battle? Or maybe it’s a blow out and you want to upgrade to see your favorite players in the fourth quarter. There are many reasons fans may want to upgrade at various times through the game, and now they can do so affordably with our time-based pricing model.
Our partner teams are happy as well. They have full control over pricing and can test various types of pricing models to see which ones drive the most upgrades. With this data they can learn more about fan behavior and implement solutions to optimize the fan experience.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Pogoseat tech team has developed a more comprehensive pricing algorithm that takes into account a number of variables such as score, availability, and demand when calculating upgrade prices. We plan to roll this out with some of our clients in the near future.
We also have the privilege of working directly with QCue as Barry Kahn, its founder and CEO, is one of Pogoseat’s advisors. QCue has done an amazing job of helping teams and other clients augment ticket sales through their dynamic pricing algorithms. Working with them we will be able to help our clients do the same.
Just follow this link to our mobile web app (m.pogoseat.com) to signup for price drop notifications. You will receive a text and/or email when upgrades go live and then a notification when prices change. Being able to upgrade for a price that you are comfortable with..now that’s seating freedom!
Will the Warriors be going to the playoffs?
This Warriors’ season has been a huge stride from last year’s 23-43 (.348) record. The franchise has had one playoff appearance in the last 17 years, and having been 30-17 in early February, the team had their best start since 1991-92. The future looked bright as the team also celebrated its first All-Star, David Lee, since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.
Then the Warriors had a slew of road games in February and early March that did not go well with them losing 9 of their 10 road games during that stretch. Since then they have not been as hot as they were at the start of their season. So what is to become of the early expectations they created amongst their long hungry fans. The almost unthinkable now has to be considered: Is it possible the Warriors will not make the playoffs?
There’s no telling yet, but here are the facts. 9 of their 14 final games are at home where they currently boast an almost 69% win record. The Lakers’ ongoing injuries and the Jazz’s recent slide (coupled with a tough remaining schedule) should work to keep them in 6th or 7th with the Rockets and the Lakers being the main opponents that have a chance to leapfrog them. However, the Warriors did just blow the Rockets out by 30 points in Sunday’s away game in Houston.
Whether the Dubs end up in 6th or 7th may actually be a big deal depending on what happens in the race for third between Memphis, Denver and the Clippers. Warriors fans will want the Grizzlies (and Nuggets) to lose as many games as possible and the Clippers to be win heavy. This ideally results in a #3 Clippers vs #6 Warriors first round matchup. As we’ve seen in their head-to-head matches this season, a Warriors-Clippers series would give the Warriors the best chance at a first round upset. The Grizzlies, Spurs and Thunder stand to be more difficult opponents to take on.
So playoffs? Yes, the Warriors are likely to make the playoffs but there is a very real chance they could lose in the first round. They’ve come this far because of the All Star seasons from Curry and Lee, as well as Sixth Man of the Year-quality play from Jarrett Jack but for the team to win in the playoffs they will need all factors to be in sync. Regardless, just making the playoffs equates to a successful season for this Warriors team. They can continue to build upon the successes they had this season and we should definitely expect a deeper run next year along with at least several more years of playoff qualification to come. For Warriors fans the future, for now, is looking golden.
*To keep an eye on playoff qualification chances head over to ESPN for the most recent standings: http://espn.go.com/nba/standings
Since I graduated high school, it seems like every year I play less and less football. I can remember back when I was 10 years old playing for the Westside (Los Angeles) Bruins and all we did was live football, on and off the field. Unfortunately as my generation ages, my friends have become less and less motivated to do a pick-up game.
A couple years ago, I reached a personal low for the amount of football played – we had our annual Thanksgiving game (“Turkey Bowl”) and that was it. I looked into flag leagues but the only thing I could find was one in Eagle Rock- a long drive from Silicon Beach.
This year I decided to take matters into my own hands and start a regular Sunday game. I have been talking about it for a while but the idea never seemed to receive enough interest. Nevertheless, I chose to venture forth and blasted an email off to 30 or so friends and acquaintances, mostly in the start-up industry, and aside from all the “get me off of this list responses” I actually got some decent feedback.
Despite the positive response, only five turned out for the inaugural game one and it looked like the effort had been wasted. However, word spread and that next week I got some calls asking if the Sunday game was still on. Ten players turned out for the next game and since then it has been going strong with 10+ weekend warriors each game.
One unique thing about this game is that we keep performance stats on a google doc for any game when 8 or more players show. This creates a new dynamic of bragging rights and controversy, which feeds the fire… yours truly happens to be leading the league in TD’s for now.
Turkey Bowl Crew 2012
Even though we’re only playing flag, our old man bodies can’t seem to hold up like they used to. We have already had multiple sprained and broken fingers, a separated shoulder, a rib injury, and a badly cut arm. So if you want to play in the game – note that you have been forewarned of the risks involved. That being said, the rewards far outweigh the few minor injuries and I encourage everyone out there who has thought about it to spring into action and get back in the game.
See you Sunday!
Game Changer
We are excited to announce the release of our iPhone app! Download it now and use it to upgrade at your next game or concert.. You’re too old to keep sneaking down and getting caught by the usher.
Don’t have an iPhone? Check out our web app
We are proud to announce that we have partnered with the Golden State Warriors to provide their fans with in-game seat upgrades for the 2012-2013 season at Oracle Arena.
We have successfully piloted Pogoseat at the Stanford Football Stadium this season and have received a tremendous response. Looking forward to rolling-out for the 2012-2013 Cardinal basketball season!
Our fans love Pogoseat and Mashable agrees: Pogoseat App Spares You From Seat-Swapping Humiliation on Game Day
Here’s what users are saying:
