Anderson, Vipers set for D-League playoffs

Former Lynn Tech/Memphis standout Antonio Anderson’s new team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League, has finalized its playoff dates.The Vipers announced on Monday that they will host games two and three (if necessary) of their first-round postseason series on Monday, April 12, and Tuesday, April 13, at State Farm Arena. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.The Vipers currently lead the Western Conference with a 33-13 record, including a 19-3 mark at home. The Vipers’ magic number to clinch the Western Conference Championship is one. Any combination of Vipers wins and Austin Toros losses that add up to one over the course of the rest of the season will result in the Vipers clinching not only the Western Conference championship, but the number two seed and guaranteed home court advantage for the NBA-DL Semifinals. The Vipers play the Utah Flash while the Toros face the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Tuesday.The Vipers are two games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Iowa Energy (36-12) for the best record in the NBA-DL and guaranteed home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Should the Vipers and Energy finish tied in the standings, the Vipers will win the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the season series after winning two games in Iowa on Jan. 9-10.The NBA Development League is using an expanded playoff format this season. The conference winners will be the top two seeds while the remaining six teams will be chosen in order of best record, regardless of conference. The top three seeds will get to select their first-round opponent from the bottom four teams. Each of the three rounds of playoffs will use a best-of-three format, with the lower seed hosting game one and the higher seed hosting games two and three if necessary.The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA Houston Rockets. The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams.