The MLP playoffs delivered some major surprises, and we're breaking down everything that happened in Newport.
The Dallas Flash pulled off a massive upset over Ben Johns and the LA Mad Drops after looking like their season was falling apart just a few months ago. We break down how Dallas turned things around, J.W. Johnson's incredible run of form, LA's DreamBreaker decisions, and whether Ben Johns actually "quit" or Dallas simply outplayed them.
We also break down Brooklyn's win over Columbus, Jackie Kawamoto's clutch performance, the Shock continuing to dominate, New Jersey surviving Palm Beach, and our predictions for the MLP semifinals and championship.
Then we get into whether drafting singles specialists actually makes sense in MLP, Tyler's PPA Challenger experience in Seattle, a controversial new PPA side-switching rule, and some of the upcoming players making noise at Challenger events.
Finally, we discuss the PPA's new World Pickleball Rankings system, why singles, mixed doubles and gender doubles are being combined into one ranking, and some of the strange results the new formula could create.
Thanks for watching King of the Court! Subscribe for more pickleball news, analysis, opinions and behind-the-scenes stories.
00:00 – Coming Up on KOTC
00:46 – Welcome Back to King of the Court
01:35 – Jimmy Goes Sleeveless
02:18 – Pickler Universe's New DFW Facility
03:06 – Ranking the Best & Worst Airports
06:04 – Dominator Pickleball
07:34 – Jimmy Gets His New Montis Shoes
09:00 – KOTC All Access Hits 140 Members
09:49 – MLP Newport Playoff Recap
10:45 – How Dallas Completely Turned Its Season Around
12:21 – Why Dallas Didn't Blow Up the Team
13:38 – The Moves That Changed Dallas' Season
15:04 – Dallas vs. LA & the DreamBreaker Decision
16:38 – Did LA Make a HUGE Mistake?
17:19 – Ben Johns & Max Freeman Struggle
18:14 – Did Ben Johns Actually Quit?
19:04 – J.W. Johnson Is Playing Like the Best in the World
20:44 – Dallas Pulls Off the Massive Upset
21:32 – Brooklyn vs. Columbus
24:09 – Brooklyn Advances
25:17 – The Shock Absolutely DOMINATE
26:44 – Fives vs. Palm Beach Recap
27:31 – Tina Pisnik's INSANE ATP
29:34 – Can Anyone Beat New Jersey in a DreamBreaker?
30:17 – MLP Semifinal Predictions
31:49 – Why Dallas Is the Team Nobody Wants to Face
33:14 – Who Wins the 2026 MLP Championship?
33:58 – Are Singles Specialists Worth It in MLP?
35:32 – How MLP Draft Strategy Could Change
39:10 – The Problem With Paying for Singles Specialists
40:05 – Potential MLP Changes for 2027
40:50 – Tyler's Seattle Challenger Recap
42:25 – PPA's NEW Side-Switching Rule
43:06 – Why Players Don't Like the New Rule
43:54 – PPA Challenger Men's Doubles Recap
46:05 – Mixed Doubles Challenger Results
47:40 – Challenger Women's Doubles
49:27 – How Challengers Differ From the PPA Tour
50:16 – PPA Australia + Upcoming Events
51:08 – KOTC Live Podcast in North Carolina
53:16 – Mark Wahlberg Shows Up at MLP
54:43 – PPA's NEW World Pickleball Rankings
56:10 – The New Ranking System Gets Weird
57:57 – Major Ranking Surprises
59:25 – Will the New Rankings Bring Singles Back?
1:00:11 – Could Players Be Forced to Play Singles?
1:01:31 – Final Thoughts
Website: https://www.tylerloong.com/
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