Dallas Pulls Off Massive MLP Upset + MLP Playoff Recap

Send us Fan MailThe 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 KOTC00:46 – Welcome Back to King of the Court01:35 – Jimmy Goes Sleeveless 02:18 – Pickler Universe's New DFW Facility03:06 – Ranking the Best & Worst Airports06:04 – Dominator Pickleball07:34 – Jimmy Gets His New Montis Shoes09:00 – KOTC All Access Hits 140 Members09:49 – MLP Newport Playoff Recap10:45 – How Dallas Completely Turned Its Season Around12:21 – Why Dallas Didn't Blow Up the Team13:38 – The Moves That Changed Dallas' Season15:04 – Dallas vs. LA & the DreamBreaker Decision16:38 – Did LA Make a HUGE Mistake?17:19 – Ben Johns & Max Freeman Struggle18:14 – Did Ben Johns Actually Quit?19:04 – J.W. Johnson Is Playing Like the Best in the World20:44 – Dallas Pulls Off the Massive Upset21:32 – Brooklyn vs. Columbus24:09 – Brooklyn Advances25:17 – The Shock Absolutely DOMINATE26:44 – Fives vs. Palm Beach Recap27:31 – Tina Pisnik's INSANE ATP29:34 – Can Anyone Beat New Jersey in a DreamBreaker?30:17 – MLP Semifinal Predictions31:49 – Why Dallas Is the Team Nobody Wants to Face33:14 – Who Wins the 2026 MLP Championship?33:58 – Are Singles Specialists Worth It in MLP?35:32 – How MLP Draft Strategy Could Change39:10 – The Problem With Paying for Singles Specialists40:05 – Potential MLP Changes for 202740:50 – Tyler's Seattle Challenger Recap42:25 – PPA's NEW Side-Switching Rule43:06 – Why Players Don't Like the New Rule43:54 – PPA Challenger Men's Doubles Recap46:05 – Mixed Doubles Challenger Results47:40 – Challenger Women's Doubles49:27 – How Challengers Differ From the PPA Tour50:16 – PPA Australia + Upcoming Events51:08 – KOTC Live Podcast in North Carolina53:16 – Mark Wahlberg Shows Up at MLP54:43 – PPA's NEW World Pickleball Rankings56:10 – The New Ranking System Gets Weird57:57 – Major Ranking Surprises59:25 – Will the New Rankings Bring Singles Back?1:00:11 – Could Players Be Forced to Play Singles?1:01:31 – Final ThoughtsWebsite: https://www.tylerloong.com/ KOTC All Accesshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDiH-sjthLCovD8i79-AkWg/joinCode “KOTC” for insane discounts at: https://www.clubpickleballmastermind.com/kotc KOTC Merch - Use “KOTC” kitchpickleball.comNEW KOTC DISCORD https://discord.com/invite/kNR65mBemfNEW KOTC CAMEOhttps://www.cameo.com/morekotcInstagram: Tyler's IG - @tyler.loong  Jimmy's IG - @jimmymiller_pbKOTC IG - @morekingofthecourt  Facebook: / tyler.loong   --Support the show