Four teams dominated the regular season but the playoffs are notoriously fickle. Our writers make their picks for the upcoming battle for the title

The elites. Orlando, Washington, Gotham and Kansas City were the best teams in the regular season. And there was a 16-point gap between fourth-placed Kansas City and North Carolina, who finished fifth in the table. Collectively, the top four were responsible for 46% of the wins and 40% of the goals scored in the 14-team league. The players, owners and off-field developments associated with these squads formed most (but not all) of the league’s most fascinating storylines. It will be exciting to see which of them, if any, survive the playoffs. AA