East Playoff Power Rankings!

Thursday, 04 February 2010

Strong Island Ranking: #1 / Record: (8-3) Probability of winning Championship: 32% Strong Island may have the 2nd best record in the East behind Styl, but the committee has them as the favorites to come out of the East. The reasons are simple: Not only do they have the most experience and balance out of any East team, they had to play two games every Sunday during the 2nd half of the season and they still managed to get the job done on most days! Styl Ranking: #2 / Record: (10-1) Probability of winning Championship: 28% When most people think of Styl they think it's just "Stanley and co." but they have been so dominant this season and have won so many close games because of 1) a very deep squad and 2) great late-game execution and free-throw shooting. We can't forget that guys like Davis, Sijo, and Sinu are players on Styl (other than Stanley) who have had all-star type seasons in past. This team is no joke! 24/7 Ranking: #3 / Record: (8-3) Probability of winning Championship: 20% The one other team that can legitimately be counted as a true contender in the East is 24/7. They started off the season on shaky ground but they soon started to mesh and bulked up in the middle at the trade deadline. It's no surprise that their only losses this season have come at the hands of the two teams ahead of them. Playoffs are usually about momentum and if this team finds theirs early, they will take it all the way. Adrenaline Ranking: #4 / Record: (6-5) Probability of winning Championship: 7% Adrenaline picked up their play in the 2nd half of the season as the schedule softened up for them but you could see that their confidence started to rise with the W's. They play hard and they got some all-star pieces on the team, but unless the shots are falling consistently, it's going to be tough for them to go all the way. Their youth and lack of overall size may be their undoing, but they're going to be fun to watch, that's for sure. Lions Ranking: #5 / Record: (4-7) Probability of winning Championship: 5% The Lions played their best basketball early in the season, but have run into injuries and attendance issues which has resulted in a disappointing 2nd half. The team's defense is not up to par with the top contenders in the East and we all know that defense wins games especially in the playoffs. The question with this team is "Which Lions team will show up?" Desert Eagles Ranking: #6 / Record: (4-7) Probability of winning Championship: 4% They just blew out the Lions, so some would think they would have a better chance than the Lions to win it all, at the very least. *But* it should be noted that they are in a tougher bracket with the likes of 24/7 and Strong Island awaiting them. The Eagles have the size to compete with any team but their problems have been turnovers and late-game execution. The pressure will be even higher in the playoffs, so it will be even harder for them to avoid late-game meltdowns. Triple Threat Ranking: #7 / Record: (2-9) Probability of winning Championship: 2% Triple Threat not only had to inherit the Bulldogs record, they had to try to come together in half a season. While they were in competitive in most of their games, it should be noted that they haven't faced any of the top seeds yet. It will be interesting to see how they handle a top-tier team like Styl. The smart money is on a blowout for Styl, but if the long-range bombs are falling for Triple Threat, they may be able to keep it close. "Triple" threat... such a fitting name. Force Ranking: #8 / Record: (2-9) Probability of winning Championship: 2% Force has about the same chances as Triple Threat does of coming out on top in the playoffs, but the reason they are ranked lower is because they, like the Eagles, find themselves in a tougher bracket, so the road to the top of the hill is bumpier, to say the least. Force closed out the season with an inspired game, but that can't erase the failures of the rest of the season. Still, as Lloyd from "Dumb and Dumber said, "So you're tellin' me there's a chance!".

 

West Scores Week #11

Tuesday, 02 February 2010

Analysis: Week #12 of Regular Season games for the West is coming up on 2/7 (the schedule is already up). The evening games have been canceled. As announced earlier in the season, the top 6 seeds have clinched, at worst, a top 6 spot going into the playoffs. That means Hit-Men are locked into the 8th seed and the HUMANS are locked into the 7th seed regardless of the outcome of their game this Sunday (7vs8). Strictly Biz and MKA-NY have clinched the top two spots but MKA can overtake SB with a win this Sunday coupled with a SB loss. The remaining teams were all 7-4, so we looked at head-to-head results for the tie-breakers and Titans went 4-0 against the other 7-4 teams so they are sitting at the #3 seed for now. Week 12 games will likely shuffle the decks a bit in the middle, but not much else. If anything, some of these games might be nice round one or round two playoff previews. It's interesting to note that only one sub .500 team made the playoffs (Hit-Men @ 5-6). Standings: 1. Strictly Biz (10-1) 2. MKA-NY (9-2) 3. Titans (7-4) 4. Rukus (7-4) 5. Strong Island (7-4) 6. SWAT (7-4) 7. HUMANS (7-4) 8. Hit-Men (5-6) ------------------------ 9. Jaguars (3-8) 10. Basketballers (2-9) 11. Panthers (2-9) 12. Ravens (0-11)

 

East Scores Week #11

Monday, 01 February 2010

Analysis Styl holds on to the #1 seed going into the playoffs and they will face Triple Threat who got knocked down a spot after getting beat by a determined Force team. Strong Island won a big game against 24/7 which not only gives them the #2 seed, but also a chance to face Force instead of the more feared Desert Eagles in round one. 24/7, as the #3 seed, get the Desert Eagles who did not put up much of a fight the last time these two teams faced, but the Eagles sound confident that they will make it competitive, at least. The one series that is the most up in the air is Lions vs. Adrenaline with Adrenaline having all the momentum and confidence going in despite the Lions' size advantage. Standings: 1. Styl (10-1) 2. Strong Island (8-3) 3. 24/7 (8-3) 4. Lions (4-7) ----------------------- 5. Adrenaline (6-5) 6. Desert Eagles (4-7) 7. Force (2-9) 8. Triple Threat (2-9)

 

West Scores Week #10

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Analysis: The end of an era. The Basketballers' long run of playoff appearances in South Asian Sports is now a thing of the past. Where do they go from here? I guess getting some of their guys back healthy and making a few roster tweaks could do the trick. Manjot has been a nice pick-up but it hasn't translated to wins. The biggest thing missing from the 'Ballers this year as compared to the last few years has been passion. Just as disappointing has been the Panthers who many expected to be contenders once again. Ravens and Jaguars are also mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. Rukus closed the door on the Jaguars' playoff hopes with a strong push in the final minutes of their game to overcome a 7-point deficit. Strictly Biz also overcame a big late game deficit against the Titans to hold on to their #1 seed. Due to scheduling issues, on February 7th, the bottom four teams will either play each other in the evening (if gym/refs are available) or they will play their final game at a future date, a few weeks later, unless they opt not to. On Feb. 7th, it will be 1vs6, 2vs5, 3vs4, and 7vs8, instead and final seeding will be based on final records. Then Round One of the playoffs will be on Feb. 14th for the West (48-minute game, single-elimination). Standings: 1. Strictly Biz (9-1) 2. MKA-NY (8-2) 3. Rukus (6-3) 4. Titans (6-4) 4. Strong Island (6-4) 4. SWAT (6-4) 4. HUMANS (6-4) 8. Hit-Men (5-4) ------------------------ 9. Jaguars (3-7) 10. Basketballers (2-8) 11. Panthers (2-8) 12. Ravens (0-10)

 

East Scores Week #10

Monday, 25 January 2010

Analysis As we get closer to the playoffs (only one week left!), teams are trying to fine tune and get ready. 24/7 was finally able to do what no other team has done yet... beat Styl. That's probably good enough to get them to the top of the power rankings, but their match-up against Strong Island this week will really show where both teams stand. Lions keep sputtering while Adrenaline is starting to heat up against the lower-seeded teams. They seem to be looking forward to their upcoming match-up against Styl, so let's see if they're up to the challenge. Has any team had more heartbreaks than the Eagles this seasons? Triple Threat was able to hold on at the buzzer to get their 2nd win of the season. Not bad. The schedule was updated recently due to conflicts with the West, so be sure to check it out before Sunday. The only first round match-up that is confirmed so far is Adrenaline (5) vs. Lions (4). Everything else is still up in the air. Standings: 1. Styl (9-1) 2. 24/7 (8-2) 3. Strong Island (7-3) 4. Lions (4-6) ----------------------- 5. Adrenaline (6-4) 6. Desert Eagles (3-7) 7. Triple Threat (2-8) 8. Force (1-9)