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Saturday, 01 March 2008 |
2/28/08
Friday Night action courtesy of the South Asian Basketball League.
Game 1
Spartans
vs
Dynasty
The Spartans looked to be in trouble by coming in with a very thin bench. The team was only dressing 6 players against a very deep Dynasty team. Spartans took an early commanding lead going up by double digits. They were led by Sijo and T-Rex. Captain Joe Varughese hit some long range bombs to open up the middle for T-Rex to go to work. The game seemed out of reach going in to half time. In the second half Dynasty came charging back by going on a 12-0 run to come within 4. Spartans regrouped after calling a time out and quickly went on a 6-0 run to put Dynasty away.
Game 2
SWAT
vs
Dream Team
If there was ever a must win game for both the Dream Team and SWAT this was it. Both of these teams are hovering between making the playoffs and being the odd team out. SWAT came out guns a blazin taking a commanding 8-0 lead before two big threes by Shahin brought Dream Team close. Swat was led by Mohammad Bari who had a break out game and had solid contributions from the bench with some tough defense. Dream Team couldn't get in to much of a rythym and SWAT now has the tie breaker over Dream Team, Force, and Dynasty, plus has moved 1 game ahead of all 3 of these teams in the all important playoff push.
Game 3
Basketballers
vs
Force
With Dynasty losing tonight and Force potentially getting 2 wins via Tiger forefits this was a chance for Force to make a major push for the playoffs. Unfortunatley for them they ran in to the Basketballer juggernaut. The Basketballers cruised to a dominant victory that wasn't close at any point from start to finish. Sajeel Haque and Usman Ghumman led the way in this very balanced attack. |
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
#1 Titans (8-1): Undefeated no more. It's not that the
Titans looked bad in their loss against the Spartans
this past weekend, it was that they weren't close to
their usual dominant selves. Every team is entitled
to an off week.
#2 Triple Threat (7-2): As the only other team to lose
only once (the other loss came via forfeit), the
Triple Threat can potentially grab the #1 seed this
week with a win over Titans. Having 2 of the 3 best
players on the court may prove to be the difference
for TT. This is the game of the season, folks!
#3 Spartans (6-3): After starting the season 0-2, the
Spartans have been dominating the league with arguably
the top defense and great team play. Having strong
interior depth and a PG who keeps everyone involved
has been key to the turnaround.
#4 Humans (6-3): Humans get the unfortunate bump here
to #4 not because they've been playing poorly per se.
It's just that the other contenders having been
playing so well. Humans are still the most talented
and deep team in the league. If they continue to bring
it together, they will also be the scariest come
playoff time. That loss to Force is also hard to
forgive.
#5 Basketballers (7-2): They've been winning games,
but they haven't looked dominant or inspired. It's
almost as if they're coasting until the playoffs
start. The problem is it's hard to just "turn it on"
like a switch whenever they want to.
#6 Money Crew (6-4): They're starting to gel at the
right time and they've been doing their homework on
the competition with weekly scouting excursions at
Bayside. Best of all, talented guys who were quiet
early, like Takseem, Rishi, and David are starting to
step up and give Muneeb help.
#7 Hitmen (5-4): One of the best comeback teams in the
league, but unfortunately for Hitmen, they've been
behind by double digits in nearly all their games. A
young Shaq used to carry his teams to the Finals and
beyond on a regular basis. Can a young Lamba do the
same?
#8 Dream Team (3-6): Looked good in their near-victory
over the higher-seeded 'Ballers, except in the last
few minutes when things fell apart. Late game
collapses have been commonplace for this team that's
led by the talented Ramani brothers. Friday's game vs.
SWAT for the 8th seed will be a huge test.
#9 SWAT (3-6): Holding the crucial tie-breaker over
Dynasty, SWAT needs to defeat Dream Team as well to
salvage any hopes of making the playoffs this season.
SWAT came into the season surrounded with lots of hype
but it's been nothing but smoke & mirrors so far.
#10 Dynasty (3-6): In a season that started with so
much promise, things quickly turned south for a
talented Dynasty squad that never found its groove. If
the team fails to make the playoffs, will it be time
to tear it down and start over?
#11 Force (1-8): Believe it or not, despite the
horrible season Force has had, they still have a shot
to make the playoffs with one or two more victories
because they get an automatic win in their upcoming
scheduled game vs. the Tigers.
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Tuesday, 26 February 2008 |
Spartans vs. Titans
There's history between these two teams outside the
SABL, so it was no surprise that it ended up being a
highly competitive and physical game on the court.
Both teams came out a bit sluggish after the long
break in their respective schedules, but Titans held
on to the lead through half-time. Spartans looked like
the aggressors in the 2nd half, a half which saw
Titans' big man Stanley get into quick foul trouble
followed by a tech and ejection for foul language. The
Spartans, led by heady PG Joe V., put constant ball
pressure on the Titans on one end and methodically
found holes in their defense on the other. At one
point T-Rex took a break to throw up, but he quickly
washed up and helped seal the victory for the Spartans
by controlling the paint. The Titans back-court
struggled from the field most of the night and their
bigs were riddled with foul trouble. Finally, the
Titans were handed a defeat and it took a couple of
Spartans to do it. Spartans 41, Titans 32.
Basketballers vs. Dream Team
This game was all Dream Team until the final 10
minutes. Dream Team blitzed the overconfident 'Ballers
from inside and out. Shaun shut down the penetration
of any guard he was covering and forced the 'Ballers
into taking rushed fade-aways all too often. Even the
feared 'Ballers defense was on hiatus through what was
looking to be a huge upset. Finally, the 'Ballers
woke up and forced several turnovers which resulted in
easy fast-break points late in the game. The
athleticism and stamina of the 'Ballers kicked into
2nd gear and left a rattled Dream Team shaking their
heads as they couldn't manage to hold on to a
double-digit lead. Fancisco and Shahin of DT managed
to hit big 3's late, but with an opportunity to tie
the game at the foul line in a 1 and 1 situation with
10 seconds left, Francisco missed a golden
opportunity. Usman, who finally had a break-out game,
inhaled the rebound and breathed a sigh of relief as
he and the 'Ballers knew they had just dodged a
bullet. Basketballers 41, Dream Team 38. |
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New Feature on the web site |
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
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Did you know that you can now see who the team leaders are in each respective categories?? So if you want to know who leads the money crew in Blocked shots, you can now satisfy your need for knowledge! |
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Wednesday, 20 February 2008 |
Please read
Did anyone find a pair of dark blue Zara jeans with a black Kenneth Cole belt on Friday night? Even if you didn't pick it up did you see them there? Please contact
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
right away if you have the jeans or if you have any information about them.
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Sunday, 10 February 2008 |
The Contenders
#1 Titans (7-0): I haven't "forgotten" the Titans and neither should you... *crickets*. There's nothing funny about that joke or the Titans sheer "Patriot"-like dominance this season. With Stanley the giant anchoring the team down low, a high-pressure defense up top, and balanced scoring from all over, the Titans were the most well-prepared team (credit Pawan and co.) coming into the season and are now the favorites to win it all. Can the near one month hiatus slow them down?
#2 HUMANS (5-3): They started the season at the #2 spot of the power rankings and they've managed to climb back up to this spot after a tumultuous stumble out of the gates. Stocked with more talent than any other SABL team, the key to this team's recent surge was to get those dangerous pieces to play cohesively as a unit. Have they overcome their mental lapses and susceptibility to 3-point barrages?
#3 Triple Threat (6-2): Dubbed the "Double Threat" because of the belief that after Abdullah and Joe, who just happen to be two of the league's top players, there's a significant drop off in talent. But if you look closer, you'll find that the supporting cast of Imran, Zeb, Asad, and co. are carving out effective roles and finding ways to feed of their "big two". What's more impressive is that this team has really only lost one game all season (a nail-biter to the 'Ballers) with the other loss coming via forfeit.
#4 Basketballers (6-2): After impressive victories over the streaking Spartans and the Triple Threat sandwiched around a tough loss to the Humans, you would think the 'Ballers would be higher in the power rankings. They certainly make a strong case for it with their quality depth, teamwork, and experience. However, a lack of a true big inside to fend off some of the giants of the league (Lamba, Stanley, Special K, Wasik, etc.) and no clear-cut "go-to" superstar in crunch time may put a damper on their championship parade plans, just like last season.
On the Bubble
#5 Spartans (5-3): Following a nightmare start to the season, the Spartans are winners of 4 out of their last 5 games. There's one word that aptly describes this team of late: Balance. They balance a strong defense with a steady offense, strength in the paint with range from the arc, heady PG play with unselfish bigs. With a thin bench and a shortage of consistent scoring options at times, however, the Spartans sometimes find themselves in 2nd half slowdowns and offensive droughts. Will they find themselves getting edged out by deeper and more talented teams in the playoffs?
#6 Money Crew (4-3): If there was a SABL yearbook, they'd get voted as "the team most likely to come back from a 25-point deficit". Muneeb and his crew of perimeter assassins are certainly capable of upsetting anyone if they get hot, especially in the single-elimination SABL playoff format. However, if that perimeter game is challenged and shots aren't falling, Money Crew has a tough time getting easy points in the paint, as the losses to the Spartans and the 'Ballers proved. Slowing opposing teams' bigs on the other end has been a challenge as well.
The Pretenders
#7 Hit-Men (4-4): After overhauling the roster in the off-season out of necessity, the Hit-Men have found themselves in a Miami Heat-like slide with an offense that can be predictable at times and a defense that looks uninspired on certain nights. Lamba may be the most dominant offensive C in the league, but even he has trouble going against constant double and triple teams. It seems they play their best with their backs against the wall, though, with numerous come from behind victories. They're still the defending champs, right?
#8 Swat (3-5): "There's no such thing as a moral victory, son". Holding on to the 8th spot for dear life, the inexperienced Swat team finds itself on the brink of an early fishing excursion if they can't snap out of their recent 4-game skid, which was preceded by a promising 3-1 start to the season. Despite staying competitive in three of those four losses, Swat's inability to finish games out with gusto and their costly turnovers are a cause for concern. Unless they can grow up real fast and learn how to beat teams with winning records, the Swat team will be the one sleeping with the fishes.
#9 Dynasty (3-5): There's enough talent here to have a winning record, but Dynasty, like Swat, has been unable to beat teams with winning records thus far for various reasons. Spotty attendance coupled with a weak bench has led to constant under achievement. With no true point guard or center, they often have to rely on crisp passing and penetration to score points, but the problem is they are one of the league leaders in turnovers. Sometimes they throw strategy out the window and rely too much on 1 on 1 play and 3-point shooting has been consistently inconsistent.
The Rest
#10 Dream Team (2-5): When '07 SABL Finals MVP Shaun Ramani parted ways with the Hit-Men in the off-season and sought out to create his own "Dream Team" he couldn't have envisioned the nightmare season they've been experiencing thus far. From playing short-handed to losing a key player to suspension, the Dream Team has been unable to put together any sort of momentum this season. Despite having one of the best players in the league in Shaun at PG flanked by talented swing-man Francisco and capable C Neil, the team has had trouble staying with the competition on the court. It may be too late to address their thin bench and general lack of speed, but it's not too late to crawl their way into the playoffs with inspired play.
#11 Force (1-6): Will the highlight of Force's disappointing season be their relentless 3-point barrage win over the Humans or do they have some life still left? Poor attendance, below average team speed, and a weak interior game have made wins hard to come by for a Force team that looked so promising after week one. On the bright side, ping-pong balls a plenty on draft night.
#12 Tigers (0-11): The Lions went 0-22 in their 1st season in the SASL and now the Tigers will go winless in their 1st season in the SABL due to their inability to finish out the season. Memo to prospective SA Sports teams: If you're thinking about naming your team the "Bears", you may want to reconsider The Lions, however, bounced back in their 2nd season and went close to .500 so all hope is not lost.
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