SABL Western Conference Playoff Preview

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Friday, 18 February 2011

(1) High Rizerz (1-0) vs. (4) Rukus (1-0) - Two of the top 4 teams were heavily challenged in the first round. High Rizerz narrowly escaped defeat against the Panthers when they failed to get a 3 pointer off at the very last second. Rukus on the other hand played a very entertaining game against Titans that went back and forth all game but were able to escape. This is going to be one heck of a battle. These teams are very evenly matched and will be one for the ages. Rukus is on a tear though playing great basketball despite their injuries while the High Rizerz have been tested as of late. This might be the round where High Rizerz will taste defeat for the first time. Prediction 77 - 72 Rukus Wins (2) SWAT (1-0) vs. (3) Ballers (1-0) - SWAT was a part of one of the worst defeats in SABL playoff history. They demolished the Warriors in the first round by 34 points and are looking really good right now. Some say that the easy win might hurt them in the long run as they wont be taking their next opponent as serious because they werent tested. Well they should take the Ballers very serious. One of this seasons quiet teams, they got a huge first round win against the HUMANS and are looking to knock off SWAT. They will need to continue their great teamwork to get this win which would be huge for their playoff future. But SWAT might be able to sneak away with this one in a close game. Prediction 75 - 69 SWAT Wins (5) Titans (0-1) vs. (8) Panthers (0-1) - Had the ball bounce in their favor for a few possessions, the Titans would be 1 - 0 and facing the High Rizerz. Instead, they will be facing a Panthers team that put the High Rizerz to the test and gave them a big scare. This is not going to be a walk in the park for the Titans. The Panthers look focused and feel as if they were robbed of a win in the first round. They will be coming out strong as well. The scoring might be a bit too much for the Panthers in the long run and the Titans will come out victorious. Prediction 70 - 64 Titans Win (6) HUMANS (0-1) vs. (7) NYC Warriors - HUMANS had a heck of a first game. Trading leads with the Ballers all game but were unable to close the game out. The face a NYC Warriors team that just suffered one of the worst defeats in playoff history. The HUMANS will be coming out focused and roaring and will be looking to send the Warriors packing early. Warriors need to come out focused in order to avoid going fishing in their inaugural season. Look for the HUMANS to rebound and go for their 3rd Championship in a row and send the Warriors home. Predictions 68 - 56 HUMANS Win

 

SABL Eastern Conference Playoff previews

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Friday, 18 February 2011

(2-0) 24/7 vs (2-0) Adrenaline In a rematch of a game that took place all the way back in Week 1, the two seed Adrenaline takes on the one seed and defending champions 24/7 with the winner punching their ticket for the 2011 SABL East Finals. Both teams enter the game with the same 9-3 record but 24/7's Opening Week win gave them the nod as the East's top seed. And boy have they needed it, barely beating Force in the first week of the playoffs, and escaping with a win over the Desert Eagles, a game in which the score was tied at halftime. On the other hand, Adrenaline has steamrolled through its playoff match ups up until this point. First a double digit win over the Red Jaguars, followed by a convincing win over A-Team, a game in which many believed that they were the underdog. However whenever these two teams play it seems like 24/7 finds a way to come out on top. It'll be interesting to see who comes out on top in the Zain Yousuf vs Johnathan Roman match up, but the x-factor will have to be the play of forward Yassine Rhaffor who's been averaging 21 PPG in the postseason. The combination of Johnathan, Yassine, and Jeff will in the end prove to be too much for the young Adrenaline squad to handle as 24/7 will win this one 77-70. (1-1) Desert Eagles vs (1-1) Red Jaguars The first of two elimination games this week pits the Red Jaguars against the Desert Eagles. For the Jags this will be their second elimination game of the playoffs after losing in the first round to Adrenaline. They were able to regain some of their momentum last week with a huge win over the Ravens eliminating the six seed from playoff competition. The Desert Eagles had a weird Sunday, they made the most of their rematch against the Lions early in the day, but than fell apart at the end of their game against 24/7 and now face elimination. The question for the Red Jaguars is who will guard Walid? The M.V.P candidate is a terror even when matched against someone with similar size and speed, let alone someone who may be smaller or slower. If the Red Jaguars want to keep their championship hopes alive, they need big games from the trio of Dennis, Khuram M. and Sukhjinder. But too much Walid combined with solid games from Harvey and Andy will be too much for the Jags as the D'Eagles will keep their hopes alive with 67-55 victory. (1-1) A-Team vs (1-1) Force No one thought it possible but Force has made it out of the first round of eliminations. At some points during the season it seemed as if this team could not buy a win, but since the start of the playoffs, Force has hung with the big dogs taking 24/7 to the brink, and than eliminating the mighty Lions a week later but now are faced with a tough task running into an angry A-Team who look to avenge their loss to Adrenaline. A-Team, who during the season had their share of attendance issues put it together towards the end of the season with the return of their big man Josh, But last week's loss was devastating in more ways than one, as it has left the availability of Josh in doubt. Without their big, A-Team is known to struggle, something Force will look to take advantage of. A key player in this game will be A-Team's Forward Jaquan Mingo, who will look to carry the load in Josh's absence. As this is an elimination game look for both teams to come out aggressive, and in a close game look for A-Team to keep their season alive with a 56-50 win. Lions Roar Early, but Fade Late After last Sunday's debacle the Lions are left wondering what exactly happened? What happened to one of the preseason favorites to win it all? What happen to a team that started the season a league best 5-1, but lost its last six games? Before the season started, many people thought that this team had the tools to win the championship. They had size (Lamba), strength (Levent), and speed (S. Ramani) and utilized all aspects early in the season. Big wins against Adrenaline and 24/7 kept them atop the standings, but that Week 6 win proved to be their last of the season as the losses piled up at a surprising pace for this veteran team. But even closing the season on a four game losing streak didn't stop the Lions from attaining the four seed in the playoffs, but a loss to the Desert Eagles in the first round, and Force in the second round sent the team home early for the second straight season. If the Lions choose to return next year, they'll once again be favorites to win it all. They proved early in the season that with their full roster they are tough to beat, but until they can solve their attendance issues, they can accept to be fishing this early in the postseason every year. Ravens Soar to Mediocrity Many people felt with their move from the West to the East that the Ravens would be a tough out, but after a season in which the team hovered around .500, the Ravens saw their championship hopes shot down rather quickly. Led by the leadership of Koshy John and the outside shooting of Biju Thomas, the Ravens had the potential of winning every game, as seen by their early season win against 24/7, but could not beat the big teams down the stretch. A first round loss to A-Team as the sixth seed set them up for the knockout blow from the Red Jaguars a week later. But some positives can be taken from what is an overall disappointing season. Sharpshooter Biju Thomas averaged a team best 14.4 PPG while also leading the league in 3-point shooting. His All-Star season sets the team up with a foundation to build the team around for next season as the Ravens look to return to prove that team play trumps individual talent any day of the week.

 

SABL Playoff results

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Wednesday, 16 February 2011

 

Ben Wallace Makes his SABL predictions

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Wednesday, 16 February 2011

 

Eastern Conference Regular Season Award Winners

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Friday, 11 February 2011

Stats were based on a 5 game minimum. Eastern Conference Regular Season Award Winners