| SABL Week 8 Western Conference Preview |
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| Thursday, 19 January 2012 | |
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Ballers vs. Storm Battle of 2 teams that showed so much promise this pre-season. Noone can forget the early season interview with Ballers captain Talha as he told the rest of the league to watch out for his team. But didn't seem to pan out that way. Ballers have 2-3 in their last 5 and cannot exchange wins for losses if they want to head into the playoffs with full steam. Doesn't seem like Joe Pena is returning to the team this year so its up to Manjot, Gavin and Suleman to carry the load. Individually, these guys can flat out ball. But they need to put it together consistently to break through. Storm is very similar, however their attendance has been killing them. On paper, and with the acquisition of Ming, these guys look scary. But they have yet to show up to a game with a full squad and its hurting them bad. They need this huge win over the Ballers to make some headway into the playoffs or they will be sitting back questioning what happened to their stellar season. Experts predict Ballers will take this one in a close game 73-70. SWAT vs. Hi Rizerz Two teams going in two different directions. Last season these 2 teams were on the same pace and ended up meeting at around the same time. Hi Rizerz came up victorious in a huge game 5 point win that included Rahul going off for 27 points. The 2 teams met in the playoffs later that year and HR was trampled in an 11 point loss and their number #1 seed went to waste. Will this matchup follow the same road? Will HR beat SWAT only to be bounced out the playoffs a few weeks later? One thing is for sure, SWAT is not playing SWAT ball. Even with a full squad last week, they were hammered by RUKUS. HR has been tested the past few weeks as well but have gutted out the wins and remain with 1 loss. Its unfortunate to say we believe history will repeat itself. Until SWAT finds their groove, dont look for them to knock off HR in an easy game. Experts predict HR to take it in a very entertaining game 81 - 76. Panthers vs. 7th Letter Entertainment / Tic Tavern If 7th Letter learned one thing last week, its to just play ball. Losing Carl because of techs hurt them bad as they needed a big win against the Ballers to stake their claim. But losing their biggest piece ended hurting them and may have an impact come playoff time. If they want to make up for it, they will need to get it together and come up with a win against the Panthers. The Panthers are rolling right now and are playing great basketball. Their depth is key and they are always using fresh legs. Look for a big matchup on the inside with Carl vs. Sammie. The 2 can bang with the best of them and this one will be an all out war. One thing to mention is that both teams are playing great defense as well ranking 4th and 5th, so the dont look for a high score. It will come down to who can shut down the other team. Guard play will be big and we think the difference maker will be Jamal of the Panthers. He wont be stopped and will carry his team to a win. Experts predict Panthers win 66-57. Titans vs. NYC Warriors Sad to see such a talent not make the playoffs. But even with such amazing play by Haron, Warriors find themselves at 2-5 and 1 spot out of the final playoff spot. They will need a huge win against the Titans and a loss by 7th Letter to move up a spot. Titans on the other hand are cruising right now. They were somewhat tested last week against the Astoria Bulls and played very uncharacteristically. But the little scare may have showed the Titans they are not immortals, but just Titans. Look for them to build on that performance and display the amazing teamwork they have been showing the league the past few months. Their interior defense will clog the lanes and limit Haron to the backcourt, where he is equally as dangerous. As long as they contain the rest of the Warriors, teams have learned they can let Haron go off and still get away with a win. Lets see if the Warriors can muster the energy to win this one. But experts predict a big win by the Titans 74 - 62. Astoria Bulls vs. RUKUS Not much to say here. Although the Bulls played brilliant ball last week against the Titans, they were unable to close the game out. RUKUS is flat out scary right now. They are coming off of an impressive win against SWAT that left them clueless. This week game should be no problem and we are predicting a complete lopsided win by RUKUS. The only thing that is possible is if their team decides to watch the Giant game and they send the reserves. But with talks of the MVP race brewing, look for Mike Bravo to have a big game and use this matchup to pad his stats. More importantly, RUKUS will look to take the number #1 spot with a win and if SWAT can beat Hi Rizerz in the same day. Might be a very interesting game to watch. But experts predict RUKUS win big 94-70. |
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