Thursday, May 01, 2008
After a long, grueling regular season a lot of questions are still out there but all the answers are right around the corner in the playoffs! This has truly been the most unpredictable season yet and all the teams came into the season with the personnel to hang in the league. And most of the teams in the playoffs have the ability to pull off some bigtime upsets in the postseason. Here is a breakdown of Sunday's playoff matchups: Round 1, Game 1- #9 Dream Team vs. #8 Bulldogs This is a rematch of the Week 9 regular season game in which Bulldogs managed to dispose of Dream Team. Now the Bulldogs have the opportunity to send DT home for the season. After a long, grueling regular season a lot of questions are still out there but all the answers are right around the corner in the playoffs! This has truly been the most unpredictable season yet and all the teams came into the season with the personnel to hang in the league. And most of the teams in the playoffs have the ability to pull off some bigtime upsets in the postseason. Here is a breakdown of Sunday's playoff matchups:
Round 1, Game 1- #9 Dream Team vs. #8 Bulldogs
This is a rematch of the Week 9 regular season game in which Bulldogs managed to dispose of Dream Team. Now the Bulldogs have the opportunity to send DT home for the season. Bulldogs are led by last year's MVP Jon Allmond who is one of the most consistenly hardworking players in the league. He is also a tough matchup for DT who will find it hard to find someone to check him. Dogs' Curtis Pender has come on strong as the man in the middle with strong rebounding and shot blocking. Andrew DelCarmen has stepped it up becoming a legit third option in the last few weeks and that directly corresponds to the Dogs recent winning streak which included a big win over Quiet Storm-- handing them their only loss of the season. Dogs' suffered some tough early season losses but they are definitely better than their 5-4 record suggests. Dream Team has fallen on hard times lately losing their last 3 reg. season games and possibly James Oaks, their big man in the middle. DT has had trouble all season long trying to find an offensive rhythm but to no avail. Sometimes it seems their offense consists of shooting the longball and hoping the big guys get the rebound. No player on the team averages double figures but Bobby Grewal is definitely one of the key guys who is expected to put up OT duty in the paint and Mike Macaraeg needs to find some offensive consistency and not settle for the three pointer if DT hopes to make another splash in the playoffs.
Round 1, Game 2- #12 Skymax vs. #5 Venom
These teams never met in the regular season, but based on their standout play during the year, Venom is clearly the favorite in this one. With Venom's run and gun, three point shooting offense they have shown that they can put up the points against any team. However they also consistenly give up a lot of points. Venom's Shinobu Nagata is one of AABL's top new talents in the league, displaying a deft shooting touch and excellent ball handling. Nic Torres, however, is the anchor of the team, playing his usual brand of steady, hardnosed ball. If Venom is having a bad shooting day they are very vulnerable-- they have lost all games in which they score 50 or less. This is bad news for a Skymax team that has surpassed the 50 point mark one team this season. Skymax is happy to still be in contention as they had an awful regular season but manage to make the postseason anyway. Though they are better suited to play a halfcourt, slow-down game, Skymax seemed like they prefer an uptempo game which got them into trouble during the course of the season. F/C Dan Taitague played his usual strong, steady brand of basketball and C Andre McMullen was one of the league's best rebounders. They need their guards to step up and come in with a gameplan if they want to hang with Venom.
Round 1, Game 3- #11 Warriors vs #6 Raptors
This is a rematch of the first game of the season in which the Raptors' walked away with a narrow win. When the season started, Raptors looked like one of the most dangerous teams to play, but they have recently fell on hard times losing 4 of their last 5-- with the one win in that span a one-point win over the Blazers. To their credit the Raptors' losses have come against the tougher teams in the league (Quiet Storm, Squires, Forwarders, Bulldogs). As always, do-it-all Mel Wright has been the heart and soul of the team, setting the pace with uptempo ball on offense and great defense on the perimeter and in the paint. But after the Forwarders successfully shut down Wright with a box-and-one set, teams may follow suit to shut down the Raps' number one option. If that's the case, Kyle Hermoso and Ramon Francisco have to pick up their game and make the defense pay. Warriors are a serious darkhorse team at the bottom of the rankings, which is a testament to the parity in the league this year. With quickness, penetration, and perimeter shooting coming from the guard spots and tough, good passing big men in the post, the Warriors have the personnel to give any team a run for their money. SF Tony Otter has been the primary offensive contributor for the squad playing a good all-around game and showing off a good three-point shot. SG Eric Smith has improved immensely since he started in the league last year-- getting into the paint often and also a good outside shooter. Jay Harris gives the Warriors the big body in the middle they need to matchup with the rest of the teams' post players.
Round 1, Game 4- #10 D.O.C. vs. #7 Blazers
The Blazers have been steadily improving throughout the course of the season, giving every team they faced a hard time. A big reason for the Blazers' success is the outstanding play of C Larry Johnson who has dominated the paint all-season long and against all oopponents. Johnson led the regular season in points and rebounds and was second in steals. The Blazers also have the league's assist leader, Josh Mendoza, as their primary ballhandler. The guard play has been solid by controlling the tempo, getting into the paint, and not turning over the ball. F Harold SanAntonio has stepped up his offensive production lately and F Chris Mendoza has been solid all year long. The biggest improvement of the Blazers has been with their confidence, as every player has assumed an important role on the team. Another team brewing with confidence, DOC comes off an impressive performance against Quiet Storm-- a game which lost by 2 pts but they showed their toughness, hardwork, and never-say-die attitude. DOC is at their best when they are forcing the other team to play their uptempo style of play and their full-court press may be the most effective in the league (sorry Quiet Storm). Lacking a big time threat in the middle, DOC may have trouble if they are forced to play a halfcourt game. SG Marvin Todd has stepped up his game tremendously as the season progressed, using his quickness and toughness to his advantage and leading the team in scoring. SF Calvin Morris has played his usual brand of basketball but has also stepped up his play in the middle, leading his team in rebounds. Theo Jamison and Lee Harrelson are also big time scoring options capable of putting up big numbers any given game. Blazers won the regular season matchup by just one point.
#1 Quiet Storm, #2 Squires, #3 Forwarders, and #4 Prodigies have first round byes. Quiet Storm has had it rough lately showing that they are vulnerable to teams that can match their uptempo style. Although they lose big man Jeremy Calazara, the Squires still have the personnel to beat down any opponent. Forwarders almost live and die by the three although they are more than capable of doing anything on the court. Prodigies can put up points but their defense is suspect and the paint seems unguarded at times.
Get ready for the most action packed playoffs-- GUARANTEED. Any team can win it with a good streak of play and a little luck, so stay tuned cuz ANYTHING can happen and it probably will.
To see the schedule of games, please visit the SCHEDULE page. See you at the gym.
Ferd Dimaiwat
Executive Director
Round 1, Game 1- #9 Dream Team vs. #8 Bulldogs
This is a rematch of the Week 9 regular season game in which Bulldogs managed to dispose of Dream Team. Now the Bulldogs have the opportunity to send DT home for the season. Bulldogs are led by last year's MVP Jon Allmond who is one of the most consistenly hardworking players in the league. He is also a tough matchup for DT who will find it hard to find someone to check him. Dogs' Curtis Pender has come on strong as the man in the middle with strong rebounding and shot blocking. Andrew DelCarmen has stepped it up becoming a legit third option in the last few weeks and that directly corresponds to the Dogs recent winning streak which included a big win over Quiet Storm-- handing them their only loss of the season. Dogs' suffered some tough early season losses but they are definitely better than their 5-4 record suggests. Dream Team has fallen on hard times lately losing their last 3 reg. season games and possibly James Oaks, their big man in the middle. DT has had trouble all season long trying to find an offensive rhythm but to no avail. Sometimes it seems their offense consists of shooting the longball and hoping the big guys get the rebound. No player on the team averages double figures but Bobby Grewal is definitely one of the key guys who is expected to put up OT duty in the paint and Mike Macaraeg needs to find some offensive consistency and not settle for the three pointer if DT hopes to make another splash in the playoffs.
Round 1, Game 2- #12 Skymax vs. #5 Venom
These teams never met in the regular season, but based on their standout play during the year, Venom is clearly the favorite in this one. With Venom's run and gun, three point shooting offense they have shown that they can put up the points against any team. However they also consistenly give up a lot of points. Venom's Shinobu Nagata is one of AABL's top new talents in the league, displaying a deft shooting touch and excellent ball handling. Nic Torres, however, is the anchor of the team, playing his usual brand of steady, hardnosed ball. If Venom is having a bad shooting day they are very vulnerable-- they have lost all games in which they score 50 or less. This is bad news for a Skymax team that has surpassed the 50 point mark one team this season. Skymax is happy to still be in contention as they had an awful regular season but manage to make the postseason anyway. Though they are better suited to play a halfcourt, slow-down game, Skymax seemed like they prefer an uptempo game which got them into trouble during the course of the season. F/C Dan Taitague played his usual strong, steady brand of basketball and C Andre McMullen was one of the league's best rebounders. They need their guards to step up and come in with a gameplan if they want to hang with Venom.
Round 1, Game 3- #11 Warriors vs #6 Raptors
This is a rematch of the first game of the season in which the Raptors' walked away with a narrow win. When the season started, Raptors looked like one of the most dangerous teams to play, but they have recently fell on hard times losing 4 of their last 5-- with the one win in that span a one-point win over the Blazers. To their credit the Raptors' losses have come against the tougher teams in the league (Quiet Storm, Squires, Forwarders, Bulldogs). As always, do-it-all Mel Wright has been the heart and soul of the team, setting the pace with uptempo ball on offense and great defense on the perimeter and in the paint. But after the Forwarders successfully shut down Wright with a box-and-one set, teams may follow suit to shut down the Raps' number one option. If that's the case, Kyle Hermoso and Ramon Francisco have to pick up their game and make the defense pay. Warriors are a serious darkhorse team at the bottom of the rankings, which is a testament to the parity in the league this year. With quickness, penetration, and perimeter shooting coming from the guard spots and tough, good passing big men in the post, the Warriors have the personnel to give any team a run for their money. SF Tony Otter has been the primary offensive contributor for the squad playing a good all-around game and showing off a good three-point shot. SG Eric Smith has improved immensely since he started in the league last year-- getting into the paint often and also a good outside shooter. Jay Harris gives the Warriors the big body in the middle they need to matchup with the rest of the teams' post players.
Round 1, Game 4- #10 D.O.C. vs. #7 Blazers
The Blazers have been steadily improving throughout the course of the season, giving every team they faced a hard time. A big reason for the Blazers' success is the outstanding play of C Larry Johnson who has dominated the paint all-season long and against all oopponents. Johnson led the regular season in points and rebounds and was second in steals. The Blazers also have the league's assist leader, Josh Mendoza, as their primary ballhandler. The guard play has been solid by controlling the tempo, getting into the paint, and not turning over the ball. F Harold SanAntonio has stepped up his offensive production lately and F Chris Mendoza has been solid all year long. The biggest improvement of the Blazers has been with their confidence, as every player has assumed an important role on the team. Another team brewing with confidence, DOC comes off an impressive performance against Quiet Storm-- a game which lost by 2 pts but they showed their toughness, hardwork, and never-say-die attitude. DOC is at their best when they are forcing the other team to play their uptempo style of play and their full-court press may be the most effective in the league (sorry Quiet Storm). Lacking a big time threat in the middle, DOC may have trouble if they are forced to play a halfcourt game. SG Marvin Todd has stepped up his game tremendously as the season progressed, using his quickness and toughness to his advantage and leading the team in scoring. SF Calvin Morris has played his usual brand of basketball but has also stepped up his play in the middle, leading his team in rebounds. Theo Jamison and Lee Harrelson are also big time scoring options capable of putting up big numbers any given game. Blazers won the regular season matchup by just one point.
#1 Quiet Storm, #2 Squires, #3 Forwarders, and #4 Prodigies have first round byes. Quiet Storm has had it rough lately showing that they are vulnerable to teams that can match their uptempo style. Although they lose big man Jeremy Calazara, the Squires still have the personnel to beat down any opponent. Forwarders almost live and die by the three although they are more than capable of doing anything on the court. Prodigies can put up points but their defense is suspect and the paint seems unguarded at times.
Get ready for the most action packed playoffs-- GUARANTEED. Any team can win it with a good streak of play and a little luck, so stay tuned cuz ANYTHING can happen and it probably will.
To see the schedule of games, please visit the SCHEDULE page. See you at the gym.
Ferd Dimaiwat
Executive Director
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