After a hard-fought regular season and playoffs, only four teams remain in contention for the AABL crown.  As expected, this is the most talented group of semi-final teams that the league has ever had and there is no clear cut favorite.  Here is a breakdown of the semi-final games being played this coming Sunday:

Semi-Final I: 11:30 AM
#5 Venom vs. #1 Quiet Storm

Throughout the course of the season, #5 Venom has showed that they would be a big threat in the playoffs.  Now with a major addition to their line-up, Venom can now be seen as the favorite to win the whole thing.  Although on the Venom roster since the beginning of the season, big man Anthony Harris made his first appearance of the year and made a big impression on those in attendance.  In two playoff games, Harris dominated the paint while showing off great all-around skill-- not to mention some impressive dunks.  Against Skymax, Harris hit em up for 25 pts, 12 rebs, 5 blks, 4 asts, 2 stls.  And in a tough second game of the day against Prodigies, Harris seemed a little worn out but still held down the paint with 16 pts, 14 rebs, 6 blks, 3 stls.  Already having a standout regular season, Shinobu Nagata has stepped it up for the playoffs, displaying flashy yet steady ball handling and a sniper-like shooting touch, hitting Skymax up for 22 pts, 6 threes, 7 rebs, 4 asts and lighting up Prodigies for 29 pts, 3 threes, 3 rebs, 12/13 FTs.  There are plenty of other weapons on the squad, like Scott Yun, who may be the best all-around baller on the team.  And with solid big men Nic Torres and John Wie patrolling the paint, Venom definitely has all the weapons at every position to take out any of the remaining playoff teams.

Although Venom can put up points in bunches (5 games of 73+ points), their freestyle play is prone to give up points consistently and if their perimeter game isn't working then they could be in trouble.  Venom's three losses came in games in which they failed to break 50 pts.  This team plays intelligent uptempo basketball.  Yet against the 1-8 Wolves, they seemed flustered to play against the Wolves' slow down half-court offense.  And 1-8 Skymax played a tougher than expected playoff game against Venom with Harris in the line-up.  And the talented but less experienced Prodigies were able to attack the rim effectively but couldn't get the stops when they needed them.  But if Venom's outside game is hot, this team is going to be a terror no matter how many easy layups they give up. 

Defending champs, #1 Quiet Storm may be the best defensive team in the league and also the deepest team in the league.  With no true star, Quiet Storm is a true team with every player in the line-up getting effective minutes and contributing on both ends of the court.  Their athletic, multi-dimensional line-up allows them to have fresh players and apply pressure defense for the full 40.  A good chunk of their offense is from points off turnovers.  Mikey Sinchongco could be the best player on the court at times, but he is the consummate team player and falls in line with QS's team concept.  He is the only player to have a 20 point game this season.  That is how evenly distributed QS's points come.  QS rebound leader, Steve Bollman, patrols the paint for the Storm playing tough D and being a steadying force in the lane.  QS is at their best when they are outhustling their opponent and and not settling for jumpers.

Although QS has the most energetic pressure D in the league, the teams remaining in the playoffs are all able to exploit overplaying, gambling defenses.  Also, a problem with being such a team oriented squad is that it is hard to find an offensive go-to guy.  Although they haven't had many close games, it would be hard to say who would take the big shot of the game if needed.  Quiet Storm's three-point shooting can be streaky at times.

Quiet Storm and Venom did not play during the regular season.  Both of these teams favor an uptempo game.  Venom creates a breakneck pace with crisp passing, sharp shooting, and quick shots.  Quiet Storm likes to force the pressure and cause the other team to make mistakes, getting easy buckets on the offensive end.  Should be a great game. 

Semi-Final II: 12:30 PM
#6 Raptors vs. #2 Squires

#6 Raptors started the season looking like favorites to take the chip.  Mel Wright has once again been the main offensive option on the Raptors with a slashing and gunning offense that is hard to matchup against.  Wright is also perhaps the best defensive player on the team as well among the top in the league in steals and blocks.  Kyle Hermoso is also a deadly option for the Raptors displaying a smooth jump shot and physical drives to the paint.  Ramon Francisco is having a great all-around year on the court offering tough defense and solid all-around play.  Will Flemings is the team's leading rebounder and his play in the paint will be key since every team left in the playoffs has a major threat in the post to contend with.  In the end, this team is at their best when Wright's game is on and the rest of the team is hustling and playing tight D. 

The Raptors reliance on Wright could be detrimental at times especially when noone else steps up.  The Raptors enter the playoffs losing 4 of their last 5 regular season games with most of those games coming with sub-par performances from Wright.  Raptors are slow to adjust to the other team's strategies and have trouble taking care of the ball at times.  They also don't have as deep a bench as the rest of the remaining teams.

#2 Squires may have the best all-around team in the league.  They have standout players at every position and standout players to back up every player and they have the most AABL Playoff experience of any team in the semi-finals.  Squires play great team defense and adjust as necessary to effectively offset the other team's offense.  They make intelligent decisions on every offensive possession and make few turnovers.  5-time NAABL-AABL Champ Ryan Driggers is the leading scorer on the team and the best all-around player on the team on both ends of the court.  But Brandon Snodgrass has shown that he has plenty of game with solid steady play displaying the ability to light it up at times.  Andy Sanderson is the biggest perimeter threat on the team-- if not in the league.  Glen VanHouten has done a big-time job of manning the paint for the Squires.  And Alex Webb is a great floor leader, ballhandler, passer, and rebounder from the point guard spot.  Squires are at their best when they are utilizing their various lineup formations to exploit the other team's weaknesses.

Squires my have the least weaknesses of any team in the semis.  What may hurt them is their past successes as players and as a team-- every opposing player has seen them so much, there isn't much of an element of surprise in their game.  They can be methodical and therefore predictable at times although they remain effective on the offensive end.  The older legs of the Squires has had trouble with some of the younger, athletic lineups they have faced, such as Quiet Storm (their only loss), Raptors, Bulldogs, and DOC in the playoffs.  Sanderson has been their only consistent three point shooter all year round.

Squires played a tight game against Raptors in the regular season, winning 62-56.  Raptors hope to feed off an A+ game from Wright.  But no one man can do it alone, so heavy offensive burden must be distributed to the rest of the team.  Hermoso and Francisco must bring solid if not stellar games to the gym if the Raptors hope to keep the dream alive.  Avoiding turnovers, taking high percentage shots, rebounding as a team and getting back on D should be a priority for the Raps.  The Squires seem primed and maybe the best bet to win the whole thing.  With no glaring weaknesses and intelligent playmaking on the court the only thing that may make it difficult for the Squires is lackadaisical play and a breakdown in defense.

The 2008 AABL Playoff Champion is up for grabs this year with any of the remaining four capable of taking down the others.  Let's see what kind of game they bring.  Stay tuned for the most exciting Championship Day in AABL History!   See you at the gym!

Ferd Dimaiwat
Executive Director