Game 1-
The first game of the semi's features the 2 top dogs of the Wednesday division, Space Curry and Scary Hours. Both of these teams are very interesting in how they are built, so lets take a closer look.
The Space Curry's are loaded with scoring threats with Dre, Leroy, and Haime. Dre and Leroy provide athleticism in scoring while Haime is known to shoot the ball at a high percentage and space the floor for them. Along with them they have Stan, who may be the best defensive big man in the league and is also a scoring threat form the mid range to inside. Stan will make it tough for anyone who tries to score in the paint. Their supporting cast starts off with Saffi, veteran PG who can find the open man anywhere on the court and can make any pass needed, while being a threat from the perimeter as well. They have Talha, scrappy defender who does the dirty work for everyone, and to round it out they have Taco, captain of this team and can provide shooting off the bench. This well rounded roster has no holes to their game.
On the other side we have Scary Hours. Captain Ihsan has done it again with building a contending squad of his own. His teams have made the finals 2 out of the last 3 seasons, including 1 chip on one of those trips. His team starts off with Ant, who many say should have won MVP this season. 3 level scorer who can also lock up on defense, just an all around fantastic 2 way player. They also have Shah and Jerry, Shah provides unlimited range in his shot and Jerry provides elite level playmaking and inside scoring. They both also play amazing defense, Shah being elite on the outisde while Jerry battling inside. Their supporting cast starts off with Ali. A CBL veteran who can get hot in a hurry and hit 3s at a high clip. They have Yoseph, athletic lockup defender on both the outside and inside who plays physical and makes his presence known on the court. Their new pickup who took the league by storm, Justice, can play perimeter defense as well as slash and score off of cuts well. And they have Ihsan, who plays physical on defense and can knock down the long ball.
Both of these teams are going to come out physical, in each others face, and wont back down at all. We expect techs, foul-outs, and long grueling possessions with a lot of scrappiness. This game ultimately will come down to who wins the reboudning battle and the 50-50 balls. Both teams will have to play with a high motor for 40 mins, and we predict that Space Curry will come out on top with Dre having a great game and leading them to the W.
FInal Score - Space Curry wins 76-74
Game 2-
Monday Conference Finals. Bloodline. The Bros. What a game we have in store for us! 2 teams that are more or less the opposites of each other: one team that is extremely reliant on a singular star vs another that is much more balanced. Bloodline will go as far the MVP of the league, Hamid, takes them. Hamid has been absolutely killing the league since he entered a couple of seasons back and this season it all came together as his team was able to provide enough support to get the number 1 seed. And as good as Hamid is, his team is loaded with talent: former finals MVP Bieber, former MVP Sharief aka “Chef”, former champs Wais and Hamza, and upcoming big man Zhoorullah (did somebody say stacked?) However, they did lose the irreplaceable Tariq, who provides more than the scoreboard can tell us.
On the other side, they face against The Bros, which may be a perfect name for this group of guys who some of the nicest guys off the court and absolute DAWGs on the floor. They are led by newcomer Paul, who has been a revelation. Starting the season slow, very few noticed his versatility but with the full squad, he has shown not only his ability to score on all 3 levels, but also play absolute lockdown defense. He is followed closely by Abdel and Zian, 2 CBL guys who can called out by one name only. A lot of ppl used to say these 2 guys have a specific weakness (Abdel’s shooting and Zian’s lack of physicality) but with this squad, a lot of that can be masked by others on the team. Rounding out their starting 5 are Ish and Tayeb, two great 3 point shooters who teams can’t ignore meaning way more 1on1 opportunities for everyone. They also have a solid spark plug off the bench in Numairy who can come in and give his team a shot in the arm when they’re low on energy. This team also lost 2 key pieces on the season in ZQ and Amrit.
So who will win? Bloodline has the best player in this game but the Bros may have the next 3. It will come down to 2 guys in this writers opinion on who will win this game: for Bloodline, can Chef step and score at a higher rate than he’s been this season. Relatively quieter than usually because they haven’t quite needed, this may be the game where they need him to step up and give Bloodline his best game of the season. For the Bros, Abdel will be the key to this game. If there is anyone in the league that can slow down Hamid, Abdel is the prototype for it. He’s a long quick defender who can make Hamid work for all his buckets and also give some back on the other end. In the end, I believe the Bros balance will overcome Bloodline’s too heavy approach in the slightest of margins with a score difference of 82-81
Final Score - The Brothers win 82-81