8:15 Phantoms La Familia
These are two teams who know each other well. Qasim and Yusuf’s squad will be battling for the third time and the Phantoms currently hold a 2-0 record against La Familia. But this La Familia team has a spark right now that’s hard to deny. They didn’t just defeat the reigning champs last week, they CRUSHED them. There was not a second of that game where they didn’t seem in control and the six point difference doesn’t tell the true story of that game. Phantoms have been one of the top teams all season. They are fueled by the backcourt of Hugo and Zobi who have the combination of speed and skill to compete with anybody. They have outside shooting and are defensive menaces which leads to a lot of transition points. They will be matched by Sajed and Zaky though who had amazing performances last week. At one point Zaky had three possessions in a row where he stole the ball from the other team and either got points or a foul from it. These are teams on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to depth. La Familia runs eight or nine guys who can all contribute while Qasim goes lean with 6. Will that lead to some tired players in a close game that Yusuf and Co. can take advantage of. We are gonna say it’s a close game but at the end of the day the top end talent is a little better on the Phantoms and they go into the semifinals but not without being tested.
Phantoms 58 La Familia 54

9:15 Panthers Knights
Oh man this should be fun. We have two teams who each have former mvps in Amged for the Knights and Muzz for the Panthers. What makes it even crazier is those aren’t their best players this season. Muzz brought in Yusuf because of his injury and the guy can flat out score. He can go for thirty any game and can do it at all three levels, though his layups sometimes leave something to be desired. For the Knights it’s a return rather than an addition. Hassan led the Knights to a championship appearance before Commissioner Moody gave him the boot but now he’s back and he’s the same kind of player. He is an amazing slasher and can step back and shoot the three along with being the most disruptive pass deflector in the league. The X factor here will be the other players stepping up. The Knights have Mohsin who’s a gritty tough rebounding guard who can make a mid range shot and Ismail who we know can go OFF at any moment from three. Muzz will counter with Abdullah who has been in the playoffs many times before and knows how to play at this stage and Haseeb who has had an off season but we know what he can do when it clicks. In the end the Panthers have too many pieces and win in a shootout.
Panthers 68 Knights 62