Another retro season in the books…..and another Moody sighting in the finals????? Looks like the world is coming to an end after all! In all seriousness, shout out to both the Knights and primetime for making it to this point. If you had asked before the season, midway through the season, or before the playoffs started, I don’t think anybody would’ve thought these two teams would’ve made it here (no offense!). 

This is a matchup of two teams with sooooooo many vets. Each team has a number of guys that have been involved with CBL for many many years. It is very awesome to see so many older guys still representing the league in such a positive way. But enough of that mushy stuff, let’s talk about how these old guys are going to handle this game.

For the knights, they are led by Hassan who has been their lead guard all season. Along with Amged and Ali, they have a three headed monster upfront that they need to step up in order for them to have a good chance of winning the chip. In the back lines, they have Jabbar, Abuzar, Mohin, and Abdullah who do a lot of the dirty work and intangible things to help a team win. 

For primetime, the season really changed when they picked up Gurk. He is one of the best lead guards in this league and has been the catalyst for this team’s turnaround. But he also has two awesome veterans in Qasim and Arvin to give him support. Qasim has been more of a scorer while Arvin has been more of a jack of all trades type of player. Behind them there’s even more vets in Ali, Imran, Moody, aadil, and Daud. Chances are any of these guys could be the reason this team comes out on top.

Hassan versus Gurk: this matchup is pretty even and we don’t believe the winner will be decided by these two individuals as they will cancel each other out. They are each team’s best player so we both we expect them both to play well. Advantage: even

Amged versus Qasim: although these two players don’t directly match up, they are both vital to each of their team success. Amjad is the point guard for the Knights and dictates how they play on both offense and defense. He is a tenacious defender and can shut down the other team’s best guard. On the other end, Qasim is much more of a score and slasher for primetime. Advantage: Knights.

Ali versus Arvin: Ali has been very up and down for the knights this year. When he is on, they are extremely difficult to be. However, there are many times when he has tunnel vision and does not see his open teammates around him. He needs to become a slightly better distributor to unlock this team‘s full potential. On the other hand, Arvin is probably the best do it all player in the entire league. You need a rebound? Arvin got you. You need a score? Pass it to Arvin. You need a defensive stop? Put Arvin on their best player. The only issue with Arvin is he seems too passive at times. If he can find that aggressive mentality, he will most likely dictate the outcome of this game. Advantage: primetime

Jabbar versus Ali: Jabbar is one of the most interesting players in the league. He can be the guy who makes or breaks his team. There are plays where he drives and looks like LeBron James. Then there’s drives when he looks like Bambi. His decision-making is always questionable, but usually leads to good results. He does need to channel his energy in a more positive manner. Lately he has been giving some Draymond Green vibes. Ali Ladak is a name that goes all the way back to CBL elite. While he is a little bit slower, his IQ for the game has increased tenfold. You can still see him make game changing place like when he’s Euro stepping all over the court and hitting dagger threes like he did last week. Sleep on this man at your own peril, I have seen him when many many championships when he is slept on.
Advantage: primetime

Abdullah versus Moody: Abdullah was the newest edition to the Knights roster for this season. He is a very solid big man who knows his role which is to rebound and play defense.  On the other hand, commissioner Moody has become a new player over the last season or two. His confidence is way up and and he has become an excellent player on both sides of the court. But don’t get him too upset, or he might run you over with one of his monstrous screens. Advantage: even

Bench: both both benches have some solid players on them. For the knights, they probably have the sixth man of the year in Mohsin. He could easily be a starter on most teams, but chooses to bring energy off the bench for this squad. He can play excellent defense and give you timely buckets if given the opportunity. Abuzar is the brains behind the whole operation and an extremely underrated player, especially as a shooter where he does not get as many touches as he should. For primetime, they have excellent options off the bench as well in Imran, Aadil, and Daud. Imran and Mohsin are similar in that they are both starters masquerading as 6th men. They are both extremely effective in what they do and for Imran specifically, he is an excellent defender and a great mid range shooter. Aadil’s biggest strength is rebounding and shooting the fastest three-pointers of all time. If the ball touches aadil’s hands, you can almost guarantee a shot is going up. Daud is the backup point guard, and when he is in the game, he is relied on to make good decisions and hit open threes. It is hard to say who has an advantage here, but we personally lean slightly towards the knights. Advantage: knights

This has the makings of an all-time classic finals for CBL Retro. Both teams are pretty well matched, and it will come down to whichever Team wants it more. That may sound cliché, but sometimes that’s really all there is to it. Captain Moody has just come off a CBL Retro draft chip and he seems hungry for more (no pun intended). We think that primetime will make just enough plays to pull this game out and secure the first ever chip for commissioner Moody in “the real“ CBL Retro. Good luck to both teams!

Winner: Primetime
Finals MVP: Arvin