With 7 weeks of the regular season behind us, the real season begins. #10 The Alliance and #7 The Pack will kickoff the divisions first round playoff games this upcoming Sunday. Which will lead us to the match up between the #6 seeded West Coast Pros and #11 P.A.H.U. The evening will be capped off when #8 Tupac Back takes on #9 Knicee in a match-up of two prolific scorers.
While these opening round games are taking place, #1 Washed Up, #2 I Ball, #3 The Dynasty, #4 Play Makerz and the #5 seeded Morningwood enjoy their first round byes. This should be an intriguing series of games, I wonder what teams could potentially play spoiler in the second round. I’m also wondering how many lower seeded teams will defeat a team seeded higher than them.
#8 Tupac Back vs. #9 Knicee
After 7 Weeks of play the #8 Tupac Back and #9 Knicee are ready to begin the “chase to the championship”. Both teams enter the game with a sensible 3-4 record. After huge expectations for both teams preceding the season, both teams managed to scrape up a few wins on their way to this playoff match-up.
Tupac Back secured the #8 seed in the point differential tie breaker and seem adequately prepared for this playoff run, even though they forfeited their Week 7 match-up with P.A.H.U, due to personnel issues or lack thereof. The man in the middle Jordan Block leads the way for this team, he enters the playoffs averaging (22.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG). Below Block on the stat sheet is Eric Williams (12.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG), Paul King finished the season as the teams third leading scorer with (11.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG). These are the three key performers for Tupac Back in this playoff game.
Knicee is led into this first round match-up by MVP Candidate Kenneth Ubom (28.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG) Ubom has been the cornerstone of Knicee’s offense all season. Behind Ubom is big man Odell Howard, Howard enters the post season averaging (8.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG) but has yet to make a significant difference in any game this season. Anthony Barajas (6.4 PPG, and 2.0 RPG) is a key factor for Knicee he is an agile player who can cause havoc if left unguarded.
The key component for Tupac Back will simply be “Can Tupac Back Stop Kenneth Ubom?”
The key component for Knicee will be trying to contain Jordan Blocks elusive post game.This should be a great game between two of the divisions most prolific scorers.
The winner of this game advances to play the #1 seed Washed Up.
#7 The Pack vs. #10 The Alliance
The Pack (3-4) as well as everyone other team, entered the season with high hopes to earn a playoff berth and play for a championship, they’ve had an above par season hanging in tough and defeating a championship caliber team in the Play Makerz in Week 6.
GM Craig Crampton has done quite a job putting together a roster worthy of competing for IBL’s most elusive prize.
The Pack is led into this playoff match-up by their leading scorer Tyler who enters this playoff match up averaging (11.8 PPG and 7.8 RPG), Luke is the teams second leading scorer averaging (11.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG). Lonnie Rivera is the third leading scorer for The Pack entering the playoffs averaging (11.0 PPG and 8.2 RPG), Sam Nogales is the X-Factor for The Pack he enters the game averaging (10.9 PPG and 4.3 RPG) and was a key factor in their Week 1 win over then STAT now The Alliance.
The Alliance has had a rough road to this point, they’ve had several personnel issues through-out the season, but have pulled it together for this playoff run. Although they’ve lost their last 3 regular season games entering the playoffs the teams leading scorer Jaime Villalobos (19.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG) has finally broken out of his shell and is back to the Jaime Villalobos that won the Division 1 MVP award back in Season 3.
Big Man Ralph Chavez (17.8 PPG and 9.3 RPG) has been a key contributor all season for this Alliance team, he already has two 30+ point games this season. Chavez however becomes a huge liability on the defensive end when fatigue kicks in so look for Aaron Sanchez (14.0 PPG, and 5.0 RPG) to come off the bench and give his team a push. Sanchez has yet to reach his full potential in the division, so look for him to have a big game. Jairo Lopez (10.5 PPG, 1.3 APG) and Jimmy Nguyen (10.0 PPG, 3.4 APG) are two of the many three-point threats for this Alliance team, look for these two players to have many wide open looks due to the drive and kick game which this team has seemed to master in the past few weeks.
In their Week 1 victory over The Alliance, The Pack relied heavily on the play of George Lewis (20 Points, 8 Rebounds) who had a monster game in the post. The Alliance however was without the services of Chavez, Villalobos, Lopez and Desean Collins who joined the team weeks after. The Week 1 game went down to the wire, look for this game to be the same way.
The winner of this game advances to play the #2 seed I Ball.
#6 West Coast Pros. vs. #11 P.A.H.U
Besides the game above, this is one of the more intriguing match-ups of the first round. #6 West Coast Pros. takes on #11 P.A.H.U. These two teams always bring intensity and passion when they take the court.
The West Coast Pros. seem to have finally figure out their personnel issues that have haunted them a few weeks back. After nearly giving up a 20 point lead in Week 7 they held on to defeat the Alliance to end their season with a (3-4) record and secure the #6 seed. They seem poised and ready for the playoffs.
For P.A.H.U this has been a rocky season to say the least. The bright spot for them this season was their 68-72 loss to the #1 seeded Washed Up in Week 3. Why is a loss a bright spot you ask? Well it shows this team is capable of hanging with the divisions élite.
The West Coast Pros. are led by high-flyer Shawn Sawyer (18.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG), Josh, (15.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG) and Charles Grays (11.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG). The West Coast Pros. have an offense that consists of dumping the ball in Josh on the post. Shawn Sawyer is a perennial 3-point threat. Also Donnel Fleming (7.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and Daimon Fleming (7.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG) may be a problem for the opposition. Both are energy filled players who shoot the gap to pick of passes come away with steals.
Gary McNellys Jr. leads his team into this playoff match-up averaging (19.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 1.3 APG) McNellys can get hot and I mean hot. He is shooting 44% from 3 point land and will be a key factor if P.A.H.U wants their season to be extended another Week. Assisting McNellys with the offense with be Anthony (9.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and Mike who is averaging (8.8 PPG, and 3.8 RPG) these will be the 3 players behind P.A.H.U offensive attack.
The winner of this game advances to play the #3 seed The Dynasty.
#4 Play Makerz vs. #5 Morningwood
These two teams headlined the season opener when they met in Week 1. The Play Makerz came out on top in the “clash of the titans” and seemed unscathed to say the least, after a 80-61 romping of the defending champs. Now seven weeks after their initial match-up these teams will square off with bragging rights and a chance to advance further in the playoffs on the line.
Both teams finished with a (4-3) record and have had their fair shares of ups and downs this season. In pursuit of their unprecedented 5th Division Championship Morningwood enters the game with a mediocre 4-3 record. They do not seem ready to defend their championship.
I’ve had several interviews with several players that claim the team is indeed “in turmoil” (players not fulfilling their roles, arguing amongst the team, and they’ve lost the competitive edge that set them apart from the competition the past couple of seasons) reports also claim this could very well be their last season together as a unit. This season is reminiscent of Season 3 when Morningwood was defeated by Primetime in the Division Semi Finals. That could very well be the scenario in this upcoming match up.
Diahnte “D-Smooth” Pickett led his troops into battle all season and will enter the playoffs as the teams leading scorer, averaging (13.0 PPG, 1.0 SPG). The big man Dewayne O’Neal has had a significant drop off from his MVP season in Season 5, with statistical decreases in points and rebounds. O’Neal enters the playoffs averaging (11.4 PPG, and 7.7 RPG) after entering last seasons playoffs averaging a double-double (15.9 PPG, 14.0 RPG). Below O’Neal on the stat sheet is the other half of the Pickett brothers Derrick Pickett (10.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG) Pickett is also averaging career lows in points and rebounds. Rich Cobarrubias enters the playoffs as the teams fourth leading scorer, but he however is averaging career lows in points (7.2 PPG) and three-point field goal percentage (32%).
The Play Makerz are led into this first round match-up by Johnnie Green (21.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG) Green has been the cornerstone of the Play Makerz offense for the entire season and is 1 of the 2 players on his team to have played in all seven regular season games this season. Behind Green is high-flyer Aesh Dabbas who is averaging (18.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG) Dabbas was a key contributor in their Week 7 match-up with The Alliance, he finished with (20 points and 12 rebounds). Amos Battle will be a key contributor in this game, he finished the season as the teams third leading scorer and will enter the playoffs averaging (16.0 PPG, and 2.0 RPG). This will no doubt be a high scoring affair, the key component for Morningwood would have to be defense, they gave up 80 points (season high) to the Play Makerz in Week 1 which is inexcusable for a championship team they should also limit “highlight plays” such as dunks, things like that seem to fuel a team and give them energy.
The key component for the Play Makerz would have to be to get all players to the game and play the way they played in Week 1. They’ve already defeated this team and are poised to do so for a second time. Retribution is on the mind of Morningwood players, look for this game to be an IBL Classic. With a loss this may very well be the final chapter in Morningwoods IBL book.
The Winner of this game will move on to play the winner of the #1 Washed Up vs. #8 Tupac Back/ #9 Knicee game.
IBL Full Court Press 