The Division 3 playoffs are set to get underway this Sunday, three first round games will be played with the winner of each game moving on to the second round. The #1 Seed UKnow V2 and the #2 Pantera Legends have the week off and will await the winners of these preliminary games in the semi-finals.
#4 Justice League vs. #9 The Bankers
The Division 3 playoffs will get underway this Sunday.The #4 seed Justice League will square off with the #9 seed Bankers in a Preliminary round match-up for the right to take on the winner of the #5 Dirty Homies and #7 Primetime game.
The Justice League would have to be the favorite entering this game, the team finished the regular season with a 5-1 record and seem to have found their groove as a unit. They are led into this match-up by Josey Victorio (18.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.4 APG) it is clear that Victorio is the main offensive source for the Justice League. His 50 point performance in Week 4 is just an example of how potent of a scorer Victorio is. Marc Sy-Santos is the teams leading scorer entering the post season averaging (8.8 PPG, and 4.0 RPG) Sy-Santos also leads the team in assists with (2.0 APG). John Robel is the teams offensive option behind Victorio and Sy-Santos, Robel ended the regular season (6.4 PPG, and 5.6 RPG).
The Bankers enter the post-season with a 1-6 record tied for last place in the division. This team comes out firing every game and show a lot of heart and determination. I sincerely applaud their effort week in and week out, however if they want any shot of defeating the Justice League their leading scorer Alex (25.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.8 APG) will need to have a surreal performance. Justin was the teams second leading scorer during the regular season averaging (9.0 PPG, and 6.0).
The two players from the Bankers listed above, need to put their team on their back and attempt to carry them into the second round. Lets be realistic, after Alex and Justin the Bankers have no other scorer averaging more than (4.5 PPG).
Victorio doesn’t necessarily need to have a big game for the Justice League to advance to next round. Look for him to spread the ball around and get his teammates involved.
I see the Justice League coming away with an easy win, and moving on to the second round.
#5 Dirty Homies vs. #7 Primetime
When these two teams met in Week 2, it was a heated battle, with the Dirty Homies coming away with 61-57 win. Now six weeks from that faithful Sunday, these two teams will take the court again with a trip to the second round on the line. Its WIN or Go and STAY HOME.
The Dirty Homies have had the season league analysts projected. They finished with a 5-2 record and tied for the #2 seed but fell all the way to the #5 seed due to the point differential tie breaker. The addition of Charlie Hinojosa (16.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG) has paid huge dividends for the Dirty Homies, he is arguably the most dynamic big man in the division. Behind Hinojosa are Jesse Jimenez (10.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.3 APG) and Jesus ‘Chuy” Contreras (10.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG). These three players will lead their teammates into battle with a chance to advance to the second round on the line.
Primetime snagged the #7 seed with their Week 7 blowout win over the Bankers. They are fortunate to have snagged this seed. After a 0-4 start to the season, this team has managed to record two wins over the (Bombers, and The Bankers). Leading Primetime into battle is the sharpshooting Kevin Lim. Lim is averaging (17.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG) shooting a division best 25/40 (63%) from 3-Point range. Behind Lim in the scoring column is DJ Romasanta, Romasanta is the teams leading rebounder with (7.8 RPG), Romasanta is also an offensive threat, he is averaging (15.7 PPG) and will be a key player in this playoff game. Justin Flores (11.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.7 SPG) and Jr. Dizon (10.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG) .
Both teams have different styles of play, with the Dirty Homies relying heavily on strong play out of their post players while Primetime relies heavy on their 3-Point shooting.
This game is a toss-up, however I see Primetime coming away with a 60-54 win. With Kevin Lim “making it rain” on those Dirty Homies.
#6 Bombers vs. #8 Prospectz
One of the more intriguing match-ups in the division will take place when the Bombers and Prospectz take the court.
After an early post season exit last season, the Prospectz revamped the roster with intentions to finish the season ranked #5 or higher. Things didn’t go according as planned, team chemistry issues have contributed to their 2-5 finish. David will enter the playoffs as the Prospectz go to player, he is averaging (17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.5 SPG), behind David is the TerMINHator, Minh Thong. Thong leads the team in the rebounding column averaging (13.9 RPG), and isn’t an offensive liability, Thong averages (12.7 PPG) and is a force to be reckoned with in the low-post. Joel Torres is the last “key” player for the Prospectz he is having a career year in all offensive categories. Torres enters the post season as the teams third leading scorer behind David and Thong, he is averaging (11.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.7 APG).
The Bombers are led into this match-up by Jimmy G. , Jimmy is averaging a team high (17.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.7 APG), Behind Jimmy is Jose Vasquez (9.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and Blu (7.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG) these 3 players have led the way for their team all season. Look for them to capitalize on every mistake made by the Prospectz and convert those “mistakes” into points.
If the Prospectz want to be “prosperous” they should ride on the shoulders of Thong and Torres. Chris Adevoso could be the X-Factor for the Prospectz if his 3-Point shot falls early.
After a hot start to the season, the Bombers dropped a couple of games and have yet to develop a consistent flow.
Intuition tells me the Bombers will take this game and meet Jason Trinh’s Young Money squad in the 8pm match-up.
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