BuzzerBeater Forums

Week 4 (11/25-11/28)
#3 Darlington Falcons vs. #2 B.I.GBallers

In my updated power ranking, it was pretty much a toss up between these two teams as who the #5 slot should belong to. This game feature the two top scoring teams in the league, with each team scoring about 109 points a game, so expect some pretty outrageous numbers in this game, especially if the pace is high. The winner will not only be awarded a top 5 spot in my next power ranking, but will more importantly stay in the race for the top spot in their respective conference. BIG has made a name for themselves by beating everyone they are supposed to beat convincingly, but are unable to take down a top team. On the other hand, DAR has taken down IXLOS Sabers and Big Big Gulps this season, albeit against a makeshift lineup from those teams. But now lets see how the stack up against each other:
KTV for DAR: Put all the marbles in for defending the inside game of BIG. They have two big men will out perform the big men from DAR. One key adjustment to make in order to do this is to start Clément Yver. He is the only man who has proficient game shape on DAR that is worth playing, and grabbing 6.5 RBs in 15 mins of play on average isnt a bad stat either. Relying on Miguel José Cordero would be a mistake right now, as his game shape has made his rating drop 1.5 below his season average over the last two games, as well as making his shooting percentage drop about 8% over that span as well. In order for him to be productive in the future, the manager has to do a better job managing his minutes, but as far as this game goes, he will not be at his best.
KTV for BIG: Pour it on. BIG has DAR beat in almost every position, ans if they can run an uptempo,balanced offensive attack, focusing somewhat on the advantage inside, then they will run a way with this one. They have better game shape overall regarding the starters, and with so many weapons, they can take their pick on which position to take advantage of. Plus Marek Łętowski, who has a 14.8 AST/TO ratio, will find the open guy in most situations. The only cause for concern is DAR's three point game. DAR leads the league in attempts and makes from beyond the arc, and if either Linartas Šliackus (39.7% from 3-point), Cordero (37.9%), or Atilla Rüzgar (39.5%) get on a roll, it could spell disaster for BIG. But since this is where most of their points come from, it should be easy to take it away, perhaps with a 3-2 zone.

Final Score: BIG -127, DAR -102
Assuming BIG doesn't play 2 players, the mascot, a lucky fan, and a real life falcon, then this one shouldnt be close. If DAR's game shape was better, this might actually be a game.

i think im ranked 4 now. what do you mean by projected MVP ranking. im just wondering

The number in the parenthesis represents where a team was in my preseason ranking, so since you joined after the i did that ranking, you were not there. And the Projected MVP ranking is where I think certain players will fall in the MVP voting at the end of the season, if things were to continue on their current path, which I highly doubt to happen.

P.S. Saint Paul Murderers is no longer with us, the #16 slot goes to SLAMMIN MIAMI HEAT

About our matchup, I definitely botched the GDP, and I think that hurt alot. Also I played CT against my opponent in the cup two days before, so I'm sure my that didn't help as I was playing on the road. Also I've been trying to train pressure for my trainees lately, which as forced me to start Mustapha Hajri, my ace, as the SF, which does not suit his skills. His rating is down almost by 4 points when he starts there instead of the SG position, but with a team loaded on outside talent, I need to put him there in order to have my best lineup as I train.

To-ong was a pricy player and I can see how selling him now would benefit you in the future. And also with a projected net profit of around $84K, you will be able to get either a nice trainee or an awesome veteran when you promote back up to D.III.

As far a the early MVP rankings, I've noticed that while it is based mostly on player performance, with points per game being perhaps the biggest factor, the success of the team is also factored in, which is why I didn't include players such as Indersdorf (TX) and Montiel (TEN). Besides their ratings are just to low to be considered. But I definitely agree the award it Guban's to lose, although I do see Vsevolod Averchenkov giving him a run for his money, especially if Big Big Gulps advance further into the playoffs than Georgia PowerRiders.

Alright so it might be a little early, but I would like to hear what you guys think about who is going to be voted Allstars this year.
Most people think that this game is meaningless and simply ceremonial, however, for the past 4 seasons, the team that wins the championship comes from the conference that wins the Allstar game. Coincidence? I think not. So which conference is stronger this year, and who do you think will represent their respective conferences? Let the interconference smacktalk begin!!

As for me, I believe that the conferences are very evenly matched. Here are some stats: The Big 8 is 37-17 this season, while the Great 8 is 35-19, but has a 9-7 record against the Big 8. The top 3 scorers this season come from the Big 8, but 7 out of the top ten scorers come from the Great 8. The Great 8 has 13 players with an average rating of 10 or greater, while the Big 8 has 15 players. The Big 8 is 1-2 when it comes to games between the top 4 teams from each conference, but the top 2 teams from the Great 8 have yet to play against the top teams from the Big 8. The Great 8's average point differential is +58, while it is -58 in the Big 8. One key stat though that I believe is the deciding factor is that the Great 8 has the top 2 defenses so far, and we all know that defenses wins championships, and due to the aforementioned fact, the Great 8 will win the Allstar game. (That logic is slightly backwards, but I dont care)

Here are my projected lineups for each conference for the Allstar game:

Big 8
PG: Rastislav Budzinák (DRE), Zhao Xiuguang (TBS)
SG: Donát Gubán (GEO), Tim Barnes (TBS)
SF: *Vsevolod Averchenkov* (BIG), Gustavo Lousada (GEO)
PF: Urmas Nael (BIG), Antonio Cicuta (GEO)
C: Temel Öndüç (BIG), Guillaume Vénard (GEO)

Great 8
PG: Wu Shuoxiang (IXL), Mei Weiliang (ARK)
SG: Miguel José Cordero (DAR),Jean-Philippe Duhamel (SHE)
SF: *Mustapha Hajri* (BUL), Renaldas Šukšinas (ARK)
PF: Cieszymir Klimczak (BUL), ANYBODY!
C: Stefan Antonsson (BUL), Jędrzej Jałowski (SHE)

* these players could be placed in either the SG or SF positions.

Now obviously there are 5 more games to be played until the results are revealed, so this is subject to change, but if the results were presented today, this is how I think things will shake down.

at least i have 2 guys in the all star game i personally think mei weiliang on my team is good but i dont like how he plays. thats me but he does help me win games. i plan on selling him. hes been with me for a while. he helped me get to this league

@Elite- Dont get too excited yet. Im not the decider on who gets voted an Allsta., I'm just the neighborhood fortune teller that may be and most likely is wrong. You can take my take very lightly.

@Mix - I totally agree about the waste of a whole training day, and in that aspect, Allstar week does kinda stink. But I guess that is how it is in most sports, where the Allstar game is a tribute to the great players, and also a midseason rest for the rest of the players. I can't tell you how much I wish the Allstar game was this week so I could have my starting PF back before I have the take on the best the Big 8 has to offer.

Speaking of which, I really cant wait for that matchup. Last year I barely beat them and I know that they are looking for revenge. Plus this game features the two best SG's in the league, and last years game didnt disappoint, so I dont expect this years to either. I'm kinda hoping they will tire themselves out against the Sabers the week before. Can I quickly comment on how much that stinks, having to face the top two teams in the Great 8 back to back?

And I did sign up for the Offsite and the tools are quite helpful, especially the Game Predictor. Thanks for the invite! Good luck next week! You can bet your ass I'll be doing this week's breakdown on the GEO vs. IXL game!

Alright so I know everybody is looking forward to the game this week between IXL and GEO, and I do agree that it is the game of the week. However, these teams have both been featured in the game of the week, and will again in the future , I'm sure. Plus I said I would do a preview of the most interesting game, which is........

Week 5 (2/1-2/4)
#5 DreamTeam3 vs. #5 Arkansas Kings

This is a game featuring two modestly talented teams in the hunt for a playoff berth, and considering the #4 teams ahead of them are facing difficult opponents this week, the winner of this game has a chance to either jump ahead in the standings or remain closely in the hunt. Both teams have taken a slightly different approach in how to be successful, however they both rely on bringing in imported talent. DRE has perhaps two of the best players in the league now after purchasing Ervin Catajoy, taking some pressure off of MVP candidate Rastislav Budzinák. However all of that star power means that there isnt much money left over for any other talent, as the next highest rated player has a rating of 5.5 (This team has to be bleeding money!). ARK on the other hand has quality players across the board, threatening defenses at every position, and they even have some depth to rely on. The biggest storyline for this game is going to be the matchup between 2 of the best point guards in the game, with Rastislav Budzinák taking on Mei Weiliang one-on-one. Lets take a deeper look at the two teams:
KTV for DRE: Attack inside and defend outside. With the purchase of Ervin Catajoy and Ruediger Madsen, DRE has a sizeable advantage inside and it will be interesting to see if the league leader in RB's (Michel Debaise, 13.8 RB's/game) will be able to hold his own against them. ARK has scored the fewest points from the C position this season in the league and 2nd fewest points from the PF position, so the inside game is not to be feared. However, ARK is shooting 38% from behind the arc, second in the league, and about 25% of the shots they take are from 3-point range. If ARK gets open shots from that range, they are shooting a whopping 52.8%. Allowing ARK to shoot from that range without being contested would be a recipe for disaster. Not to mention that ARK has perhaps the best true SF in the league in Renaldas Šukšinas, who is scoring 23.5 points a game, AND the best backup SF in the league in José Vicente Lizarazu, who is scoring 124 points per 100 shots taken, 8th highest in the entire league. So pretty much what I'm saying is, run a 3-2 zone.
KTV for ARK: Run a high tempo offense. Only a third of DRE's players have a game shape of respectable or strong, and Budzinák's game shape is inept. This means that DRE won't be able to keep up with a high tempo team and they will not perform as efficiently, especially at the end of the game. Also it will take a while for DRE's recent transfers to get used to playing for their new team, depicted by their drop in game shape, and therefor will not play up to their usual standards. ARK's best shot at victory would be to live or die by the three point game. It seems backwards but ARK's shooting percentage while contested gets higher the further away from the basket they go, and considering that DRE is 4th in the league at contesting shots (60%), that would mean that shooting 3's would be a good offensive strategy, as ARK shots 33% from the arc when contested. Expect Lizarazu to have a big game, as DRE has given up an average of 22.7 points per game to the SF position this season.

Final score: DRE - 87, ARK - 92
Once again, another example of game shape being the difference. If DRE can manage the minutes of their stars, then I see this team competing for the number 4 seed this season. But as for this game, chalk up a victory for ARK and their superior backcourt.