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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.

Week 6 (2/8) ALLSTAR WEEK!
#1 Bull Knights vs. #1 Georgia PowerRiders

And finally the game of the year. These two veteran IV.10 teams go at it again, and the winner will be in the driver seat for clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Georgia PowerRiders has stockpiled their roster with veteran lineup of quality players, looking for their first victory over BUL, and we will see how the young backups of BUL can handle the pressure. Last week GEO pulled off a big win against IXL, even though MVP front runner Donát Gubán was held to only 7 points on 16 shots. Even when Gubán isnt playing well, GEO has enough talent that somewhere, someone will step up, and against IXL it was Ewold Oppenheim, who came off the bench and put up 12 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Their opponent this week is Bull Knights, who except for their lone loss to IXL, has been winning games by a margin of 39.4 points a game, due to both their swarming defense, which is contesting 67% of all shots and allowing a league low of 77 points per 100 shots taken, and their prolific offense, which has a total of 8 players scoring 10 or more points a game, led by star guard Mustapha Hajri. This game is loaded with enticing match-ups, but the one everybody is waiting to see is Mustapha Hajri vs. Donát Gubán, arguable the two best shooting guards in the league, going head-to-head.
Lets dive into the weeks match of the week.
KTV for BUL: Play stout defense. BUL will have to win this one by outperforming GEO on the defensive side of the court. Even though BUL has scored more points this season, both teams score 113 points per 100 shots taken, and GEO's shooting percentage is 29 points better from the field and 27 points better from behind the arc, so a shootout will most likely result in a win. Instead, BUL must try to keep the possessions to a minimum and contest as many shoots as possible, which should be easy considering GEO has only a 41% open shot percentage, although they do shoot 42% while contested, which is pretty outstanding. The biggest key to victory believe it or not is BUL's backup center, a young Bobby Joe Tackett. One of the great match-ups in this game is rebounding leader and MVP candidate Stefan Antonsson vs. shooting percentage leader Guillaume Vénard. But when these two take a breather, Joe Tackett will have to play against the highest rated player in the league in Aarno Kuristik. If Joe Tackett can keep him from grabbing offensive rebound after offensive rebound, then BUL will be just fine while the stars take a breather.
KTV for GEO: Get Donát Gubán open. GEO might have fared well againts IXL last week while Gubán only had 7 points, but that was against a rebuilding team with not as much talent as BUL. In order for GEO to win, Gubán has to score a decent chunk of points, or at least shoot better than the 18% he did last week. That will be very difficult against one of the leagues best defenders in Mustapha Hajr, who has held the man he has guarded to 0 3-pointers on 21 attempts, and is only allowing 50 points per 100 shots defended. This means that Gubán's teammates will need to be excellent passers this game and get him the ball while he is open. But they must be careful with the ball, as BUL is actually averaging more steals than turnovers with a league best 9.2 steals a game, and in a game that will be tight, turnovers could be the difference. The biggest advantage GEO has over BUL is depth, and if they can pull away while BUL's stars are resting, then it will make it very difficult for BUL to come back.

Final Score: GEO- 100, BUL- 98
GEO's depth will kill any momentum BUL gains, and that will be where this game is won, especially if Cieszymir Klimczak doesn't recover from his injury in time.

Week 7 (2/15-2-18)
#2 B.I.GBallers vs. #2 IXLOS Sabers

This game is huge for both teams. the loser of this game will most likely lose any chance of keeping up with the #1 team and claiming the #1 seed for the playoffs. BIG has a particularly difficult ending to inter-conference play, facing IXL and Bull Knights this week, but if they can get somehow win both of those games, then they will be in an excellent position to claim the #1 seed when they play Georgia PowerRiders in about 4 weeks. IXL on the other hand looks to be building for the future, and since they siphoned of their two best players, they have been a slightly better than average team. But they are still only one game back and have already proven that they can beat the Bull Knights, so a win against BIG will keep them close until that deciding game at the end of the season. This game will feature two different philosophies, as well as some All-star names, and it will be interesting to see if the highest scoring offense can overcome the stingiest defense. Lets dissect this game and determine the outcome.
KTV for BIG: Stick to the gameplan that has worked all season. BIG has scored more points from the C and PF position this season than any other team, and it is because of the two beast All-stars inside, Temel Öndüç and Urmas Nael. Between the two of them, they are shooting 70% from inside the paint, and have only allowed a combined average of 23 points from the PF and C positions on 18% shooting, third in the league. At the beginning of the season, IXL would have had the advantage inside, but now, only a young Wendell Windham, another All-Star, is adept enough to play inside with BIG's big men, but he cant do it by himself. A patient offense that takes advantage of the mismatches inside will result in a win for BIG.
KTV: Rely on the defense and take advantage of poor perimeter defense. The key advantage IXL has over BIG is a stifling defense with the best ratings in the league. IXL only played one game this season with an inside focused defense, and they acheived the best combined defensive ratings of their season, not to mention their best rebounding ratings. I suggest they try it again to counter BIG's heavily focused inside game. As far as offense is concerned, BIG has some players in their backcourt, including assist leader Marek Łętowski, but when it comes to defense, they have some holes. Jean-François Cabral will have to guard IXL's new SG Martin Štefanák, who has put 23.7 points per game since his transfer, and with a medicore game shape, it will be a difficult task. IXL also has Wu Shuoxiang, who has only allowed 38 points per 100 possessions, and with another advantage at game shape, Shuoxiang should make Łętowski's day quite difficult as well.

Final Score: BIG- 104, IXL- 109
The mismatches outside will make it difficult for Łętowski to dish the ball inside, which will lead to BIG having to play a more balanced attack, which unfortunately for them, does not bode well. Look for IXL's backcourt to outduel BIG's.

Wow, you were only a point off the actual spread. Great job.

Updated Power Rankings: (Last Power Rank)

#1 Georgia PowerRiders (1)
#2 Big Big Gulps (4)
#3 B.I.GBallers (5)
#4 Bull Knights (3)
#5 IXLOS Sabers (5)
#6 Darlington Falcons (6)
#7 Arkansas Kings (9)
#8 The Blood Suckers (7)
#9 DreamTeam3 (11)
#10 Sheboygan Red Skins (8)
#11 Rat Brigade (13)
#12 Ten Jaguars (10)
#13 Texas Demon Slayers (12)
#14 Giant Hobos (14)
#15 Dreadnought (not ranked)
#16 Billahs24 (not ranked)

Updated Projected MVP voting:
1. Donát Gubán
2. Mustapha Hajri
3. Rastislav Budzinák
4. Zhao Xiuguang
5. Stefan Antonsson
6. Miguel José Cordero
7. Wu Shuoxiang
8. Vsevolod Averchenkov
9. Görkem Ferzan

Man I totally messed up my no wins record i was shooting for. Came in halfway through to an 0-13 team thinking hey may as well cut msot the roster and make as much as i can the rest of the season. Instead somehow I won a game? My team is STILL running laps for that. Just call me the Philly 76'rs of this season.