Tehran/Sana'a- I'm a big believer in Tehran and what they are trying to do. They are a great defensive team that also has some offense. Sana'a is an excellent defensive team, but the offense seems stagnant when Abdul is not taking over. I believe Abdul will do whatever he can to keep up with Tehran's okay offense, but will it be enough? This should be a great game to watch, I'm going to roll with Tehran. P.S. I do realize that Sana'a has the better statistical offense, but I believe it's a lot on the shoulders of Abdul, and if he doesn't show up, getting points will be tough.
Timbuktu/Baghdad- Baghdad is 4th in the league defensively, but offensively they are all the way down at 19th. They really have to work on the offense and get something going. Timbuktu has to figure out a way to get Layth Abdelqader going. When I watch them, they play too much 1 vs. 1 ball. They should get the ball moving and they will find themselves with open shots more often. I think they win this game regardless, but if they want to be a serious force, they have to get Layth going offensively.
Lagos/Damascus- Lagos started the season off hot with 76 points, but they cooled down a bit the past 2 weeks. I don't believe that matters this week as Damascus really needs to work on their offense....and their defense. Since they came into the league, they've had trouble offensively, but they're defense kept them in games. They're at the bottom of the league defensively. Lagos wins.
Jeddah/Granada- Jeddah is 16th and 14th in the league in offense and defense, respectively. Granada hasn't been good defensively, but they've put up points offensively. I believe the Granada will outscore Jeddah and this game. It'll be a high scoring game, but ultimately, Granada will put up more points.
Cordoba/Mecca- Cordoba has 2 big players that put pressure on opponents, but Mecca is up for the task. They have Obada, Ammar, and Hamza Saleh. Mecca is the best defensive team in the league, as I predicted to start the season because of the addition of Hamza Saleh. They also have shooters in Ed and Malik. Ed got to shoot more, and Malik gotta keep doing what he's doing. Malik is not just settling for threes, he's keeping the defense on their heels by attacking the rim as well. The offensive big 3 in Mali Jaber and Ed will be scary once they gain complete chemistry.
Beirut/Islamabad- I won't predict my own game. #footballseasonisout #STDWSI
Suba/Dhaka- I just think Dhaka is the better team overall.
Amman/Kazan- Patrick man. He's on another level. He had a bad week 2, but man did he bounce back 30 points on 52% shooting. The man could ball. Mark is also an assassin. How do you stop both? Theirs only one way I know how, you can't. Amman is a good team that can compete, but I think Kazan will give it to them.
Sarajevo/Mombasa- Out of respect of Mombasa just completely man-handling us... they win.
Jakarta/Lahore- Lahore won without their 2 best guys last week and that shows that the role players will show up when needed. Jakarta is a team that will give you everything you could possible handle, offensively, defensively, and pure hustle. But Herb and Dejesus will pull this game out against a great team in Jakarta.