Sorry for the late post, but week 4, here we go!
7:30 PM SlateCairo (Black) @ Delhi (White):
Frankly, something is going to have to give with this Cairo team. The matchup, in terms of personnel, is fine for Cairo. The issue has been the same for them from the very beginning. They're inexperienced, they've needed a leader or leaders to get them straight. Delhi can use this game to get the likes of Ramzy, Luis, and Muhanad to finally knock the rust off and get back into rhythm. Unless Cairo has a leader emerge, cough cough Bilal, Ammar, or Gaballa, this could be a very nasty game for them.
Delhi by 16.Alexandria (Black) @ Mecca (White):
Like I said last week; last week's game was going to tell us a lot about Mecca, so you can expect how the rest of this prediction will go. Alexandria will do what they always do, dictating the pace, and that's running all over teams. This team gets defenses on their heels from the start, and Mecca seems to be a team that struggles defensively (50 pts in one half!). This is not to say Mecca is a poor team overall, they're just unlucky to be matching up against one of the best offensive teams in the league. If Mecca finds their way defensively, an upset would be likely, especially with the likes of MJ on the court (Yaqob, pass that man the ball!).
Alexandria by 13.Islamabad (Black) @ Damascus (White):
Looking forward to this one, I witnessed both these teams first-hand, and I can say both these teams got what it takes to make any matchup competitive. With that being said, if Islamabad underestimates Damascus, they'll have to deal with more than they asked for. Though I will say, in terms of the matchup, I don't see anyone on Damascus truly containing Hassan or Zain. Damascus could certainly reach into their bag of tricks and slow them two down especially, but that in itself is difficult, let alone also having to worry about Kareem and Idris. I don't think Damascus deserves to be 0-3, but their schedule has been very difficult here to start.
Islamabad by 11.8:30 PM SlatePalermo (Black) @ Lahore (White):
Game of the week. Lahore has been on a role, and it looks like Aadil has a found his niche here on this offense, and I think he'll play a major role here. Luckily for Palermo, this matchup isn't anything overwhelming, they will come in with a game plan and do their best to execute it. Something to note here though, Lahore's 2 wins have come against two teams that have much to prove; the point here is that though through 3 games they certainly look like the better team, this may not necessarily be the case. This game is in the hands of Lahore, but if Palermo shoots well, and executes their defensive plan correctly, I'd vote for them to come out on top. Unfortunately for them though, I don't think they'll shoot well enough; Shafic, Jason, and JoJo may contribute, but I think I combined team effort offensively will have to do the trick.
Lahore by 4.Kabul (Black) @ Granada (White):
What a performance by Kabul in week 3, that's what Mr. Power Rankings and myself were expecting coming into the season, and that's what I'll expect to continue. The point of emphasis though, Kabul has allowed 62 ppg, which ranks as the 4th worst defense through 3 games; what Granada has is Mr. Capone, who does more than just score. To elaborate further, with all focus on
Mr. Capone, opportunities will present themselves for Malik Zubi and Mo Dirty, who we've patiently been waiting to resurface. Does this mean I expect Granada to win then? No, what I expect is the box score to show that Mr. Capone can again begin to rely on his teammates. At the end of the day though, Kabul also ranks 2nd in scored ppg, they will continue to impose their will, and they will continue to win, especially here in week 4.
Kabul by 10.Jeddah (Black) @ Jerusalem (White):
Word on the streets is that Jerusalem is preparing to go on a run after their underwhelming week 3 performance. That doesn't imply Jeddah will be an easy foe, as they've held their own against some of the league's best offenses ranking 3rd in allowed ppg. The issue there is though yes they've been a top 3 defense, they're facing the #1 defense, who also have been better offensively. I don't like to live and die by the numbers, so to go off matchups and experience, there seems to be a clear advantage in the favor of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem guards will be open, it will be a matter of whether they hit their shots or not, and if not, Jeddah will have to find a way to capitalize. I've heard these Jerusalem players have been working hard in the lab this past week after taking a tough loss, so I have to ask, has it been the same for Jeddah?
Jerusalem by 8.9:30 PM SlateMombasa (Black) @ Medina (White):
As always, the key to predicting a Medina win or loss is assessing the matchups. This is where and why Medina will suffer tomorrow: Pete Brown clogging the paint defensively, Elias imposing his unleashed will, and Raza running wild. By no means am I discounting the other Mombasa factors, but I believe in week 4, this is where the team's advantages lie. Medina will have to find a way to counter these advantages, and looking at the roster, they certainly have the personnel to do so. If they win the rebounding game and shoot at a decent clip, this could be another upset for Medina. Mombasa does present a positive matchup after all, so that makes predicting against Medina easy.
Mombasa by 6.Tripoli (Black) @ Riyadh (White):
Welcome back to stardom Riyadh, great to see the competition! It was great to see them finally get a win, but it's probably going to be short-lived. Tripoli's season has not met the expectation, and I'm sure they're aware. They've had the toughest schedule to date, and they will do their best to get everything together asap. In terms of matchup, these teams are actually pretty similar, but from the experience I have observing these two teams through the years, Tripoli has more experience and talent overall. On the flipside though, Riyadh has more fire, and fire means hustle, so by no means am I counting them out. Regardless, I'm predicting an efficient night from the Tripoli squad; Sal, Ali, Yo Shah, Raied, Jean, honestly a scary squad typing them all out, they have what it takes to reach the expectation.
Tripoli by 12.Great to see we have a couple of players contributing to these predictions. I hope this is a snowball way high up on the mountain, let's see more of ya'll in here!
Edited by user Wednesday, January 11, 2023 5:38:04 AM(UTC)
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