Salaam and welcome back to predictions with yours truly. Glad to be back after missing last week and thanks to slickshot for picking up the slack and predicting that my team would lose as a cherry on top. Anyways, season is now in full swing, and the formalities have been ironed out. Teams are starting to become familiar with each other, which will only make the games more competitive and higher scoring. As always, remember why we play and what our bigger purpose is on the court as you compete your heart out. Your leaving it all out on the court and your brothers and sisters are leaving it all out to survive. May Allah make their trials pass swiftly and allow them to stay patient.

Now on to week 3.


Lod - Areeha:

Lod is back after an insane thriller that is early candidate for game of the year. Everyone was hitting big shots for this team, and I don't think that was a fluke by any means. With the Patel brothers at the helm, you know the rest of the team will be getting involved efficiently due to their creation of shots and reading the defense. Combine that with how long these guys have played together and you have a very well-oiled offense that can really light it up from deep. Areeha definitely comes into this game with the size advantage, and they have more of an attack the baket approach to their game, led by Singer and Rooz. However, this could really make life easier for Ehsan who can be reliant on teammates to get him a good shot but if he gets the space he is up there with the best of shooters, If I had to characterize this game, I'd say its an old school style game against a new school game and in this league with these refs, advantage Lod.

Lod by 6


Nablus - Qibya:

So, both these teams come off of a loss against difficult opponents, but Nablus definitely put up a better fight. I think the combination of size and skill was too much to handle for the Qibya squad last week. This week they match up much better and this is a game that they definitely come in with a mindset that they have a strong chance to win. On the other hand, Nablus is also looking to get their first win of the season and this is probably their best chance to do so, so far. Missing Luis and going up against Mana definitely wasn't lucky but for a guy to come in and take 26 shots and shoot that poorly, it's shocking they only lost by 10. That's where I'll give credit to their defense which I think will improve this season. I'm interested to see if Adeeb Yousuf can have a stronger scoring output than Omar Hussein and I think the more efficient of the two will lead their team to victory.

Qibya by 4


Yaffa - Ramla:

Man, no one expected this from this Yaffa squad. Their offense looks discombobulated out there and it's to the point that our podcast guys had to lend them a hand. I will say, it is difficult to add key pieces to a team and make sure everyone's on the same page from the first tip. Not to mention, this team is deep and many of their guys are not used to sitting and playing in a full rotation but the guys not starting also are key pieces to the success of the team as well. It's early so we'll call it growing pains. They were right there in both games first two weeks so it's tough to see them walking in 0-2. On the Ramla side, they bounced back and took care of business as they gear up for another tough test this week that will test their overall capabilities. This team has the chemistry and they are well-sized and athletic in a lot of places on the court. I also don't see a super ball dominant person here which definitely makes it easier to find rhythm for everyone. They are constructed in a similar fashion to Yaffa so I think this game will be about passion and execution. Both teams know what the other team wants to do and both teams are acquainted with one another so the more dynamic and cohesive team will fare better in this situation. Right now it's really tough to say who that is but you know me mannnnnn.

Yaffa by 5


Sabra - Jerusalem:

Ok, who's guarding Kai on the Jerusalem side. Answer that question and life gets a lot easier. I think Jerusalem is really undersized here which makes it difficult to really give them more than a puncher's chance here. The theory is that they could plan better than Sabra and catch them off guard but it looks like Sabra is locked in starting from the helm with Slickshot and Kirby proving they are invested in winning and being dominant. Don't be fooled, Sabra does the little things right and they have 3 physically imposing guys (Jakai, Ameed, Hamzah) that don't hesitate to make an impact from hitting a shot to boxing out to taking a charge. Jerusalem is the same way, but the size difference and the lack of a star player comparable to Jakai will make life hell for them. Omar really has to go for 40 to just to give this team a chance in my opinion but that is unless Ali Sufian wants to join the party. He can score amongst the best of the league and his team will probably need his best and then some tonight.

Sabra by 10


Al-Bireh - Isdud:

I think this is a really interesting game because I'm truly fond of many of the guys on both sides. Of course, I can say the same about everyone in the league as I stand on brotherhood but these two teams I've played with and against many times. I'd say the starting 5 for Al-Bireh is stronger, but I think Isdud has an overall deeper team and role players that they can get contributions from where Al-Bireh really can't. It's surprising that these two teams are 0-2 but to say that either of them are done for is definitely crazy. Al-Bireh is built where they need supporting role contributions from star guys at times, and Isdud currently probably need some more from anyone not named Andrew or Ali which shows the polarity of both teams' struggles. I think this game will be tight because I expect both teams to gain confidence as this game progresses. They are both starving for a win and a great performance and I think they will both come in throwing haymakers tonight. One team may not be up for the challenge, but if both are I predict that this will be really exciting. If I had to take both teams face value at full strength, I'd have to lean on the side of Al-Bireh, but there are a lot of variables on Isdud that I can't say I know the outcome of or can predict confidently - like what type of impact will Yousuf Mamoor have on the team if he can finally show up.

Al-Bireh by 1


Yazur - Bethlehem:

This is the second game where an 0-2 team meets a 2-0 team and i think this game will follow a similar outcome as the first one. On the one hand, we have an extremely well-rounded Bethlehem squad that will bring the hustle every night and really prepares for Wednesday. I will say, both these teams are a friend group but they younger of the two teams seems to have more time on their hands in terms of staying in shape and in rhythm basketball wise. That is a big key to performing well week in and week out in MB and it cannot be overlooked. also, Yazur is missing their guy Taha all season and he's really the engine of the squad but it will b good for the rest of them to mesh and get their mojo back as they work back in to hooping. With Bethlehem having Mahdy, Hassan and Jojo, I think it becomes pretty simple as to how they want to work things going forward and everyone on the team is ok with that. Bethlehem is scorching ht right now and I assume they keep it going tonight.

Bethlehem by 8


Gaza - Haifa:

Alright, to me this is game of the week and the battle of the two OG teams of the league. Abdelhadi and Farhad both bring some help to the table in this matchup of MB goats and they both have two strong supporting casts which is not something were always used to seeing. Michael K and Elijah Bland are two more names to watch out for and will have large impacts on the outcome of the game, but I'd give the edge to Michael from the small sample size I've seen so far. Now, Hafia as I said, is a bunch of hard nosed guys that are really gonna impose their will down low from all sides. Guys are gonna crash boards and get right back on defense and get in your space and hand check you, That's how this team works and thats how things work for this team. The more they do it, the further they go in my opinion because the havoc they can cause can really have an impact on the rhythm of the other team. I'd like to see them get more vocal and excited, but their age might not permit them to do so. With Gaza, I think it's more of a one-two punch with Farhad and Michael but Afay and Mohammad F are definitely the second tier guys that must be accounted for as well. Although Gaza jsut came off a convincing victory and have two top 10 guys, I just think Haifa is built better as a team and will fare better this early on.

Haifa by 6


Jenin - Beit Jala:

The most surprising team by far after two weeks are the Beit Jala guys, which I predicted would turn a lot of heads. These guys are going to keep it respectful but don't let that cause you to underestimate how much they are willing to do to win. They play for eachother, they know their roles, they support one another and that just creates a great atmosphere and makes it easier for Shahzaib and Aadil to do what they do best. Sometimes, the stars have to find the role players and get them involved, but many times the role players play a certain way that allows for the stars to excel. Jenin has the much more experienced squad so I will stick with them but this could be another big test for them.

Jenin by 1