We're at the end of the season, which means we've gotten a real feel for most teams, making predictions a bit simpler. Week 7 Predictions, let's get some feedback, agree, disagree, let's hear it!


7:30 PM Slate

Jerusalem (Black) @ Delhi (White):
The common theme with Jerusalem is defense, they took a couple of weeks off, heard a lot of talk from some opponents, and quickly silenced them. Delhi on the other hand has played pretty poor defense, and to be frank, they've lost many of the games they should have won. Right now, it looks like Billal, lil o, and Mana will have their way offensively due to Delhi's lack of defense, and the likes of Ian and Luis will have their hands full due to Jerusalem's stellar defense. Unless Delhi's able to reach into their bag of tricks and get all their skill players involved and shooting well, it will probably end up in another loss for Delhi.
Jerusalem by 19.

Granada (Black) @ Tripoli (White):
Tripoli has heard the trash talk, and they've shown the league they're definitely a premiere team in this league. Granada on the other hand has done nothing to show they've got what it takes. Tripoli is an offensive powerhouse, and Granada has been a letdown defensively. Granada will have to do something about letting up 69.3 ppg before they stand a chance against Ali, Yo Shah, Sal, etc etc.
Tripoli by 26.

Lahore (Black) @ Damascus (White):
Both teams coming off embarrassing losses, so which team will want it more? The first thing that comes to mind though, Damascus clearly had a lot of trouble stopping Gaballa, and Lahore has two players at that level. I do believe that Damascus has that dog in them that will do their best to make it hard on Shahzaib and Aadil to get those easy buckets, but that kind of thing needs to be proven before I could just roll with it. Lahore also has great defensive personnel, but I start to question that after their last game, and as we know, Damascus is live or die when it comes to the performance of one Omar Hussein. Does Lahore buckle again defensively, or do they live up to the reputation they've built for themselves? Although Lahore is 4-2, and Damascus is 1-5, I believe Damascus is yet to unlock their potential. They know that they have the personnel to not have to solely depend on Omar Hussein offensively, and they know that. Lahore is a great team, and the game is in their hands, but if I don't choose to call this game an upset, I don't know which one I will. It's especially hard to call it that way knowing Lahore is coming out explosive this game, but I think the personnel on Damascus are the perfect ones to absorb that and bounce back.
Damascus by 4.


8:30 PM Slate

Islamabad (Black) @ Cairo (White):
Props out to Cairo and especially Mohamed Gaballa, way to put the team on your back and pull off the upset. Speaking of putting a team on their back, MVP frontrunner Hassan Chaabane is on a tear, and word on the grapevine is that he's not letting off the gas pedal. Islamabad is looking more frightening than ever; they've definitely boosted their chemistry stat since week 1. Sorry Cairo, this is going to be a tough one for ya'll, Hassan is a shutdown guard defender, and he's got Gaballa in his sights. Zain is back, and with this team clicking on all cylinders, it might be best to just move out of the way, or find Gaballa some help!
Islamabad by 33.

Riyadh (Black) @ Alexandria (White):
Man oh man, Wajdi is a bad man! Alexandria is the only team right now that, though they have a loss, I can argue will compete vs the likes of Islamabad. For now though, they get Riyadh lol. Nah Riyadh has proven they're here to win, and this season ain't like every other season. I don't want to gas them up too much though because they have lost some bad games, and won some not-very-impressive ones. In my heart of hearts, I want to say this game will be a close one, but in reality, especially and hopefully if Jay is doing okay, Alexandria is just on another level right now. To that notion though, Alexandria doesn't really thrive on the 3-pt line, they score the vast majority of points inside, and I think that will play to Riyadh's strengths, but nonetheless, that doesn't change things much.
Alexandria by 23.

Palermo (Black) @ Jeddah (White):
It's becoming apparent that Palermo needed some time to find itself, and it's finally getting there. Amir Hassan is quickly becoming a force, and Palermo is relying on him to keep that up, he cannot buckle. Jeddah is coming off an upsetting loss; they started off their game strong, but they quickly lost their touch and fell. Jeddah has continued to excel at the start of their games, but they've continued to fail on keeping that type of energy up for the entirety of their games. That's up to them to find out though, but what I could rationally see is that Mo Amin has an advantage here against Palermo. Palermo is a group of skill players with a couple of dogs to man the paint. The fact of the matter though is they lack height, and Mo Amin has done well this season, so a mismatch could definitely present itself here in week 7. The matchup is honestly a plus one for Jeddah, but Palermo has been well-coached; their adaptability has been the reason they've won games. Jason, Shafic, Amir, and JoJo is a killer combo, they're almost impossible to contain if they play correctly. This is going to be a close game though, Palermo hasn't played well defensively, and my experience tells me to vote against Jeddah.
Palermo by 5.


9:30 PM Slate

Mecca (Black) @ Medina (White):
As always with Medina, how is the matchup? Well, it's actually not too bad here. Mecca's main scorers thrive closer to the rim, though they are certainly capable of hitting the deep shots. If Medina manages to limit Mecca's scoring from anywhere on the court, they can see themselves in a prime position to get another win. Though let's say they find themselves in that position, I still don't think they'll reach it, and that's because Mecca has a solid defense of their own. I think the only reason they lost last week was that they were up against Tripoli, which has like 4 different legitimate options offensively, and let me break it to you, Medina doesn't touch that. Though the matchup isn't bad for Medina, it's great for Mecca, and that's enough for me.
Mecca by 8.

Kabul (Black) @ Mombasa (White):
Game of the Week! What a game to cap off the week. Obviously, the advantage leans in the direction of Mombasa, but by no means am I counting Kabul out. I know Kabul, and especially Farhad had a rough time last game, but we all know in his old age, Farhad will remain cool and perform. Mombasa is no slouch of course; they make scoring extremely difficult with Pete scraping the sky in the paint, and they're all very experienced everywhere else. Kabul does have shooters though, as Tom, Farhad, and Allen will do their best to find holes in the defense and put up high-percentage shots. To be honest though, I think the difference maker will be Coach Weiss, getting Mombasa to adapt to anything thrown at them. Kabul could do awesome on offense, but I just don't see them keeping up with Mombasa. Raza pushes the break, and if not, too much attention is brought to Pete and Raza, and Masri is left to continue pouring it on. Kabul's going to have a tough time defensively, though they have formidable defensive personnel, Mombasa has a mix of everything they can throw at them.
Mombasa by 9.

Edited by user Tuesday, January 31, 2023 2:35:46 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified