Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullah,

Let’s start by wishing everyone a happy new year. May Allah bring blessings and happiness to everyone in the league and may He allow this league to continue to be successful.

We are back for the week 5 predictions. So far, it’s been really up and down throughout the league. Many teams are extremely well-rounded and competitive which has made everything a little difficult to predict. Seems like the Crystal Ball needs a little bit of shining because it’s gotten a lot of things wrong.

Teams that really proved the Crystal Ball wrong last time around:

Al-Quds
Al-Bireh
Areeha (Losing against 4 is absurd)


So here are the standings:

Hassan: 22-5 (didn’t predict week 1 so this is a bit inflated)

Crystal Ball: 23-13

Towfeek: 24-12

Omar: 22-14

Aaaanddd HERE. WE. GO.

Al-Bireh - Al-Quds:

First game of the week and this is the GAME OF THE WEEK. Starting off, both of these teams took the predictions to heart and proved the Crystal Ball to be very wrong before the break.

Let’s start off with Al-Quds. Things were falling fast and it was predicted that this teams season was pretty much over. Amir, Mustafa and Omar said not so fast and gave everyone a taste of what they’re capable of. On the other side, Al-Bireh did the same and proved that Gaza may have been a little overrated up until this point.

I’d like to say this game is extremely even. Both teams can light it up with great shooting and both teams like to play methodical offenses where they get everyone involved in the half court. In my opinion, Al-Bireh does this a little better because they just have more guys they can rely on to make plays. The guards from either side are evenly matched and I’m expecting all of them to show out. I think Al-Bireh really has the advantage when it comes to the Center matchup as Mo Alzubidi can really spread the court and take Jean out of his comfort zone. As mentioned earlier, I feel they are a bit deeper and that will be the reason they pull out the win in a star-studded showdown.

Al-Bireh by 8

Baysan - Gaza:

Two 3-1 teams face off in the next 7:30 game and I’m feeling a lot better about Baysan than Gaza. Gaza handled their first 3 opponents handily but really took a beating when they faced an upper echelon team. In comes another powerhouse in Baysan, and I really think it might be more of the same.

The scary thing is that Baysan is yet to play a game with their full roster. They’re a tough loss away from being 4-0 and they really have no true weaknesses. On the Gaza side, Mo dirty has come back down to earth the past few weeks and the replacement for Shiesty has not been able to fill the huge void. I also think Joe complemented Mahrooz and Singer more and this has hurt the Gaza squad more than people may think. Mahrooz and Singer have a lot of weight on their shoulders and their only big in Salman will have his hands full with Tabty, Zain and Sneaky Jared See in the paint.

I think this one isn’t going to be that pretty.

Baysan by 20

Qalqilya - Safad:

Rounding out the 7:30 slot is another matchup between two 3-1 teams, one a bit more surprising than the other. Qalqilya had two weeks off in a row as they won their last matchup by forfeit, which no one likes to see. Regardless, this team still has something to prove after taking a bad loss to what looks like the best team in the league. The same energy that was expected last week should be there this week, especially after the recent events (IYKYK).

On the Safad side, the challenge will be to match the pace and tempo of the Qalqilya squad. Safad has some talent but more importantly they have guys who play hard. If there was any team in the league that could upset one of the top teams, it’s this squad and that’s because of their hustle. Raied, Jawad, Fursan and Ali have been playing lights out and have really proven themselves as a team that should not be taken lightly. They just caught this Qalqilya squad at the wrong time.

Qalqilya by 15

Haifa - Ramla:

Starting off the 8:30 games is a really interesting matchup. It looks like this will be the first time we get to see the full Ramla squad, with Mana, Hassan Farhat and Shahzaib finally back and ready to go. It’s crazy because Haifa has been really unlucky with getting the best version of a team up until this point, and that will happen again this week.

While Haifa does have size, Ramla has more size and their bigs are also a bit more mobile. I think this game can really swing Haifa’s way if their guards come to play. Kareem, Omar Hussein (finally got back to form last week) and newcomer Hashem Ahmed are all guys who have talent, while Ramla’s guard list is primarily highlighted by Shahzaib.

Qasem and Deeb on one side and the Sehwails on the other side should be an interesting ICPC throwback, so look for that matchup. To be honest though, there’s still no answer for Hassan Farhat or Omar Mana.

Ramla by 7

Qibya - Sabra:

I usually like to do my due diligence and give every team a real insight on how I think things will play out. I’m sorry but I just don’t have much to say in this one. Maybe Weiss should leave one of the super max contracts at home this week and make it a little bit interesting. As it stands though, I wish Qibya all the best.

Sabra by a lot

Jenin - Al-Wehdat:

It’s tough calling this Jenin team 0-4. I really like their squad and I think they’re better than their record says, but for some reason they just can’t seem to find a way to win games. Al-Wehdat has been the hardest team to predict so far and to be honest, I still am not sure who their X-factors are. One week there are talks of them being at the top of the league, and then they get blown out by 30. I know Keon Johnson has been the focal point of the offense and Jay Mustafa has showed signs of promise. From the looks of it though, they like to get inside and score points in the paint, which should work in their favor this game.

This game will probably be a test of how physical the Jenin guys are willing to get to stop the Al-Wehdat side from having their way inside. They had a much better defensive outing last week but I think it was an easier game plan. I can see Jenin winning this one if their offense is less of a ball-dominant approach and they spread the ball more but that hasn’t happened yet.

I’ll take Al-Wehdat by 4

Al-Khalil - Nablus:

Ok, I know what we’re all thinking. Yea this guy Ty Jackson isn’t showing signs of slowing down. He has single handedly changed the outlook of this Nablus side and has given Malik Zubi everything he has been asking for the past two or three seasons now. With Medo and Ty handling the ball, it seems like Malik has been a lot more comfortable playing off-ball. This has helped him tremendously and his team has also benefitted, as he was the secondary reason they got the dub last week. Nablus also probably has the toughest front court in the league: Mo Raj, Ahmad Kabar, OBD and Mo Amin. All four of those guys pride themselves on using their body to make things happen on both sides of the court.

Honestly, I thought Al-Khalil was figuring things out. Come to think of it, they beat Farhad who was pretty much the only source of offense in their only win of the season, and none of these guys probably ever faced someone of Ty Jackson’s caliber. From the shot chart, this team doesn’t seem to have a lot of chemistry and it looks like there are a lot of guys we’d call “chucks”. No reason to be shooting that many threes in a game, especially if they aren’t falling.

Nablus by 18

Areeha - Bethlehem:

Next 9:30 matchup, and if you watched the podcast, this is gonna be as good as your regular old MJ-Lebron debate. Old school vs New school. Biggie listeners vs Drake listeners. And the styles of these two teams resemble all of the aforementioned preferences. Checking the Crystal Ball, and it’s saying that Jordan is the definitive greatest of all time. In terms of historical context, the Crystal Ball is never wrong so that pretty much settled the silly debate.

Now for the matchup. Areeha has that size that weve been talking about all season but they are missing a Phil Jackson because this offense is looking more like the ‘84 Bulls than the ‘96 Bulls. No reason for Afay to be shooting 30 times in one game, Jordan would be ashamed. This team has to incorporate some type of offense and I’m thinking cliche triangle, as you could’ve guessed.

Bethlehem has two amazing talents and they play a really fast paced game, relying on their others to knock down 3 point shots consistently, which worked out last week. Just as Lebron does, the stars of this team continue to “make the right play”. Whether that’s because they have no choice or so there’s someone to blame other than themselves at the end of the game, will never be known. I just think players of that caliber should look to be more assertive and not rely on their teammates who they know struggle in certain spots and may be inconsistent.

Oh and last thing for Afay, Jordan would take all of this personally. I hope to see you accept the bet and I’m going with my fellow Jordan fan on this one.

Areeha by 5

Yaffa - Shatila:

Finishing off this week is the battle for Afghanistan. Shatila boasts one of the greatest MB players in Farhad and Yaffa boasts another MB legend in AMP, both Afghan legends as well. There’s another Farhad on the Shatila side, a little less known for his play but huge in the Afghan community, Mr. Kebab Paradise. I think Shatila’s best shot in this one is to threaten the Yaffa side. Something like if Yaffa wins, none of those Afghan brothers are ever allowed in Kebab Paradise again.

If they don’t use this tactic, the former Farhad may have his hands full with the high powered Yaffa offense, and it’ll probably be a tough night for Shatila.

Yaffa by 11

As always, this ain't Lonzo Ball, this ain't Lavar Ball, this is the Crystal Ball