Starting these predictions off with the continuous message, remember what this league’s bigger meaning is, which is brotherhood. As Muslims, we have the obligation to love for our brothers what we love for ourselves. As we all know, the situation of our brothers around the world has become extremely difficult and there are many Muslims suffering from oppression, famine, death, hunger, disease and much more. Many people may become complacent with the situations around the world, specifically in Palestine where we have seen constant media attention for almost a year now. Just remember that genocide is nothing anyone could ever be comfortable with and although that term has been used consistently to describe the situation, it is an extreme word and holds a great amount of weight. What our brothers in Palestine are going through is historic and unprecedented. We must do everything in our power to support them with our words, our actions, our Dua and by using their strength and courage to strengthen our Iman collectively. May Allah grant the Palestinians freedom and victory over their oppressors. May Allah end the suffering of Muslims around the world and allow us to become a strong Ummah once again.

We are now in the quarterfinals. This season flew by and it’s win or go home the rest of the way, just ask the four teams that won’t be returning until December. This is where we get to see the excitement that this league offers and this week’s matchups will be highly competitive and intense.

Qibya - Yaffa:

First game of the quarterfinals is the 1 seed vs the 8 seed. I’ve talked all season about how Qibya should have a better record with the talent they have and the strong duo of Aadil and Farhad. This team will be without Medo this week who helps a lot with his unselfish play and strong defense so they will defenitely need Muntasir to step and play big. I think Qibya are sleepers for sure but they got the odds stacked against them going against the 1 seed in Yaffa. Yaffa got a bye last week and are coming back well-rested. The Yanes bros are back in the mix and want to make up for their early bounce out last season, hence the reassembling coming into this season. Yaffa boasts a strong front court with Musa, Elias and Saif. They also have a solid, high motor backcourt in Yahya and Habi. Their bench is also strong with Mo and Karim. This team lives off of defense and demoralizing opponents with energy so Qibya will have to match that and find some easy points to stay in the game. The last time these teams faced off, Qibya was able to hang around throughout the game, but never took the lead. They will need a strong start and good shooting from Ali, Raj and Muntasir, aside from the big performances that will be necessary from Aadil and Farhad. The real question for Qibya is how efficient can they be throughout the game while staying composed on defense. This game could get away from them fast but they could also hang around and make a push. Farhad vs Musa will be a fun one to watch.

Yaffa by 8

Khan Yunis - Bethlehem:

This game will be the 4 seed vs the 6 seed. Listen, I like Khan Yunis and all they have to offer with the threee bros and Singer at the helm. They have solid bigs that are physical and they really move the ball well. My problem with this team is the matchup they are going against. Last time these teams faced, Khan Yunis didn’t look like they belonged on the same court as Bethlehem. The fast break killed them and Mahdy was able to have his way. As much as I like Khan Yunis’ lineup, I like Bethlehem’s just a little more. Captain Shafic was able to pull off a trade that got him alongside other players who can score on their own., which gives him the freedom to facilitate and pick his spots throughout the game. Mahdy is the biggest matchup issue for this Khan Yunis squad and I really think he is the X-factor in this game. If he can take control and use his size on the outside as an advantage, Bethlehem could probably take a substantial lead and hold it. I know Charrkas, Capone and Singer are vets and they will not go down easy. It won’t take their scoring though, but rather the ability to really stop Bethlehem’s playmakers defensively. I assume Singer will take on the role of stopping Mahdy and there will be help inside off of Bethlehem’s 5th guy Adam. However, there is still Shaf and Ali to worry about which forces one of the threee bros to become a two-way player. Bethlehem is more well rounded, and the track record has them on top.

Bethlehem by 5

Al-Quds - Ramallah:

First 8:30 game will be the 3 seed vs the 6 seed. Al-Quds won comfortably last week, which was not surprising as they really exploited the mismatches of Al-Balah. This week they are walking into a whole different beast. Yes, they have 4 great players, but Ramallah has 3 in Anas, Jay and Khalied. Khalied will probably be able to limit Zain on the inside and Jay will do his best effort to make things difficult for Rooz. In this game, both Rooz and Zain are at a disadvantage as they will be going up against size, which goes against what they like to do the most in getting in the paint. I think the key for Ramallah to be as great as they were in the regular season comes down to the other guys. They have the advantage against Al-Quds on the bench/role players. The two twins, Salman and Himey all bring different things to the table but they also all bring hustle as well. I think this is what sets these teams apart. If Al-Quds can overcome the matchups of their stars, play disciplined on the free-flowing Ramallah offense and get a contribution or two from their role players, they got a shot at the upset. They will also need Omar and Moayad to step up and offset the offense if the other two stars find trouble. Battle of the bigs at 8:30.

Ramallah by 3

Al-Bireh - Qalqilya:

Boy oh boy. Did someone say game of the week? This matchup is deep-rooted, with guys from each side knowing their opponents very well. Some would say they’ve even been long time teammates. Al-Bireh got out of last week comfortably which was expected. Their matchup this week is a bit more difficult to put things lightly. Shahzaib is coming off of an MVP regular season, Deep has looked great all year, Ish is what we know Ish to be, a dawg. Omar Sehwail has been the anchor and Kareem Ahmed has rounded things out well. They are a mobile, well-shooting, starting 5 that have defensive pieces and do well helping eachother. They also run the fast break well. Now let’s look at the other side. Since Towfeek has changed gears and gone into the orchestrator on offense rather than forcing his one on one play in the half court, this team has been significantly better. Do we say that Deep is worse than Amir Hassan? Do we say that Nader is worse than Kareem Ahmed? Do we say that Khaled Sehwail isn’t big bro on the court? Do we say that Jojo and Towfeek can’t match up with Ish and Shahzaib? As you can see, all these questions are rhetorical and they are all a big fat NO. Al-Bireh is the worst matchup for Qalqilya because they do the same things well and have the same personnel. So what will separate these teams tonight? Is it passion, is it who’s feeling better and stretched better, is it who gets into the others head more? All I know is I take an upset every week and that’s what I’ll do this week.

Al-Bireh by 2

Sorry for the late post this week. Football is back and so is my obsession with my fantasy teams.

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