Muslim Basketball

Even when you hold their bonafide big to 6 boards, they still find a way to win, and by 12 against a rising Tiberias team. Shafic with the killer crossovers to create space and scoring 16pts, not to mention a stellar 71% FG game from Elias. Even when their best players are having a slow day, the cast steps up. This team is probably the most complete team in the league as of now. 

What we learned this week—this team crashes back to reality without Mountaka. I’m sure everyone was surprised by the scoreboard after the shows they put on in weeks 1 and 3. But besides that, Yazur has a defensive presence we haven’t seen before. They lead the league with 12 steals per game, not to mention that three, yes, three of their players are in the top five for that category. 

 After last weeks flaking, you gotta clap it up for Ehsan Popal, scoring 37 is no joke. Also, winning this game by a cool 21 points without Musa Yanes and Mohammad Popal says a lot about the depth you have. If you look past the tripods and attempting highlight reels, this team can be the best. Ehsan controls the floor and Kasey cleans up boards. Baysan has a tough matchup coming up, and if they show out, has a chance to solidify their spot in the top quarter of the league. 

They might be one of, if not the oldest teams in the league, but know this; they’re rough, they’re scrappy, and even if they’re down by 15 at the half, they’ll find ways to fight back. Losing to Yuzur by only nine is an accomplishment in of itself, so no one has to feel too bad. Good days for Sami, though he didn’t score much, had a game high 12 rebounds. Mahmoud also might’ve finally found his footing with this team—they need to get him the ball more ASAP. Lastly, maybe having Kareem in this game would’ve changed its final outcome. Boy is the best FT shooter in the league and in this game, he would’ve found his way to the line. Big game coming up, will they bounce back?

What. A. Statement. Holding Akka to 1, yes, ONE, point in the second half. No one has ever seen anything like it before. Fursan with a good game (13pts), and Yazan with an uncharacteristically low 8 rebound game, but I have to be honest, I like this team. I like the way they play, their chemistry is off the charts, everyone gets the ball and most importantly, they trust one another. But going up against the #1 team, let’s see how they react. 

It was tied at the end of the half before it all slipped away. They held Mana to only 6 boards which is the lowest he’s had since Winter 2019. Sal Rahin had another great game (17pts) after missing the last two. Mahrooz struggled, which really isn’t like him, so don’t expect to see that again. If they figure out their transition defense, they should be back on top.

This is one of those games which feels like a loss and a win, and yet, it was still a thriller of a game. Abdoul and Husan showed out, not to mention a good day from Abdullah. But in that process, kept on blowing leads instead of capitalizing on them. No other team would let that happen. This team needs to figure out its defensive priorities before clashing against Yuzur next week.

Have to give it to them, after getting down early they fought tooth and nail to get back, only to lose. It stings, but it shows they got more in them. Messiah had a game—22pts and 11 rebounds. This team has lost their three game by less than 5 points. Next week is an easily winnable game, and they can get it if they play liked they played in Week 4. 

You can’t say much after dropping only one point in the second half, the lowest ever in MB history. 

You would think after last weeks performance, Haifa would come out stronger. Elton and Usama with both 17, but defense is this teams main issue. They have a bad habit of keeping games close until the last 8 or so minutes. They’ll get a win soon, they just need to figure out how to finish. 

When your best scorer drops only 13, you know it’ll be a rough day in the office.

The goods:

— Salman Ilyas is having a record year in rebounding

— Has Mahmoud finally found his groove?

— Anas is still doing his thing.

The bad:

— Ever