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The Hustlas, in the BBM game vs Sredizeme, was up 11 at halftime, things looking good. But Sredizeme outscored the Hustlas by 21 points in the 3rd quarter and now the Hustlas are down 10 going into the 4th. And they haven't outscored Sredizeme by 10 yet in the game. Will Sredizeme continue their hot touch, or will the Hustlas be able to cool them down, and come out with the win? We shall see.

The Hustlas fall in BBM competition today, coming back but squandering their final two possessions, never getting off a shot till it was too late. "We had this game," says leading scorer Legkauskas. "But we blew it. Turnovers at the end of the game. Seriously."

"The refs were against us, but we still had a chance," says the Hustlas coach. "But this loss is on me. I screwed up the defensive assignments. K.Huk, one of our closers and clutch players, fouled out. I meant to put our of on their pg, but I had our sg guarding him, and he erupted for 50 points against us. Bad coaching. I messed up. But it's a double elimination tournament, so hopefully we can come back and add some more wins."
The Hustlas are disappointed in this loss, but at least they are still ok. None of their players are averaging over 30 minutes per game, and Layton is getting trained up. So maybe they still have hope.

Week Four Power Rankings & Notes - Part One
Welcome to the 36% way through the season mark! Things are starting to settle in as far as rankings and standings go. There seems to be that solid divide between Elite teams, Almost There/Rebuilding teams, and those Dwellars in the Cellar. There's only one team without a loss, but two teams without a win thus far. With 2.5 more weeks before the All Star game, here's where things stand.

Week 4 Player Notes & Stats
We've got a new scoring leader, with Randell Tobin (Tachenko) pushing down the previous scoring leaders, leading the league with 27.3 PPG (down .5 point from last week). Tachenko's PF Gordon Pullen edge's out Philly Dribble's PF Bud Pimental with 57.7% FG% (compared to 57.4%), while in the 3P% race, Lorenzo Rojas (Ashkickers) stepped into the lead with 57.1% (on 42 shots), knocking 2 percent's Harvey Griffen off (who has since dropped 15% points, down to 48%).

Randell Tobin (Tachenko) finally missed a free-throw, making 35-36 on the season so far (97.2%); in rebounds, C Richard Mason (Tachenko) has taken over the league with 15.6, but there are four others with at least 15.2 RPG. Tachenko's boys are really dominating these individual stats, with PG Cico Kalay averaging 6 APG and while Hustlas Krzysztof Huk is 7 total assists behind him (and 4th overall) he does boast a league high 10.3 AST/TO.

Not a ton of blocking going on, but Miami Cleo's PF Patrick Cheatle leads the way with 19 total (2.4/game) and in steals, Lion Rebels' Kurt Brown leads the way with 18, followed by Nikky Nay (Rip City) with 16 - next closest is a slew of players wth 12.

Only three teams are averaging over 102 PPG and only three teams are allowing more than 100 (106 to be fair) per game. A drop in overall FG% for teams, with Philly Dribble leading at 47.8%, also leading 3P% at 45.5%. San Dominica is the only team averaging over 60 rebounds/game (thanks to their league leading 20 offensive boards/game), while Rip City leads the league in Blocks and Steals per game (7.5 & 8.8 per game respectively).

With that, here are this week's rankings, with one difference: this week, their prior ranking shown in parenthesis will be what they were ranked after Week 1, rather than last week's ranking.

Week Four Power Rankings - Part Two
1. Rip City Revival (3)
The lone undefeated team in the league, Rip City bombed through a pair of 6's in the standings this last week, neither game being close. With their EFFG staying nearly the same and their OPP EFFG improving slightly, that remain at the top of the rankings with a matchup at home against Tachenko looming next Tuesday.

2. Philly Dribble (7)
One of the biggest movers in rankings differences from Week 1, Phil_Wings has had an opportunity to climb the rankings after their lone loss to Rip City in Week 1, really only having two close games after that, taking are of business on the road against San Dominica Warriors in OT after the Warriors epic fourth quarter comeback, before snuffing out Miami Cleo at home on TV. This week is cakewalk week for them, and they should improve in both EFFG and OPP EFFG heading into Week 6.

3. Tachenko (1)
A somewhat surprising upset loss at home to Hustlas this week handed kokka their second loss on the season, but thanks to the MMR effect, they didn't feel it in their EFFG or OPP EFFG ratings this week. They do face a challenge in the aforementioned matchup next week as they travel to play Rip City, but get to host The Lone Wolf before that. Will they end up with a third loss, or will they end up handing Rip their first loss of the season?

4. San Dominica Warriors (9)
Another big mover in the rankings from Week 1, though they sit 4th in the standings in the Big 8 and suffered two close losses (see the heartbreaker against Philly above along withanother failed comeback against The Ashkickers, Tuesday), they're up this high in the rankings because of their superb OPP EFFG. They were able to hold Philly to almost less than 40 EFFG than their average and did the same to The Ashkickers this week. They may not have the EFFG spark they need to vault them to a win every time, but their defense will keep them in it. Coach Stephenson heads to Miami against Cleo on Saturday before playing host to 2 percent.

5. The Ashkickers (4)
Hear me out, I know they're 7-1, beating everyone but Tachenko, but technically they are still the 2nd highest ranked Great 8 team. So why only 5th overall? Their biggest problem is their EFFG, which ranks 9th, dropping 5 spots from the prior week, with 107.3. But their OPP EFFG helps them out, especially as they're in a three-way-tie according to these numbers, but win out thanks to their prior ranking. They showed fortitude in handling two upper next tier teams, including 4th ranked San Dominica, winning by 7. This week, is more of a cakewalk, so I expect them to rise in the rankings with matchups against Carolina Rebels and a boost from the MMR effect coming next week.

6. Hustlas (5)
Hustlas have put on a good show, especially with their out-performing of Tachenko this week, even with the double incorrect GDP guess, to steal a win on the road. I'm assuming their additions will push them into the next level of Elite teams in our conference as their game shape improves, but time will tell. Bumps in both EFFG and OPP EFFG this week. What should be two relatively easy games this coming week should improve their standing.

7. Linndale (2)
As we all know, big changes have occurred in Linndale's roster after the start of the season, but they still find themselves in the middle of the pack, fighting for a playoff spot come season's end. A slight increase in EFFG coupled with a slight decrease in OPP EFFG after a satisfying win against Lion Rebels followed by a high scoring affar with 2 percent at home. They travel to Heaven on Saturday before playing host to the devil (thatguy's Keg is coming to town) next week, but should find themselves well suited still as we progress toward the all star break.

Week Four Power Rankings - Part Three
8. The Beer Bellys (10)
With self-confidence ever wavering, thatguy's crew is never as bad as he thinks, even though they did suffer two losses this week, one expected and one I'm sure they were hoping would be closer than it was as whitestok's crew handled them relatively well, despite Segovia's 30 points on Tuesday night. A relatively big drop in EFFG and OPP EFFG this week, but because of the status of the other "has beens", they wind up in 8th. They host the Lion Rebels before traveling to Linndale's I 77 Speedway - this week will be telling as they try to fight their way back into a Great 8 playoff spot.

9. Lion Rebels (6)
Similar drop off for my squad as Speedtraps due to the allure of $$$ in the bank from selloffs and a retooling of training regiment. An underdog matchup against the US #109 team in the Cup led to a near catastrophic performance against Is This Heaven? after suffering a one-sided loss to Linndale. Slight drops in both categories this week, and now we face the other side as if looking in a mirror, going up against #5 & 6 seeds in the Great 8.

10. Żubr Białystok (12)
whitestok is in a similar boat, focusing on training and staying alive, but two victories last week have them in a solid position. They've been steadily improving in both EFFG (34.1 increase) and OPP EFFG (20.1 improvement) since the first week of the season and have to play host to Rip City before they're hoping to steal a win on the road at Daylis Stadium.

11. Miami Cleo (8)
Thanks to a four game losing streak after starting the season undefeated, packer_22 finds themselves scrambling at this remarkable 36% point of the season. They've seen a steady drop in EFFG as the season has progressed, while OPP EFFG hasn't been terrible, it has suffered as of late. They host San Dom on Saturday before traveling to Carolina for (hopefully) an easy win to right the ship.

12. Carolina Rebels (14)
Carolina has improved their standing since the first week of the season, trying to establish themselves as the best of the worst and maybe borderline trying for the next level, but they still only have two wins on the season and their EFFG is a measley 66.3, and their OPP EFFG, which ranks 12th, is 116.6, which is much better than the next four teams on this list, and probably will be their saving grace against the rest of the dwellars of the cellar. Unfortunately they have to travel to The Ashkickers for an ashkicking this weekend, before playing host to Miami.

Week Four Power Rankings - Part Four
13. 2 percent (15)
Ray's group has shown to be steady in EFFG since week one of the season, and while their in the lower tier of the efficiency level, they're at the top of that tier by what feels like a mile. Their OPP EFFG, has improved, but is still at pretty sad levels, making the prospect of winning more than two or three games this season feel impossible. They've only had a handful of bad offensive performances, but they just can't seem to stop anyone. Next up: they play host to Philly Dribble before traveling out west to San Dominica Warriors.

14. The Lone Wolf (11)
lonewolf8's week one performance turned out to what appears to be an illusion, as they've plummeted in EFFG and OPP EFFG since then. They're on a six-game losing streak since defeating MMR early in the season and face #2 and #3 seeded Tachenko and Hustlas this week. 24-year old Nicola Mezzalira is their lone bright spot, ranking #4 in PTS and PTS/game with 23.1.

15. Is This Heaven? (16)
Thanks to Hutch44's tank job, Is This Heaven has pulled out of the last place spot in the rankings, but it's not looking too promising after losing by nearly 20 to closest seeded 2 percent this last week. They did see an improvement in their EFFG this week (thanks to nearly knocking off Lion Rebels), but have seen an overall 6.7 point decline since the first week of the season. They don't have the worst (or even second or third) OPP EFFG, but it's not real pretty, at 125.3. Two tough matchups loom this week in Philly Dribble and Linndale.

16. Mighty Moose Rockets (13)
A slight improvement to their dismal EFFG & OPP EFFG this week, but their games haven't been pretty, averaging 58 PPG while giving up 121 PPG to opponents. They did bring on a new C/PF this last week in Rodrigo Exequiel Cuberas, a 20-year old 7'1" Argentinian. We'll see if he can help bring some of the magic back.

Brutal Cup week for us with only 5 teams remaining. I was disappointed my effort was wasted in my matchup (lost by seven, but really it was five before a last second foul to give them two more free throws at the end). Anyone else have a disappointing attempt or were y'all settled on losing and moving on to scrimmages?

Linndale's slow motion roster update continues and so does our search for our signature style of play. After a 48 point victory over Is This Heaven?, the coaches and general manager were in agreement that something had to be done about the rebounding effort put forth.

"This has been an ongoing problem and we're sick of it! We got destroyed on the offensive boards! Feels like too many people think that Klimenko and Coronado are supposed to grab ALL the boards. We got a 6' 9" and a 7 footer both at small forward; grab some rebounds! Kevin Jung and Nick Guevara!!! Assert yourselves!!! Clint Costa and Daniel Gale, you guys better understanding you're professionals and that means we won't wait on you to develop. Earn your keep!"

To that end, Linndale announces the signing of Balthasar Gebhart Datler, a 19 year old, 7 foot center who walks into the locker room a disruptor to the rotation.

"Jung and Datler are both young and still developing, but both can rebound. Datler needs to catch up to where we need him defensively, but the kid just got here; he'll get up to speed. Their development will go a long way to dictate playing time, but so will flexibility. I'm not sure we're ready to stick Datler in at center on the second unit just yet, but when we are, keep in mind Jung can play power forward for us. Just because you haven't seen him there doesn't mean he can't. Gale and Costa ---if they stick around, and that ain't certain-- look like small forwards who need far more development than we can afford to provide them with. We'll see how that goes; if we need a roster spot or someone falls into our lap, either could be gone. Sutori needs to work on his inside game a bit to see time at the 4 or even 5 in small lineups. Lutz, if he ever puts in any effort on the board will be a weapon everywhere."

The front office was notoriously quiet about the backcourt group.

"We have nothing to say about the guards on this team, except we respect their "Cone of Silence". They won't talk, so we won't talk."

Attempts to talk to starting small forward Paul Lutz were rebuffed.

"You know what it says on the depth chart? Point guard." After a brief pause, Lutz quietly stated, "It's the quiet ones you have to watch", then hustled to the practice courts.

Day 9 (Saturday 27 August 2022) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)
All I have to say is, that while I enjoy training players, it sure sucks sometimes...

Night results
Linndale 140 - Is This Heaven? 92
Lion Rebels 88 - The Beer Bellys 90
Rip City Revival 76 - Żubr Białystok 61
The Lone Wolf 90 - Tachenko 112
Mighty Moose Rockets 60 - Hustlas 139
Carolina Rebels 71 - The Ashkickers 83
San Dominica Warriors 72 - Miami Cleo 66
Philly Dribble 131 - 2 percent 95

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 140 : Linndale
Rebounds : 64 : Hustlas
Assists : 28 : Hustlas
Steals : 19 : Linndale
Block Shots : 12 : San Dominica Warriors, Hustlas

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 39 : L. Rojas (The Ashkickers)
Rebounds : 23 : G. Locus (Miami Cleo)
Assists : 8 : E. Rutledge (Rip City Revival)
Steals : 4 : A. Trepicchio (Hustlas)
Block Shots : 7 : A. Parrish (San Dominica Warriors)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : L. Rojas (The Ashkickers) (39 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37
Shooting Guard : G. Denković (Hustlas) (15 Points, 3 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 3 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 25
Small Forward : P. Lutz (Linndale) (26 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 31
Power Forward : A. Coronado (Linndale) (21 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 34
Center : R. Mason (Tachenko) (20 Points, 20 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 32

MVP of the evening
L. Rojas (The Ashkickers) (39 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37

The bad performance of the evening
K. McNulty (Mighty Moose Rockets) (23 Points, 3 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots)O. Oynak (Mighty Moose Rockets) (0 Points, 1 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -10

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : O. Oynak (Mighty Moose Rockets) : 8 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : T. Medina (Lion Rebels), W. Huffman (The Beer Bellys), T. Ogata (2 percent) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), J. Cadelago (Mighty Moose Rockets), R. Cuberas (Mighty Moose Rockets), D. Harden (Lion Rebels), S. Hatch (Żubr Białystok), J. Gołas (2 percent), H. Griffin (2 percent) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : J. Segovia (The Beer Bellys) : 7 Three points

The best performer : S. Jun Hoi (Hustlas), D. Wilmink (2 percent) : Rating : 18.5

The worst performer : O. Oynak (Mighty Moose Rockets) : Rating : 2.0

This is Chris McSpirit joining Coach Stephenson and welcome to the Warrior Review. Coach, you guys went into the Murph, a tough place for any visiting team and pulled out a big win.

COACH: Yeah though I'd say survived more than pulled out the win. There was plenty of rat poison this week going out and it nearly got us. At least you can say that from the appearance of our playing. But our game play came through when it mattered most and now we got a little bit of breathing room in the standings.

MCSPIRIT: A bit on that. You guys are currently fourth in the Big 8 which puts you in the last playoff spot and the Blaine Report had you guys fourth in the power rankings. How does it feel to get a bit of respect?

COACH: Honestly I felt better when everyone has us being relegated. Hey Blaine if you're listening do me a favor and say we suck! Nah hmm while it feels good to be respected by media and fellow coaches, those fellow coaches will also tell you its dangerous. There are still a lot of good teams behind us in the Big 8 and it doesn't take much for one to go from top of the stairs to the cellar and getting big headed can easily lead to being jack tumbling down the hill. Right now our attitude is one day at a time especially since we still have issues to fix and last Saturday's game had them all out in display

MCSPIRIT: A big questions from callers Saturday night was seeing more Marquez at the wing and a lack of Tercero, a guy who is capable of giving points and it seemed especially in the 2nd half points seemed like an endangered species for us.

COACH: The overall defensive strategy was to limit Varp. We figured if he gets hot its over. Tercero we knew could give him fits. So the game plan was a 1, 2 defensive punch of Ali (Alidori) and Tercero. Now yes Marq didn't do much scoring but he did his part in keeping Maurin from taking advantage of the situation when LAB got in trouble. So that in itself isn't the issue. The real issue is our lack of backcourt scoring at crucial times and that tendency for us to get off to bad 2nd half starts.

MCSPIRIT: And you guys did succeed on that end. Varpukevius averaging just over 20 points a game, was held to a season low of 7. Next up for you guys are the 2percent at the SMG to finish off the conference week. What are you initial thoughts going into that matchup?

COACH: Those guys are definitely a team that is more than their record would have you think. They got a guy who can potentially cause problems in the paint with Wilmink and a few guys like Golas who can just go Taz on you if you're not careful

MCSPIRIT: In fact we'll talk about that matchup more as soon as we come back from commercial break.

Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 8/29/2022 12:36:54 PM

Segovia hitting that buzzer-beater 3 at the end had to hurt, sorry man...errrr...maybe not, I need all the wins I can get while I try to rebuild this roster with limited cash lol.