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Week Five Power Rankings - Part One
Too much going on to go into too deep of player observations for this week - we'll give it a rest and pick it up in a week or two to see how much has changed. But plenty of ridiculous blow out action and upsets this last week which will make for some interesting efficiency rating changes, thus my ridiculous power rankings get even more ridiculous. "Tridiculous", one might say! Last week's ranking will be in parenthesis behind the team name.

1. Rip City Revival (1)
Jbogoroff maintains their top of the chart rankings, remains undefeated, and after defeating Tachenko by a bigger margin than Żubr Białystok this last week, my only question is, "How did they let a lesser team beat them in the Cup last week?" (Oh. Yes. Mmhmm. Okay, got it. Thanks.) After conferring with my assistant, it turns out they got beat because of a lack of effort. Ah well. They actually got knocked out of highest EFFG this week, but maintain their OPP EFFG dominance to remain #1. Interesting matchup week for them as well, facing the revamped Hustlas and The Ashkickers.

2. Philly Dribble (2)
No movement in the top two of the chart with 9-1 Philly getting the luxury of playing the Great 8 cellar dwellers in the same week. Slight improvements in both EFFG and OPP EFFG puts them at 1 & 2 respectively in the rankings. With most likely a cakewalk coming up this week, will The Beer Bellys or Żubr Białystok be able to pull off an upset? A decent Cup matchup this week - they've got a chance to remain in the tournament.

3. Linndale (7)
Huge leap for Linndale this week thanks in part to their great improvement in both categories (thanks to facing #8 Is This Heaven? and an interesting move by thatguy to throw the game on Tuesday) as well as stagnant movement by teams ahead of them last week plus one team that took a tumble. Matchups against #4 and #3 Great 8 seeded teams might complicate matters for them.

4. San Dominica Warriors (4)
I know, I know, I know, how can I put a 6-4 team ahead of the Great 8's top three who are 9-1, 8-2, & 7-3? Can't fudge the EFFG numbers, man. It's like the bible - it only tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Coach Stephenson's magic sauce this season has been his defense, ranking 3rd in OPP EFFG. They technically tied with the 4th place team in the ratings, but ties are broken by last week's averages, so they win out. Looks like a couple of easy games for them this week - will they be able to perform to expectations and maintain a top 4 ranking?

5. The Ashkickers (5)
Tylormade was seen seething after last week's rankings were released, and I can only imagine his reaction to winde up in the same space after two wins to improve their win streak to 4. They actually improved slightly in EFFG to move them up three spots as well as a spot in OPP EFFG. A walkover against The LOne Wolf at home on Saturday before a marquee matchup as they travel to face Rip City Revival next Tuesday - be sure to tune in and watch the #1's go at it!

6. Tachenko (3)
After easily handling The Lone Wolf by 30, Tachenko traveled to Rip's Memorial Coliseum and got dressed down, shooting 28% from the field and mustering up only 71 points while giving up 43 points in the first quarter. A drop in both EFFG and OPP EFFG leaves them in 3rd place in the Great 8. But I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to host the Lion Rebels on Saturday before being courted by Linndale next week.

7. Hustlas (6)
One place drops in these rankings each of the last two weeks...and that's with pretty dramatic improvement in EFFG (ranked 3rd) and OPP EFFG (ranked 8th - up two spots from last week). It truly is their OPP EFFG rating that's still holding them back, but I'm sure we'll continue to see that drop with their retooled roster. They play host to Rip City this weekend before traveling to Daylis to face off against Lion Rebels.

Week Five Power Rankings - Part 2

8. Lion Rebels (9)
My group has seemed to find their groove, right in the middle, losing on an absurd final shot with no time left to let The Beer Bellys steal one before somewhat righting the ship against Żubr. Two tough matchups this week against Tachenko and Hustlas and there's not much hope for the rebuilding Lions.

9. Żubr Białystok (10)
Up one spot this week despite a decline in EFFG and holding steady on defense, whitestok's crew finds themselves in 4th in the Great 8 despite getting handed two losses this week, losing for the first time after a four game win streak. Can they turn it around against another two difficult matchups in Linndale and Philly?

10. Miami Cleo (11)
Despite a six-game losing streak, Miami fared well against San Dom last weekend before struggling with Carolina. Not a lot of movement in their efficiency ratings or rankings and thankfully are welcoming Mighty Moose before hitting up The Lone Wolf to hopefully get back on track this week and even out their game log at .500.

11. The Beer Bellys (8)
Whatever thatguy is smoking, I want none of it. After pulling off a buzzer beater at home (I'm not bitter), they absurdly played five scrubs against Linndale to lose by 91 points, only scroing 20 points for the entire game which was good for a -40 EFFG, which helped to bring down their season average by 16 points, dropping them from ranked 5th in the category last week to 10th. I'm sure they've got a plan, but if it's The Process, Sam Hinke is in trouble.

12. Carolina Rebels (12)
After only losing by 12 to The Ashkickers last weekend, they upended Miami by 14 to notch their 3rd win on the season. They've seen modest improvements in both efficiencies and face what could be a two-win week leading to a three-game winning streak to put them at 5 wins, potentially fighting for the top relegation spot in the Big 8.

13. 2 percent (13)
The league hasn't been as nice to these bottom four teams, with only two wins between them all. After notching their first win last week, they've had to run through several good teams, but have a chance for two wins this week, hosting Carolina before visiting MMR on the road. They've got the best EFFG of the bad teams, but the 2nd worst OPP EFFG.

14. The Lone Wolf (14)
Boasting a 14th rank in both efficiencies, they unforunately haven't won since game two of the season. A tough matchup on the road against The Ashkickers, and if their OPP EFFG wasn't so bad, I'd suggest they have a chance against Miami's 12th ranked EFFG, but I think that's too much to ask. They do have a matchup against 2 percent looming the following week though!

15. Is This Heaven? (15)
Not to point out the obvious, but any other year, this team's 59 EFFG and 135 OPP EFFG would be good for the very last of places in this league. With a 0 in the win column and a 10 in the loss coupled with a -347 point differential, it's hard to imagine them winning a game, but at least one of these two bottom feeders will come out with a win the the all star game.

16. Mighty Moose Rockets (16)
After having made a couple of moves, I keep waiting for Hutch44 to make some more, but they seem content on relegating. Their scores have gotten higher the last two weeks, but still not good enough - who knows, maybe they'll pull out a surprise for the fans in the next couple of weeks!

Oh I think you want what I'm smoking lol. I knew I didn't have a chance in hell on that game, and training my guards is a priority. So that is why I played scrubs...training time allocation. Gave the starters a chance to enjoy our new bourbon lounge and club, they needed a night off

Haha - I get it and figured as such!

"We have a huge group of games coming up," says the Hustlas coach. "We just played a top 2,000 team in private league, testing to see where we stand. We did fairly well. We played the better game, but they were the better team in the end. We hope this helps in our bid against the top team in our league."

"We want to knock off Rip City," says Legkauskas. "We have a shot, if our shots are falling. But how do we play them? No matter what we decide, they have the experience to really give us trouble. And the confidence. And, not to stir the pot, I think their coach may be much better than ours."

Losing to Rip City wouldn't be the end of the world for the Hustlas, so far, everyone they have faced have lost as well, but, this is a tough schedule they are on. After Rip City, they travel to Lion Rebels, then a BBM matchup and a cup matchup, and then they are home against #3 Linndale before the all-star break.

"We will win out," says Armin Trepicchio. "I will have a bigger say in these outcomes, and so we will win out. If we don't, it will at least be close. We are good at keeping things close, except for that one loss, and we will get our revenge on them. But we are good at keeping it close."

"They have no chance," says channel 8 news. "The Hustlas are smoke and mirrors, but, at least they are fun. Rip City will come here and rip them apart. Coach better throw the kitchen sink at them if they want to give Rip their first loss. I mean, why not, it's not like the Hustlas will win the title this season. Do whatever it takes to win."

Channel 5 however, has another take, "If Legkauskas and Huk can impact this game in a positive way, then the Hustlas will win. Out of the two teams, they are the two weakest of the 10 starters. The Hustlas have stronger people on the bench, but these two are 2 of their 3 best shooters. So far it has worked, but will it work against Rip? I see that it may actually work against them as well. And the Hustlas will give Rip City their first loss."

ESPN - "The Hustlas better come out beast mode, or else the beast will eat them. No Shame in doing everything to win this game, but if they use too much stamina, put too much energy in this one, Lion Rebels will be waiting in the wings to take advantage. I know the coach is trying to think of something, but he better think fast, because the game is nearly ready to start. Biggest game of the season for the Hustlas up to this point. Let's see if they are ready for the big leagues. We have our doubts about them, but every time we did, they came back stronger. Let's see if they can compete with the best. I don't think so, but we will see. That's why you play the game.'

Hustlas vs Rip City Revival, next!

Last edited by Reece at 9/3/2022 6:17:27 PM

Air Allnite: Hi everybody! Air Allnite and Downtown Tate live from Żubr Białystok along with Flash Fenwick for tonight's pregame show! Let's cut to the chase and get down to business, Flash. I hear you have some insider information on the Linndale sqquad!

Flash Fenwick: Air, you are quite right! Sources have told me that Linndale is looking to be highly unconventional in the approach to tonight's game. Without giving things away, I've been told to expect the unexpected offensively as they try to get things up to where they expect them to be.

Downtown Tate: Flash, can you give us a bit more detail? Unexpected? We've seen them run, we've seen them go low post, we've seen them patient, and we've seen motion! This roster has too much talent and ability to just play basic offense!

Air: I have to agree with Downtown, Flash. They have plenty of talent, but it seems they can't get everyone clicking at the same time, or every part of the game clicking at the same time!

Flash: You're right about that, and I'm told one of the things thatis driving the coaching staff mad is the number of layups this team routinely misses, especially from the backcourt. Their guards can get to the rim, but seems like they don't know what to do with the ball when they get there! I'm told they will be trying to address that tonight.

Downtown: The way I see it... nah, Linndale's done some crazy stuff but they wouldn't do that, would they?

Flash: Downtown, I've seen them do this routinely and the fact they haven't yet is somewhat surprising to me. Sometimes 3 to 4 times a season.

Air: Flash, Downtown I'm not sure I quite follow what you're talking about.

Flash: They have big men who are pretty solid ballhandlers, Air, and pretty decent from the outside. Those same bigs are able to switch on to some guards and acquit themselves well defensively.

Downtown: You know Air, I recall they once did the run and gun offense paired with a full court press for 2 straight seasons. The second of the two seasons, they went undefeated, and they have far better players now than they did back then. It's not out of the realm of possibility.

Air: You make a great point, but I just don't think that's the plan for tonight's game. Linndale isn't a gimmicky team; everything they do is try to better the players AND put them in position to win. You see how they turned over the point guard position already this season! Coenen is off to a fantastic start assist wise. He's averaging 7 since getting here; do you know how long it's been since a Linndale point guard did that?

Flash: Short sample, Air. And they are VERY concerned about the missed opportunities at the rim.

Downtown: They don't have the size or strength to play the guards up front, Flash. That would be a bloodbath! They would get slaughtered in the paint and on the boards.

Air: And the bigs are good outside shooter for bigs. FOR BIGS, Flash, not guards.

Flash: I 'm not disagreeing with those statements, but how else are they gonna address things?

Air: It has to be something they do not do. Almost ever.

Downtown: They do have the length to go 1-3-1 on defense, something they never do. I don't think they ever have before.

Air: And if I want my bigs to shoot more and guards to attack the rim, maybe a little backdoor action? That screams Princeton to me.

Flash: The thing about Linndale though is that when you think you know, you don't know. They're very good about trying to match what they're working on with a game plan to get a win. This is going to be an interesting one, if nothing else just to see what Linndale might do.

That will do it for us tonight. Tune in to the Supreme Court Basketball Network for analysis after the game. For Downtown Tate and Flash Fenwick, I'm Air Allnite. Drive the lane, stick the three and don't forget to get back on D! We'll see ya later!

Air Allnite: Downtown Tate and Flash Fenwick with Air Allnite and we are at halftime watching Linndale's worst nightmare happen. Flash, what are you watching?

Flash: It looks to me like the Linndale coaching staff is teaching a lesson here to the team, a very painful one. They're getting destroyed on the boards, they are missing inside shots when they get them, and they look confused on defense. Offensively the disjointedness is real; it appears that the backcourt is playing the frontcourt on offense and the frontcourt in the backcourt. The only player at what is a normal position is Paul Lutz at point guard.

Dowtown: Yeah, but he's got 5 fouls on him and looks like he hasn't played there in a long time.

Allnite: He has attacked the paint and gotten to the line, as has Klimenkov. If I told you Linndale would score 51 at halftime and trail 20...

Flash: I'd call you insane, but here we are.

Downtown: I spoke with the Linndale coach briefly, and he told me there was a disconnect within the team. The guards are upset with the bigs for not fighting harder on the boards and running the floor. The bigs are upset with the guards for not getting them the ball on fast breaks when they're running the floor and blowing so many layups. He said they needed to see how each has it rough because this is a very tough league, and they have to work together to get things done.

Allnite: Sounds like this will either bring them together or fracture them further apart.

Flash: We'll get an idea of what's going on with the players in the second half. For Air and Downtown, I'm Flash Fenwick and we're going back to the game!

Guys - I absolutely love the team commentary (sorry to break the fourth wall here). It’s tremendous. From the local news reports to the mind games being played with tactical options. This is fun! Keep it up!!

Downtown Tate wrapping tonight's Linndale loss with Flash Fenwick and Air Allnite. After a 20 point deficit at the half, what did you see from Linndale?

Allnite: I saw a team that finally started coming together. They lost the game, but they battled to get it down to 8. They just ran out of gas.

Flash: They got absolutely destroyed on the boards. That's effort. They didn't take great care of the basketball by Linndale standards, but they also took better care of the ball than their opponents and they took it from them as well. To me, the game came down to the fact that they were willing to sell out and go after the basketball before it got up in the air at the expense of rebounding.

Downtown: Another thing is Zubr Bialystok went to the line 41 times. They attacked inside all night and I guarantee you Linndale knew that would happen. It's like they wanted to teach the guards a lesson. I guarantee they took a beating inside. That's the kind of lesson you remember and learn from. You might see a different team come out of this.

Allnite: You can see they still have a problem in the paint with guards not finishing at the rim. Despite the overwhelming beatdown on the boards, just make the layups and they win this game. Seems to me the bigs may have had a point here, assuming that locker room split is real. But then you see Coenenand Lutz with 9 and 7 assists respectively and you think maybe they will work this out.

Downtown: We'll find out soon enough! There's another game Tuesday for Linndale at home. They better get things together!

Allnite: I'm surprised they didn't go full run and gun. I don't know it would have made a difference, but this feels like the coaches were teaching something to the players and the comeback leads me to think that at some level there was a breakthrough. I think the most impressive thing I saw in the game though was both starters at point guard playing the vast majority of the game with 5 fouls and not fouling out. You gotta be in the game to help your team and these two found a way to do that. Lutz fouling out might have been a killer for Linndale.

Flash: Folks, we're out of time! We'll see you next on the Supreme Court Basketball Network!

BBTV: "The Hustlas have done it. They knocked off the final undefeated team in the league, winning the game 131-105. What an excellent game by the Hustlas."

Stephen A. - "I said they would do it, and they did. Who did not believe me? Shame on all of you. I said they would win, and I said they would win big. You see, I know those guys. I knew they really wanted this win. I know the front office, the execs. I knew that they wanted it. They proved that to me with all of their signings. They signed all of these point guards. They have new centers as well, all new signees, but the point guards were what really caught my notice. And I said that with all the signings, they still needed someone big time. They needed someone that could shake things up. But I didn't think they had it in them. And, guess what Skip? They had it in them. They went and signed the leagues biggest free agent acquisition, Suen Jun Hoi, and that has made all th difference. And that's when I knew that they meant business. He was signed specifically for Nikky Nay, at least that was my take. May not be true, but that was my take. And he delivered. He's not putting up big numbers, but he is guiding this team, and guarding with his amazing defense, and he is what this team needed."

Skip: "I think that it was a good win for the Hustlas, but, it was not the end all be all. There are still questions. I don't know if this team can truly defeat Rip City."

Shannon: "That's crazy Skip."

Skip: "Hear me out, hear me out. Hustlas almost played Crunch Time. They were wavering for a second, but didn't. Thank goodness. That would have been a bore."

Shannon: "Yes, Hustlas would have killed them."

Skip: "That's true, but only because, as we found out in the game, Rip City played TIE. And even with them "Taking it easy", the game was close."

Shannon: "Till the 4th quarter. Look Skip, I see what you're saying. I think that Rip City went in to this trying to get information on the Hustlas. No one knows what offense they will play when a game starts. So get some information like this, and when the finals come, they'll be ready for Hustlas. But I don't think that will happen. This Hustlas team is a juggernaut. If they lose any game for the rest of the year, it will be due to injury or will be close. This team is for real. They beat the best team by over 20 points. And we are not sure if they truly are the best team after this loss. We are questioning it. Maybe it's Philly Dribble. They have a claim. They are tops in their conference now. They did lose to Rip City early but, that was before. This is now. Maybe it's Ashkickers. Their next game is against Rip City, and if they win....they will be considered the best team at the moment. I would have included Linndale but they lost tonight. Though they still may be but, their coach was a bit drunk tonight and just threw lineups together, much like the Hustlas coach does in a crisis. But we will see. The Hustlas just beat Rip City. Can they go undefeated in interconference play? Can they get their revenge on Ashkickers? I think, though good, they will make a mistake. But in the meantime, 5 wins in a row in league play. And so it continues."

Last edited by Reece at 9/4/2022 3:54:15 PM