Week 5 of the Big 3 season comes this weekend to Kansas City, MO on Saturday - at the Sprint Center - and Oklahoma City, OK on Sunday, from Chesapeake Energy Arena. Coming off another exciting weekend in Providence and Brooklyn, more big match ups on tap for this week.
On Saturday, in the day's second game, the 4-0 Triplets take on 3-1 Power, in a match up of the defending champions in Power, and this season's best team, the Triplets. On Sunday, Trilogy will look to continue its momentum from a thrilling 50-48 victory last week over the previously unbeaten Killer 3s as they take on the 3-1 Enemies, who have won 3 straight games. Those are the marquee games, but there are four others that will have a major impact as the season gets to its fifth week and teams start battling for playoff position.
The first game on Saturday sees the expansion Bivouac - who are 2-2 coming off of a strong 50-43 showing against the 3 Headed Monsters this past Sunday in Brooklyn - go up against a 3s Company team that has struggled mightily this season. They have a 1-3 record and are next to last in the league, but they have momentum coming off of a 50-38 win over the Ball Hogs on Saturday.
Without a true point guard, 3s Company will rely on bigger defenders Andre Emmett and Dahntay Jones to slow Bivouac's Will Bynum, whose quickness and tricky ball handling has led him to average 15 points per game through the first 4 weeks and emerge as one of the league's biggest surprises. Bivouac will have an advantage in overall athleticism, with Josh Smith, CJ Leslie, and Shawne Williams all active bodies at 6'9. Andre Emmett and Dermarr Johnson figure to be the ones leading 3s Company in the scoring department, but Bynum, Smith, and three point marksman Anthony Morrow give Bivouac a little more punch.
As previously mentioned, the second game on the Saturday slate sees the defending champions up against a team that has been nothing short of a juggernaut this season. The 4-0 Triplets, lead by league leading scorer Joe Johnson (22.5 points per game), have won by an average of 10 points per game, and boast a bona fide interior threat in Al Jefferson. Power, to counter Johnson, has Corey Maggette - last year's Most Valuable Player - and Cuttino Mobley. If Mobley plays this week after sitting out last week, their scoring output could match Johnson's. The battle on the interior will also be fun to watch, with Jefferson, along with the athletic Chris Johnson, going up against Power's Glen Davis and Chris Andersen. There's also the coaching match up of Lisa Leslie (Triplets) and Nancy Lieberman (Power) which will be a good chess match. Both are great at making in game adjustments. Power are 3-1 and in second place, and will give the Triplets the sternest test they have faced this season.
The final game on Saturday's sees Tri-State - a 1-3 team that needs to win to stay in the playoff hunt - face a 3 Headed Monsters squad that is coming off a loss and sit at 2-2. On the inside, it is a match up of athleticism vs strength, with Amare Stoudemire (Tri-State) up against the Monsters' Reggie Evans. On the perimeter, scorers Jason Richardson (Tri-State) and Rashard Lewis (Monsters) will go mano e mano. Tri-State holds an athleticism advantage in the back court with Nate Robinson countering Mario Chalmers and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Tri-State will need great efforts from Stoudemire and Richardson, in particular, if they are to stay in the hunt. Dropping to 1-4 would be devastating, and dropping to 2-3 would not serve the Monsters well, either.
On Sunday, from Oklahoma City, the action gets underway with the Ghost Ballers (2-2) and the Aliens (1-3). Carlos Boozer (Ghost Ballers) will likely be counted on to defend the Aliens' Greg Oden, who has proven to be a tough cover for all teams so far this season. With Jamario Moon, Mike Taylor, and Ricky Davis on the perimeter, the Ghost Ballers boast a strong threesome holds an advantage over the Aliens' Andre Owens, Brandon Rush, and Shannon Brown. Moon is 8th in the league in scoring, Davis leads in steals, and Taylor is tied with Joe Johnson in 4 point makes (2). This game will come down to how well the Ghost Ballers can defend Oden, who will have a big size advantage inside.
In Sunday's second game, the Enemies go head to head with Trilogy. The Enemies' Craig Smith has been one of the best and most surprising players this year, showing that he is capable of knocking down the three point shot as well as being able to score on the inside. Royce White has also been solid with his all around play, and Gilbert Arenas is the ideal closer.
Trilogy, coming off a big win, will be emotionally charged coming into the game. David Hawkins, coming off of a 21 point game, is a tough cover with his size and shooting ability. Jason Terry would add a big three point threat, and Carlos Arroyo is a quick guard who may challenge Arenas' defense. James White, last year's Defensive Player of the Year, is a tough player who will match the intensity of Royce White and Smith. Trilogy coach Kenyon Martin never lacks passion, and is going up against his former Trilogy coach Rick Mahorn. This could be the most emotional game of the weekend, and could steal the title of most compelling from the Triplets/Power match up.
The week 5 finale has the Killer 3s, undefeated prior to last week's 50-48 defeat at the hands of Trilogy, face an 0-4 Ball Hogs team that is desperate for a victory. The Killer 3s have a top scorer in Stephen Jackson that the Ball Hogs will counter with Deshawn Stevenson, who can get hot from three point range. The Ball Hogs though will have a problem dealing with 3s' guards Franklin Session and CJ Watson, who combine for both quickness (Session) and shooting (Watson). They also have the 6'11 Donte Green, 6'9 Josh Powell, and the 7 foot Eddy Curry to counter the Hogs' Will McDonald, who has been one of the top players in the league this year despite his team's winless record.
Week 5 Picks
Saturday: Bivouac, Triplets, Tri-State
Sunday: Ghost Ballers, Enemies, Killer 3s
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