The Big 3 makes its stop in the Midwest this weekend for Week 7, as action begins Saturday from Allstate Arena - just outside Chicago in Rosemont - and concludes Sunday at the home of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Fiserv Forum.
The first game on Saturday sees a pair of teams looking to get to the .500 mark and stay in the playoff hunt, with former ABA teammates leading their teams into action. Tri-State and the Ghost Ballers are coached by Julius Erving (Tri-State), and George Gervin (Ghost Ballers) - both of whom were teammates on the ABA's Virginia Squires in the early 1970s. Gervin also has a slight Chicago connection, having played there for his last NBA season (1985-1986).
Tri-State, who have been led this season by Amare Stoudemire and his 19.6 points/8.0 rebounds per game, will get Nate Robinson back - who has been out with an eye injury - as they take on a new look Ballers team. The 2-3 Ballers traded Jamario Moon last week to the Triplets for big man Chris Johnson, who will give them an active body in the middle who can block shots. The smaller, guard heavy Ballers could have a tough time handling Stoudemire, and will have to deal with the athletic Jason Richardson and Robinson on the perimeter. Whoever wins this game will stay alive in the playoff race, while the other, dropping to 2-4, could see their hopes vanish.
The second game from Allstate Arena is an intriguing one, with the 3-2 Enemies matching up against the 4-1 Power - with Power coming off of a two week rest following their 50-47 victory over the Triplets. The Enemies, meanwhile, had their three game win streak snapped at the hands of Trilogy on July 21.
Power, after adding Carlos Boozer, have he and Glen Davis to counter the Enemies' up front tandem of Royce White and Craig Smith. Smith and Davis are both athletic, quick footed forwards, while White is adept at passing the ball and has been close to a triple double a couple of times this season.
The more interesting part of this match up is how the Enemies will deal with the scoring duo of Cuttino Mobley and Corey Maggette, especially with Gilbert Arenas being inactive for the game.
Arenas, who missed the Enemies' season opener with a foot injury, will miss this weekend's game, it was announced today. That means that the scoring onus will fall on White and Smith, who will need to do all they can to ensure that the team doesn't fall to 3-3. It will be very difficult, in Arenas' absence, for the Enemies to match the scoring that Mobley and Maggette will provide. They are also tough offensive match ups for the Enemies, who lack size at guard.
Capping off the Chicago action are Bivouac and the Killer 3s. The 3s, at 4-2, are coming off of a loss at the hands of 3s Company, and will look to bounce back against a Bivouac team that got to .500 last week with a win over the Aliens. The 3s - with Stephen Jackson, CJ Watson, Donte Green, and Franklin Session - will match up with Bivouac's Will Bynum (if he plays), Josh Smith, and Anthony Morrow. Smith will be a key in terms of how he defends Jackson, who is the 3s' leading scorer at 15.4 points per game. Saturday would be a good time for Bynum - who is averaging 15 points per game - to return, as his scoring punch would be needed.
On Sunday, the action gets going at 4pm Eastern from Milwaukee with a match up of a team, in 3s Company, who is hot off of the play of Andre Emmett, and an Aliens team that is coming off of a loss to Bivouac. The Aliens will have to find a way to slow Emmett, who was last week's Player of the Week, and who is averaging 16.5 points per game on the year. Tasked with matching his scoring output will be Andre Owens and Brandon Rush of the Aliens. Shannon Brown, who had 18 points two weeks ago, figures to be a factor for the Aliens as well.
A key for 3s Company, as is for many teams this season, is slowing down 7 footer Greg Oden. Oden - the number 1 overall selection in the 2007 Draft, who was destined for stardom before injuries befell him - has been a tough cover for many teams this season due to his size and strength. Company will use a combination of Drew Gooden and Jason Maxiell to counter the big man, who is 3rd among centers in scoring (9.3 points/5.2 rebounds). Two weeks ago in a 16 point win over the Ghost Ballers, Oden had 6 of his team's first 8 points.
The next to last game of the weekend pits the first place, 5-1 Triplets against a 3 Headed Monsters team that has lost 3 straight after starting the season 2-0.
This figures to be a surprisingly good match up, as the Monsters, on paper at least, match up ok with the Triplets. Reggie Evans' strength and scrappiness on the interior could be a nuisance for Triplet big man Al Jefferson, and Rashard Lewis can provide the scoring to counter some of what Joe Johnson does. Also, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Mario Chalmers will go up opposite Jannero Pargo. The x factor for the Triplets the rest of the season is the newly acquired Jamario Moon. Moon, who averaged 13.2 points per game with the Ghost Ballers, gives the Triplets another wing threat and athlete who can ease the scoring burden off of Johnson. Alan Anderson is another weapon that the Triplets have, from the outside, and Jefferson - despite him having to deal with the scrappy Evans - has come on strong in recent weeks and seems to be settling in.
The Triplets, though the 3 Headed Monsters will be a game opponent, should be able to get their sixth victory of the season.
Rounding out the Week 7 action is the Ball Hogs, looking for their first win of the season, going up against Trilogy, who have won three straight.
The game will be the likely debut of Xavier Silas back in a Hogs uniform, as Silas was just added to the roster this week. He gives them quickness and play making at the guard position. The Hogs will need all of the contributions they can get from Silas and Deshawn Stevenson, as Trilogy has Carlos Arroyo in the back court and David Hawkins - who is 9th in the league in scoring at 15.2 points per game - to handle the scoring. James White, former Big 3 Defensive Player of the Year, provides Trilogy with toughness that the Hogs need to match.
Will McDonald - the Hogs' leading scorer at 17.2 points per game (5th in the league) - is also 2nd in the league in rebounding at 9.3, but has not gotten the consistent help needed from the rest of the roster. Outside of him and Deshawn Stevenson's three point shooting ability, the Hogs lack play makers, and it will be tough for them to get their first victory of the season over a Trilogy team that has momentum.
Week 7 Picks
Saturday: Tri-State, Power, Killer 3s
Sunday: 3s Company, Triplets, Trilogy
Comments