- CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS PREDICTION -
WRITTEN BY: STEPHEN A. KELLERMAN
8:45PM BOBCATS vs THUNDER
BOBCATS + 13 – The showdown of the century is about to unfold. The Bobcats have run through the entire league and every loss they suffered you could make an argument that there was an asterisk to it. The Thunder on the other hand have been the hottest team in the league since adding a marquee free agent (Hashi) to the roster. Rumors have it that the commissioner only allowed Hashi to join the Thunder squad because he believed that they would now be one of the few teams that could eventually be able to compete with the Bobcats. So basically without the Bobcats in the league...Hashi would not be a Thunder right now. Another rumor is that, Janath had a hand in creating the Bobcats (or helped refer players) and so if that is the case...he might get literally destroyed by his own invention. I guess it is only fitting that these two teams square up in the ETBL finals. It is important to highlight that both teams did not face each other in the regular season. First let me show a little of love to all stars on both teams. Congrats to the All-Stars of the Thunder: Janath Kumar and Hashi. Congrats to all the BOBCATS All-Stars: Allan Macintosh, Matthew Campbell, Christian Casimer, Kareem Williams, and Kalsang Tashi. Okay, Kareem and Kalsang did not make it but in my opinion their whole starting lineup is filled with allstars and they can definitely compete with the actual allstar team LOL (that would have been the most interesting matchup this season to be honest). Most teams have 2 allstars at most and there is a case to be made that the Bobcats have 4 for sure and maybe a 5th (especially if Kalsang was on a different team where he would have had a higher usage). Which is why there is even more rampant speculation that the Commissioner is looking to split the team up even if they win the chip and rebalance the competiton level in the league. Shout out to GM Omar for getting the nod as the GM of the Allstar Team (I am not talking about the Bobcats this time lol)...but it looks like next season he will have to actually put in some more work and find complementary pieces/role players to supplement his new squad. Regardless, he will have a good foundation to work with so I am sure he can pull it off. Talking about next season seems more interesting than talking about this finals as the Bobcats are gonna roll to victory as the Thunder seem to be missing a couple pieces. Maybe they can make it a close game with an exceptional performance from Janath and Hashi...but it is a long shot. The Bobcats are going to win this simply because of the number of options are going to be at their disposal. Christian and Matthew are going to be a nightmare on the offensive and defensive end for the Thunder. Kalsang will be a problem all game as he looks to be a menace on the defensive end. Allan leads the team with 196 points in the regular season and the Thunder will need to look to contain him as much as possible. The Thunder are very good on defense but the Bobcats are special on offence. I need to give credit where credit is due and I do not want to disrespect the Thunder as they have been on a mission all season long. Should Janath and the Thunder take down the Bobcats, the commissioner will need to strongly need to consider building a statue of Janath outside the gym. As for the in-game expectations and match ups...I expect Richard to play hard downlow, Hashi to contribute from deep, and Tristan to make plays on offence. The rest of the guys on the Thunder will have to also be key as this will be the toughest task of the season. GM Sujeevan along with Puvi will look to make changes throughout the game to steal this win...and that's what it would be...armed robbery...getting away with murder...but...I don't see it.
945PM TEAM RANDY vs TEAM OMAR
TEAM OMAR +20 - Since everyone loves reading my predictions, I thought I’d give a prediction for the All-Star game. Team Omar is going to SLAP Team Randy. GM Randy needs to get drug tested immediately for his questionable draft selections. To all the other all stars (that didn’t make the finals), congrats you can at least say you got to share the same court as the guys who are playing in the ETBL finals, and who knows maybe next season you can too be in the finals lol. Guys remember the goal is to be competing for a championship not playing in an exhibition game. Either way congrats to everyone who made the all-star team and it should be a great night of events on Sunday. I will see you all for Season 7 which already looks like it is going to crazy with all the rumors swirling! Peace.