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It’s week 6 of the Remix Non Chinese Basketball League (NCBL) 2008! This game, and next week’s will determine which team will continue their pursuit of lifting the Remix NCBL trophy.

Here are the fixtures & prediction for Week 6 (20 July 2008) games for Group B. Matches will be played in Court A, Pusat Rekreasi JKKK Balakong, Selangor.

10.00 AM – Snipers vs Flames

Flames are coming off an inspiring victory last week, and they look to continue their hunt for the Quarter Final berth in this matchup. Currently fourth in Group B standings, this week’s victory will confirm their Quarter Final berth.

Snipers on the other hand has an outsider’s chance to squeeze into the final 8. They will need to win both this week and next week’s game, and hope that Leykens & Cons lose out their final 2 games.

Powered by speed and youth, Snipers do have the chances to overthrow Flames. However, Flames’ experience will prove to be the difference in this game. As long as they have the full lineup, Flames will win this game. Their big center, Edward will be the difference in this match.

If the Snipers can use their speed to their advantage, running full court press and denying passing lanes, they should take home the W.

But until then, it’s Flames’ by 5 points.

My Prediction – Flames win by 5 points.

11.30 AM – Stallions vs Leykens

Do or die for the Lykens.

Lykens virtually crushed their own chances of going through to the Quarter Finals when they lost a nail biter last week against Flames, and they will find their going tougher this weekend when they take on the Stallions.

Lykens should have more players on the bench this week. Captain Mior “Sakuragi” reported that a lot of their players were injured or outstation last weekend, thus digging their own hole when they have only 7 players for the game.

Stallions on the other hand is full of confidence. They have made a good campaign out of this tournament, their first tournament after a long hiatus. With a combination of experienced veterans and bright youths, Stallions are a team to beat this season. With HIlmi manning their offense, Stallions are a formidable team, and it looks like this team will be too formidable for the Lykens this weekend.

My Prediction – Stallions win by 10 points.

1.00 PM – Cons vs KPTM

Cons have a slim chance to make it to the Quarter Finals. Facing KPTM this weekend will widen their chances.

After an enlightening display last weekend against Swoosh, Cons have shown that they can stand on their own without superstar Sunil. I may be going full stretch with this statement, but I think Cons play better without Sunil. Each team member cooperates and helps out each other to run the offense, and it was clearly shown last week.

KPTM’s will not stand a chance against Cons in this game. Cons are “too hungry” to lose this one, and to put it in layman’s term, Cons is the better team.

My Prediction – Cons win by at least 15 points.

2.30 PM – Phantoms vs. Swoosh *GAME OF THE WEEK*

A game worthy of a Final.

A decade worth of rivalry, Phantoms and Swoosh have a very good lineup this year with the potential to win the Double this year. Let’s break down the team one-by-one:

Phantoms
They have a strong consistent defense, and with Zunnasri joining the team this year, their offense is even scarier. They now have 2 “Super-Shooters” in Zun and Imran. PG Rushdi is also a big asset to the Phantoms, setting up the offense and drawing guards into foul trouble. Backup PG is Zul, just as good and experienced Versatile swingmen Syed and Budin are also big contributors to the team. They can score, crash the boards, and make your offense miserable. Standing in the center spot for them are experienced Azwan and Fariesz.

In my opinion, the weakest link in the Phantoms lineup are their centers. While experienced and consistent, Phantoms’ center lacks the mobility to be the factor. I think Swoosh may want to attack there. Another weakness that I see in the Phantoms is their scoring if Zun and Imran are off. Swoosh could man the 2 shooters, and the Phantoms will find themselves in trouble to score.

Swoosh
If Zunnasri were added for extra firepower for the Phantoms, Swoosh drafted the best shooters/scorer around in Yasier and Ramesh. The result, a scoring machine with an unlimited resource.

Want proof? In the first 3 games, Swoosh scored at least 87 points in each contest. That is something that you don’t hear very often in the Non Chinese basketball scene or even the Malaysian basketball scene. That is how good this offense is. Unfortunately, Swoosh do rely on Yasier and Ramesh to do their scoring, up to a point that the rest of the team only gets sublime shooting attempts and made baskets. Evident in the game last week against Cons, Swoosh are vulnerable if the two don’t score. The scoreline last week, Swoosh 67 – Cons 64. While the Phantoms have the same problem if their 2 shooters (Zun and Imran) are not scoring, in Swoosh’s case, it’s a lot worse.

Another weak point of Swoosh is their defense. While their defensive schemes are an envy, individually Swoosh’s players are not defense-minded. It is easy to crack down their defense, and their first game against Snipers is a testament to this (Snipers scored 55 points).

Overall, both teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Another factor in this weekend’s game is their game commitments. The question of this weekend – will both teams be at their full strength? Phantoms and Swoosh are both in the MB Cup Quarter Finals, in which the games will be played on the same Sunday starting at 4.00 PM. While this Remix NCBL is an important game for both of them, the MB Cup is just as important.

All in all, this is a game to be watched this Sunday.

My Prediction – Phantoms win by the slightest margin.