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Group B leaders Swoosh will be taking on UBSA in another Remix Non Chinese Basketball League 2008 Quarter Final clash this Sunday. Tip-off is at 1.00 PM, and will be played in Court A of Pusat Rekreasi JKKK Balakong, Cheras.

Swoosh continues their quest for a Double this season, after their perfect tournament record in the Kejohanan Bola Keranjang Bukan Cina ke-14 (formerly MB Cup). Swoosh stampeded through the Group stages, scoring an average of 76 points per game. The talk of the tournament has been about their decision to include Guganeswaran (Abi) in the lineup. While Abi has featured for Swoosh for quite some time, this is the first time that Abi is included in the lineup for the NCBL.

Apart from Abi, new-signee Yasier has been a prominent factor in Swoosh’s success. A pure scorer and shooter, Yasier contributes a lot to Swoosh’s scoring.

UBSA has added style and flair to this tournament with their playground style offense. With speedster Arip playing the PG, each offensive play is a highlight reel waiting to happen. Coupled with Shah-mon’s swish-ilicious shooting, UBSA is a team to watch. UBSA has suffered a setback this season with the retirement of Farid “Orang Tua”. Farid is a consistent score on the low post, and while his contribution may not show up on the stat sheet, Farid provides the leadership for the otherwise young and raw team.

Here’s the breakdown of the two teams:

Swoosh

Strength: Score-happy offense, excellent team stamina, deep bench, runs full court man-to-man at will, monstrous front court.
Weakness: Used to be the lack of chemistry on defense, but it has improved over the weeks.
Summary: Swoosh is a very complete team. Abi, Ramesh, Arif (Treys), Razif forms their small corps, while monsters Amarjit and Zhahril anchors down low. Role players Shan and Shahir (did I mention the name correctly? Forgive my ignorance) complete the team on top of the scoring machine - Yasier.

I may have mentioned a couple of times in the past few weeks that Swoosh’s defense is the only blemish in the otherwise perfect team, but my comments were premature. Swoosh’s defense has grown better, and is scarier than ever. It does look like Swoosh is unrivalled, both offensively and defensively this season.

UBSA

Strength: Free flowing offense, lightning quick fast breaks
Weakness: Average defense. Lacks pure shooters.
Summary: UBSA is a team to beat when it comes to fastbreaks. They have good outlet passes, and Arip’s speed is a big asset as he sprints down for the score. Coupled with Sha-mon’s shooting and young and talented backcourt, UBSA’s offense is a treat for any fans.

While their offense is above average, UBSA’s defense needs to be improved. While there’s nothing wrong with the players’ individual defensive skills, UBSA doesn’t work as a unit when it comes to defense.

My Prediction - Swoosh is too much for UBSA to handle, and I have envisioned the game in Swoosh’s favour by 20 points.