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Boy it has been a very long time since I’ve updated. Caught up with work and with barely anytime to blog nowadays. So here’s a recap of the previous happenings & the current one

What has Happenned?

Swoosh beats Pegasus to retain the NCBL crown

Swoosh continues their mastery over Pegasus, beating Pegasus in the Non Chinese Basketball League 2009 Finals. With the win, Swoosh is now the NCBL champions for twice in a row.

While Swoosh did win, Pegasus kept the pressure for the first 3 quarters, with multiple lead changes and showing why they were a two time NCBL champion. However, they lost steam in the fourth, coupled with biased refereeing, Pegasus were drowned with fouls and couldn’t finish the way they wanted to.

So Swoosh is Champions of the NCBL, Pegasus the runner up, and Phantoms & Cocoro took the 3rd and 4th spot respectively.

Division 1 Big Boys – watchout!

Division 1 teams, you have been warned. Division 2 finalists – Phoenix & Army, will be making their way to NCBL Division 1 next season. While they may have been “Division 2 team”, these 2 teams showed that they belong with the big boys in their Final game matchup.

In a game with excellent execution and “never say never” attitude, Phoenix & Army battled it out like there was no tomorrow. In the end, Phoenix outlasted the Army, and took Division 2 Champion honors.

Personally, I don’t think these 2 teams will have any problem fitting into Division 1, and I can already imagine them “tapau-ing” a few Division 1 teams.

Welcome to the Big Leagues Phoenix & Army!

What’s Happening?

Enough of what has happenned. What’s happening now?

KL Dragons is Malaysia’s new franchise competing against the GIANTS of Southeast Asia in ASEAN Basketball League, and the NC Community is ecstatic!

In the Dragons first home game on October 14th 2009, the NC Community showed love, turning up the heat in MABA Stadium with red attires. KL Dragons lost that game, but what I liked the most was that the Dragons now have a good fan base. Here’s a pregame video of what happenned in MABA Stadium that nite

Say goodbye to the meek audiences & supporters. The Basketball scene in Malaysia has never witnessed anything of this magnitude. At least in terms of home court advantage.

Get involved with the KL Dragons! Checkout their website at www.kldragons.com, and also Mislan RPK’s blog for the latest happening around the KL Dragons and the ASEAN Basketball League.

KL Dragons will have their next home game on October 31st, so join the fun & excitement!

*video is courtesy of sayerazifohnas

With 7 weeks gone and 2 games left to the regular season of the Non Chinese Basketball League (NCBL), the battle for a Playoff spot boils even hotter. This year, the top 4 teams will march to the Playoff, and the playoff will be played in a Semifinal format.

Here is the current NCBL Division 1 Standings after 7 weeks:

#1 PEGASUS – 12 points
Played: 6 games (6-0 record)

#2 SWOOSH – 11 points
Played: 6 games (5-1)

#3 PHANTOMS – 12 points
Played: 7 games (5-2 record)

#4 CONS – 9 points
Played: 6 games (3-3 record)

#5 COCORO – 9 points
Played: 6 games (3-3 record)

#6 SCOREKEYS – 8 points
Played: 6 games (2-4 record)

#7 FLAMES – 8 points
Played: 6 games (2-4 record)

#8 PRINZE – 7 points
Played: 6 games (1-5 record)

#9 UBSA – 7 points
Played: 7 games (0-7) record)

3 teams (marked in Blue) have confirmed their spot in the Playoff, but will have to wait for their last 2 games to determine the final standings and their seeding.

So, there is only ONE SPOT left, and these 4 teams are fighting out for the final spot make it to the Playoff. Let’s put their chances under a microscope.

Cons

They look comfortable at forth, and they have the best chance to make it through. All they have to do is win the remaining 2 games, and in my opinion, shouldn’t have any problem doing so – vs Scorekeys this weekend (26 July) and vs Flames (2 August).

Lose any one of these 2 games, and they will throw the door wide open for other Playoff contender to sneak in.

BigBoss’s Prediction – Cons have to be careful in these final 2 games. While Cons shouldn’t have any problems beating Scorekeys & dousing the Flames, but don’t underestimate these 2 teams, especially since they do have an outsider’s chance to make to the Playoff.

Cocoro

Cocoro was a legit contender for the Playoff, and they showed that they were ready to join the BIG 3 early in the season, beating Phantoms in Week 3, and sat atop the league standings after week 3.

Week 5, the sky started to rain for Cocoro. They lost to Swoosh 45-71, beaten by Cons 53-62 in Week 6, and further plummeted in Week 7, this time losing to Flames 41-57.

Currently 5th in the Standings, Cocoro will need Cons to lose at least one game for them to make it to the Playoff. Even then, they have a mountain to climb – win against Pegasus in Week 9. Week 8 shouldn’t be a problem for them, playing vs UBSA, still winless thus far.

BigBoss’s Prediction – They dug too deep a hole for themselves to get out from, and since Pegasus doesn’t be tied up in the #2 vs #3 semifinal match, Pegasus will be going full blast for the W.

Flames & Scorekeys

Simply put, one of these team will go through to the Playoff if both Cocoro and Cons lose their final 2 games, and they win both of their last 2 games.

Flames are playing Prinze in Week 8 & Cons in Week 9, while Scorekeys are playing Cons in Week 8 & Swoosh in Week 9.

BigBoss’s Prediction – Hate to say this but Flames & Scorekeys are out of the Playoff this year. Cocoro is playing UBSA in Week 8, and it should be a breeze for them. Cocoro winning against UBSA officially puts Flames & Scorekeys out of the Playoff this year.

Anyone care to prove me wrong with my prediction this time?.. hehehe

After one week of break to pave way for the Petronas Cup, the Non Chinese Basketball League resumes. However, there were only Division 1 games last Sunday. Here are the results from the Week 7 of Non Chinese Basketball League (NCBL) 2009 action. All games were played on 19 July 2009 in Pusat Rekreasi JKKK Balakong. Numbers in brackets indicate the team’s win-lose record (at the end of Week 7).

DIVISION 1

Division1