(2) LET IT FLY

VS

(7) BALL IS LIFE

Let It Fly is a big, physical team that looks to beat you inside-out. (F) Daniel Mosley is D3’s best 15′-and-in scorer. And when (C) Ola Oni gets it going on the low block, LIF is virtually unstoppable. But there are two weaknesses you can point to. 1) they’re not strong 3-pt shooters, which means you can crowd the paint and 2) they’re notorious front-runners. If they’re winning, and their confidence is soaring, it’s tough to come back. But if they find themselves in a hole, they often struggle to dig themselves out. If they sort that out, they’re contenders.

Defense wasn’t the problem when Ball Is Life played LIF in the regular season. They held the #2 seed to just 35 points. The problem was they could only score 22. That was a fall season low for any team across all divisions. But one thing you can count on is BIL will scrap and play as hard as they can to give themselves a chance. (G) Sean He is as good a guard as you’ll find in D3. They’ll just have to hope some shots are falling tomorrow to really give LIF a run for their money. But in a single-elimination game, you never know.

Mosley is maybe 5-9, tops. But he plays like a power forward in the paint. Able to use his shiftiness and strength to score in traffic, he is a crafty scorer who can get to the line as well. And if the mid-range jumper is falling, he is cable of putting up big scoring #s.

Nobody can say they play harder than He. At PG, he has put up 8.5 rpg or higher in every season he’s played. He’s a crafty scorer out in transition, and has a tendency to wear himself thin with his effort plays. But his team needs it. If he has a big game, BIL might have a chance.

(1) TAIWAN NO. 1

VS

(8) GOON SQUAD

Taiwan No. 1 has been the surprise of D3 so far this season, earning the #1 seed in just their first season. They’ve done it with tough D, and balanced scoring up and down the roster. Nine players contribute about 5-9 ppg. They don’t score much, but they’re D3’s best defense, consistently holding opponents to their lowest offensive output of the season with physical bigs and scrappy guards. It’s a a good formula for a deep playoff run.

A great effort by Goon Squad to get the play in game result they were looking for. (G) Charles Zheng didn’t heat up until the 2nd half, but (G) Robert Zhang was more than able to carry the load with a game-high 28 points. Their offense is basically a two-headed monster, what they’ll need to focus on is getting stops and securing possessions against a scrappy TW1 defense that likes to play physical and pressure the ball.

TW1 doesn’t really feature one player on the offensive end, but (F) Alex Liu is their most versatile player and can run a sort of point forward position. He could probably get more shots up, but the whole team moves the ball well, and he fits in just fine.

The Goonies needed someone to step up on offense, and boy did Zhang fill the bill. The Crossbows had no answer for him as he hit ’em from all sides, including 6-11 from long distance. If he stays hot, Zhang can give TW1 some trouble out on the break.

(4) RISE AGAIN

VS

(5) LARRY THE CABLE GUY’S KIDS

These days you can’t judge Rise’s playoff prospects with reg season performance. They’re just waiting for the post-season to start. When known as Spaghetti Ramen, this is a 5-time champion, and it’s virtually the same exact roster. Led by perennial MVP (and he could very well earn the honor again this season), (G) Leuis Ng will have Rise Again poised to win their 6th title. This is an aggressive defense led by (F) Mark Hahn with an opportunistic fast break offense.

After a disappointing first appearance in the title game last season, all Larry’s Kids wanted to do was get back. But this is a tough draw. RIS is a playoff monster with pedigree to spare. Every dynasty must end, however, and for the Cable Guy’s Kids era to begin, they’ll have to beat Rise. They’re actually very similar teams. Both are physical and aggressive on D, hoping to force TOs and get out on the break. LAR, however, is the better 3-pt shooting team. That could be the difference.

It’s hard to argue with those numbers, and Ng does it season after season. Rise’s entire offense runs through Ng. He’s their best shooter, creator, passer, and open court finisher. He does so much on offense, however, it might be possible expose his D when he rests.

When Tsao first entered D3, he overtook Ng as the fastest player in the league out on the break. He’s scaled some of that back now, but he is still very capable of putting up 20-25 pts in this game. It all depends on whether the jumper is falling, when Tsao’s hitting 3’s he’s unguardable.