This should be no surprise. Other than a closely-contested game with SAL, Metta World War has been freight train, plowing through the comp on their way to a 3rd title defense. And to make matters worse, rookie (F) Nick Annacone got his shot going to the tune of 26 points on 7 3FGs in Week 4. (G) Steven Counts also made an appearance in Wk 5.
2 (=)
SAL
3-1
Sal Team 6 looks like they’re on cruise control as well, they might not get another test until they see MWW again in the playoffs. This is a very deep roster with added quickness and athleticism in (G) Scott Weisfeld and (G) James Hudson. No team other than MWW stands out as a worthy opponent right now.
3 (+1)
TIM
4-1
What a difference a season makes for Tim Nubina. With (G) Morgan Blakely and (G) Gus Gauntlett at the helm, shooters (G) Stefan Perunicic and (G) Duke Stanojevic have been lights out. They still have lapses on the defensive end, but with their size and physicality in the paint, this team will be a tough out in the post-season grind.
4 (-1)
SPA
3-1
The NYK Spartans finally faced a Top 3 opponent in Week 5 and they put up a good fight. (F) Young Song has been solid all season and SPA’s 3-pt shooting has held up so far–it was a huge weakness last season. The rest of SPA’s schedule is all Top 5 teams now, so the home stretch will be the true test of how much they have improved.
5 (=)
DYN
2-3
At this point, the NY Dynasty are scrambling to just make the playoffs where they hope to get hot. The roster has been thin and inconsistent, but a bright spot is new add (G) Landon Glover‘s break out game in Week 5, his league-best 30 pts helped secure DYN an OT win. Just as important, they need (G) Garrett James to break his shooting slump.
6 (=)
BKA
1-3
BK All Day needs to pick up a couple of quality wins to secure a playoff spot, especially the season finale vs. ASN. If they can do that, this deep veteran roster with a solid interior presence can make some noise in the playoffs. Especially if they can get former MVP (G) Anthony Fonseca going again after a layoff due to injury.
7 (=)
ASN
0-4
Struggling with the same roster issues as DYN, Asphalt Ninjas 2.0 just hasn’t had an consistency other than (G) Ryan Kennedy and (G) Thomas Cui. Rangy (F) Granville Gittens has been a solid contributor when available but rebounding continues to be ASN’s biggest weakness. And they have little to no offensive presence in the paint.
8 (=)
BLH
0-5
Short-handed Bronx-Lebanon HC has put up some good fights this season, but it just hasn’t fallen their way. If they can beat ASN and SAL, they can hope for losses from BKA and ASN to give them a chance at the playoffs. As it is, (G) Courteney Tabron has been a big time scorer all season, (C) Matt Killen solid also, the depth just hasn’t been there.