This Sunday's 2 vs. 2 match-up

Well most of you missed some exciting match-ups this Sunday.  Matthew, Ray, Alec, and Herb all "showed up" - but as you will see, that is being a little kind.  Alec apparently just had lunch at Panda Express, and based on his odorous burps, we could all guess his exact meal - I hope it tasted and smelled better on the way down.  Alec spent much of the inter-game period, sitting on his arse, holding his belly, and moaning.  Herb was only in a slightly better disposition - I was made to understand that they both had gone on a lengthy run yesterday or something like that.  Of course Matthew, who had done a rigorous core work-out the day before, and Ray, who biked from his home to St. Mary's, then from St. Mary's to the Commons, did not have a single complaint...

Anyway, this is how the games went down - each series was played as a best of three games, 2's and 3's to 21:

Series 1 match up: Herb-Ray vs. Alec-Matt

Alec-Matt somehow took game 1 with a surprising early flurry of shots from Matt and a 3 from Alec, along with some slick passing.  Herb-Ray made a run at the end to get within a few points, but lost anyway.  Alec-Matt 1 - Herb-Ray 0

That woke Herb up finally, and game 2 was a no-contest romp for Herb-Ray as Herb repeatedly took Matt and Alec to the hole. Rebounds were all going the way of Herb-Ray and the game was over quickly.  Alec-Matt 1 - Herb-Ray 1

Prior to game 3, Ray told Herb that the final score would be 21-8.  He was close, the final score was 22-9.  It was over before it started, and Alec was left rubbing his belly, while Matt was left scratching his head.  Series over; Herb-Ray 2, ALec-Matt 1

The next series paired Herb-Matt against Alec-Ray.  Alec and Ray had their passing down to a science and there really never was a threat.  However, it became obvious in this series that Alec had just come from the movie theatre and had eaten a lot of popcorn; as many crisp passes to Alec simply slipped right through Alec's well buttered fingers.  4 consecutive game winning passes to Alec for easy lay-ups, while both Matt and Herb were draped all over Ray, went instead harmlessly through Alec's fingertips.  Ray had to repeatedly chant, "I will not pass, I will not pass, I will not pass" so that Alec-Ray could wrap up the series 2 games to none.

The last series paired the force of Herb-Alec against the resilient team of Matt-Ray.  This was in fact the match up that started the entry into the BBA for both Ray and  Matt almost 1 year ago.  Back then, Ray was getting back into playing shape after suffering a broken leg, and Matt was just starting to re-learn how to play the game of team B-ball.  The outcome then was a 3-2 5 game series loss for Matt-Ray to Alec-Herb.  This time would be very different.  With the consistent outside-inside game of Matt, and the stealth passing and fade aways of Ray, this also was done in 2 games.  Matt-Ray 2, Alec-Herb 0.  While this was a somewhat surprising outcome in its shear domination, I must allow that neither Herb and Alec were not in their usual form - for instance Alec made just 1 or 2 3's a game while Herb did not throw even 1 ball into the stands out of frustration.  I hope that next time they each bring their A-game.

After 2.5 hours, Ray got on his bike and went home.  Matt put on his Will Farrell headband and shorts and walked away to his car, Alec let out another loud belch and finally wiped the butter off his fingers, and Herb sulked away with his ball in hand.

Hope that gives you all a little taste for the BBA this Sunday!!

See 'ya then.

For those not able to keep score, here it is:

Ray 6-1 (should have been 7-0 if Herb was not watching rebounds bounce right in front of his face)

Matt 3-4 (should have been 5-2 if not for being let down by his teammates)

Alec 3-4 (should also have been 5-2 if he didn't each so much Kung-Pao chicken)

Herb 2-5 (should have been 6-1 if he actually cared to go after all the loose balls that were not his own)

It was fun for all. I wish more of you had been able to join us.

 

Progress Charts

I added Progress Charts to each of the individual pages.  Just kind of cool to look at.  Maybe I will add trendlines as the season progresses (mine will be positive! ALC and HYN's negative...).

http://ieng9.ucsd.edu/~elowe/BBA5.htm

Let me know if you have any other cool ideas.

All the bickering

Listening to all the bickering back and forth, I have come up with only two possibilities:

1) You all are a bunch of hormonally challenged teenage girls.

2) You all are tight like brothers in a big, extended Asian family

Given the choice between these two and the fact that I will soon return to my dominating game, I will choose to believe #2.

See ya next Sunday!

In a Funk

Lately I've been in a Funk (qtr life crisis??? haha), and it has def followed me to BBA. I'm getting out hustled like a mofo this sundays performance was just sad. That 3 games in a row def was a dagger to my teammates esp the 3rd game of the 3 in a row (pls try not to schedule me 3 in a row, but if needed, BRING IT, i dont mind people having an advantage, its more satisfying if my team gets the win when we are out maned) The game is not flowing for me, not getting the shots I want, shoulder problems has been affecting some of my shots when I cant elevate my shoulder right, playing against teams with the hot hand etc etc.

Its very discouraging but I will try to tough it out. Im not gonan shoot anymore, ill just play the best D I can do, grab some boards, and set picks. Ive bulked up recently and because of that I get tired faster cus more weight to move around. I have changed my diet and started to do more cardio to offset this, so hopfully soon I will bring up my speed and edurance. As for the shoulder.. All I can do is do exercises to try and strenghten and keep it lose and ibuprofen to keep down the pain and swelling. I aint no bitch so ill keep playing no prob!

BTW, 12-0 shut outs dont mean shit.

Im gonna play harder, dont be little bitches and call me out for getting position in front and backing it up when I go for a rebound, or running into your screens too hard, or little body bumps when going for a shot... this aint no NBA and Unlike majority of the players in BBA, I got some size on me, you all know the formula... Force = Mass x Accel. I got a lot of mass do some simple math.

Wah Wah Wah

Cry some more Alec. Don't get upset at me because you are on the receiving end of not one, but TWO 0-12 losses.

And who cares if I give Russ crap after every game, whether we win or lose? He's my housemate and he gives me crap all the time as well. I can score 12 points and he'll still say something like I shoot too much, or I have 12 assist, he'll say I play like a girl and that I'm not aggressive. That's why he doesn't take anything I say seriously and I continue to make fun of him.

And I didn't know joking around with you about going 0-12, without saying anything malicious whatsoever, would cause you to bitch like a little girl. Honestly, I can't even look at myself in the mirror if I were to allow ANY of my teams to get shut out. I just won't allow it.

And are you seriously bringing up my losses? Just take a look at the point margins for each player on the BBA site. Sit down.

I'm also going talk about my individual play: I have absolutely no lateral movement on defense and get beaten time and again by quicker players (which is everyone it seems like), I get lazy during games and walk around rather then playing actual defense on my man when he doesn't have the ball, I spend too much time watching my man shoot the ball rather then turning around and grabbing the rebound, I never learn to stop doing running step-back three-point jumpers that are just bad, I make too many bad passes, I don't trust my teammates enough so I double-team their man and therefore leaving my guy open for easy layups. Please add in the comments anything else I forgot, because it's a long list I'm sure lol.

I don't know what your problem is Alec, you act like I think I'm good or something. I'm not. Ask Russ...everytime on our ride home I just talk about how bad he sucks, but more importantly, shot crappy my play is. I have broken shoulders, no stamina, and can barely move around. The only thing I have going for me are my good looks.

With that being said, I just have one question to ask you Alec: Is this all because I beat you on the XBOX360 by a billion points with Yao Ming? Because if it is, I'm sorry man. I should have put in my subs at halftime rather then running up the score. Live and learn right?

My new shoes

All you fools better watch out now. First of all I am going to be running on the elliptical all week getting back in shape and losing 2-3 pounds to help with my elevation. And then, my new shoes just came in the mail today. With the new traction I will have, all of you are in some serious trouble when I take the ball to the hole - well everyone except maybe Ma who couldn't care less if I get by him because he will knock my shot back to when I was still 25.
Davis, Dan - help is on the way!

Great games last night boys.

Most dominating performances? - Ma
Biggest disappointment? the one-sided Ma - Matt match up in the last game.
Biggest personal let down? the continued failure of the Davis-Dan-Ray trio.
Most inebriated at game time? - I can still smell Russ on my clothes
The baller most called out? - Herb - he finally came out of his shell in the last game.
The most confounding? - Roger pulling a cramp while sleeping. He must have been dreaming of a sick move he put on Kevin and pulled a hammy.

BBA Loser of the Season

first, my thoughts on "snub of the week." if ray-ma-mat had only played one game, i'd give them team of the week. but they also lost to an average team of hyn-hrb-rus.

yes, a shut-out is impressive and devastating to a team's power ranking, but i'd rather lose in shut-out fashion as opposed to a 12-10 or 12-11 defeat: it's easier to swallow, for me at least. i'd also have to agree with kevin, alc-hrb-dav is not a very good team to begin with.

now, moving on...BBA Loser of the Season!!!

my vote for BBA Loser of the Season goes to Huyen Nguyen, and he wins it by a landslide!!! no contest, fellas. let's take a look at some humiliating defeats:

ray-hrb-rob 12 v rog-hyn-dav 5
alc-ray-dan 12 v hyn-ma-mat 4
alc-ray-dan 12 v hyn-ma-rus 5
klo-dan-rob 12 v hyn-hrb-rus 4

WOW!!! those are some atrocious losses. absolutely embarassing, don't you think?

but, those defeats alone are not why huyen is the BBA Loser of the Season.

this guy just doesn't know when to shut his trap. sure talking a little trash here and there is all fun and games, but this guy takes it to a whole other level. i applaud russ for putting up with the shit he has to deal with, not only on the courts but also at home. how you do it, i have no idea. i think i'd shoot myself or give huyen an ass whooping if i was in your position.

sure, bba is just a game, but i think we all know that it means more to us than that...and if you say otherwise, then i'd call you a liar. for that reason, we don't rub it in someone's face after he loses. on two occassions last night, this is exactly what huyen did to me. and guess what, he wasn't even on the teams that beat me! what a jackass! sometimes huyen, you just have to know when enough is enough. if you weren't my friend, then i'd gladly beat your ass.

Snub of the Week

Although I give credit to KLO-MA-DAN for defeating HYN-ALC-ROB, I feel that RAY-MA-MAT got a raw deal this week in terms of Team of the Week. In my mind, it was fairly obvious they were the Team of the Week.

RAY-MA-MAT lost earlier in the day to HYN-HRB-RUS (BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!) and had to be feeling god-awful about themselves. In a matchup of an 0-3 team versus a respectable 2-1 squad consisting of ALC-HRB-DAV, you had to feel sorry knowing that RAY was going to lead them to another heart-breaking loss.

But there was something special in the air, and on this night, they would put on a performance for the ages. RAY almost had a triple-double with 5 points, 4 rebs and 2 assist. Not to be outdone, MA almost put up a triple-double himself with 4 points, 5 rebs and 2 assist. MAT chipped in with a respectable 3 points and 2 rebs. They combined for 2-4 shooting from 3-point land and 10-20 overall. Offensively, they had two guys that almost had a triple double while shooting 50% from the field. That is pretty ridiculous.

But that isn't all. To add insult to injury against their opponents, this mammoth of a squad decided that dominating on offense just wasn't enough. They wanted to crush their foes dreams' on the defensive end as well. They held ALC-HRB-DAV to 0-10 shooting and a combined 10 rebounds. Dude......that is straight-up OWNAGE if I've ever seen it.

I think we all know how difficult it is to shut-out a team in the BBA. But the way RAY-MA-MAT did it in such dominating fashion was astonishing. I'm gonna say it right now: No team will EVER be destroyed the same way ALC-HRB-DAV got trounced this weekend.

To this I must say: How is it possible that Kevin overlooked these guys for team of the week?!?!?!?!?!?! It's baffling.

Apologies to KLO-MAT-ROB

I don't even know how or why I attempted 8 three pointers, only making one.  And we ended up losing 11-12.  Pathetic.  The rest of you can thank me for not letting ROB go 4-1 this week.

To Dan and Davis - from Ray

Guys. Think Houston Rockets. Out-manned, out-sized, but NEVER out-hustled. They are toe to toe with the number one seeded Lakers. I am getting tired of my pathetic play on this otherwise hard-working team. This week, I am going to reserve my best effort for you two. If Dan plays like Chuck Hayes, and Davis plays a little Scola, I will do my best impression of Shane Battier. We can take on anyone. Bring on the likes of Odom (Matt), Gasol (Ma), and Kobe (Huyen - dont get a big head, I am only doing this to inflate my team not your ego!) - we can take the world!!!

This week too, I will not let my other winless team down (the fabled Ma-Matt twin towers).

This week I will play my hardest. I may not make my shots, but I will grab every loose ball and I will play relentless defense. I will have at least one blocked shot each game and I will have at least 6 rebounds each game. If my stat line per game reads: 0 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and a victory for my team in each game, I will go home happy.

Just remember team, we cannot control the outcome of the game or even how our opponents play. The only thing we can control is our own effort.

See ya all Sunday, and bring your A - games!!

Dream One-on-One Match Ups

O.K. So I've been thinking about the one-on-one match ups I would like to see the most (No Huyen, we are not choosing out of the Victoria Secret Catalog). I've selected these match-ups based more on unresolved conflict issues rather than true talent match-ups. This has nothing to do with who is a better individual or team player, so dont get your panties all bunched up! Here goes:

1. Roger vs. Kevin: This was unavoidable. After all the fireworks on the chat boards, emails, video smack talk, I want to see this go down on the court. I have to think that if Rog gets into his streaky "on" phase, this game could be "done in 30 secs" (much like Huyen's sex life). But Kevin's consistent all around game definitely has the edge if this game drags out beyond that. Kevin will be using the bank much like NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer before a night out with an "escort". I thought about putting Alec against Rog, but I wanted to actually see B-ball being played rather than a UFC match (that's next week's blog).

My prediction: 12-10 Kevin

2. Matt vs. Ma: O.K. This is the only true big man match up we have and I think it would be fairly even unless Matt is canning the shots from the elbow and free throw line. In a head to head rebounding scenario, Ma easily gets the best of it. Unfortunately Ma then has to dribble it out to clear the ball and then reposition back into the post-up position. As we have seen thus far, Ma can catch, rebound, and shoot over anyone in the BBA - but he cant dribble and cant hit the three.

My predition: 12-6 Matt

3. Ray vs. Huyen: Combined playing age of these two? 95. Ray is older than original sin and Huyen's broken down body plays like its older than Ray's grandmother (who is actually balling in the Elder's league in Mumbai as we speak). With all the back and forth between these two over two seasons, this match should finally settle a lot of issues. Its a tough one to figure out though. On paper it looks like the younger, more hair challenged, Huyen should run away with the game. But recently in the the head-to-head match-ups its been Ray that walked off the court with both the victories and more points scored. It seems that after all the trash talk, Huyen brings out the best games in Ray. Whose shoulder will pop out first? Whose ankle will be bandaged first? Will they be able to even finish the game?

My prediction: 12-9 Huyen

4. Herb vs. Alec: Either one of these guys would have been challenges defensesively for any of the guys above and that is why they are paired with each other - no one else is dumb enough to challenge them. This is true drag-em out dish-em out type of game. Alec has the scoring edge with his twisty turvy around the basket moves and the killer three shot, but Herb is in my mind the best defensive player in the league, and Alec will get no free shots. Herb's challenge though will be to score inside against the deceptively wiry strength of the prototypical skinny asian kid.

My prediction: 12-11 Alec

5. Dan vs. Russ: I did not match these guys up based on size, but it just worked out that way. What a match up! Russ's speed and recently found high arcing jumper against the post-up driven game of Dan the Man. Any time Russ misses, it surely is a one and done (insert Huyen continuation joke here). But can Dan step out to cover Russ's quick release (more Huyen humor). Can Russ possibly stop Dan's moves around the basket? I have to think that if Dan plays smart, he wins this close game - will he have the dedication and determination to play smart though?

My prediction: 12-8 Russ!

6. Davis vs. Rob: This was not a match up of exclusion but rather one of necessity. After all, Rob carries the best overall W-L record into the 5th week of BBA5 and has had a historic turnaround in his shooting, rebounding, and is the player everyone wants on their team. That being said, Davis's shot and all around selfless play has also been improving and everyone knows he will give his best effort for the team. If Davis' shot is on, this game could be close. But given Rob's aggressive defensive all-over-your-body stance, I think Davis will have trouble finding an open jumper all day without getting a laser pass from Roger.

My prediction: 12-6 Rob

That it!! Post your predictions for each game below.

BBA Season 5 Previews

First off, I just want to thank you guys for giving me another week to rest my still-aching shoulder. In addition, I've been down with the cold/flu since Tuesday...in fact I'm still sick! This week would have been your chance go stop my current weekly dominance, but alas, you've made a grave and terrible mistake by giving me time to heal. Quite frankly, I can't be stopped at this point.

ROG, ALC, RAY and KLO...you guys have no chance, and I repeat, NO CHANCE, of going after me. Resistance is futile (hehe Star Trek reference).

Since I've been sick and can't enjoy the great weather (#*$%%#&*#%%!$@), I've decided to make a preview from 6 of the videos Kevin gave me. Sorry ahead of time Davis, since you were scoreless in one of the games and the other game, for whatever reason, did not included the shots that you did make.

I Fell In Love with a 3 Pointer

After struggling from the 3 point line early this season, I've made a conscious effort to make more drives to the basket, shoot more midrange, and resist the temptation to launch a lazy 3. And the results have shown: scoring is way up, and more importantly confidence is up.

Sure draining 3's feels good, looks good, and allows you to be lazy behind the line, but given the percentages that WE actually make 3's, are they really worth it? Let's take a look at the stats:

Player	3PTA	FGA	% 3PTA  of Total FGA	% Pts Scored from 3's of Total	3pt% (Rank)	FG% (Rank)	FG% w/o 3's (Rank)
ROG	6.7	10.1	66%	53%	17.8% (8)	25.7% (11)	41.2% (3)
ROB	3.5	6.7	52%	67%	28.3% (3)	30.0% (9)	31.9% (11)
HYN	4.7	9.4	50%	51%	27.1% (4)	39.7% (2)	52.1% (2)
ALC	3.9	9.2	42%	54%	32.8% (1)	37.0% (5)	40.0% (5)
KLO	2.8	8.9	31%	27%	21.4% (6)	42.9% (1)	52.7% (1)
DAV	1.4	4.5	31%	0%	0.0% (11)	25.0% (12)	36.0% (9)
RAY	1.9	8.5	22%	33%	31.0% (2)	35.2% (7)	36.4% (7)
DAN	0.9	4.1	22%	19%	15.4% (9)	30.6% (8)	34.7% (10)
RUS	0.8	5.6	14%	9%	9.1% (10)	26.9% (10)	29.9% (12)
MAT	1.1	8.3	13%	16%	25.0% (5)	37.6% (4)	39.4% (6)
HRB	0.3	7.9	4%	5%	20.0% (7)	35.6% (6)	36.3% (8)
MA	0.1	9.3	1%	0%	0.0% (11)	39.6% (3)	40.1% (4)

- Table ordered from top to bottom of player with the highest percentage of 3pt attempts per total FGA.

- Green in 5th column represents % of pts from 3's of total pts scored is higher than % of 3PTA of total FGA.

- Red in 5th column represents % of pts from 3's of total pts scored is lower than % of 3PTA of total FGA.

- Red in last column indicates FG% without 3-pointers is over 10% points higher than actual FG%.

What do they say?  Let's start with ROG.  66% of ROG's Field Goal Attempts (FGA) are 3 Point Attempts (3PTA).  Yet only 53% percent of his total points scored are the result of a 3 point shot.  This is a poor return on the risk accompanied by a 3 point attempt.  Especially when you consider that 3 pointers are worth 2 actual points, compared to 1 point for a regular field goal.  Consider a 10 FGA example: player shoots 1 for 5 3pt, 1 for 5 2pt.  50% of FGA are 3's, yet 67% of the 3 total points are from 3's.  This indicates 3's are worthwhile.  Yet ROG's case is more like shooting 1 for 7 3pt, 2 for 3 2pt.  70% FGA are 3's, yet only 50% of total points are from those 3PTA.  3's are NOT worthwhile.

Sure, this is obvious for ROG: it is well known he shoots a ridiculous amounts of 3's, when he really should be driving because he is one of the best drivers in the league.  But who else suffers from unrequited love with the 3?  KLO is the highest on the 3pt% rankings at 6th to have a negative difference in percentages.  Yet the difference is only minimal, his 3PTA is about 1/3 of his total FGA, and the points from 3's is also about 1/3 of total points. Relative equality between these two percentages is a good sign because it indicates you are getting a fair return on your investment: $1 in equals $1 out.

A bad return is $1 in and $0 out.  ROG puts $1 in and gets $0.80 out.  DAV puts in $30 and gets $0 out.  31% of DAV's shots are from behind the arc, and yet 0% of his total points scored resulted from those 3 point attempts.  Unfortunately, this is a horrible ratio for the player who shoots the 5th highest number of 3pts per shot attempted.

Now obviously FG% would go up if no one shot 3's.  But who would stand to gain the most in FG% if they limited their 3PTA and focused on the short-to-midrange game?  ROG, HYN, KLO, and DAV all shoot 10% points higher with 3's factored out.  HYN and KLO both have astounding 52% FG%'s without 3's, which makes me wonder why they don't just stop shooting 3's altogether and utterly dominate with their short and mid-range games.  Right behind them would be, wait, get this: ROG, at 41.2% FG% without 3's, a 15.5% jump from his FG% with 3's.  His FG% rank with 3's is 11th out of 12.  His FG% rank without 3's is 3rd out of 12...  Not too far behind is DAV, who has a 36% FG% without 3's, an 11% point jump from his FG% of 25% with 3's.  DAV's FG% rank with 3's is 12th out of 12.  His FG% rank from down low to mid-range is 9th out of 12, just decimal places behind and competing with HRB and RAY.

Sure I may have over analyzed.  3pt%'s will obviously be lower than FG%.  And we will probably never let go of our crush on the three, no matter how hard she bricks us against the rim.  But when you look at stats, how often one shoots the three and how well one does NOT shooting the three, it'll be hard to ignore the obvious.  Stick to your strengths.  I applaud MA, MAT, and HRB for their self-control.

Take this as constructive criticism, don't be offended, don't be stubborn and have an open mind.  Who are you to not accept advice from teammates? Kobe?? I know ROG uses it as inspiration.  Take this for example:  ROG knew going into last week he shoots way to many 3's and that he should drive.  First game of the week, he starts of a blistering 4 for 5 without a single 3 point attempt, sticking to his gameplan.  And then?  He gets lazy, and during the same game, follows up his hot start with four straight 3 point attempts, missing all 4.  He finished the day jacking up more lazy 3's and shooting 4 for 20 from 3 point land.

And well if nothing else, from a personal standpoint, all I know is that I don't want none of my teammates launching airballs from downtown when games are on the line.  I won't get too mad, but just hope you aren't on ROG's team.  He will chew your ass out, he warned us.

Frustration

The BBA5 stats website and especially this bbaleague blog has gotten me really ticked off/frustrated recently... I dont know why.. its probably cus ive been sucking ass more than usual, and especially because I have moved down the the last rank.. i just feel like i need to punch something or yell really loud!

Last sunday i was super winded esp on that 0-12 loss rog-alc-dav game, not sure if it was becauase it was so early and didnt get a good night sleep, that I was hungover all of saturday or a combo of both. So ive considered all the reasons and will be prepping myself better for next week...

ALSO, whats been a little irritating is people telling me how to play bball... Like i dont really care about tips of what i should do... (i dont care as much but still annoying) its just the comments like.. thats not your game, why would you shoot that... YOU DONT KNOW ME! I'm just gonna play the game how I play it, its worked in the past, and if its not working in a game ill get out of the slump soon enough. Im gonna work on my drive and ball handling skills as well.

PS.. just wait till my A-C joint/shoulder feels better and i can elevate my right arm without any pain

Proof

I thought I had no need to prove my greatness anymore. I know my domination is insurmountable other than by Kevin Lowe. Kevin Lowe is better than me, I think i can keep up but when it most matters he can turn it up. So I think Kevin and I are the best two ballers in BBA by history (look at the past dominant showings by both of us). But I guess nobody else knows that.

I like that all of you who are on top are talking shit now because you guys happened to dominate the first 3 sessions of balling in this new season. It's just funny that because Kevin and I are in a little slump everyone thinks their the new head honcho. Unfortunately for you guys I've lost all my money in my poker account, so I will be taking a haitus from poker. Which means I will be running again, working out and not sleeping at 3am every night.

So once again, good luck you ya'll, it's time for some domination. I hope this has fired you up as well Kevin cuz I'll be needing the competition once I'm back on top.

Play of the Week for 5/3!

Vote for the Play of the Week!

We're Upgrading to Flagrant-2!

I had awesome music for this one... Unfortunately Warner Music Group cut out the audio when I uploaded it to YouTube. So if you'd like to see the the full cut, let me know!

The Hyn-Mat Incident

You be the judge (ref)...

BBA Fireworks

Huyen may lead the league in Assists, but I'd like to see his Assist/Turnover Ratio!!

To My Fellow Inferior BBAers

A few things...

I am the most efficient 3-pt stroker of BBA season 5. No it is not Huyen, it is not Roger, and it is most definitely not Klo. I knew all along that I was the best in the league, it's just ridiculous that it took me so long to claim the top spot. This means that you all better start playing tight D on me around the perimeter, otherwise prepare yourselves for some monster facials.

Huyen is BBAs most notorious trash-talker, but it turns out that when he's on the receiving end of it all, he can't step up to the plate and deliver. For example, in ALC-RAY-DANs mutilation of HYN-MA-MAT, Huyen turned in one of the worse performances of the season: 0 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. It started with some physical play downlow between ALC and HYN on the very first possession of the game (watch the youtube video). It was obvious, then, that HYN was not ready to step up to the challenge. Yet in the Week 3 news - and this is nothing unusual - all he could do was blame the loss and his performance on his teammates. Huyen let me tell you something, it wasn't your teammates who did not get you the ball, it was my suffocating defense preventing you from getting the ball. And it was my cat-like lateral quickness that stopped you from penetrating the lane, which is why you were only able to jack up two sorry threes for the entire game.

ROG-ALC-DAV was humiliated this past Sunday. If anyone expects that to happen again, you are sorely mistaken. To my teammates, I hope this loss keeps you awake at night. For a team with this much fire power to go scoreless is embarassing. For our next three games, I want the three of us to go out there as if we have something to prove. 110%, I expect nothing less than that.

The match-ups for HYN-ALC-ROB vs ROG-HRB-RUS was ALC on HRB, HYN on RUS, and ROB on ROG. Therefore, Huyen, I was not even guarding ROG when he "went off." Our game plan was to have ROB guard ROG, and HYN was supposed to help whenever ROG drove past ROB, which happened about EVERY single time they had the ball. Because HYN can not play defense or stick to the game plan, I had to step in there to protect the basket in place of HYN. Sure I got Roger's hand or arm or whatever, but it was a play on the ball. It wasn't a play to his face, it wasn't a push in the back. The only reason Roger made a big deal about it the first time was because he was angry from the game he had just played. I know this because I saw the yelling going on between Rog and Mat in that previous game, and he stated before our game that he was so angry. He said something after the first layup that I attempted to block, which I was not too pleased about because I did not think I did anything wrong and it was early on in the game so I did not think it was necessary to dish out any attitude. So when the exact same situation happened the very next play, I did the exact same thing. But don't call me a cheap player or notorious for fouling other players. This situation was not any ordinary situation.

Lastly, I have noticed multiple times that Herbert gives up mid-way through a game. This is completely unacceptable. I don't care if Dan is setting screens that you don't like, I don't care if your teammates are not running the right plays, or not moving around enough. We aren't professional ballers, and a majority of us have never played in a structured system. BBA is what it is. Don't give up on yourself, and more importantly, never quit on your teammates.

Until next time,

Alec aka I Own You (a la that XFL guy He Hate Me)

The Championship Implications of ROG-ALC-DAV's 12-0 Loss

ROG-ALC-DAV's 12-0 loss to RAY-HRB-ROB was more than just a shutout. It was more than just an end to a bid for an undefeated season. ROG-ALC-DAV was ALC's Preseason #1, fully expected to contend for the BBA5 Championship. But after this, the worst loss in BBA history, you can put all hopes of a title for this team to rest.

Without a doubt, a loss one way or another in the BBA is a big deal. With only 6 games per team in a season, the eventual champion will either be 6-0, or 5-1. Only one team however, has ever finished a season undefeated, and they did it twice: KLO-ROG-DAN. With such a balanced league this season, it's doubtful that #1 will finish 6-0. But if they do, ROG-ALC-DAV is already out of the running then. More likely, however is a huge cluster of 5-1 teams competing for the championship, and in that event, what is the tie-breaker? Margin. And guess what? A 12-0 loss pretty much kills your margin. They now sit at 2-1 with a -2.0 Margin. ROG-ALC-DAV blew their chance at the 6-0 route to the title, as well as their 5-1 tie-breaker route.

The beneficiaries of this system, and ROG-ALC-DAV's meltdown? Their conquerers, RAY-HRB-ROB. With the 12-0 shutout, they now have a 3-0 record and a Margin of an astounding 7.3. They have the inside track to both 6-0, and the 5-1 tie-breaker. 2nd place ROG-MAT-ROB (3-0) is down 4.6 Margin points... Can RAY-HRB-ROB keep it up? The numbers support them: the last team to have a Margin that high? BBA3 Champs KLO-ROG-DAN, 6-0 with a margin of 7.3. (http://ieng9.ucsd.edu/~elowe/BBA3.htm)

Log Jammin' and Other Assorted Individual Love Songs

Stats are up from 5/3, with News courtesy of Huyen (awesome effort man, helps when you are riled up about stuff huh).

Check out the 5 person log jam for 3rd place in the Individual Rank. KLO, RAY, HYN, ROG, DAN, all tied up at 8-7. That's spots 3rd through 7th, all given a huge bump up to 3rd, crucial for the Baller Rank. The next week will be very interesting, where anyone can drop down to 7th. MAT just barely misses out on the "3"some at 7-8. His Baller Rank could have used that bump.

Same thing goes for the Assists Leaderboard, with ROB, ALC, ROG, KLO all tied at 0.87 in 4th place. Again, inflating the Baller Ranks.

DAV is 0 for 22 from 3 point land. Maybe it's time to move in a bit closer. You shot and missed 5 three pointers in the huge Ray-Dan-Dav vs Alc-Mat-Rus Battle for Last Place. Review the tapes, and watch how much easier it is to make shots when you get the easy dump off under the basket.

There's nothing like entering 0 point games for all 3 teammates in a 12-0 loss, which I was able to do for ROG-ALC-DAV! Coupled with ALC's lockdown D on HYN in ALC-RAY-DAN's 12-4 win over HYN-MA-MAT resulting in HYN's first 0 point game of the season, this week leaves only KLO without a 0 point game. He came dangerously close during one three game stretch in which he scored 1 point in each game, but he came out of that stretch stronger than ever, notching 7 straight games with 5+ points. No baller has ever finished a BBA season (3 or 4) without a 0 point game.

I am coming for you ROB, I hope you have enjoyed your stay in the upper echelon of the Baller Rank.

This Means War

Here is my rant of the week:

I'm getting tired of TICKY TACK fouls that are being called. Like ROG was screaming during one of our games earlier in the season..."THIS ISN"T THE WNBA". Seriously, I'm getting annoyed at Matt's touch fouls. Honestly, if I'm gonna be called for these ridiculous fouls, I'm gonna start wailing on fools so that I get my money's worth.

KEVIN...can you PLEASE put up the movie of me "fouling" Matt on the play where my shoulder popped out. Ray and I were both shocked as I recovered from the injury only to find out that I was called for a foul on that play. I've been pissed before at his calls and tumbles during the season, but this really grinds my gears. I remember a play last week as well where I blocked his shot after he basically jumps on Russ' back...only to fall backwards like someone clocked him across the face with a jackhammer. It was comedy.

I should just make a movie of my facial expression after every foul that gets called by Matt. Seriously, I just turn towards the camera with my hands towards the heavens yelling WTF!?!?!

Huyen The One-Armed Bandit

Robert's Turn!

Who wants to be next?

YOUR Week 3 Excuse

Because I know we all have one (or tw0):

Me? Left Achilles Tendonitis, haven't been able to exercise all week in order to rest it.  I think it's the shoes...