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Hustlas just added another point guard to their depth chart as they try and figure out the team that will be fielded for the season to try and stay competitive. He will be the new starting shooting guard, at least for the next matchup. With this addition, Jurriaan Martens has been relegated to third string, though still a very capable player. But with all the other new guards aging and losing skill, it was a good move. Hustlas are still trying to add more depth but money is very tight.

Day 3 (Saturday 6 August 2022) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
San Dominica Warriors 62 - Linndale 80
Philly Dribble 95 - Lion Rebels 83
Mighty Moose Rockets 35 - Rip City Revival 144
Carolina Rebels 101 - The Lone Wolf 86
The Ashkickers 122 - 2 percent 94
Miami Cleo 71 - Is This Heaven? 59
Tachenko 98 - The Beer Bellys 110
Hustlas 94 - Żubr Białystok 97

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 144 : Rip City Revival
Rebounds : 73 : Is This Heaven?
Assists : 38 : Rip City Revival
Steals : 14 : Rip City Revival
Block Shots : 14 : Rip City Revival

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 39 : K. Huk (Hustlas)
Rebounds : 18 : G. Pullen (Tachenko), P. Baker (Is This Heaven?), A. Coronado (Linndale)
Assists : 8 : L. Rojas (The Ashkickers)
Steals : 6 : N. Neochoritis (Rip City Revival)
Block Shots : 6 : P. Cheatle (Miami Cleo)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : L. Rojas (The Ashkickers) (24 Points, 3 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 28
Shooting Guard : N. Neochoritis (Rip City Revival) (16 Points, 1 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 6 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 23
Small Forward : R. Tobin (Tachenko) (32 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 25
Power Forward : A. Coronado (Linndale) (21 Points, 18 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots), F. Fornels (Rip City Revival) (21 Points, 16 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40
Center : F. Matković (Rip City Revival) (27 Points, 11 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40

MVP of the evening
A. Coronado (Linndale) (21 Points, 18 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots), F. Matković (Rip City Revival) (27 Points, 11 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots), F. Fornels (Rip City Revival) (21 Points, 16 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40

The bad performance of the evening
E. Albright (Mighty Moose Rockets) (4 Points, 0 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots), : Efficiency : -21

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : R. Heard (Mighty Moose Rockets), E. Albright (Mighty Moose Rockets) : 7 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : E. Albright (Mighty Moose Rockets) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), K. McNulty (Mighty Moose Rockets), A. Albrecht (Mighty Moose Rockets), R. Heard (Mighty Moose Rockets), H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels), L. Arevalo (Carolina Rebels), K. Brown (Lion Rebels), M. Carrillo (Lion Rebels), S. Hatch (Żubr Białystok), H. Griffin (2 percent), T. Ogata (2 percent) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : K. Huk (Hustlas), H. Griffin (2 percent) : 6 Three points

The best performer : P. Fasselli (Philly Dribble) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : K. McNulty (Mighty Moose Rockets) : Rating : 4.5

Week Two First Half Recap/Second Half Preview
Couple of surprising games on Saturday night, with Żubr Białystok upsetting Hustlas at home, Carolina Rebels finding their groove against The Lone Wolf and The Beer Bellys outpacing Tachenko. The biggest unsurprise comes from Mighty Moose Rockets officially tanking hard, scoring only 35 points in their matchup on the road against Rip City.

Outstanding Saturday Numbers
- Is This Heaven? pulling down 73 rebounds (14 more than points scored) against Miami Cleo (two more than Miami's points scored!).
- Żubr took a 17 point lead into half time, only to find themselves only up 2 after the third period, but held off Hustlas PG Krzysztof Huk's 39 points and 6 3-pointers.
- Carolina Rebels jumped out to a 12 point lead and never looked back, restraining The Lone Wolf's SF Nicola Mezzalira as their only real scorer (Mezzalira is also top 5 in points and PPG).
- thatguy's Beer Bellys held Tachenko to only 13 points in the third period at home. While Tachenko had three players score at least 21 points, they seemed to take the most advantage when PG Ignacio "The Nasty" Avellanda, a 37-year old Spaniard, was on the floor - he had a +19 point differential in 29 minutes on the floor taking advantage of 39-year old Croatian PG Cico Kallay.
- MMR only played four players Saturday night, which allowed 8 of Rip City's 10 players to score in double digits, with only one of those players have a positive point differential under +50 (+47). Woof.

Week 2 Second Half Preview
2 percent vs. Miami Cleo: Upstart Miami (still undefeated) hosts defeated 2 percent in what could be an easy matchup. Interestingly, Miami is averaging three points less per game than 2 percent, but they stand 31 points apart in point differential, with Miami's defense outshining their opponents so far this season.
2 percent 84 - Miami 100

Linndale vs. Philly Dribble
Matchup of the Night! Historically, Home Teams have won out in well met match ups, and I think the same will happen tonight for Philly Dribble, but you can't write off Speedtraps' squad.
Linndale 85 - Philly 87

Lion Rebels vs. Mighty Moose Rockets
Fire sale alert! I decided I wasn't going to be able to progress much further with my two young guards than I already am. After losing (again) to Philly, I've gone into rebuilding mode as well, but should still have enough to stave off the tanking Moose Rockets.
Lion Rebels 105 - MMR 74

Is This Heaven? vs. Tachenko
Still no movement from the 2nd lowest salaried team in the league, so I can't see them winning, on the road against a fuming Tachenko crew.
Is This Heaven? 71- Tachenko 103

Rip City Revival vs. Carolina Rebels
Carolina has to be happy to have gotten a 1 in the win column, but it might be a while until they get a two there, especially facing what might be the #1 team in the league tonight.
Rip City Revival 105 - Carolina Rebels 72

Żubr Białystok vs. The Ashkickers
Tylormade finds himself thrust to the top of the Great 8 and while whitestok's group had a great win Saturday, it looks to be a tough matchup tonight.
Żubr Białystok 85 - Ashkickers 106

The Lone Wolf vs. San Dominica Warriors
San Dom's had a tough schedule to start, but should find some comfortability at home hosting lonewolf8's crew. With only one real scorer they've got a shot, but a slim one on the road.
The Lone Wolf 88 - San Dom 89

The Beer Bellys vs. Hustlas
Coming off an exciting home win, thatguy has to feel good, but I predict Reece's squad takes it to them tonight.
The Beer Bellys 98 - Hustlas 103

Good luck tonight!

Day 4 (Tuesday 9 August 2022) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Linndale 72 - Philly Dribble 106
Lion Rebels 146 - Mighty Moose Rockets 65
Rip City Revival 116 - Carolina Rebels 65
The Lone Wolf 42 - San Dominica Warriors 103
2 percent 71 - Miami Cleo 100
Is This Heaven? 67 - Tachenko 87
The Beer Bellys 92 - Hustlas 101
Żubr Białystok 80 - The Ashkickers 106

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 146 : Lion Rebels
Rebounds : 65 : San Dominica Warriors, Lion Rebels
Assists : 41 : Lion Rebels
Steals : 13 : Rip City Revival
Block Shots : 11 : Tachenko

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 38 : T. Medina (Lion Rebels)
Rebounds : 24 : T. Armstead (Lion Rebels), N. Samuk (Hustlas)
Assists : 9 : T. Armstead (Lion Rebels)
Steals : 4 : F. Carrillo (Lion Rebels), P. Mari Acuña (2 percent)
Block Shots : 3 : A. Gallucci (Miami Cleo), A. Parrish (San Dominica Warriors), Y. Semiramis (The Beer Bellys), D. Wilmink (2 percent)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : W. Graf (Miami Cleo) (29 Points, 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 0 Block Shots), R. Sedonio (Lion Rebels) (22 Points, 1 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 29
Shooting Guard : V. Sesamo (The Ashkickers) (36 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 32
Small Forward : L. Baião (San Dominica Warriors) (24 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 26
Power Forward : T. Medina (Lion Rebels) (38 Points, 11 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 44
Center : T. Armstead (Lion Rebels) (20 Points, 24 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 50

MVP of the evening
T. Armstead (Lion Rebels) (20 Points, 24 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 50

The bad performance of the evening
N. Mezzalira (The Lone Wolf) (11 Points, 7 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -7

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : B. George (Carolina Rebels) : 7 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : T. Medina (Lion Rebels), M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok), I. Fuica (The Lone Wolf), I. Avellaneda (The Beer Bellys) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : A. Gallucci (Miami Cleo), A. Albrecht (Mighty Moose Rockets), K. McNulty (Mighty Moose Rockets), E. Albright (Mighty Moose Rockets), J. Cadelago (Mighty Moose Rockets), B. George (Carolina Rebels), T. Plummer (Carolina Rebels), Y. Delagnès (Żubr Białystok), P. Mari Acuña (2 percent), D. Wilmink (2 percent) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : L. Baião (San Dominica Warriors) : 5 Three points

The best performer : R. Mason (Tachenko), A. Coronado (Linndale), T. Armstead (Lion Rebels) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : D. Harden (Lion Rebels) : Rating : 4.0

Week 2 Power Rankings - Part One
Some big changes from Week 1, and with a few more teams selling more players, and a few teams bringing on salary, I expect more movement in these rankings. But first, some general observations!

Week 2 Observations
Mighty Moose Rockets sell off shifted not only their position greatly in these rankings, but also those teams that have been fortunate to play them as they only suit up 4 players to get demolished. Raucous droves of fans have gathered outside Mighty Moose Arena and there are fears that if this 4 man team continues to be trotted out onto the court, that a fan boycott will arrive in the near future. But we also see some big movement as a result of Linndale's sale and injury woes combined with facing one of the top teams in the league Tuesday night. As we continue to play games, efficiencies will level out and we'll see teams play true to form after rosters settle down, probably as we get closer to the dreaded all star week.

After four games, Hustlas' SF Sirmantas Legkauskas is dominating the league with 30.8 PPG, while Rip City's Nikky Nay leads "starters" with 58% shooting from the field. Most impressive from three so far this season is Legkauskas 51.7% shooting on 29 shots, followed by Arys Varpukevicius' (Miami) 50% on 32 shots. Hustlas and Miami also boast the league leaders in rebounds per game at 16 from C Nazmi Samuk and PF Patrick Cheatle, with Terry Armstead (Lion Rebels)& Gorden Pullen (Tachenko) on their heels. PGs Cico Kallay (Tachenko) and Lorenzo Rojas (The Ashkickers) lead the way with 28 & 26 assists respectively.

Teamwise, interestingly, no one is hitting more than 49% from the field, while only one team (unsurprisingly The Ashkickers) is averaging 54% from three, ten points higher than the next closest bidder. Onward to the rankings - one note, last week's rankings are in parenths behind the team name.

Week 2 Power Rankings - Part Two
Week 2 Power Rankings
1. Rip City Revival (3)
Jbogoroff's crew benefited from two walk over games, getting Mighty Moose right after two major players had been sold and then facing new-comer Carolina Rebels. Last week their EFFG was 124 - this week, they saw a 32 point jump up to 156 coupled with a 33 point jump the other direction in OPP EFFG drop them to a ridiculous 46.8 allowed efficiency. Their MMR matchup saw them net 227 EFFG while holding their opponent to a -24 EFFG. After an easy Cup matchup this week, they face Linndale on the road and then host my Lion Rebels.

2. Tachenko (1)
kokka's somehwat surprising loss to The Beer Bellys on the road threw a kink into their early season venture, but rebounded with a not as dominant as expected win while hosting Is This Heaven? Tuesday night. A slight drop in EFFG still holds them at 2nd in the league in that regard, but improved their OPP EFFG by nearly 18 points, to couple them with Rip City with a below 50 allowed efficiency to start the season. An intriguing faceoff arrives on Saturday as they host The Ashkickers before going on the road to face off a currently undefeated Miami Cleo.

3. Lion Rebels (6)
I'll guarantee you this won't hold, as SG/SF Byron Lutz's transfer is pending and Kurt Brown has a lot of eyes on him (but no bids yet) while transfer listed. I'm a bit too sentimental and wasn't planning on transferring these home grown boys, but I need the cash. If Brown doesn't transfer, I might keep him, especially if Fabio Carillo doesn't transfer. At any rate, we benefited from facing MMR Tuesday night, so these numbers are a bit inflated. It's expected that we'll be back down this list in the coming weeks. Games against The Lone Wolf at home before hosting Rip City next Tuesday. Cup will definitely be a priority and a new batch of trainees are already rostered.

4. The Ashkickers (5)
With an improvement in EFFG and a slight drop in OPP EFFG, the Tylormade's undefeated squad enjoyed a relatively easy week against 2 percent and Żubr Białystok. The aforementioned face off with Tachenko looms on Saturday and then an intriguing matchup with Hustlas next Tuesday. Will they still be undefeated? They definitely have their work cut out for them in Week 3.

5. Philly Dribble (7)
Still too low on this list, Phil_Wings group was able to improve their ranking with good wins against teams that realized they needed some cash to stay afloat! A minor improvement in EFFG and a decent jump (15 points) in OPP EFFG settles them at 5th for now, but with Carolina Rebels and MMR on the docket for Week 3, expect them to accellerate their climb this week.

6. Miami Cleo (8)
It's hard to justify having one of the three undefeated teams this low in the power rankings, but I'll go ahead and do so: packer_22's club is ranked 7th in EFFG and 4th in OPP EFFG (nice bump in this category for them this week). Solid victories of Is This Heaven and 2 percent, but against the bottom feeders in the Great 8, they only averaged 109 EFFG. So while they're better than the worst, I have a feeling as we see them face stiffer competition that this area of the rankings will be their home. Two big games this week as they face Hustlas and Tachenko.

7. Hustlas (4)
Reece's group has posted a 3-1 record in their re-re-re-re-re-turn to Div III and despite a near come-from-behind upset loss to Żubr Białystok, they've proven they're probably the upper crust of the mid-tier in the Great 8. A decrease in EFFG & OPP EFFG this week due to their loss, but they have an intriguing matchup at home against upstart Miami before facing the number 1 seed in their conference next Tuesday.

Week 2 Power Rankings - Part Two
8. Linndale (2)
The biggest drop in the rankings this week, made over $1M in transfer fees by sending Thomas Lagorce to the French and Lukáš Urban to the Czech Republic; coupled with the ankle sparin for Mikhail Klimenkov, Speedtraps lineup struggled against Philly after beating out San Dominica. A big drop in EFFG lands them at 8th in these rankings, with a fearsome matchup against Rip City at home, followed by a trip to The Lone Wolf's Den next Tuesday should leave them about even after Week 3.

9. San Dominica Warriors (10)
A tough loss to Linndale despite Klimenkov leaving the game after only four minutes where they couldn't score, followed by a dominant victory over new arrival The Lone Wolf, Coach Stephenson's contingent saw a nice bump in OPP EFFG, with a minor improvement in EFFG. If they can keep up the trend in OPP EFFG, they've got a shot at a playoff spot and could be problematic for some squads. Two dream matchups against MMR and Carolina Rebels should net them some more improvement in Week 3.

10. The Beer Bellys (9)
Swapping places wih San Dom, thatguy's team finds last season's playoff venture a distant memory after stumbling to a 1-3 start, despite a surprising home victory against the giant Tachenko this week where they were able to put up a surprising 120 Efficiency against a team that has averaged allowing less than 50 efficiency this season. A small improvement in EFFG and OPP EFFG this week, but their OPP EFFG still leaves much to be desired (though they did show case a good inside defense against Tachenko). Easy matchups in Week 3 loom as they take the road to 2 percent before hosting Is This Heaven?.

11. Żubr Białystok (12)
A 1-3 start can't be quite what whitestok was hoping for after last season's Div III successful premiere for Żubr Białystok, but they do have five players averaging double digits in PPG. An improvement in EFFG and OPP EFFG, but their allowed efficiency seems to be a deficiency for them. Come off what appears to be an upset vs. Hustlas followed by an expected loss to The Ashkickers, they have a cakewalk against 2 percent before hitting the road against The Beer Bellys where enthusiasm might be the advantage they need to move up this list.

12. The Lone Wolf (11)
Reaching the bottom crust of the mid-tier in the Big 8, lonewolf8's has only been playing 8 players and, for some reason, has appeared to have benched newly transferred SG Rien Kelchtermans for the first two games of his tenure with the Wolves, who is their highest salaried player by far. That addition should help them stick around that mid-tier, if he gets some minutes. They do boast a win against MMR before J. FLeurent was moved. A big drop in EFFG with a decrease in OPP EFFG leaves them clinging to 12th in this list after a loss to Carolina Rebels, followed by an absolute drubbing by San Dom. They matchup with Lion Rebels on the road Saturday, before hosting Linndale next Tuesday.

Week 2 Power Rankings - Part Three
13. Carolina Rebels
Daisy Merollin's squad posted the aforementioned win for their first of the season before getting trounced by the presumed #1 in the league Tuesday night. A good bump to their EFFG and a minor decrease in their allowed efficiency shows that they're not just here to get pummeled into the dirt night after night. They do face a tough matchup against Philly at home before traveling to San Dom next week.

14. 2 percent (14)
Entering the land of The Defeateds Ray's crew hasn't been very competitive yet, losing to The Ashkickers and Miami Cleo this week. While their EFFG isn't great, it's not terrible, but their 136 OPP EFFG is going to make it difficult for them to have a chance at a win in this league until they face off against the other cellar dwellers in our league. Matchups with Beer Bellys and Żubr Białystok take them through Week 3.

15. Is This Heaven? (16)
Thanks to Hutch's rebuild, IOWA moves up the rankings after losses to Miami and Tachenko. Their EFFG would be worst in the league without MMR's situation, but surprisingly, their OPP EFFG is ranked 12th, showing some spunk despite their losses. They flip flop with 2 percent this week in matchups, facing Żubr Białystok at home before traveling to the Keg.

16. Mighty Moose Rockets (12)
The second biggest drop in the rankings this week, Hutch44's rebuild is well underway with new arrivale Joel Cadelago coming in after selling off players for a total of $5,011,800 this calendar year. Cadelago is nice looking young 7'0" PG whose been spending time in the front court and has some potential to be a building block. But I'm sure there will be other transfers in, since Hutch has to be sitting on some wealth. Time will tell.