TEMPE, AZ: Week 6 Preview | This is Sparta

We have turned the corner on the midway point of the season, rosters are now locked in for the remainder of the season and there is a new king of the hill! Let’s get to the predictions!

WEEK 6 PREVIEW

WOLVES VS. TEMPE FA 630PM:
Game 1 at 6:30 will be a barn burner ladies and gents! Just kidding…this will be an epic clash between the last place Wolves and the Free Agent squad. Even though these two teams haven’t proven competitive thus far, this game has something important at stake…one team will get their first win of the season! This could be a momentum builder, the difference between making the postseason and not, a new start, a fresh pair of undies…A CHANCE AT A PIECE OF PRIDE. THIS IS SPARTA!!!! Okay I got carried away…Wolves/Free Agents we are expecting much at this point but don’t go winless.
Prediction: Wolves by 12

MONSTARS VS. SPLASH BROTHERS 630PM:
The second of the 6:30 matchups will pit the recently struggling Splash Brothers against the Monstars. This should be an interesting matchup seeing as how the Monstars were struggling at the beginning of the season as the Splash Brothers were thriving. As of late, the tables have turned and this week will mark a crucial turning point for both teams. Last week the Monstars played what amounted to a “tune-up” game against the Free agents and blew them out of the water. Guard Kenny Mahone led the onslaught with 37 points and 13 rebounds. The key for the Monstars seems to be balance; if they can balance their attack more effectively and get some of the other pieces scoring they could be a dangerous team in the second half of the season.
The Splash Brothers are not used to losing and this week’s matchup will be a litmus test for their determination and resolve. Their week 5 loss came at the hands of a red hot Hashtag team. Although Kristopher Hennen brought down 17 rebounds and Nick Tomsick scored 38 points on 39 attempts, Splash was missing one of their top scorers in Brett Bernbaum, which may have made the difference in terms of winning or losing. We shall see this week if they can hitch back up to the wagon and regain some of their dominance…
Prediction: Splash Brothers by 18

WHO'S NEXT VS. DOWNTOWN 730PM:
The first of the 7:30 slot shows us Who’s Next Downtown (see what I did there). This game will be televised thanks to our sponsors over at Ben-Gay and Depends. I know the veterans on these teams don’t even read this, but you can tell them I said it! Who’s Next is buzzing after having escaped the Wolves den in week 5 with a 77-62 victory. Dwayne Hunter had an outstanding 24-point, 7 rebound, 2 assist game to help catapult his team to a victory. Guard Jahi Gibbs and forward Jesse McCain both pulled in 7 rebounds as well while scoring 18 and 21 points respectively. Darrell Hunter played the part of facilitator by dishing out 10 assists. If they can keep up this type of ball-sharing (tee-hee) and board production they may easily run away with a victory in week 6.
On the other side of this matchup is another veteran heavy squad in team Downtown. Having split their season thus far with 2 wins and 2 losses this team really needs to find a spark and get things going for the second half of the season. Week 5 action saw them losing to the current champion Bulls 77-63. 63 points is hardly enough to compete against the likes of the Splash Brother, Team Hashtag and normally the Bulls. Big man Omar Waller had a noteworthy game by pouring in 20 points and 7 rebounds but the rest of this team is going to HAVE to get involved and pick up the point production and defensive effort.
Prediction: Travis Woodard and Dwayne Hunter will both get technical fouls based on referee calls or no calls. Who’s next by 8

BAD GUYS VS. BULLS 730PM:
Our last matchup will be the Bad Guys trying to scrap together a win and give the Bulls another loss. The Bad Guys have had a troublesome two weeks leading up to this week. Guard Michael Rose was ejected from week 4 action against the Splash Brothers, for committing what many believe to be a suspension worthy foul. This game and loss for the Bad Guys came on the heels of guards Michael Rose and James Braxton’s empty proclamation about how weak the competition in the league was after winning the first game in 10 straight tries. Week 5 was a bye week for the team and hopefully a chance to clear their heads and get back on track. Unfortunately for them they are facing the Bulls.
The Bulls cruised to a victory last week against Downtown and regained their momentum. Guard Brandon Walker (one of the greatest ball players to ever live, an all-around nice guy and a stellar writer) led the team’s effort with 24 points and 4 assists while forward and energy man Marcus Atkins followed closely with 18 points and 4 rebounds. Mark Hanoosh returned to old form with a double double, 14 points and 10 assists. Josh Hunter cleaned up the glass for the Bulls with 9 rebounds and 8 points. Week 5 was yet another week in which the full Bulls roster was not present. With a full roster in tact, look for the Bulls to make another run for the championship.
Prediction: Bulls by 20

Normally at this point I say “see you on the court” but this week I’d like to pause and give a heartfelt thanks and buckets of gratitude to Ms. Atash Najafian for showing up weekly and taking some great pictures of the games and players. I know I personally have some great action shots that I can use to tell lies to my grandkids about how I scored 87 points that night and dunked on big Mark Price in the process. But seriously, thank you for your hard work and dedication Atash!
Now…see you on the court!

Brandon Walker
Follow me on Twitter, I know where the Dutchman buried his gold: @BeeEmDubya