IZZY SAYS: Izzy Elkaffas makes his predictions for Week 7 In Fridley

BY Izzy Elkaffas

Rough week last week, 3-3 slapped me in the face. Looking for a bounce back and hoping for a 4-2 record this week (baby steps).

Overall record: 20-4


Mighty Unicorns Vs Greenhorns 7:00pm

This actually might be a tough one to pick. The Greenhorns have looked very pedestrian in all games besides the win against RTG. They also have the easiest schedule in the league amongst the top 8 teams. They have needed every bit of the favorable schedule considering they only beat the Nets by 11 (which should have been 40) and beat a four man Noisy squad by only 19. I still have faith in this team’s ability to play as a unit but I’m naturally less enthused than I used to be about them. The Unicorns are coming off a disappointing performance. My darkhorse of the week last week (Mortenson) lived up to the billing despite the six turnovers. He needs to have another big game to assure this game stays close or a Unicorn win. Both teams need scoring from more than a couple sources and rely on all players to be ready to put the ball in the hoop. This will come down to defense and ball movement. Whoever does those two things best, wins. I am going to guess that Greenhorns are the team that puts things together this week.

Greenhorns by 3


Nets Vs Noisy Withdrawal 7:00pm

Both these teams are coming off solid performances. The Nets have something to ride momentum on. Only losing by 11 in a game most thought would be won by 25+ should feel like a win. I wasn’t able to watch but judging by them doubling their assist average, they are starting to figure a few things out. Now only if they can get their defense to make the same strides. Noisy Withdrawal has been tough to judge all year. You never know what product will be on the court. Against HDMD, they were aggressive and attacked the hoop and were able to get 20% of their points from the charity stripe. I think that Noisy will have enough players this week to easily stave off the Nets. I need one more showing from them before I can call it anything but an aberration. If they get manhandled by Noisy, the finger will begin to point at the Greenhorns.

Noisy by 13


Hand Down… Man Down Vs D.Y. Nasty 8:00pm

This should be a good watch. Dynasty has played well all season and has flown under the radar. Dynasty is no longer a squad that will catch teams by surprise. The pick-up of Campbell has proved vital in helping this stagnant offense of the past. This team will live and die by his performance. If they can get him in a rhythm early, it could prove difficult for HDMD. On the other hand it’s the exact opposite, as HDMD has had to deal with some adversity. The inconsistent line-ups, the loss of Pete Vogel after his knee injury against the Bulls and the month long fasting all have proven to be too much to overcome. All three of those should come to an end this week as Vogel will give it a go, fasting is over and a full lineup is a genuine possibility. A comfortable win this week will help explain a lot. A loss will definitely make the sub-par season reality, not a mirage. Big game this week as both teams need a win. If the Bulls drop their last two, one of these teams could steal the auto-bid, but it all starts with Thursday night. Dynasty has played well as of late and HDMD hasn’t played well. I’m predicting this week the roles reverse.


HDMD by 8


Avengers Vs Bulls 8:00pm

Match-up of the Night. This is going to be a playoff practice run for the Avengers and another test for the Bulls. The test started last week and will continue this week. The four point loss to the Celts shows that this team can compete with almost anyone in REC. However, it is my opinion that the Avengers not only are the best team, but are a worse match-up for the Bulls than the C’s were. If the Bulls slow it down and play inside- out with Barnes and Powell, they could rack up the fouls and head to the bonus early. The Avengers to me are borderline unstoppable. If they can score 13 in a half against the second best team and still win, I don’t know how they could lose. This is one of the few teams that play better D when their O falters. However, I spotted a couple Avengers at the Fair enjoying some deep-fried food and I look for them to have a little less lift. If they lose, blame it on the Curds.

Avengers by 7


Secret Agents Vs Respect the Game 9:00pm

This actually might be a fun watch. Contrasting styles usually leads to entertaining basketball. One team plays a Princeton style offense with a lot of movement, screens and backdoor cuts; while the other team likes to play free flowing ball. The one advantage RTG has is the chemistry as the Agents have only played six games together. The key for the Agents is to get Sonny in a rhythm and build some confidence early since last week was his second poor outing in three games. Last week, RTG threw everyone for a loop. After coming up with an emphatic win week 5 against HDMD, they took three steps back and reminded everyone of their poor performance against the Horns. If week 5 RTG show up, this game should be won. If week 6 RTG shows up, this game could slip away along with their playoff aspirations. I think Wiskus shows up, Dudinsky has another POTW performance and RTG win a semi-comfortable game.

RTG by 9


Celtics Vs Black Mambas 9:00pm

Before last week, I was eyeing this game as a 30 point route. After last week, the Black Mambas may just have enough athleticism to stick around long enough to make things look respectable. The main problem for the Mambas is how are they going to keep up with the consistent scoring of the Celts? With 11 guys, The Celts could field two competitive teams that would both probably finish in the top three. Luckily for the rest of the league, they don’t have two teams. I see the Celts having a couple of 10-0 runs that the Mambas can’t recover from.

Celtics by 21

Last weeks predicted players of the week- Dudinsky, Epple and the Greenhorns entire team.
Dudinsky was the Player of the Week last week which I needed to make me look good because Epple had a solid but pedestrian game and the Horns didn’t come close to expectations.

Last weeks predicted darkhorse of the week- Mortenson. 24 pts on over 50% shooting and 13 boards would normally get you on the front page but the 6 TO’s were costly. I still will give myself credit for this pick as I don’t think anyone would call this a sub-par performance.

Week 7 player of the week- Sanchez (Celts), Dudinsky (RTG), Webb (Celts)

Week 7 darkhorse the week- Meade (Noisy)