BuzzerBeater Forums

5. Matchstick Men CR: 588 - Top 8 Salary: $95,952
Any discussion about Matchstick Men starts with reigning MVP Orazio Origo. Matchstick Men proved to be a formidable team last season as they made it to the Great 8 Finals and were the regular season Great 8 Champions. The team is well balanced and deep, however they definitely are not without their flaws. Last season Matchstick Men was quite predictable and opponents who were willing to leverage the GDP made good use of that. Age is also an issue with this team as Origo and Kumar, two of the top three salaried players on the team, are both 38 and should be on a steady decline as the season progresses.

6. I Volt CR: 483 - Top 8 Salary: $89,304
I Volt proved they belonged with other playoff teams as they split the season series with each of the other teams, but ultimately lost a close Great 8 semi-final against The Golden Bricks. I Volt dropped the Full Court Press last season, and showed a willingness to use the GDP in the playoffs which some view as an improvement. I Volt is another Great 8 team with good depth and good balance, and is only one season removed from making the finals. With a little bit of improvement on last season, I Volt could very easily make it back there this season.

7. brooklyn knicks CR: 577 - Top 8 Salary: $101,406
brooklyn knicks has the highest salary of any Great 8 team, but last season that was only good enough for 4th and a loss in one of the Great 8 semi-finals. Eldon Cannon had by the far the highest assists per game in the league last season and there is alot of depth to this team, but last year this team came up just short in a handful of games. While the knicks put up some of the best IS and Offensive flow numbers in the league, the defense and rebounding are what is holding this team back from greatness.

8. The Boxers CR: 613 - Top 8 Salary: $57,761
The Boxers changed ownership last season and while they did not win a ton of games last season, they have worked to constantly improve their team, kept games close and shown that they are willing to take some risk if the situation presents itself. Even though this team is less than a season old, they have already done a great job at improving their defense and have proven that they can be formidable on any given game day.

9. MeHiCans CR: 824 - Top 8 Salary: $55,642
For the MeHiCans, being in the top heavy Big 8 last season was both a blessing and a curse. The many bots in the conference provided easy wins, while the MeHiCans showed they were not in the same league as the top teams of their conference. Given my perception of this team, I was surprised too see them with such a low salary. Perhaps this team out performs it's salary, or perhaps it's some magic from the Princeton they play.

10. Hot Boyz CR: 875 - Top 8 Salary: $69,775
Hot Boyz is another team that changed ownership last season and had a good half season. Alot like The Boxers, the Boyz are still working on building their team, but has opted to supplement their team with skilled, but older players. The Hot Boyz favor playing zone, and coupling that with the GDP can lead to higher highs, or lower lows based on if they are able to anticipate their opponents tactics correctly. How they are able to transition to players who's skills are not diminishing will be a key part of how successful of a season they have.

11. Sinking Ships CR: 933 - Top 8 Salary: $52,452
Sinking Ships are the newest team in the league, with ownership taking over after the former owners went bankrupt just in time for a relegation series against a bot. Sinking Ships passed that test with flying colors, but not alot is known about this team. Currently this ranking is more a by-product of not knowing much about this team and the fact that the team is basically True Stars and not much else yet.

t12. Bluehawks, BuryYourDead, Dejags, new york celts, OpTicNation
Tied for 12th are the bots, and until they get taken over by a live manager, that's all the words they deserve.

Another thing I thought I would try this season was to do some preview and predictions of games on gameday. Rhyminsimon was willing to help so we'll be tag teaming them this season.
Just a note on these predictions, I will not predict a winner for games I play in because I will not exactly be bias :)

Saturday, January 6th

Big 8

lélé @ new york celts
MeHiCans @ OpTic Nation
Thunderhorse @ BuryYourDead
Bluehawks @ TicTacShack

It is a boring slate of games in the Big 8 as all four games are games including bots. As none of the non-bot teams in the Big 8 have logged in since the schedule became available, the most interesting takeaways will be what the default lineups are for each of those teams.

Winner: All four non-bot teams win handily.


Great 8

Matchstick Men @ Dejags
Let's see, last year's #1 seed vs a bot. Easy picking for Matchstick Men. Interestingly, Matchstick Men also hasn't logged in since the schedule became available. Convenient for all those who haven't logged in that they drew a bot for Game 1 Winner: Matchstick Men

brooklyn knicks @ I Volt
Nothing quite like two rival teams opening up the season against each other. These two teams are pretty evenly matched and last season these two teams split with the home team winning both times. With both teams returning practically the same team from last year I expect this one to be a close game with HCA being the deciding factor. Winner: I Volt

Sinking Ships @ Hot Boyz
An early battle against two up-and-coming teams. As this is will be Sinking Ships first non-scrimmage game against a live manager, it's hard to know what exactly to expect, but Hot Boyz seems to have the more talented team and is at home. Winner: Hot Boyz

The Boxers @ The Golden Bricks (TV)
I've dubbed this the battle of the "Thes" as both teams feel the need to include the word "The" in their team name.
The Boxers were the only Great 8 team to beat The Golden Bricks in the second half of last season. If that was not enough motivation for The Golden Bricks, this is also the TV game of the week and The Boxers are The Slashing Dragons rivals. Will we see another CT like last time these teams met? Will we see some mutually assured destruction (both teams CTing)? Game 1's tend to be a bit unpredictable and this game feels like it can go either way. Winner: N/A

It's very generous of you not to choose a winner in our game. But, last season was a perfect storm. This game has everything lined up in the Bricks' favor: HCA, non-mutual rivalry, TV, salary, equal enthusiasm. Furthermore, this is a year of serious training for the Boxers, so individual game outcomes are not the primary concern in our front office. I think we can go ahead and predict that The Golden Bricks will have their revenge on the Boxers. Winner: The Golden Bricks

Tuesday, January 9th

Tomorrow is rivalry Tuesday, where bad blood fans the flame of competition in half the contests. Here’s a preview of the night’s games!

1 TicTacShack (rival) @ 2 lélé (rival)
The headliner sees two of the top Big 8 teams face off in what looks to be a grudge match between mutual rivals. The home team, lélé, will look to get revenge for their 122-141 defeat in last season’s quarterfinal game. Will their fast-paced, in-your-face brand of basketball be enough to give them their first win against the Shack since the Season 38 opener? Or will Donnie Bozek leave the lélé defense in tatters again? This one should be close, but we’ll give the nod to TicTacShack because history tends to repeat itself.

2 The Golden Bricks @ 1 Matchstick Men
The night’s other big matchup is a rematch of last season’s Great 8 semifinal game. The Matchstick Men’s low & slow recipe for down home cookin’ will be put to the test against the Bricks’ spread-it-around philosopjy. Will last season’s scoring leader and MVP, Origo, show that he’s still got what it takes? Or will The Golden Bricks and Jean Revuelta, their newly-signed SF, extend their all-time record against the Matchstick Men to 4-0? This one could be a nail-biter, but again history speaks: The Golden Bricks win.

4 I Volt @ 6 Sinking Ships (rival)
The Sinking Ships host their rival in the franchise’s first regular season home game. After Saturday’s shellacking at the hands of Hot Boyz, the Ships will be looking for their first regular season win. Riding their holiday infusion of foreign talent, they face their toughest challenge yet, facing Nariwari and three of last season’s top 3-point shooters. To make it harder yet, I Volt has poached former Boxers’ trainee Amadeusz Bernacki in preparation for this game. Sadly for the Ships, they are likely to be scuttled in this one.

3 Hot Boyz @ 7 The Boxers
The Hot Boyz have begun the process of getting younger by signing 23yo journeyman PF, Javier Fortuny. On Tuesday, they travel to The Clearing in a match that pits two teams beginning their first full season. Their only previous meeting saw the Boyz bloody the Boxers in a 25-point rout near the end of Ssn 40. Will home-field advantage allow The Boxers to redeem themselves? Or will the Boyz’ hot start continue? It’s a tossup.


In other action…

7 new york celts (rival) @ 4 MeHiCans (TV)
MeHiCans will be broadcasting a medieval bot-slaying spectacle from BossMan Say.

5 OpTic Nation (rival) @ 3 Thunderhorse
Thunderhorse will host a mechanical bull-riding masterclass.

8 Dejags @ 5 brooklyn knicks
The knicks are sponsoring an “Office Space” inspired printer bashing charity event to buy BB-Charles some Grubbses to go along with all his scrubbses.

6 BuryYourDead @ 8 Bluehawks
The next episode of RobotWars will be shot at Bluehawks’ Golden Globe Arena.

First, congrats to Matchstick Men on proving me wrong and picking up their first win over the Bricks. Revenge is a sweet dish best served cold. So, let's hear it for the crew at the Trap for turning off the heat! Also... Congrats to Hot Boyz for turning a "tossup" into a blowout.

Second, Rufus and I decided to split cup coverage. So I'll be previewing Thursdays in the Big 8 for a few weeks at least. The first week is a one-sentencer:

Cup so botty even the bots drew bots.

Good luck Blue Side! You won't need it.

For the Great 8, all of the humans drew bots, and all of the bots drew humans.

Expect everyone except Dejags to move on to the next round.

Season 41 Week 1 Power Rankings

1. TicTacShack - 2-0 - Previous Ranking: 1
TicTacShack won both of their games this week and with a hard fought OT victory at lélé, TicTacShack proved that they are still just a little bit better than lélé and the team to beat in the division.
2. Thunderhorse - 2-0 - Previous Ranking: 2
Thunderhorse beat both of the bots it played this week, but in the process proved nothing. There is some uncertainity about this team's full capabilities as they still have not logged on since being demoted into IV.42.
3. lélé - 1-1 - Previous Ranking: 3
lélé beat a bot and lost a close game against TicTacShack. Hanging with TicTacShack proved they belong.
4. Matchstick Men - 2-0 - Previous Ranking: 5
Matchstick Men got their first victory over The Golden Bricks and showed they belong in the top spot in the Big 8 for now. There is still concern about how much Origo and Kumar's skills will degrade, but for now they are the best in the Big 8.
5. The Golden Bricks - 1-1 - Previous Ranking: 4
The Golden Bricks made a tactical mistake in game 1 by committing more resources (mainly enthusiasm) than necessary in ensuring a win in their TV/Rival game which cost them an enthusiasm advantage and potential victory against Matchstick Men.
6. I Volt - 2-0 - Previous Ranking: 6
I Volt had a solid victory over rival brooklyn knicks and took care of business against Sinking Ships. Come the end of the season this team could be the best team in the Big 8, but I am waiting to move them higher until seeing how they perform against Matchstick Men and The Golden Bricks.
7. brooklyn knicks - 1-1 - Previous Ranking: 7
brooklyn knicks had a lackluster week 1 with an opening loss on the road and then steam-rolling a bot. If they showed some improved enthusiasm management, they might be able to hang with some of the top teams better.
8. MeHiCans - 2-0 - Previous Ranking: 9
MeHiCans beat up on two bots this week, not much else left to say. They also could improve with greater enthusiasm management.
9. Hot Boyz - 2-0 - Previous Ranking: 10
Strong opening week for Hot Boyz as they beat both of the teams that were in relegation series last season with them. They get a chance to prove if they belong in the playoffs next week with two games against last season's top 4.
10. The Boxers - 0-2 - Previous Ranking: 8
Missing so far for The Boxers is last season's feistiness as The Boxers have not been too competitive in either game this week and alot of that can be attributed to the team's 2-position training of 18 and 19 year olds.
11. Sinking Ships - 0-2 Previous Ranking: 11
Sinking Ships was competitive against I Volt and gave them a scare. This team has potential to move up as they already seem to have a good grasp on enthusiasm management, tactics and using the GDP. Now it's just a matter of continuing to improve the roster.
t12. Bluehawks, BuryYourDead, Dejags, new york celts, OpTicNation
Still bots...

Last edited by Rufus Rugi at 01/10/2018 12:42:04

Dude this is epic.. I had no idea anyone was even paying attention. Makes me want to learn and get better. keep up the great work.

Saturday, January 13th

Big 8

4. lélé @ 6. buryYourDead
lélé rebounds from their loss by beating up a bot. Winner: lélé

3. MeHiCans @ 2. TicTacShack
This is the only matchup in the Big 8 not involving a bot, but I do not expect it to be that close at all. TicTacShack is substantially better than the MeHiCans, is at home and does not have to worry about any strange tactics from the half-way to bot MeHiCans. Winner: TicTacShack

5. Bluehawks @ 7. OpTicNation (TV)
The TV game of the day is bot on bot action. Hopefully this is a triple-overtime slugfest to keep things interesting. Winner: Who cares? (OpTicNation)

1. Thunderhorse @ 8. new york celts
Three games into the season and Thunderhorse has yet to play a non-bot team. Winner: Thunderhorse


Great 8

Note: I felt like I took the cheap way out not picking a winner in my game last week, so I'll pick winners for my games going forward. Sorry for short changing you Simon
5. brooklyn knicks @ 4. The Golden Bricks
The only matchup of the night of playoff teams from last season. The Golden Bricks defense looks good enough to shut down brooklyn knicks' offense, but will the Golden Bricks offense be able to overcome their struggles they exhibited against Matchstick Men? HCA and rebounding are what The Golden Bricks will need to rely on to win, while brooklyn knicks are relying on Eldon Cannon's remarkable passing skills. This game will be closer than the last time these two teams met at the end of last season. Winner: The Golden Bricks

1. Matchstick Men @ 2. Hot Boyz (rival)
The current standings suggests this might be a close game, but team rankings suggest it might not be. While Matchstick Men's looks to have the better team, I have a feeling that Hot Boyz will make it a closer game than the ratings would indicate. In the end though, close will not be quite enough. Winner: Matchstick Men

7. The Boxers @ 3. I Volt
With any relegation series right now looking like it will involve a bot, there is not much fear of relegation from the Great 8 right now. With this security in mind, I am assuming The Boxers continue their training ways and with two young trainees in their lineup, they just do not have enough to beat I Volt. Winner: I Volt

6. Sinking Ships @ 8. Dejags
Sinking Ships gets their first win of the season as they crush the bot. Winner: Sinking Ships

A great night for underdogs! Hot Boyz and The Boxers both come away with wins. Boyz are now the only undefeated team in the Great 8. And The Boxers are the last human-managed team to put a tally in the win column.

Add a little tactical acumen and the incentive of a rivalry to the help Hot Boyz got from effort, HCA, and their opponent's poor GS update and you have the recipe for a surprise blow-out. The up-and-comer trounced the previous regular season conference champ tonight in an impressive bid for Great 8 supremacy. On the other side, it looks like managerial indifference may spoil the Matchstick Men's chances even if the dreaded bot plague doesn't claim them. Fans have begun a campaign begging Simone7 to login again and "Save the 'Sticks!" (T-shirts available for the low price of 1 year of supporter.) ;-)

In the night's other upset, a perfect storm aligned GDP, some tactics, a rough GS update for I Volt, and a heaping helping of luck to let The Boxers squeak out their first win of the season in triple-OT. I Volt led by as much as 12 in the second quarter. But the tide began to turn in the second half. And a big fourth period for The Boxers culminated in Cavalcanti's game-tying layup with 8 seconds left in regulation. When Salazar's jumper from the top of the key missed at the buzzer it was time for OT. After almost two scoreless minutes of overtime, Görbicz fouled out. Then the teams traded free throws, jumpers, and threes. When Nariwari sunk two more free throws to put I Volt up with a second left, it looked like it was all over. But a quick inbounds pass from Ribinski found Herring under the basket, and his layup extended the night. After a hard-fought second overtime period, Nariwari drained a three to put I Volt up by two. But after a Boxers timeout, a set play for Cavalcanti tied it again with 8 to go. Then Ribinski stopped Lishenkov's drive to force OT3. It was back and forth until a Nariwari jumper from the elbow evened it up with 20 seconds on the clock. But in the final second, Ribinski served up the rock for Mansfield to slam home as The Boxers' bench erupted. Final score 101-99, 3OT.

Last edited by Rhyminsimon (USA NT assistant) at 01/15/2018 11:13:15