Boston Sports Extra

BIG3 Boston Preview

@bigmike7772

The BIG3 is a basketball league created by rapper, Ice Cube, in 2017. The league consists of mostly retired NBA players, including some former all-stars. Rules for the BIG3 are different than rules in the NBA or FIBA-sanctioned 3-on-3 games. There is a four-point shot, 14 second shot-clock, hand-checking, and more. Also, there is no time-limit as halftime starts when a team reaches 25 points, and the winner is the first to 50 (win by two).

In the second season for the BIG3, things have changed from the first season. The defending-BIG3 champs are now last in the league, and many new players have been added. For example, guys like Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer, Nate Robinson, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Metta World Peace all join a stacked group of retired NBA players. With all the changes from last season to this season, the standings have changed too.

Standings

  1. 3 Headed Monsters (6-0)
  2. Power (5-1)
  3. 3’s Company (4-2)
  4. Tri-State (4-2)
  5. Killer 3’s (2-4)
  6. Ball Hogs (1-5)
  7. Ghost Ballers (1-5)
  8. Trilogy (1-5)

Only one team remains undefeated, while three teams already said goodbye to the playoffs. With Boston hosting the second-to-last regular season week of the BIG3 this year, there are major playoff implications in some of the games.

3’s Company (4-2) vs. Ghost Ballers (1-5)

In the first game of the night, third-place 3’s Company takes on seventh-place Ghost Ballers. 3’s Company and Ghost Ballers are both coming off wins this past Friday in Toronto. The Ghost Ballers defeated defending champions, Trilogy, and 3’s Company took third place from Tri-State.

3’s Company

Coach: Michael Cooper

Roster: Dermarr Johnson (Captain), Baron Davis (co-Captain), Drew Gooden (co-Captain), Andre Emmett, Jason Maxiell, Dahntay Jones

3’s Company comes into Boston able to clinch a playoff spot with a win or Killer 3’s loss. Baron Davis did not play last week against Tri-State, but that did not affect the teams play. 3’s Company destroyed Tri-State 51-29. With Baron Davis out, players on 3’s Company needed to step up. Andre Emmett went off, having 23 points while captain Dermarr Johnson had 14. They will need to have another great performance with or without Baron Davis if they are going to clinch a playoff spot.

Ghost Ballers

Coach: George Gervin

Roster: Mike Bibby (Captain), Ricky Davis (co-Captain), Carlos Boozer (co-captain), Lee Nailon, Marcus Banks, Mario West

The Ghost Ballers entered week six in Toronto winless as they went up against defending champs, Trilogy. They were underdogs, but managed to pull off the 50-41 victory over the Trilogy. This team added two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer this offseason, and had high hopes. Even though they are out of the playoffs, they will still look to hold off 3’s Company’s playoff hopes. Ghost Ballers have two former Celtics on their roster (Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks).

This game between 3’s Company and Ghost Ballers is one of the more meaningful games this week. 3’s Company is able to clinch a playoff spot, while Ghost Ballers look to string together a few games.

Power (5-1) vs. 3 Headed Monsters (6-0)

Power

Coach: Nancy Lieberman

Roster: Corey Maggette (Captain), Cuttino Mobley (co-Captain), Glen Davis (co-Captain), Chris Andersen, Quentin Richardson, Ryan Gomes, Xavier Silas

The second-place Power are looking to overtake first-place for the first time this season. They have shown how dominant they are with guys Chris Andersen blocking shots. The Power have the leading scorer in the entire BIG3, Corey Maggette, who has 108 points in six games. He also top ten in rebounds alongside Power teammates, Glen Davis and Cuttino Mobley. In the Power’s last game, they beat the Killer 3’s by a score of 51-28. ‘Big Baby’ Glen Davis led the way with 14 points and two threes followed by Maggette and Mobley each having 11 points and seven boards. The Power have three former Celtics on their roster with Glen Davis, Ryan Gomes, and someone who played for them last year, Xavier Silas.

3 Headed Monsters

Coach: Gary Payton

Roster: Rashard Lewis (Captain), Reggie Evans (co-Captain), Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (co-Captain), Jamario Moon, Kwame Brown, Salim Stoudamire, Qyntel Woods

The 3 Headed Monsters are entering Friday’s game against the Power with the best record. They are the only undefeated team in the BIG3 at 6-0. The 3 Headed Monsters are bringing back key pieces from last year including reigning BIG3 MVP, Rashard Lewis. They won their last game against the Ball Hogs in Toronto by a score of 51-45. Reggie Evans went off having 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Qyntel Woods had 11 points and six rebounds.

This game includes the top two teams in the BIG3. Guys like Reggie Evans and Corey Maggette will try to show off as they compete for this years MVP. The 3 Headed Monsters will look to stay undefeated, but it will be tough as they face the one loss Power.

Ball Hogs (1-5) vs. Trilogy (1-5)

Coach: Rick Barry

Roster: Brian Scalabrine (Captain), Josh Childress (co-Captain), DeShawn Stevenson (co-Captain), Andre Owens, Corsley Edwards, Jermaine Taylor

The Ball Hogs enter this week tied for last place with a record of 1-5. After being eliminated from playoff contention in Toronto due to a 3’s Company win, they don’t have much to play for. They did have a very competitive game against the undefeated, 3 Headed Monsters this past week though. The Ball Hogs were actually leading 26-20 at halftime before losing 51-45. Jermaine Taylor lead the Hogs in that game with 18 points and Josh Childress had ten. Taylor is the Ball Hogs leading scorer as he averages 12.6 PPG. The only Celtic on the Ball Hogs is Brian Scalabrine, but he only plays 7.3 minutes per game as he takes on a player-coach role.

Trilogy

Coach: Rick Mahorn

Roster: Kenyon Martin (Captain), Al Harrington (co-Captain), Rashad McCants (co-Captain), James White, Dion Glover, Al Thornton

The Trilogy have had a disappointing season to say the least. After winning the championship in the inaugural BIG3 season, they find themselves in last place. They have brought back the same team from last year, including Kenyon Martin and reigning BIG3 DPOY, James White, but have not succeeded like they did last year. Trilogy were eliminated from playoff contention, but still looked to win against the then winless Ghost Ballers. They could not defeat the Ballers as they lost 50-41. Derrick Byars lead the Trilogy with 15 points. With Kenyon Martin only playing in two games it has been hard on the Trilogy. They will look to get a win against fellow 1-5 Ball Hogs.

This game is meaningless in the playoff picture. However, it is a treat for Boston fans to see a fan-favorite in Brian Scalabrine play again in the Garden. Scal is now a commentator for the Celtics, and was a part of that 2008 team that won the NBA Championship. Both teams will look to win to not be in last place.

Killer 3s (2-4) vs. Tri-State (4-2)

Killer 3s

Coach: Charles Oakley

Roster: Chauncey Billups (Captain), Stephen Jackson (co-Captain), Metta World Peace (co-Captain), Alan Anderson, Ryan Hollins, Mike James, Josh Powell

The Killer 3s are entering Boston with a lot to lose. A loss for them would eliminate them from playoff contention. The Killer 3s have a lot of talent on their team, including five-time All-Star Chauncey Billups, while adding former NBA DPOY Metta World Peace. This season has not been something special for the Killer 3’s as they have not lived up to expectations. In their most recent game against the Power, they lost 50-28. This loss pushed them further to the brink of elimination. Metta World Peace led the Killer 3s in scoring with only nine points. Stephen Jackson leads the Killer 3s in PPG with 16.6, while Metta World Peace holds it down defensively. Chauncey Billups will not play this year, but he is not the only Celtic on the roster. The Killer 3s have Ryan Hollins and Mike James as other former Celtics.

Tri-State

Coach: Julius Erving

Roster: Jermaine O’Neal (Captain), Nate Robinson (co-Captain), Amar’e Stoudemire (co-Captain), David Hawkins, Robert Hite, Bonzi Wells

Tri-State has been one of the more fun teams to watch this BIG3 season. With big NBA names like Amar’e Stoudemire, Nate Robinson, and Jermaine O’Neal they are on the verge of the playoffs. A win here would clinch that for Tri-State. Tri-State could have clinched a playoff berth last week, but failed to do so as they lost to 3’s Company 51-29. David Hawkins led Tri-State with ten points in the loss. Amar’e Stoudemire has shown how dominant he is in these games on defense. He has seven blocks and 24 rebounds this season. David Hawkins is leading Tri-State with 17.5 PPG. Tri-State enters Boston with two well-known former Celtics, Nate Robinson and Jermaine O’Neal.

This game is probably the most important game of the night. With Tri-State able to clinch a playoff berth, and the Killer 3s looking to stay alive, it is one to watch.

With the playoffs approaching, there are many games with heavy implications this week. The first game will air on Facebook Live while the last three will be on FS1.

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