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KEY PLAYERS B. Picone 8.2 ppg 10.8 rpg 2.1 bpg N. Mui 12.8 ppg 4.3 rpg 2.5 apg

ANALYSIS: The Fury have struggled, losing their last 3 games in a row but the Dope have lost two straight as well. Both are playing without key players in the line-up, MVP caliber players, with the Fury losing (G) Joe Kim with a knee injury and AOD most likely missing (F) Yoshi Kagitomi who you might as well call the Jackalope. But, both still have plenty of tools to make a decent playoff run, if they can get it together. The Fury was pretty much in this same situation last season and they won it all.

X-FACTOR: NYF (G) Rommel Dolar and (G) Alex Cho will get their looks but the key for NYF will be (G) James Choi. If he is making shots and defending well, he gives the Fury that much more of an edge. He is certainly capable. AOD needs someone to make some 3FGs. If (G) Jason Chin is on, they have a real chance of winning. -- The Jet

NYC Fury	GR	GR	Audacity of Dope	Advantage
(G) James Choi	B	B	(G) Jason Chin	Choi is undersized but has decent speed, and is aggressive on offense. Chin has struggled with his shot, but if he catches on, look out.
(G) Rommel Dolar	A	A	(G) Nick Mui	The quick and dead, Dolar has the best handle in the league right now and Mui is the fastest in the open court. This should get interesting.
(G) Alex Cho	A	B	(G) Andrew Hara	Both teams have 3-guard line-ups. Cho has cooled a bit since his red-hot start but is still capable. Hara looked solid at the tin last week.
(F) Rich Chang	B+	A	(F) Aaron Fisher	Chang has been a great complement to Picone but must limit his TOs. Fisher is the best PF in the league right now. Just gets it done.
(C) Bryant Picone	A	B+	(C) Len Kamdang	Defense is the name of Picone's game and if he can score, it's a bonus for NYF. Kamdang is a bit opposite and brings a versatile game.
BENCH	B-	B	BENCH	Both benches have thinned since injuries and scheduling conflicts have struck but AOD gets the slight edge with more depth.

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KEY PLAYERS G. Chan 13.2 ppg 6.8 rpg 1.0 bpg M. Chan 12.9 ppg 6.6 rpg 2.1 spg

ANALYSIS: The Hypebeasts have to be a little upset they didn't finish with at least the no. 2 seed. It was that close. But, now they face a CRB team that has not won yet this season. For all intents in purposes, this should be a cakewalk for HYP but in a single-elimination playoffs, you never know. (G) Ian Yu's crew was an early exit last season, too, and there is some significant team turmoil on hand. Plus, CRB (F) Mike Chan is red-hot right now, which gives the Crossbearers some hope.

X-FACTOR: HYP (F) Jason Wu has been there best addition so far this season. His all-around play and composure has been a calming factor for the often distracted Hypebeasts. He can do it all, and has been. The Crossbearers need one of their guards to have a big game. In their last game it was (G) Kwok Ng and they had a chance. -- The Jet

Hypebeasts	GR	GR	NY Crossbearers	Advantage
(G) Ian Yu	B+	B	(G) Dave Zheng	Yu has struggled with his offense but is still a strong playmaker. Zheng has been quiet but has all the tools to be a strong PG.
(G) Sam Jenkins	A	B	(G) David Li	Jenkins is always capable of hitting 3 or 4 3FGs in a row. CRB will have to stay on him. Li is an intangibles guy, hustles non stop.
(F) Mamadou Hanne	B+	A	(F) Mike Chan	Hanne has been a top defender all season which will be a challenge for Chan, who uses his size rather than speed to score.
(F) George Chan	A	A	(F) James Li	Chan is much bigger than Li but slower. Li, one of the best athletes around, will have to take advantage against the stronger Chan.
(C) Howard Chu	B+	B	(C) Danny Lung	Chu has been asserting himself lately and at his side, that's no picnic. Lung is athletic and goes hard but is undersized.
BENCH	A	B	BENCH	Both teams have plenty of depth but HYP brings more size to the table and a dynamic player like Wu.