Week 4 Power Rankings

1 – Tri State (3-1) 

The word for Tri State is “solid.” They can shoot, they have size, they all hustle, and they know what to do without the basketball. My one concern about them is that they don’t have a true go-to scorer who you can just toss the ball to and expect something good to happen – team Captain Jason Richardson is a fantastic player, but he needs some open space to do his thing, whether it’s shooting from the perimeter or going to the rack. Still, I like Dr. J’s chances to become the first-ever person to win an NBA Championship, an ABA Championship, and a BIG3 Championship. (Tri State was ranked #1 last week.)

2 – Aliens (3-1)

Definitely a glass half-full weekend for Rick Mahorn’s team. Coming into Week 4, the Aliens were defined by their beautiful off-ball movement and trio of European players. Trilogy was physical enough to stick to their assignments and didn’t over-help. That nullified most of the Aliens’ improvisational actions, and the trio of Bulut, Lasmanis, and Ivosev finished a combined 11-40 from the floor and 4-18 from beyond the arc.

However, they did come away with the win against Trilogy by beating them at their own game. They out-rebounded the most physical team in the league 44-23, and Deshawn Stephens controls the paint on both offense and defense as well as anyone in the league. The Aliens have shown just how pretty they can make the game look – that they can also win ugly might mean they’re that much more dangerous. (The Aliens were ranked #4 last week.)

3 – 3 Headed Monsters (3-1)

Getting a win with Coach Reggie Theus and Captain Rashard Lewis absent was pretty darn impressive. Kevin Murphy is the definition of a walking bucket, and midseason acquisition Quincy Miller is certainly taking full advantage of his opportunity. Jonathon Simmons did leave the game against Enemies early with an injury – hopefully it’s nothing too serious. (The 3 Headed Monsters were ranked #7 last week.)

4 – Ghost Ballers (2-2)

Life can come at you fast in the BIG3. In Week 3, the Ghost Ballers went into halftime with a 2-0 record and a 25-12 lead over Trilogy. After being on the wrong end of a 20-2 Trilogy run in the second half of that game and a 2-point loss to the Killer 3’s in Week 4, they find themselves at .500. This team still has so much talent, though, and they play well together. I don’t think anybody wants to see these guys in the playoffs. (The Ghost Ballers were ranked #3 last week.)

5 – Power (2-2)

When Power can get some shots to fall, they look like a contender. Also, it’s time to stop referring to TJ Cline as “Coach Nancy Lieberman’s son TJ Cline.” He’s earned his stripes by being maybe the best big man in the league at playing without the ball, and he has a sixth sense for what to do in “no-clear” situations, which is incredibly impressive for a FIREBALL3 rookie. He’s earned the right to just be “TJ Cline.”

Yes, it is tempting to give the lion’s share of the credit for his basketball IQ to Coach Lieberman. However, there are (relatively speaking) a lot of players in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Many of those players had extremely high basketball IQs. Very few of their children have played professional basketball and been effective thanks in large part to their sky-high basketball IQs.

Coach Lieberman deserves plenty of credit as a coach and mother, but TJ didn’t get his mother’s feel for the game genetically passed to him – he’s clearly put in the work, and it’s paying dividends for Power. (Power were ranked #9 last week.)

6 – Triplets (2-2)

This might be low for a team that features Iso-Joe and has Lisa Leslie on the sidelines, but I’m putting them here for now considering just how impressive Power was in Week 4 and how much I still believe in the overall talent on the Ghost Ballers’ roster. The alley-oop party Jeremy Pargo and Ryan Hollins had against Bivouac was certainly a pleasure to watch, even if they didn’t come away with the victory. (Triplets were ranked #2 last week.)

7 – Trilogy (2-2)

I’m beginning to think it’s going to be a long road for Trilogy if they want to defend their BIG3 Championship. They’re physical as all get-out and play hard, but shot-making is a serious concern for this club. They’re going to need to find some perimeter shooting sooner rather than later if they want to have a chance at back-to-back championships. (Trilogy were ranked #5 last week.)

8 – Killer 3’s (2-2)

Charles Oakley’s club really showed me something in Week 4. Frank Nitty and his relentless energy rubs off on the rest of the club. Donte Greene is a walking bucket. Josh Powell can control the paint and hit the mid-range jumper. Perhaps most importantly, this team always leaves it all on the floor, which is what you’d expect from a team led by Oakley and Frank Nitty. (The Killer 3’s were ranked #11 last week.)

9 – Enemies (2-2)

Well, one 2-2 team had to get the #9 spot. The Enemies can light it up and are always entertaining. However, even with Isaiah Austin patrolling the paint, they simply don’t bring enough on defense for me to take them seriously as contenders. That could change when Elijah Stewart’s stint with the Pelicans’ Summer League squad ends, though. Also worth noting is that Jordan Crawford, who the Enemies grabbed out of the draft pool to fill Stewart’s spot, has been a walking bucket and looks like he absolutely deserves to stay in the league, so it’ll be interesting to see how that situation plays out. (The Enemies were ranked #6 last week.)

10 – Ball Hogs (1-3)

Tough choice between Ball Hogs and Bivouac. Every Bivouac game has come down to the wire. You can’t say that about the Ball Hogs. However, I feel it’s so important that Leandro Barbosa missed Week 1, was still trying to get back in the groove in Week 2, and Jodie Meeks missed Week 4. At full strength, I think this is a really, really good team. Unfortunately, we’ve only truly seen them at full strength once this season, and they’re already a long shot to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. (The Ball Hogs were ranked #8 last week.)

11 – Bivouac (1-3)

As stated above, Bivouac took all three of their losses to the wire, and BIG3 rookie Gerald Green has established himself as one of the best players in the league. It might take a little more time and some offseason tweaks, but the foundation of this team is rock solid. Also, the team breaking their years long losing streak on Friday was one of the feel-good moments of the season. (Bivouac were ranked #12 last week.)

12 – 3’s Company (1-3)

As talented as Michael Beasley is, I feel like he’s being asked to shoulder too heavy of a load for this 3’s Company team. He’s not being put in positions to get easy looks, and is currently shooting just 34.4% from the field 16.7% from three-point range. Given that only three players in the league have taken more shots than Beasley this season, that’s very far from ideal. I hope Beasley stays in the BIG3 for years to come, and that he can find himself in a situation where his team’s game plan doesn’t revolve around him forcing so many difficult shots. (3’s Company were ranked #10 last week.)