Week 1 Game Previews

Season 4

GSB'S OFFICIAL TWITCH CHANNEL 

Thursday Night Games

• 7:30 PM ET: Motor City Muscle vs. NOLA Riders

The Motor City Muscle have arrived. Previously the Michigan Killer Beez, the Muscle have set their permanent home in Detroit, and hope to embody the blue-collar theme of the city. Because, things are going to be rough and tough. Let's just be honest, they are going to need some elbow grease. Going into the off-season the roster had some serious holes which were exacerbated by the loss of Truck Turner. But, instead of pout, star center and team owner Bear Johnson got to work. Bear brought in Al Padraza (2x All-Star) a high-flying and physical power forward, Robert Ivory, and Toby Knerr all to pair with the #1 Overall Pick Kristopher Jackson Jr. and Kade Padgett (#7 Overall Pick). Ivory will be the Muscle's lanky, intense, slashing guard, while Knerr will be a sharpshooting deep threat to give them a nice blend of styles. The Muscle will also need Grave Digga, the #1 Overall Pick from S3, to take a monumental leap. Digga showed promise and signs of stardom last season, but needs to be a consistent presence. Joey Phillips will also be an interesting piece for this team. Phillips has maintained around 11.0 ppg for the past 2 season, while even seeing a decrease in minutes with Ohio a season ago. If used properly this could be a hidden gem for the Muscle. 

But, they are going up against the NOLA Riders, a team that thrives on speed, finesse, and agility. This clash of styles should make for an exciting showdown. New Orleans has put an extreme amount of pressure on themselves, missing the playoffs last season seemed to awaken a new type of beast in Brendan Goshay (S3 All-Star, S3 All-GSB 1st Team, S3 Scoring Leader). He will push the envelope as he aims to be the face of the GSB for another season. On paper, the Riders are deep and have few weaknesses. Their roster is composed of players that have few issues getting their own shots. Bringing in Brennen McGinty and Thomas LeClaire are two under the radar moves that will pay huge dividends. McGinty, at barely 6'0, is a lightning-quick, clever, bucket-getter who is known for starting comeback runs given his tenacity. LeClaire, standing a full foot taller, is a 7-foot rebounding machine that has spent countless hours working on his post-offense, midrange, and now even 3-point shot. And, you better watch your head as LeClaire hunts alley-oops. Tossing the alley-oop passes will surely be John Matherly (S3 Rookie of the Year, S3 All-GSB Rookie 1st Team). Matherly will look to continue his reign as one of the league's best and most consistent facilitating and defensive guards, and has added even more to his strong offense. Matherly and Goshay could both find themselves in the MVP Race this season with just how elite they are at what they specialize in. NOLA will look to get out to an early lead, they will want to take charge by setting the pace and tone of the game. If the Muscle work to break up the synergy between Goshay and Matherly, then Kameron Best, Matthew Holford, and McGinty will be right there to step up.

• 9:30 PM ET: Seattle Orcas vs. Dallas Flying Stallions (Game of the Week)

The Week 1: Game of the Week features GSB Season 3 Champions, the Seattle Orcas, who are ready to defend their title. They’ll have to contend with a formidable Dallas Flying Stallions squad primed for an upset. Seattle enters the year knowing they will get everyone's best shot and fully embrace the targets on their back. Even though they experienced a slight setback in the preseason, it'll be a whale of a challenge to stop this team when they are playing to their potential. Seattle will once again utilize the Big 3 in Mario Medici, Jim C. Williams, and Shane Nox. All of whom destroyed the league last year with their unstoppable offense and defensive play. The Stern Brothers are back as Dub Stern and Steele Stern plan to cause havoc on defense while also being forces on offense. Oscar Oden and Nick Hill will also play heavily in the guard rotation and make huge waves. Oden the more reliable of the two will be a focus in Seattle's revamped approach. With, the Dragon, Quan Wulong-Chi (S3 All-Star, S3 All-GSB 3rd Team) also playing a major role in this squads system. Wulong-Chi had his best season to date with the Orcas in S3 and will look to dive deeper. Coco Raccoon and his silky play will help fill the spot of Butch Harrison. The Orcas are stacked, but must figure out a way to make up for the loss of Harrison; his play-style single-handedly won them some close games last season until they reached their peak form. They are certainly up for the challenge and have a ring to show any of the doubters.

And this game could set the stage for the season, as the Dallas Flying Stallions aim to make an early statement against the reigning champs. The Stallions once again experienced unanticipated roster losses in the off-season, still reeling from the unforeseen departure of Bear Johnson an off-season ago. However, if you ask anyone there wasn't a hotter team in the league last season than Dallas (or atleast to the level of heat that they brought things to). Jus Blaze (S3 All-Star, S3 All-GSB 1st Team), was as his name suggests, blazing and will burn hotter and brighter with Kanin Able (2x All-Star, S3 All-GSB 2nd Team) and Tavian Tyree (S3 All-Star) this season. Able will be a threat from every spot on the court; Tyree provides a remarkably tenacious style and depth of athleticism from the center position, he's also comfortable stepping back for 3. And, the Flying Stallions depth is uncanny with forces like Che'rry Je'llo (who seems to grow every season), Perry Pinkard, Luke Boudreaux and Kamron Kaine. All of these players have the ability to play well above their point per game averages with Je'llo and Pinkard both having valid claims for awards last season. This Dallas team is tall, fast, and intelligent; they will pick their spots wisely and look for exploits in Seattle's thick armor. This game will come down to play in the paint or moreso how it affects the momentum of the game. Dallas is the better shooting team, but Seattle will attempt to run them off the 3-point line and make them play inside. Will Tyree and Blaze be able to able to handle Medici, Jim C. Williams, and Shane Nox all night long? Tune in to find out!