This Saturday in Las Vegas, the BIG3 puts a bow on their inaugural season as they’ll crown the league’s first-ever champion. Here’s what to watch for.
The debut season for the Ice Cube-backed BIG3 has seen its highs — better than expected ratings — and lows — the ongoing Allen Iverson saga — but did receive some great news earlier this week as FOX announced they were renewing the league’s TV contract.
Stability is key to any upstart professional sports league and the renewal news makes Saturday’s BIG3 Championship game less of a going away party and hopefully the first of many BIG3 title games.
Saturday’s BIG3 Championship games features no surprises, no cinderellas, just the league’s no-doubt two best teams: 3 Headed Monsters and the undefeated Trilogy.
As Trilogy and 3-Headed Monsters stake claim, the trophy shall have only ONE rightful owner come Saturday. #BIG3inLV #BIG3Playoffs 👁️ vs. 🐲 pic.twitter.com/SiNoEhjhFr
— BIG3 (@thebig3) August 22, 2017
The 8-0 Trilogy are led by the trio of BIG3 first overall pick Rashad McCants, NBA veteran Al Harrington and the high-flying James White. Harrington was recognized by his peers as the hardest player in the league to guard, while White won Defensive Player of the Year.
Coached by Detroit Pistons legend Rick Mahorn (the BIG3’s Coach of the Year), Trilogy is arguably the league’s deepest team rounding out their squad with team captain Kenyon Martin and former NBA players Jannero Pargo, Dion Glover and Mike Wilks.
McCants has been as good as advertised (he was taken with the number one pick) leading both the Trilogy and the league in usage rate while scoring a team-high 18.3 points-per-game (third in the league).
The versatile Harrington joined McCants atop BIG3’s scoring chart finishing seventh with a 15.3 mark. White — known more for flashy dunks — led the league in both true shooting and effective field goal percentage.
Trilogy also boasts the top three players in Plus-Minus with White (+104), McCants (+102) and Harrington (+72). These marks are more impressive when you see that fourth place finisher, Rashard Lewis, is only +46.
More than individual accolades, Trilogy’s dominance shows up in their undefeated 8-0 record. Beginning the BIG3 season with a 60-45 defeat of Killer 3’s, Trilogy never looked back winning all eight of their games by five or more points. Their most impressive win, however, came Sunday when they dispatched the 4-3 Ghost Ballers 50-39, their fourth victory of 10+ this season.
While smart money is on Trilogy to run the table and take home the BIG3 championship, don’t count the 3 Headed Monsters out yet.
What the 3 Headed Monsters lack in explosiveness they make up for in veteran leadership. The Gary Payton-led squad features NBA veterans Lewis (team captain), Kwame Brown, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Hakim Warrick, Kareem Rush and Eddie Basden.
Lewis has been one of the league’s best players averaging 21.2 points-per-game, 7.2 rebounds per game, good enough for fourth in the league in Plus-Minutes (+46) and second in NET Rating (103.2). He was selected by his peers as the league’s inaugural MVP.
The league’s most surprising player is the ageless Abdul-Rauf. The 48-year-old finished second on the team in scoring at 13.7 points-per-game and dished out a team-high 3.1 assists per game, second only behind Mike Bibby in league-wide assists.
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BIG3 Championship coverage will kick off this Saturday, August 26, at 12:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. EST) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as runner-ups (Power & Ghost Ballers) duke it out for third place.
The championship game between Trilogy & 3 Headed Monsters tips at 1:30 PT (4:30 p.m. EST) with live coverage on FOX.