SBL gives players a break

No games are scheduled for this week in the Super Basketball League, as all teams take some much needed rest after four straight weeks of competition.

Now that each team has played at least one game against every team in the league, it is time to review how each team has fared through the first quarter of the season. (Most teams have played about six of the 24 games scheduled for the regular season).

Part 1 in this two-part series will take a look at the top three teams in the league.

Still leading the league with a perfect 5-0 record are the Yulon Dinos, headed by Chen Hsin-an (陳信安), the early favorite to win the league MVP honor, and team captain Chiou Tsung-chih (邱宗志), both power forwards.

The Dinos' winning formula in the first month has been a tough team defense that leads the league in points allowed (averaging 74 per game), blocked shots (6.4 per game), and steals (10.4 per game), and a disciplined offense that commits the least errors in the league, with an average of 13 turnovers per game

Perhaps luck has been on the Dinos side in the first month, as three of their five wins have been decided by five points or less and none of the wins have been by eight points or more.

"There is no doubt that every team in the league has marked the Dinos on their schedule," a source close to the league said.

Not far behind the Dinos in the standings are the BCC Mars, which boast a league-leading offense, averaging 86.2 points per game, and a balanced attack that often has all five starters scoring in double figures.

Big men Lai Kuo-hung (賴國弘) and Lee Chi-yi (李啟億) are unquestionably the spiritual leaders of the squad, providing the one-two punch inside the paint, while field general Yen Hsing-shu (顏行書) directs activities from the top of the key.

Defense may become a problem for the Mars down the stretch as the has team yielded an average of 76.7 points per game through the first six contests.

"I am more than pleased with what we've done on the offensive end," coach Chung Chih-mong (鍾枝萌) said. "All we need to do now is start working our tails off on defense."

With the help of its budding star Lee "the Monster" Chih-jeh (李志傑), who took over the individual scoring lead from Dacin standout Tien Lei (田壘) by averaging over 23 points per contest, Taiwan Beer has made a case for being a serious title contender.

The "beer men" should not be too content with their 3-2 mark after five contests, because without "the Monster" in the lineup, nearly a third of the point production would disappear. Lee is so far ahead of the rest of the team in total scoring, it takes the next three top scorers on the team to match him.

"It's absolutely imperative that we develop a number of other guys as soon as possible, so that we won't have to rely on the `Monster,'" head coach Fu Ming-ren (傅明仁) said in a recent interview.

Lee has played in all but 13 minutes of the last five games for Taiwan Beer, and opposing teams are likely to begin to double- or even triple-team him.

Another area of concern for Taiwan Beer is the team's poor shooting from the free throw line, which is averaging 61%.