It’s not often the best player in an upcoming championship is considered the X-Factor for his team’s chances at a title. Think about it; Kobe wasn’t considered the X this past Finals, Tim Duncan was never the X for the Spurs’ glory days, and Jordan was anything but during his reign as King. If anything, each and every one of those players was given the keys to the car and asked to set the GPS towards Victory Lane. Each general manager built their team around that weapon, and enjoyed multiple championships as a result of that decision. As July 15th approaches, however, Uptempo’s Scott Williams serves as a true anomaly to the rule; as the best player in this Finals match-up, Williams still retains the title of “X-Factor” headed into the NRF Championship against Huarache.

For a second, let’s focus on the definition of the phrase. With no Merriam-Webster edition to back it up, the term “X-Factor” has an innate feel to it. The X-Factor, when on his game, can silently swing the result in his team’s direction more so than any other player. So why shouldn’t we consider Kobe the X-Factor for the Lakers? As a perennial All-Star, Kobe has been the most household of names for going on ten years now, and he can only add to his legend in the pages of the NBA record books. Anything Kobe does on and off the court, as we all know by now, is anything but silent.

What about Williams? Well, the former co-Rookie of the Year did everything right to solidify his status as a budding star in his second season. Even after averaging over 20 points during the regular season, Williams’ semi-final showing against Terminator was a perfect example of his role as an X-Factor. After his team’s slow start, Williams went off from long-range, including three from distance and one deep two-pointer that gave Uptempo a ten-point lead late in the first half. And though he plays with a confident style bordering on arrogance, Williams undoubtedly swung the pendulum in Uptempo’s favor with his perimeter shooting and ability to open up looks for teammates. His third three-pointer of the half oozed the brash style that so defines Williams’ game, as he confidently launched a three-pointer from no man’s land that found nothing but net and had fans wondering if everything he touched that night would be gold.

As Uptempo heads for their third straight NRF Championship, their hopes and dreams rest largely on the shoulders of Scott Williams. Though he becomes anything but silent once the whistles start blowing against Uptempo, Williams’ deadly perimeter game strikes fear into the hearts of every challenger. And once he takes the floor of Madison Square Garden, expect the All-Star’s game to rise accordingly as Uptempo battles Huarache for the NRF Championship.

- Camron Ghorbi