- WEEK 12 RECAP -
We are winding down the season and playoffs will begin on March 1st! The higher seeds get preference on timeslots and will get to wear their jersey if they are facing someone with the same jersey color. Ther were alot of emotions and lack of respect displayed towards the players and the referees on Sunday and we don't condone that type of activity in ETBL. This is a rec league at the end of the day and people want to have fun...let's keep it that way.
SIXERS vs PACERS: The blowout of the year. No Ali Nizam for the Pacers and that meant it was going to be a long night for the yellow team. The Sixers destroyed them early and often and then decided to Harlem Globetrot the rest of the game making fancy passes and plays. 5 out of the 6 players for the Sixers were in double figures! Matty and Flash were dropping dimes...Adrian and Naren had double doubles...it was a flat out massacre. Pacers had noone in double figures and it was tough to watch them in this one. They were hanging onto a playoff spot but now find themselves on the outside looking in. They got 2 games left and they will need a full team to try and compete for that playoff spot. The Sixers are rolling and have now moved into 5th in the standings. They are going to be a problem in the playoffs for any team.
Final Score: Sixers 79 - 32 Pacers Player of the Game - NAREN PARAN 25pts/11rebs/1ast - 52.6% Shooting - 3 Triples
SONICS vs NUGGETS: Both teams were playing for the first time in 2020 and there was one team that showed it more than the other. The Nuggets finally take their first loss of the season as they got shut down by the Sonics who snapped their 4 game losing streak. They won 4 straight to start the season and then lost 4 straight which they caught alot of flack for as a 'pretender' team but this win definitely shows that they are dangerous when they play as a unit and they will be a tough matchup in the playoffs. Justin was great on both ends of the court as he continues to be the x-factor for this squad. Zoobee had a dissapointing game but Mr. Zaid Parekh played like a star and carried the team offensively with 22 huge points. The Nuggets shot 17 percent in this one...yeah it was that bad for them...they had come into the game shooting 42.5% as a squad so this was definitely very uncharacteristic of them. This might be a blessing in disguise for them and all that really matter is that you do not lose in the playoffs.
Final Score: Sonics 41 - 25 Nuggets Player of the Game - JUSTIN SAMMY 10pts/2rebs/3asts/3stls/2blks - 100% Shooting
HORNETS vs LAKERS: Big win for the Hornets to move them into the final playoff spot. Their backcourt was dynamic with Arun and Nishan combining for 39 points and hitting 7 triples altogether. Dinash and Viji each had 11 rebounds each and this team just looks to be better structured. They are lacking bench play though and have not been able to get anything reliable from the role guys as most times they have not even shown up. If they can shore that up then they will be a threat going forward. The Lakers meanwhile put up a decent fight but could not contain the Hornets guards and could not get any big plays from their main guys. This was essentially a must win game for them and now GM Somi will have to once again watch the playoffs instead of participating in them.
Final Score: Hornets 53 - 46 Lakers Player of the Game - NISHAN THURAI 20pts/4rebs/1ast/2stls/1blk - 2 Triples
HEAT vs SPURS: This game was really entertaining until it was ruined with the late game antics from both squads. Spurs had control of the game and led by 2 with about 10 seconds to go. Amit was covered tightly by Baki as he looked to get a 3pt shot off and there was contact by both players as Baki hit the deck. Javed tried to help contest the 3pt shot and was called for the foul which put Amit at the line for 3 freethrows to take the lead if he hit all of them. This foul also was the 5th on Javed which resulted in him being taken off the court. Amit hits the first two freethrows to tie the game...then as he shoots his third one...Javed bangs on the bleachers on the side and is called for a tech and Amit makes the freethrow as well at the same time. Now, Javed is one of my favourite players in the league and he has led his team both vocally and by his play but he was definitely out of line in this particular situation (he also just got away with them calling a tech just prior to it when he tossed the waterbottle). The team would have been down just one and the Spurs would have had a chance to win it with a bucket on the other end...instead it was an additional freethrow to push it to 2 and the Heat get possession back. Things then further escalated as Bahee and Amit got into it and both squads having to be held back for a long period of time. Nobody threw a punch and no suspensions will be handed out but these two teams will have to be more conscious of their attitude and respect toward each other or it will end up costing them one way or another. Referee's will be looking for anything that is deemed to be excessive and will be quick to blow the whistle for techs and stuff. It all comes down to respecting the game first and foremost and unfortunately that did not happen in this one.
Final Score: Heat 46 - 43 Spurs Player of the Game - AMIT SIEUKUMAR 20pts/2asts/1stl - 9/11 FT - 3 Triples
CLIPPERS vs GRIZZLIES: The Clippers continue to beat up their opponents and no one has an answer for them right now. Reigning MVP Kris bounced back from an awful individual performance and put up a rediculous line in this one. Their efficiency has been off the charts as they are 2nd in FG%, third in 3PT% and first in FT%! They are the only undefeated team in the league sitting atop the ETBL universe. They also got Shahriar back from injury to bolster their bench and they look unstoppable at the moment. They will get a tough matchup against the Bullets this Sunday and we shall see if they can keep it rolling. The Grizz are hanging onto a playoff spot barely and they got a good game from Ben as he had 25 on 15 shots but the rest of the team struggled as they only made a combined 7 shots. They will get a chance to regroup against the Twolves this Sunday.
Final Score: Clippers 61 - 44 Grizzlies Player of the Game - KRISOTH GNANENTHRA 34pts/4rebs/8asts/5stls/1blk - 59% - 5 Triples
BULLETS vs BULLS: The Bullets shoot down the Bulls without their GM Ruben and Anthony Jeyakanthan. They were able to do that because Nidun went absolutely nuts in this one as he had a big time triple double and held it down on defence as well. We have not seen a player with the skillset that Nidun has and he showed off everything in this one. The one part of the game you would live with is his 3 point shooting and even that he was on fire with as he nailed 5 of them...pretty much game over at that point as he becomes unguardable. The Bulls were at a disadvantage when Tes picked up 2 techs and was removed from the game early on...they just don't have the pieces to compete on most nights if they do not have a full complement of players. Shang had 17/14/5 and was solid once again but the Bullets had other players contribute like Sam who dropped a season high 18 and Seran was great with 13. Bullets take on the Clips on Sunday in what should be a primetime matchup. The Bulls take on the Knicks in what should be a good game as well.
Final Score: Bullets 69 - 40 Bulls Player of the Game - NIDUN CHANDRAKUMAR 18pts/22rebs/13asts/1stl/2blks - 50% - 5 Triples
KNICKS vs MAGIC: The Knicks looked awfully good on offence in this one as they put up a season high 75 points in this one. Jay was amazing as he usually is leading the team with 33 points and doing a bit of everything. The Knicks also had a coach (Sujee) who helped out and looked like he brought out the best in them. They also got support from Kirk who had torn his achillies earlier and it was great to see him back on the sidelines. As for the game they played a 1-3-1 zone and really tried to keep the Magic off balance. The Knicks have enough players with length, size and quickness for this scheme to be effective and they did a good job early on with it. The Magic did cough up the ball alot (14 times) and they were unsure when to shoot their shots especially in that first half. They finally got used to it and adjusted in the second half but they dug themselves too big of a hole. The Greek Freak went off once again in this one as Matheos dropped a game high 42 points!!! He was 15 for 24 and hit 9 triples! He did all he can to keep his team from getting smashed but we did not get enough from the rest of the squad. They were missing Brian in this one and this was their first game in 2020 so we will give them a pass and see if they bounce back in the next one.
Final Score: Knicks 75 - 57 Magic Player of the Game - JAY KUM 33pts/7rebs/7asts/3stls/1blk/1to - 57% - 5 Triples