- WEEK 5 RECAP -
Week 5 had some big time games! The Champs go down, the Bobcats and Thunder make their debut, and a few teams made a statement with their wins. We are gonna quickly break it down and get ready for Week 6.
SONICS vs LAKERS: The Sonics got their first win of the season and they were still missing some key contributors. Bhavik, Rahul and Justin are all important pieces but they dug deep and pulled away in the late stages of the game. GM Varjot aka VJ was terrific going 5 for 5 and hauling down a team high 7 rebounds while chipping in on the defensive end with 2 steals. But Jeroy stole the show as he dropped a 20 piece and was all over the floor in this one. He was great in transition, great on defence, and great down the stretch. Lakers had a long layoff and will need to get play more consistently throughout the game.
Final Score: Sonics 68 - 57 Lakers Player of the Game - JEROY WILLIAMSON 20pts/3asts/2stls/0to - 53% Shooting -
RAPTORS vs NETS: The Nets drop another one as they grinded in the first half but Gogs hit some tough baskets and secured the win for the Raps in the second half. The Raptors are still not hitting playing at a high level but they are getting the job done the last couple weeks. They will still need to find another gear or 2 if they want to make some real noise this season.
Final Score: Raptors 45 - 36 Nets Player of the Game - GOHULAN SIVAKUMAR 14pts/6rebs/3asts/2stls - 50% Shooting
HEAT vs HAWKS: Heat are rolling and are playing with alot of confidence. Everyone is now chipping in including Mathusan who came through huge for them. Nidun controlling the pace, Markshun controlling the paint, and Anthony controlling the scoring. Witness aka Nitharshan has been pulling all the right strings and has this team playing with the right mindset..."control what you can control". Aakgash was awesome in this one dropping 22 points including 3 straight triples...but it will come in a losing effort and GM Mithun will need to get his team organized going forward.
Final Score: Heat 65 - 47 Hawks Player of the Game - MATHUSAN SHAN 16pts/2rebs/4asts/1stl/0to - 58% Shooting
BOBCATS vs WOLVES: Bobcats finally made their debut and beat a solid Wolves team. Mr. Casimier put up a game high 23 points and looked good with his new teammates. Allan was also solid with a double double and these two look to do some damage this season. GM Omar has to be happy with how the first game went and we shall see if they can keep it up. Wolves didn't have all their players and still put up a good fight. They will look to bounce back.
Final Score: Bobcats 60 - 50 Wolves Player of the Game - CHRISTIAN CASIMIER 23pts/5rebs/1ast/1stl/2blks/0to - 2 Triples
PISTONS vs THUNDER: Motor city is on a mission and they are not taking any hostages. Cross the Thunder off their list and now they have bounced back nicely after their season opening loss to the Heat. Big Mike is arguably the most entertaining player in the league as he just continues to do it all in a variety of ways. You gotta throw the whole kitchen sink at this man to stop him and even it looks like it only slows him down a tad. Thunder get humbled after having so much preseason hype. Camren was nice with a team high 18pts but the rest of the team did not play to their potential. They almost had a come-to-jesus moment after this game but it looks like they are backtracking and staying focused on what could be improved internally. I mean they got enough speed, endurance and athleticism to just outrun teams and use their transition game but they settled on just taking three after three via their drive and kick game. That will always be there for them with a player like Janath...and I understand the Pistons zone defence is tough as nails (just the sheer size, length and IQ) but they got enuff cutters, passers, playmakers and IQ themselves to attack and get inside. GM Sujeevan will have to figure out how to maximize their potential.
Final Score: Pistons 60 - 51 Thunder Player of the Game - MIKE GRANT 21pts/15rebs/3ast/1stl - 3 Triples
KNICKS vs JAZZ: My oh my what a game this was! Jazz battled back from a few deficits to tie this game with a few seconds left on a big time clutch 3 by Jovan! Alex was clutch down the stretch as well to give this team a chance to pull off the victory. Both teams are pretty evenly matched and they went shot for shot in the second half. Jovan coulda been the hero in this one but unfortunately had a tough foul call on him at the buzzer to send Ryan to the line for 3 freethrows (was definitely a foul but sometimes refs swallow the whistle on last minute long distance shots). Ryan essentially seals the game after hitting the first freethrow and the Knicks get a huge win and are now starting to make some noise.
Final Score: Knicks 54 - 53 Jazz Player of the Game - TEVON TODD-WHITNEY 11pts/5rebs/1ast/2stls - 62.5% Shooting
GRIZZLIES vs CLIPPERS: STATEMENT GAME! Coming off a poor showing...now facing the champs...it would have been easy for the Grizz not to be ready for this one but instead they showed what they are capable of on any given night. Which is why they would be a scary playoff team to face. Ben double double'd with 12 n 13rebs but the story once again was the play of Mr. Jesse Smith! I know I said Mike Grant might be the most entertaining player in the league but this dude is up there as well! Breaking ppl off the dribble (including the Szn 5 defensive player of the year), making great passes, blocking shots, and just pretty much always looking to make the game easier for him and his teammates. Bravo Jesse. Also, huge shoutout to Vishnu Arul who hit some clutch shots to keep them in it and put the game out of reach. If he gets his shooting stroke going, this team is dangerous. Clippers lose for the first time in like 2 years I wanna say (only lost once all of season 5)...and they didn't take it well...blamed the basketball (not enough air)...blamed the lack of shotclock...blamed the mascots...blamed the fans...I lost track of the excuses lol. But in all seriousness, they will have to be playing at another level this season to get back to where they want to be which is on the throne of ETBL. Get a little reorganized, be on point with strategy, get healthy and get the swagger back. I trust they will be ready.
Final Score: Grizzlies 47 - 34 Clippers Player of the Game - JESSE SMITH 15pts/15rebs/6asts/1stl/4blks - 60% Shooting
WARRIORS vs HORNETS: The Warriors are back in the win column and they disposed of the Hornets fairly easily. If it wasn't for the play of Micheal Kim (who was taking charges, getting to loose balls and making shots) this coulda been a whole lot worse. Donald was solid on defence, NJ hit bombs early and often, Alvin was aggressive on the boards, and the rest of the team will played some hunger and intensity. The chemistry is there and these guys like playing with one another...now it is just a matter of finding their rhythm and finding a style of play that works. Long season left to get all that sorted out.
Final Score: Warriors 58 - 45 Hornets Player of the Game - MARKUS JEGANATHAN 18pts/2rebs/3asts/2stls - 50% Shooting