- WEEK 3 RECAP -
WRITTEN BY: PROFESSOR X
I am honored to be apart of ETBL once again and in the presence of such great ballers. The level of talent in the league is amazing to see and we should be in store for another wonderful season. Week 3 was fun and the jerseys just looked unreal. It took everything to another level and I am still debating on what the best jersey was. I really loved the Bucks, Grizzlies, Heat and the Rockets was a classic. How can I forget about the Clippers jersey though...man that was beautiful. We gotta do a poll on the best jerseys this season. We had a team make it's debut and wow what a game it was. Let's get right into it.
HEAT vs ROCKETS: What a game to be watching with some of the most exciting players in the league. This game ensured we hit the ground running this week. Roshane’s Rockets fought hard as they started this one out by converting most possessions into points but it was Abdi Omar of the Heat that dominated early. He scored 10 of their first 11 points and finished with nearly half of his team’s total tallies. He is showing that he can be a star in this league and did the heavy lifting in this one. Roshane scored a pretty behind the back 'And 1' to finish the first half leading his team to a 10-3 run to end the half. The Heat’s tenacious players like Zaid and Mau grabbing boards and Aakgash playing great defense and picking up steals that opened the half on a 9-2 run before a timeout by the Rockets. Then it was the Malik Tantawi speed that sparked some energy and they dialed up the intensity for the Rockets. Anand hits a big 3 to make it a 7 point game (51 to 44) and it looked like the Rockets would prevail. But back to back triples by Abdi and Aakgash get them right back into it. Then it was Aakgash that came up with a HUGE steal and a bucket to tie the game. Anand was all over the court in the 2nd half as stepped up on defense for the Rockets and took two hard offensive fouls to the body by streaking Heat players going to the basket. In the last play of regulation where the Heat have a chance to win, Tes gets a huge steal and gives it to Anand for a chance to win it at the buzzer. Anand thought there should have been a foul on the jumper but after a referee huddle it was determined that it was not. In OT the scoring didnt stop for the Heat and it was a 3 pointer by who else but Abdi to send it home for a big comeback win for the Heat! The Rockets looked like they had it in the bag and they did not have a full squad but no excuses in Season 7.
Final Score: Heat 58 - 53 Rockets (OT) Player of the Game: ABDI OMAR 25pts/5rebs/3asts/1to - 53% Shooting - 3 Triples
KINGS vs MAGIC: Well, the Magic let another game slip out of their hands as they were up 15 points in the 2nd half! Kingsley hits a big triple to put them up 40 - 25 and somehow the Magic disappeared after that. Jordan did get hurt and that didn't help but credit the Kings were buckling down on defence and getting the stops they needed. Damion was everywhere for them and did a little bit of everything. Okay, he did a lot of everything. The Etbl swiss army knife knew how to get his team back into it and the ability to make his players around him better is phenomenal. Whether that be with his energy or playmaking...he has been a stud. Craig Hanson also had a game with 11/7/4 and sparked his team exactly when they really needed it. Gajen couldn't get it going offensively but did a tremendous job on the boards (10) and did whatever he could to get this win. Coach Nishan pressed the right buttons in the 2nd half and came out with a big dub. Anthony and company will take a rest this week and look to bounce back in the next one. They have shown stretches of great basketball and now they just have to put it all together for a complete 42 minutes.
Final Score: Kings 57 - 50 Magic Player of the Game: DAMION DAVIS 20pts/8rebs/4asts/2stls - 50% Shooting - 3 Triples
GRIZZLIES vs BOBCATS: This game showed us why the bobcats were the defending champs and why they continue to be a threat to take games even without key players. The newest addition for the Bobcats, Arens Selimi, added great center skills and size to the lineup. He pushed his squad to a comfortable lead early by just being incredibly smart. Got to his spots, set screens and rolled perfectly. We need to clone him and give him to every team in the league (except the Thunder). Grizzlies Jesse Smith and Bobcats Arens & Kareem dominated on the boards. Meanwhile outside the key, Grizzlies Cusean Lee and Bobcat’s Matthew Campbell played on the outside and contributed 20+ points each. Matthew Cambell specifically had a great second half hitting 3 straight 3 pointers to really send the Grizzlies home. The Bobcat’s Kalsang Tashi dished out a game high 5 assists showing the Bobcat’s great ball movement and dispersed scoring. At the end of the day it seemed the game of percentages brought us to our final score as the Grizzlies shot 31% from the field in this one.
Final Score: Bobcats 64 - 43 Grizzlies Player of the Game: MATTHEW CAMPBELL 22pts/6rebs/1ast/2stls/0to - 57% Shooting - 5 Triples
BUCKS vs HAWKS: Well, this one was over in the first half. Bucks were up 30 to 14 but it felt a lot more than that as the Hawks really struggled to get their offence going. Omar made a big triple to cut it down to 11 but they weren't able to make a considerable run. A lot of credit goes to the rebounding and defence of the Bucks as they held it down. Jerome was amazing with 21 on 50% shooting and the defence was spectacular. Arish went off in this one and he will be counted on to be one of the x-factors for this squad. Shay made his season debut and was solid as he works his way back into game shape and he will have to be another key contributor if they want to make some real noise this season. The Hawks will look to regroup with a bye week. If they can keep the game simple and play with effort on defence then they will be able to compete. Yanick played solid and so did Stallone and hopefully they can keep it going in the next one.
Final Score: Bucks 59 - 41 Hawks Player of the Game: ARISH BRADLEY 20pts/9rebs/2asts/1blk - 60% Shooting
WARRIORS vs NETS: What at first looked to be an easy win for the Warriors opening this one on a 12 -2 turned out to be a chippy, hard fought game between these two squads. The Nets seemed to start this one half asleep but an early timeout only 4 minutes into the game woke them right up. The Nets were helped along by a double double from Dustin Kuypers to make them competitive in this one. The Nets brought it as close as 2 late in the first half but the dispersed scoring of the Warriors proved to wide a range to cover. 4 players on the Warriors racked up 10 points or more and that is exactly what this team needs to do if they want to make any sort of noise this season. Kapi, Eric, Shakeil, and Adrian all hit double digits in the game and their lead over the scrappy Nets hit double digits early in the second half and they never looked back. Nets gotta sustain some energy throughout and get a little more organized otherwise it will be a long season. Ball movement and offball screens and playing for each other will go a long way. Warriors look to keep it going in the next one.
Final Score: Warriors 62 - 48 Nets Player of the Game: SHAKEIL PINDER 19pts/7rebs/3asts/4stls/1blk/1to - 53% Shooting
CLIPPERS vs PISTONS: We can likely just rename this one the “battle of the big boys" as both these teams are expected to be contenders. The Pistons were missing their most important player which is Big Mike and the Clippers took full advantage in this one. It started out slow for the two teams who have winning pedigrees behind them, but the clips really pushed the envelope going on a 17-6 run midway through the first half. It seemed like when the pace really started going...the pistons were on the back foot abd having a lone sub really hurt them as they were looking to cath their breath the whole time. Javed played great in this one doing damage beyond the arc as he drained 3 of his 7 attempts and racked up 14 total points in the contest. One of the best shooters in the league and he showed why in this one. The half-time buzzer seemed to provide the Pistons some relief and we saw some more life from them the rest of the way out. Outside of the first 4 minutes of the game and the last 3, the two teams were identical in scoring at 40 points a piece. The Pistons ran on adrenaline and heart in the second half and the efforts of Chris George and Shaun Lawson sacrificing their bodies for some plays got them closer. Ajahmo and the Clippers always seemed to outwork the Pistons but never enough to bury them but ultimately the pace of the extra men of the Clippers bench held the double digit gap between them (plus obviously no Big Mike which woulda completely changed the complexion of the game). But no excuses in Season 7.
Final Score: Clippers 64 - 44 Pistons Player of the Game: JAVED AHMAD 14pts/6reb/3ast/2stls/0to - 50% Shooting - 3 Triples