Over 30

Commentary by KAP & RUDY...

Citizen Clown 63  Senior Citizen Discount 43

SCD’s Freefall Continues

Pregame:

That’s right folks, you guessed it. Ed and Rich were once again out for SCD. I mean it’s getting ridiculous at this point. Easy win for Citizen Clown about to ensue. Moving on.

Game Notes:

• Much to my surprise, SCD hung around respectably in the first half. Dave Murdoch…that’s right…DAVE MURDOCH!!!...knocked down two threes in the first half to give SCD a massive boost on offense.
• Dustin was cookin’ too, as he has been all season, and we actually had a decent game on our hands.
• By decent I mean CC led by 5-10 the entire time, but hey I expected this to be 15-20. SCD had no answer for Press, who did whatever he wanted on offense and when he needed help Yak was there (season high 18 points). Yak was a mid-range beast in this game.
• CC led 40-31 at the half and this was a huge win for SCD. I expected the second half to get ugly though.
• The second half wasn’t quite as ugly as I thought, but CC did assert dominance and end up running away with it. SCD simply did not have the personnel to hang in this one. I mean, when Murdoch is your second leading scorer with 14 points that is a problem!
• Not much to see here guys. CC cruises to the 20 point win.

Grades: In order of the stat sheet

Press (A): Dominated in all facets. Had a combined 8 steals and blocks. That’s awesome.

Hanks (B+): Typical day at the office for Hanks. Chipped in 15 and 10.

Cheese (B+): Another solid game from Cheese who has played well this season.

Yak (A)***KAP AWARD NOMINEE***: Monster game for Yak. Hit everything he threw at the rim. Really liked what he brought to the table tonight.

Frank (D): Questionable shot selection fresh off the Kap Award. I think this went to his head. Got real mad at Dustin too for no real reason.

Chao (B-): Didn’t hurt the team and played hard.

Dustin (A-): Very strong game for Dustin, but once again he had 0 help. His individually strong season continues.

Murdoch (A-): Great game for Murdoch. Double-double!

Rikleen (C+): Someone needs to teach this guy how to shoot a basketball my goodness. Great work on the glass though.

Dmitry (C-): Not a good shooting game. Tough matchup for him though.

This is Crazy 70  Retirement Party 56

TIC Extends Win Streak to 4

Pregame:

This had the look of an interesting matchup. I figured Scott could contain Ray, while John could contain Bohnaker. That meant Nate would need to be the x-factor as I noted in my pregame lines. I basically deemed him to be the guy who would decide this thing one way or the other.

Game Notes:

• To say my analysis of Nate’s role in this game was spot on would be a massive understatement. Nate came out of the gates PIPING HOT. Nate would knock down 4 threes in the first 5 minutes of the game. For those who aren’t sure if that’s good, let me tell you, that is damn good. Nate’s burst allowed TIC to take control early.
• Even with Nate going off, RP was able to hang around and not get into too big a hole. Johnny looked good tonight, using his patented “miss, grab the offensive rebound, then make it” move well. He also had a really smooth tip in on a missed shot that impressed me. He was a problem for TIC in the first half.
• I should mention that Bonvie hit his first two threes of the game, which I thought was a great sign for RP. Unfortunately he would only go 1 for 9 the rest of the way.
• RP is a gritty team, and they showed this in the first half. At the break they only trailed by 2 which was a great spot for them considering Nate’s
• Nate’s explosion was a first half show only. He wouldn’t make a three the rest of the game. He did however have a running mate named Andrew Ray.
• Ray picked up the slack in the second half, hitting a number of high difficulty baseline jumpers. He really gave TIC a much needed lift after the Nate 3 ball went dry.
• Nate was not to be forgotten completely though. He absolutely DUSTED Dwight on a left side drive. I think Dwight is still searching for Nate at MLK as I write this.
• Offense was tough to come by for RP in the second half. Johnny couldn’t buy a bucket and seemed to struggle with Ray’s physical defense (arguably some were fouls). Bonvie couldn’t make a shot and Scott reverted back to his scared little bitch boy ways any time he was open from 8 feet.
• TIC would pull away as the half went on and there was no way RP could keep pace. These guys are yet to score 60 points so if you can get 60+ you’re gonna beat them 99/100 times.

Grades: In order of the stat sheet.

John (A-): A tale of 2 halves but this was his best game of the season. Was much more active and didn’t look like he needed an oxygen tank.

Bonvie (C): Started off well, but that was about it. He didn’t force the issue though for the most part. Also tweaked his back; I hope he is ok.

Scott (B-): The numbers look good, but meh game. Came in with a back issue but I play every single game with a back issue so no sympathy! Side note: Scott needs to take at least 15 shots a game for this team to be successful.

Dwight (C): Need more from this guy, simply put. Looked good in the final 3 minutes but we need to see that play earlier.

Ben (A-): He made a 3 so he gets a strong grade. Hustled his ass off per usual and played his role.

Ryan (C): Poor shot selection, but had a few buckets and hustled.

Ray (B+): Ray played well but he gets docked a little just because the standards are so lofty. This wasn’t his typical monster game but it was still a damn good one.

Nate (A): Game high 28 points and a monster first half. Can’t ask for much more from the captain.

Bohnaker (B+): Bohnaker was an admirable 3^rd option tonight and did a nice job battling with the Mulholland bigs.

Spiegel (C+): Had 2 nice blocks but nothing else. Wasn’t even close on any of his threes and looked a bit rusty.

Danner (C): My expectations are rising! Danner did go 100% from deep though!

Bernstein (B-): Down game for Bernstein, but he didn’t need to do as much with the top dogs killing it.

Nice For What 63  Bombs Away 50

NFW disarms the bombs, Al turns into a Tazmanian Devil

Nice for What had a disappointing game last week suffering their first loss of the season, so they were looking to rebound, and get back to their dominance. They had a full lineup, as did Bombs Away. The key for both teams was going to be getting contributions from secondary scorers. Last week Kap had an unreal game, but the rest of the team couldn’t get much going, leading to a loss. Kevin Smith’s team, led by #1 overall pick, Sean Djernes, also needed to get some help. I love all the pieces that Kevin put together in the bash brothers duo of Dustin and Al, with a great bench that can come in the game and light it up from deep with Dan and Amir.

Early on Kap was getting his teammates involved. He had one terrific pass that was Steve Nash-esque as he jumped into the lane, did two pass fakes, and eventually scooped the ball the Harry who finished the snazzy play. Overall, Nice for What did a much better job this week of taking care of the basketball, and putting the ball in the net when they had good opportunities. But those chances were hard to come by in the first half as Bombs Away played some really good defense. Dustin and Sean in particular were all over the place making life difficult. Sean got off to a hot start offensively as well, getting 11 quick points in the game’s first 8 minutes. It was 33-30 at half with Nice for What in the lead.

I was really impressed with Bombs Away’s effort in the first, and Kevin looked to be providing a nice offensive spark for them to compliment Sean’s barrage, but both he and Sean would slow significantly in the second half. I thought Nice for What was taking way too many long shots, and even made a note that they were squandering opportunities, but as soon as I wrote that Kap nailed a deep triple, followed by a Jet three on the next possession, and then Tom Peteet would bust a load in everyone’s face with two triples of his own in an absolute offensive explosion that was a dagger to the hearts of Bombs Away. Tom was the player of the game, and he put together a terrific performance on both ends of the floor.

Bombs Away was in absolute shell shock after Tom threw their own grenades right back at them, but remembered to actually pull the pin. With shrapnel in everyone’s assholes, it was tough sledding as they managed only 20 points in the second half, most of those coming from everyone’s main man Al the glass-shattering Marks. He sank his first three ball since kindergarten, and had drool running down the side of his face as he plowed through the lane. He was clearly pissed off at his team’s effort, and took it upon himself to try to claw back into the game.

Nice for What though took care of business, and got solid contributions from all six members of their elite squad. Jet looked more like himself with some solid shooting, but Dustin’s defense on him really prevented him from getting to the rack as much as I think he’d like. Harry and Brad had good games, and played solid defense. Harry was a beast of the offensive boards. Brad seems to be content with the midrange life, but could be a force in the post. He said that he shot his first free-throws of the year in this game, which is a little crazy for the tallest guy on a team. Papa Nate the Carlucci-Gucci had a tough game going 1-7 from deep, but he rebounded well and helped his team in other ways. He’ll shoot better down the stretch, and honestly I think they want him shooting 5-7 threes a game to stretch the floor.

Bombs Away showed some great potential, but they seemed worn down in the second. Amir and Dan couldn’t get much going off the bench shooting a combined 1-5 from deep, but Amir had some good defense with some very textbook box-outs, while Dan did his best to get Kap mad, which was a bold and ineffective strategy. I’d like to see Dustin get more involved offensively, but they guy is one of, if not THE, best defenders in the league. Al played a phenomenal game, but the team just needed a little more from the other starters. This team is better than I thought though, and could be dangerous come playoff time.

Exact Change 60  We Forgot to Warm-up 67

Game of the Season!

Pregame:

Coming into this one WFTWU was just 1-3 but I noted in my pregame lines this record doesn’t mean shit when you talk about this team. I think this is the third best team in the league which is why I deemed their matchup with unbeaten EC the game of the night. Little did I know it would end up being the game of the season!

Game Notes:

• This game had a playoff feel for WFTWU, as they came out crisp and with a purpose right from the tip. Apparently Al didn’t get the memo on Ghost, because Ghost was straight STROKIN’ from mid-range. Al really needed to get up in his grill. I think he hit like 5 straight to open the game.
• WFTWU threw the first punch which seemed to wake EC up. Manny in particular had a good matchup as he was a handful for Ron in the paint. He would get some easy buckets to fall and EC found themselves right back in this one.
• The real spark in the first half for EC though was Shawn Chattin. This guy has been a monster for EC this season and he flashed some nice plays in this game. He knocked down a three and converted a beautiful circus shot around the rim.
• Let’s not forget about my man Ron. Ron went nuts in the first half from deep. His shot looked really good tonight and he looked focused as hell. Ron and WFTWU really played a great first half, but EC hung around as we went into halftime tied at 34.
• This awesomely entertaining game continued in the second half. Ron continued to absolutely cook, playing his ass off. He was a beast from everywhere on the floor.
• Fast forward a little and we had an ankle breaker moment. Ghost on Al! Yes you read that right. Ghost sent Al flying to the floor and knocked down one of his patented mid-range jumpers. It was a fun momemt.
• This was a tightly contested battle the rest of the way, which was surprising because Al couldn’t get anything going on offense. Chalk this up to solid defense by Chuck and Ghost. Rudy was able to pick up the slack there though, chipping in a solid 17 points. Rudy had a really nice game on a night where his offense was needed.
• We had a tie ball game at 58 with 3 minutes to go. It was going to come down to who wanted it more and unsurprisingly that team was WFTWU. WFTWU was able to grab a lead and salt this thing away at the line. Ball game and statement win for WFTWU!

Grades: In order of the stat sheet.

Ron (A)***PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE***: Best game I have ever seen from Ron. Kid was an animal. Points, steals, rebounds, dimes. He did it all!

Ghost (A)***PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE***: Huge game for Ghost! This was a classic “make every shot” Ghost game. He was huge late too making his free throws to put the game away.

Chuck (B+): Not much press above, but Chuck played a very solid game. He had some impressive offensive rebounds and his defense was excellent.

Cheever (B): Solid game for Cheever who has settled in nicely in his role for this team. He had some nice plays in this game that were key in his team’s victory.

Rich (C): He’s gonna knock one of those threes down eventually folks!

Joe (B): Good game for Joe, who ran the offense well and did a nice job getting Ron and Ghost in their spots. Continued to kill it on the glass too (11 rebounds per game!!!)

Manny (A-): Manny had a terrific game overall but the three ball wasn’t there for him. Can’t hate on his showing tonight though. He put the team on his back and came up just short.

Rudy (B): Rudy gets docked a little for putting the stats up for my game 2 days later. Otherwise, solid ass game for the samurai. Needed to be better from 3 though.

Chattin (A-): I love this guy’s game. Chattin is such a good complementary piece for this team and he was once again solid. The stat line isn’t gaudy but he made his mark on this game.

Al (C): Gotta have more than 6 points from Al. He struggled at the line and just couldn’t get shots to fall. I am chalking this one up to an off night.