I knew it…

Coming into this game I saw Washed and Folded (WAF) as the favorites.  As everyone knew Hungover Hoopers (HH) were missing their best player and very important player and only had 4 guys on the day.  All of this was somewhat irrelevant, the game still had to be played and what was at stake was a trip to the championship.  Before I get to it big shouts out to Emmanuel for keeping me company during the game.  We seriously gotta get video, microphones and a weekly guest segment going.  His commentary was hilarious and it’s a shame no one else got to hear it.  Enough about that let me get to the meat and potatoes.

First half:

When I say no team had the edge for this entire half I really mean it.  The biggest lead was a 37-35 advantage by WAF with 3:44 left in the half.  The game would end up tied at 41 at the half.

Halftime stats:

WAF:

Jamil Ball 13 pts, 3 stls, 4 drebs, 5 asts

Robert Wood 16 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 3 drebs

Patrick Blaikie 1 stl, 1 dreb

Joshua Gettings 12 pts, 2 blks, 4 drebs, 4 ast

Ben Butterworth 1 oreb

HH:

Andrew Marra 9 pts, 2 oreb, 2 drebs, 1 ast

Lucas Guilano 7 pts, 6 drebs, 2 asts

Musse Kassa 10 pts, 2 stls, 2 oreb 2 dreb, 5 asts

Robel Ghebremichael 15 pts, 3 oreb, 6 drebs, 2 asts

Player of the half:

Robel Ghebremichael

Second half:

Things got really interesting.  At the 10 minute mark HH had a 61-57 lead.  That lead ballooned even further off the hot three point shooting of Robel to 68-60 with 6:12 left.  I admittedly thought the game was over but Emmanuel told me he wasn’t sleeping.  Boy was he right.  Everyone pretty much had a hand in the comeback but it mostly came off the play of Rob and Jamil.  With 16.4 seconds left WAF was up 79-77 and HH had the ball.  While HH made every effort to tie or win the game they were unable to do so and went on to lose 82-78.  WAF advances to the championship game.

Player Grades:

Jamil Ball A+ his three bal was efficient, his free throw shooting was clutch and played a complete all-around game.  This was the first time I’ve ever seen him not get an offensive rebound but it didn’t matter.

Robert Wood A no assists?  When you’re shooting the way he did it doesn’t matter.  He stuffed the stat sheet and played an amazing game.  He keeps get better and better each week in the playoffs.  I can’t even imagine what he’s going to do in the championship game.

Patrick Blaikie B I know he didn’t score but 2 stls and 2 drebs in a 2 possession game in a team win is not something to be disappointed in.  You only took 1 shot too my man and your team won and you’re going for back to back championships.  You can stat keep and I can play if you want 😂.

Joshua Gettings A+ probably had the most complete game of anyone out there.  Loved everything about the way he played out there.

Sami Hameid B+ didn’t play but showed up and provided moral support for his teammates.  Sometimes it’s good to give your teammates this type of support.  A truly selfless act to come and cheer your guys on so bravo for that.

Ben Butterworth B no game winner today and only managed to get 1 oreb on the day.  Regardless he provided an extra possession for his team.  Also the defensive effort was there and a lot of what Ben does will not necessarily show up on the stat sheet.  I like the way he played.

Andrew Marra B- was phenomenal in the first half but ran out of gas or maybe something else but he just wasn’t the same guy in the second half.  Still I like the game he played today even though he was 0fer from three.   I’m glad he’s coming back next season.

Lucas Guliano A- his three point shooting percentage is the reason for the minus on his grade. Somehow he almost managed to have a triple double but I would’ve liked to see him score a little more especially inside the three point line but he did have a good season overall and I’m glad he’s back next season.

Musse Kassa A- added the minus to his grade because Jamil cooked him but he still managed to get 3 steals.  I can’t really pinpoint one thing he could’ve/should’ve done better.  Doesn’t look like he signed up from next season yet so what are you waiting for?

Robel Ghebremichael A+ seriously wow.  It is very rare for me to give someone this high of a grade on a losing team but ultimately he did everything in his power to try and help his team win.  I’m hoping he comes back next season because oh man what a performance this was and I would love to see more.
 

Players of the game:

Couldn’t pick just one guy, couldn’t pick just two guys so why not pick three.  Yes Jamil, Rob and Josh are your players of the game.  All three of these guys efforts were needed to overcome the dominant performance by Robel.  Looking forward to what WAF does in the championship game.

It’s like Butter baby, it's like Butter QTip voice….

Coming into this game I had Mamba Forever (MF) as a 1 point favorite over Washed and Folded (WAF).  WAF had their entire squad and MF only had 4 guys.  Not gonna lie had I known this prior to the game I probably would’ve made WAF the favorites by 1 but oh well as the saying goes hindsight is always 20/20.

First half:

There was no disappointment in the game whatsoever.  As I expected, both teams were really battling each possession.  You could tell this was a playoff game as the intensity level was like nothing I had seen all season.  Mostly a back and forth affair for the half but MF went into the half up 29-28.

Halftime stats:

WAF:

Jamil Ball 5 pts, 3 stls, 2 orebs, 2 drebs, 4 asts

Ben Butterworth 1 oreb, 1 ast

Robert Wood 7 pts, 1 blk, 3 dreb, 1 ast

Patrick Blaikie 12 pts, 1 stl, 1 ast

Joshua Gettings 4 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk,  3 drebs, 2 asts

Sami Hameid 1 dreb
 

MF:

Djordje Vlajkovic 8 pts, 1 stl, 2 blks, 1 oreb, 2 dreb

Emmanuel Okharedia 8 pts, 2 stls, 1 dreb, 5 asts

Jake Darby 2 pts, 1 stl, 2 oreb, 3 dreb, 1 ast

Seth Kopel 11 pts, 2 orebs, 1 dreb
 

Player of the half:

Emmanuel Okharedia
 

Second half:

At the 14 minute mark the game was tied at 39.  After this the offense started to click slightly more for WAF and they were up 48-43 with about 9:22 left.  I thought the game might be over when at the 6:53 mark WAF still had a two possession lead up 52-47.  Not so fast the game ended up tied at 58.  After getting fouled by Emmanuel with about 3.4 seconds left.  Jamil went to the line.  I thought for sure he would hit one but somehow he missed both.  A Djordje rebound and a timeout with 2.9 seconds left and the game was tied at 58, MF ball.  So it looked like WAF was going to go with Jamil, Josh, Rob and Pat for the last 2.9 seconds.  Then I heard it, Ben say to Pat “you want me to come in for you there’s only 2.9 seconds left.”  Pat said ok and proceeded to the sideline.  Jake was the inbounder.  I couldn’t really see who he was trying to pass it  to but it was deflected by deflected by Rob who then made a miraculous steal.  After being double teamed in the corner, he kicked the ball to Ben.  With Djordje right there in his face and the time running low I heard someone yell shoot it, which Ben did from the three point line.  The ball hit the backboard and went in.  A jubilant celebration ensued.  Game over WAF wins 61-58.

Player Grades:

Jamil Ball A yes he missed some crucial free throws but it’s irrelevant because his team won.  I could tell as he said he made an effort to get his teammates involved.  Still managed to have an amazing game despite not scoring his normal average.

Robert Wood A+ aside from making the game winning defensive play, Rob was all over the place.  He picked up his intensity for the playoffs and did everything in his power to help his team win.

Patrick Blaikie A- was the game's leading scorer in the first half but for some reason didn’t score in the second half.  Regardless he was still a constant threat out there.  I’m really only putting the minus on his grade for questioning my point management.  Not going to go into too much detail because we won a championship together but really bro?

Joshua Gettings A was aggressive and efficient all game and completely stuffed the stat sheet.  Loved every bit of what I saw from him.

Sami Hameid C didn’t do much on the court but was overall a great support for his teammates.  My one grip is if you don’t know the rules and I tell them to you, move on unless you can prove me wrong.  They are also listed on the website under info.  Thankfully Jorge was there to show me some stat keeper love.  Maybe next season things will be different.

Djordje Vlajkovic A even though the game winning shot was essentially made on him he did everything in his power to help his team win.  I don’t blame him at all, that's just how those things go sometimes.  As had been the case all season he played extremely well.  I hope to see him return to the league next season.

Emmanuel Okharedia B- his three ball wasn’t good like I expected (maybe it was his ankle that impacted it) but overall he had a pretty decent game.  One thing I gotta say is and it’s the reason I added the negative to his grade.  To come over to me after the game and even mention something about the 2.9 seconds as if I held the clock or something is absolutely ridiculous.  Listen I know you’re mad your team lost to mine, I know you’re mad in the game I reffed you got 12 free throws and only made 2. Take this from someone who has been around and played a lot of basketball.  Sometimes you gotta just look in the mirror and ask yourself what you could’ve done better or differently.  It’s not always about other people.  I actually thought we were cool but if not that’s fine just let it be known and move on. I will publicly say this too.  I have nothing against you regardless, never have and never will.

Jake Darby B played his role well and had a good overall rebounding game.  I don’t fully blame him for the inbound turnover; it was honestly just a great play.  I’m glad to see he is coming back next season. 

Seth Kopel B played well on both sides of the ball.  Almost hit a game clinching three but unfortunately for him he was out of bounds (ref had eagle eyes to see it).  Overall he had a good game and season and I hope that he comes back.

Players of the game:

Robert Wood not only did he make the game winning steal, he was all over the court and shot the ball extremely efficiently on the day.  

Ben Butterworth anytime you hit a game winning shot that automatically qualifies you for player of the game.  That shot gave me Winter 19 Over Legends Draft League Championship game vibes 😂.  Great shot and congrats on the win.

The sequel was actually better..

Coming into this match-up I felt like either team could win.  Washed and Folded (WAF) barely got the better of Costa Coast (CC) the previous week.  Both teams had no subs and although it was somewhat of a meaningless game, no one wants to go into the playoffs on a losing streak except maybe one team 😀.

First half:

Game was super competitive although WAF pretty much controlled the half throughout, I liked the way CC was playing and still had an opportunity to win the game despite trailing 35-31 at the half.

Halftime stats:

WAF:

Jamil Ball 13 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4 orebs, 2 drebs, 1 ast

Robert Wood 7 pts, 2 orebs, 8 drebs, 2 asts

Patrick Blaikie 2 pts, 1 oreb, 1 dreb

Joshua Gettings 13 pts, 2 orebs, 5 dreb, 2 ast

CC:

Dylan Costa 5 pts, 1 stl, 4 blks, 1 oreb, 6 drebs, 1 ast

Dan Waldman 2 pts, 1 oreb, 2 drebs, 1 ast

Joshua Brown 13 pts, 1 blk, 1 dreb, 3 asts

Kevin Ross 11 pts, 2 orebs, 4 drebs, 2 asts

Player of the half:

Jamil Ball

Second half:

Early on it looked like WAF was going to pull away getting a double digit lead.  CC never panicked or even called a timeout, they kept playing resulting in them being down only 45-43 with about 10 minutes left in the half.  The momentum had shifted and CC even had a lead at one point but similar to how CC never panicked and just played, WAF did the same.  After lots of back and forth, we eventually had ourselves a 1 point ball game with about 10 seconds left.  WAF was up 61-60, CC used their last timeout to set up a play.  I didn’t mention it previously but Josh Brown and Dylan Costa ran a great pick and three play that worked several times during the course of the half, could that be the play?  Nope they couldn’t because WAF actually played some great defense to stop it.  I will say that CC still ended up getting a great shot off it just didn’t go in.  WAF escapes with the win 61-60.

Player Grades:

Jamil Ball A- didn’t make a three in the second half but still managed to score in other ways.  While I have seen him play better, I still like what I saw in a win for his team that he led them in scoring.

Robert Wood B didn’t score double figures however he still stuffed the stat sheet.  It was nice to see him get back to his double digit rebounding numbers too.

Patrick Blaikie B- his shot was off but the shots he did make were all timely in helping his team secure the victory.

Joshua Gettings A was the most efficient consistent player on the court for his team in the win.

Dylan Costa B+ would’ve liked to see him make 1 more free throw but regardless was really good out there.  Completely stuff the stat sheet and was just all over the place and what felt like practically every play.

Dan Waldman B- for the most part this was a solid game unfortunately for him he told me he doesn’t miss free throws and since that statement he’s gone 0-4 (0-2 today). Don’t worry, you’re not the first person to mention your perfect free throws to me, and for it not to work out the way you told me (hi Devin).   Anyways a pretty solid game nonetheless.

Joshua Brown A- I’m not even mad that he missed the game winning shot (shooters shoot) but he probably should’ve tried to create a shot for one of his teammates because he admitted he was gassed before the eventual shot.  In my opinion he was obviously the best player on his team and almost the best player in the game.

Kevin Ross B to me this was the best game I’ve seen him play and it was more so about his effort and energy.  If he hits more threes and his team wins his grade is probably higher. His team will need much more of this version of Kevin, especially next week in the playoffs.

Player of the game:

Joshua Gettings I think he can play better but was really efficient and good on the day.

I hope a lesson was learned…

Coming into this game both Washed and Folded (WAF) and Costa Coast (CC) sat at 3-4.  Both teams were missing a player Ben Butterworth and Matthew Starr (done for the season).  Aside from identical records, I think both teams are in somewhat of the same situation in terms of teams not really figuring out their identity yet (you got 1 more week to do that 😂).  While these teams play each other again next week, this first match up I was looking forward to.

First half:

Game started off extremely slow.  5 minutes into it and it was tied at 2.  As the half continues obviously more scoring was done but the pace itself just seemed slow and not really exciting.  WAF had the lead at the half 28

Halftime stats:

WAF:

Jamil Ball 6 pts, 1 stl, 1 oreb, 4 drebs, 1 ast

Robert Wood 10 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 6 drebs, 1 ast

Patrick Blaikie 3 pts, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Joshua Gettings 4 pts, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Sami Hameid 5 pts

CC:

Charlie Maneval 7 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 3 drebs

Dylan Costa 3 pts, 3 stls, 2 orebs, 3 drebs

Dan Waldman 2 orebs, 2 drebs, 1 ast

Joshua Brown 12 pts, 2 blks, 5 drebs, 1 ast

Kevin Ross 2 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 1 oreb

Player of the half:

Robert Wood

Second half:

So the game was chugging along at a slow pace pretty similar to the first half.  I don’t exactly remember when it happened or why it happened but Kevin Ross and Jamil Ball got into a great conversation about the weather and it was on after that.  Let me say Kevin actually started playing better but Jamil went crazy making three consecutive threes (he also had a steal, block and layup during the sequence).  WAF was up 20 or so at one point but not so fast, my man Charlie Maneval had other plans hitting three threes in a row himself.  WAF smartly called a timeout with about 6 minutes left up 65-52.  While CC did a good job of not letting the game get too away from them, the damage had already been done and WAF went on to win this one 74-68.

Player Grades:

Jamil Ball A- I have to add the minus to his grade for his free throw shooting percentage but other than that he really played well and ensured his team won.  What’s funny is he is actually capable of playing better but he did what was needed to be done today.

Robert Wood A I could lower his grade slightly for his free throw shooting but I won’t because he was really good on the day.  Super efficient while stuffing the stat sheet.

Patrick Blaikie A shot efficiently and added additional stats to his great game.

Joshua Gettings B+ second half was his.  I would’ve like to see him make a three but I’m just being picky because overall he was great

Sami Hameid C- now when he first entered the game he immediately hit his first three.  Unfortunately for him that was the highlight of his day.  I give him credit for sitting most of the game and letting his guys win the game.  One thing I have to say and I honestly don’t even want to but feel it’s necessary.  Sami seems like a nice guy and it’s great his significant other comes out to support him but in what high school game are they allowing the person who fouled out to stay on the floor until the second free throw?  Your response was you’re a certified ref 🤣.  I must’ve missed this in my certification class.  Anyways I’ll leave it alone.

Charlie Maneval A- I’m use to him getting an assist and some free throws.  Regardless he played great and stuffed the stat sheet.  His shooting almost brought them back.

Dylan Costa B defensively was solid as per usual.  I would’ve liked to see his three point and free throw percentages higher but he had a great all-around game nonetheless.

Dan Waldman C+ his three ball was bad, his free throw shooting left more to be desired.  I liked his rebounding and assists contributions but most of all his commentary on the bench was great.

Joshua Brown B- had a great first half and sat too long in the second.  A decent game but I’m sure he preferred the win.

Kevin Ross B- actually came alive in the second but also woke up Jamil and his team lost.  I would like to see Kevin have a more complete game and shoot a better percentage from three.

Player of the game:

I have to go with Robert Wood.  By far his most dominant game of the season all across the board.  His team will need more of this if they’re to win a playoff game.