Game 2 | Puke and Rally: 68 - Don’t Be Stupid: 80

DBS Survive Waldman, P&R Onslaught to Secure Win

This game did not go how I, or really anyone, expected. P&R were without Glynn and Ott, while DBS were missing Vladi, a much more significant absence. Still, I had no doubt DBS would win this game, and while that turned out to be true, P&R put up a valiant effort. Down only 36-39 at half, they kept this game close until the very end behind some excellent performances from Waldman and Miller, but Harding and co. prevailed with the 80-68 win in the end.

If you pay attention to my write-ups, you’ll notice that I never include individual players in the headline, as I try to focus more on the game itself and most of the time there’s a team dynamic or trend that overshadows individual performance. The last time I put an individual in the headline was Mazz in the previous CAC Cup when he essentially played a perfect game in a losing effort with his Old team against Nair’s SDL squad. In my preview of this game, I focused almost entirely on DBS and how they’re well set up to slow down Miller, but I didn’t even mention Dan Waldman, and he took that personally. Waldman might be more known for his legendary discord names (Waldmanyama, Agent 00, and The Crimestopper, to name a few) than his play, but he exploded in this game. He got right to it early on by attacking Harry for a series of tough finishes, then getting some transition buckets and hitting a three as well. He finished the first half with 15 points and 6 boards, getting buckets on Harry, Liam, and Harding alike. A first half outburst is one thing, but what can you do when DBS adjusts their second half coverage to feature Liam, an elite defender, and mixing in Harding as well? If you’re Waldman, you pick up right where you left off, getting into the lane for a few floaters and a nice display of footwork with a few spin moves in each direction. He also stepped out for a few more threes, finishing the game with 28 points and 7 rebounds, shooting three of six from deep and taking on the challenge of guarding Harding and Liam for different stretches of the game. I loved what I saw from Waldman in this game, as it’s nice to see someone improve their skill set and get better, but it’s admirable to watch someone fight their ass off as a huge underdog and not back down once. Draft stock going up. Miller did his thing, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. He hit some crazy running shots off one foot in the mid-range area, and his physicality is brutal to go up against. I thought Cawley did a nice job matching the bumps, but he ultimately fouled out because of Miller’s relentless attack. With two made threes and a respectable six of eight from the line, Miller pairs his physicality with an impressive skill set, and even in a losing effort he was a handful. Angelo Cerbone spent the most time on Harding, and he did a respectable job, garnering 4 steals and 1 block in the process, including picking Harding’s pocket clean near half-court to take it in for an uncontested layup in the second half. He finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 3 assists to go with his 5 stocks, showing off his athleticism, length, and IQ in a great performance. Ghost struggled in this one, as DBS keyed in on his mid-range shots and did everything in their power to prevent him from getting the ball. He finished with 4 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in the loss.

P&R deserve their credit for keeping this game close, but ultimately it was DBS who came away with the win with an impressive all-around effort. Harding led the way with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks, and for all the talk of Waldman and Miller, Harding was far and away the best player in this game. He shot seven of fifteen from deep and led the game in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks. Even with his superior skill and athleticism, I love Harding’s motor and competitive drive that he brings to both ends, going on scoring runs by himself and switching onto Waldman in the second half to neutralize P&R’s offense. At the end of the game, he started locking up, grabbing the rebound, and pushing the ball full court past everyone to generate an easy look for himself or a teammate, putting the game out of reach. He can take this team far in the Cup with the nice roster construction around him. Outside of Harding, Cawley and Liam had 18 each, while Walker added 16. Cawley finished with 18, 6 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block, getting to the rim well and spending the entire game on Miller. He fouled out with a little under 10 minutes left in the second half on a charge in transition, which was the correct call, but a call KD regretted as he wasn’t trying to foul Cawley out. I do personally think that only 3 of the prior 4 fouls on Cawley were actually fouls, so this was a tough call even if it was definitely a charge. And who drew the charge, you might ask? Dan Waldman, obviously. Cawley still put in great work on both ends before his early departure, and his defensive versatility frees up Harding to go to work on offense. Liam is also a stellar defender, though Waldman gave him some issues, but he stepped up offensively for 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. I love Liam’s game and his demeanor on the court, and in general I think he could hunt his own shot more, but he was aggressive in this game, shooting three of nine from deep and attacking effectively as well. He finished with 4 buckets inside the arc to go along with 4 assists, highlighting his do-it-all skillset and contributing some key plays down the stretch for his team. Andrew Walker also played his role well, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Walker took care of his typical responsibilities by rebounding and finishing layups off of passes and offensive rebounds, but he also had the opportunity to show some of his stuff. On at least three possessions, Walker got the ball on the right block, took a few hard dribbles before doing a little shake and turning back to the middle for a soft lefty hook that hit nothing but nylon. Beautiful footwork and touch on a difficult shot that I did not know he had in his bag, and he did this while spending most of the game sprinting around to deny Ghost the ball on the other end. Great contributions from Walker in this game. Harry added 6 boards, 2 assists, and 1 block as he could not get the jumper to fall, but he did play strong defense on different guys, even if they made some tough shots. At the end of the day, DBS took care of business without Vladi, surviving a scare in what should have been an easy victory. I had DBS as the favorites early on in this tournament, but it’s hard to know if a game like this raises some concerns, if P&R were better than advertised, or if it was a fluke. Either way, DBS are a strong team and they take care of business with an 80-68 victory to advance.