It was a game winning offensive rebound and putback for Angelos and Demons to take the 55-53 victory over Balanced Flow in what was the most exciting game of the day coming down to the last second half court heave from Balanced Flow. Back and forth all game this one was a fight for playoff contention and these guys played with that type of hustle. 

For Angelos and Demons they were led by Angelo C himself with 20 pts 17 boards plus the game winner in an efficient performance. It seemed he was automatic in the low post all game long with a series of moves. He was joined by Tim R who was slicing to the rack throughout the game and putting constant pressure on the defense on the fast break. He finished with 20 pts 5 boards 2 asts on 2/4 from deep. Additional shoutout to Emmanuel O who played some tough defense in this one to go with 11 pts 7 boards 3 asts. 

Balanced Flow played this game tough and had a crucial offensive foul at the end here in what was a heartbreaker. They were led by Isak I with 24 pts 17 boards with a series of post moves to go with 4/17 on the deep ball. He was joined by Cam D who would finish this one with 16 pts 7 boards and some nice defense throughout the game with 2 steals and a block. Additional shoutouts to Seun T who had 9 pts to go with 13 boards and Andrew M who had a team high 4 asts.

 

I’m starting to think, “they can’t win” Adrian Pennino voice…

Coming into this game I had Balanced Flow (BF) as a 4 point favorite.  I know they were winless but Locked Up (LU) had lost 3 straight games and were missing a key player and captain Jamil.  Although BF was missing Marra I thought they had enough to get that first win.  Well something had to give.

First half:

Welp things started off poorly for BF as they were down 11-5 with about 13:53 left in the half.  Frustration we’re starting to mount on the BF side and LU now had a 30-19 lead with 5:54 left in the half.  No change in terms of score, momentum or just overall sense of a first win coming, LU went into halftime up 37-26.

Halftime stats:

LU:

Jorge Morel 11 pts, 1 blk, 2 drebs, 2 asts

Nick Mazzeo 15 pts, 1 stl, 5 drebs, 3 ast

Luigi Sanon 6 pts, 1 drebs, 1 ast

Chas Belliveau 2 pts, 1 oreb, 1 dreb

Michael Sydorko 3 pts, 3 stls, 5 drebs

BF:

Steve Rakusin 2 pts, 2 drebs

Cameron Daniels 15 pts, 1 oreb, 2 drebs, 2 asts

Daniel Lyman 2 drebs, 2 fouls

Seun Tayo 4 pts, 2 orebs, 3 drebs, 1 ast

Isak Ivanik 3 pts, 1 oreb, 4 drebs, 2 asts

Player of the half:

Nick Mazzeo 

Second half:

I liked the fact that BF was still battling and kept the game respectful as they still were within single digits down 45-37 with 14:19 left in the game.  At the 8:59 mark the lead got up to double digits 65-55.  Unfortunately from this point on the game just got ugly and out of reach. LU won 88-63.

Player Grades:

Jorge Morel A was unstoppable scoring at the rim and I liked the 2-2 from three.  The scoring is what stood out most but he definitely had a nice balanced game.

Nick Mazzeo A did it all in a pretty efficient way too.  He’s obviously a scorer but it was nice to see him make the effort and be effective on the defensive side of the ball.

Luigi Sanon A scored in double figures and managed to get some other stats.

Chas Belliveau A efficient scoring and lots of dimes

Michael Sydorko A+ didn’t miss a three and had great steals numbers not to mention he held his man to under double digits scoring.

Steve Rakusin C- bad game from the free throw line and three but he did manage to get a few boards.

Cameron Daniels A I rarely give high grades for someone on a losing team but man my guy had a 40 burger and it was efficient.  There actually was a moment in the game it looked like he was going to win it for his team.  I honestly can’t point to one thing he could’ve done more of to help his team win.

Daniel Lyman C played ok he did manage to get some boards and scored in the limited minutes he received.

Seun Tayo C his numbers look ok but it just wasn’t a good game.  Lucky for him we don’t track turnovers.  Overall though my expectation level was higher hence the criticism and grade received.

Isak Ivanik C- someone please tell me he was playing hurt.  He just didn’t have it at all.  His three point shooting was ok and even his numbers in general but he needed to do way more and be aggressive.  He looked kinda out of it on the day which can happen occasionally.

Players of the game:

Had to go with both Jorge and Mazz here.  If either one lacked off on offense Cam might’ve stayed in the game and won it.  Both guys played extremely well and were needed for this victory.

Idk what game of the day this is since I was delusional from winning our first game in regulation. 

We have The Ruffkies and Drew Vs Perfect Flow.

    1    we have to talk about Ruff’s FT shooting, normally I can’t talk as a career 60% FT shooter, but after costing his team the week before by missing 3 FT’s in clutch time to potentially win the game, he did not practice this past week on FT shooting. In Ruffs defense he has been having to play the whole game with injuries to Carmichael and Roa forcing him into 40+ mins every game. He had the yipes again this game and went 1-10(I was taking stats so might have missed a couple more misses). No matter who shows up for this team and what the score is, you need to seal the game from the FT during close games, and Perfect Flow took advantage of the FT misses, just just from Ruff but from his team in general and fought back missing a game tying layup right around the buzzer.
    2    When are they going to field a full team? I’ve already mentioned the poor clutch performances because of the tired legs from everyone except first round pick JB(freak), but these problems get easily fixed by being able to sub out. Defense can sit and watch JB putting way too much pressure on him, but when you are the 2nd overall pick, that comes with expectations. They didn’t play ‘bad’ missing their 2nd and 3rd round picks because Kap is really tough to play against and we all know how much of a problem Andre is in defense and rebounding. Winning close games just build confidence so I’m nervous for their first round opponent assuming they take the time to get healthy. 
    3    JB has been a problem, possibly getting a full sweep of the awards if not for Casey putting up godly numbers and Barbour being Barbour. Man is averaging       30, 15, and 4 blocks a game!!!! He certainly didn’t disappoint his fans(me) today, especially after one questionable foul by Isak. This foul unlocked a JB I have never seen before, dunking on everyone and anyone unlucky enough to rotate over on defense or hustle back on fast breaks. I think he even swore. 🤫 JB is def holding it down while his teammates get some much needed rest. Glad to see Carmichael there watching and rooting his team on from the sidelines 🫡

GRADES

Kap - B 
give the ball to JB and get out of his way. Cant expect anymore from a fill-in. Also showed Ruff how to hit FT’s 

JB - A+ 
what can I say, MVP MVP

Ruff - C+ 
40% from 3 is the only thing saving this grade.

Dre - B 
I need a few more cuts for finishes down low, JB can’t be the only one scoring.

Let’s move on to the losing team, Perfect Flow, 🫣 a team I feel like I know very well as I’ve played with or against these guys for the past 3-4 seasons in multiple leagues. 

    1    the media has made a stink about the way this team has been put together and I’m not saying I won’t keep up that narrative, but I can also see what Steve was trying to do. Isak had a great season playing with Eric and myself last season, and obviously grabbing Cam Daniels(the good one) was a great idea, but there is too much Suns Basketball on this team it makes me sick, or is that just the team name. Cam and Isak are great players in this league, but the your turn/my turn BS gets tired quick when the defense stops covering everyone else in the court and doubles these two. Isak’s 3 ball wasnt falling and with no spacing the court got really small for the rest of the team and good luck trying for layups on JB. I need more Jokic and Murray type of play and less Bradley Beal/Kevin Durant. Also to the role players, make your damn open layups!! 5 points combined is not going to cut it. 
    2    The pace of play during this game wasn’t smart IMO. Playing against 4 guys with no subs, you should be playing a more uptempo game, especially with JB doing most of the damage, make him sprint back on defense and possibly wear them down. Seemed like PF only played this way, and had success, when it was getting frantic at the end of the game when Ruffkies started missing shots and FT’s. Need that energy and focus from minute 1 and maybe you don’t need to freak out and hope to hit a layup at the buzzer just to tie it up. 
    3    Who is the leader on this team? Is it Capt Steve, who has a questionable grasp of basketball IQ, is it Isak, who some have questioned if he even wants to be here on Saturday mornings ALA Jokic, or is it Cam, who usually needs someone to yell at him, teammate or opponent, before he gets motivated? Someone needs to step up in the huddles and figure out some type of defensive and offensive game plans, that even when they sub in the bench guys, they can stick to things that they do well.

GRADES 

Isak - C+
getting dinged because of the poor % have to bring the big man out of the paint if you are a shooter.

Cam - A-
Played well, but as the starting PG I need more EASY opportunities for teammates 

Steve - C- 
he hustled for that final wide open layup, idk if he hustled for much more else this game except for that water bottle on the sidelines. 😉 have it everything he had, it just wasn’t enough.

Marra - C- 
Going 0-1 from 3 and I think he even attempted a layup against JB. ☝️This team is clearly messing with his confidence #FreeMarra

Lyman - C
Made their teams only bucket thats not named Cam/Isak, maybe he just didn’t get enough touches/playing time.