Round 1 of the Playoffs Recap

July 14, 2009

Team Member Grades

NK47 (B) - Had an effective first half shooting the ball. Seemed like fatigue set in as his shot collapsed and his energy was dampened.

Diggs (B+) - although he was over matched against AJ, Kenny did a great job limiting his production while creating space for the guards on the offensive end.

B-Cyrious (B) - got big on the post. Forced his shot at times. Did his best to keep Casey off the glass.

Anicito (B+) - played effective defense where and when necessary and made some knock down shots.

Schories (A-) - ran the court well, finding the open man and pushing the ball. Turnovers hurt his grade but were offset by the fact that he was 2-2 from the free throw line.

Robbie Hart (A) - Robbie struggled to find good looks in the first half but still managed to make the best of his jumpers.

Buffalo Ant (NO SHOW) - wtf!! he originally asks noel for games on Tuesday and he doesnt show. He better have a more suitable excuse than softball...

Noel sent the text to everyone that the game was at 8pm against Richie Mahler. Anicito was the first to arrive at the gym, looking to get a sweat going before the game. To his chagrin, he noticed the other team was the light blue team and not Richie and co. A text was immediately sent to player/coach/patriarch Kenny, letting him know that today's discussion about match ups and game plan was all in vain. But as Anicito warmed up he noticed the red team walking into the gym and it was dawned on him; Alfieri screwed up again! If you go to dictionary.com and type in Mike Alfieri you will see this:

Mike Alfieri [myke Al-feer-ee]
-noun.
1. Nice guy, good looking but slightly balding, perpetually tan, always wears a baseball cap.
2. Doltish. Devoid of attention to detail. Has the memory of a coffee bean.

Alfieri who is notorious for giving us a time and then giving it to two other team stuck again. So the Elephants had to watch the light blue vs. the red game. They made the best of it though. Diggs was JCC's Ace Rothstein, making the over under and spread on the game. Diggs actually called the half spread, taking Red minus 6 (they led by 7) and the over of 42 1/2 (43 total points). However, he gave it all back with the 87 total over (well under)and Red minus 13 (won by 4). James actually called the 4. Robbie said he had to go to the bathroom but didnt return until 5 minutes before the Elephants took the court. Little did we know, he meant the bathroom at his house!

Richie Mahler was a no show due to medical reasons. We wish his a speedy recovery. However, it did mute the game a little considering the sibling rivalry that would have been on the court between him and Robbie. The Elephants went up against the twin towers in Casey and AJ, James Glass, #4 (good guard), and a no name. Without Buffalo Ant it was up to B-Cyrious and Kenny to do the heavy lifting down low. Kenny was hell bent on sticking AJ. But they were too big for the Elephants. Third and fourth chance opportunities went to Casey and AJ. Thankfully they didnt convert and the Elephants got off to a tremendous lead (23-8) to open the game. James and Robbie ran the floor well, Anicito and Noel hit a couple of jumpers, and Kenny and B-Cyrious ruled the paint. AJ and co made a run at the half to bring the deficit to 9.

It was then that their defense switched from a man-to-man to a 3-2 zone. This gave the Elephants some problems. Jumpers for Robbie, Noel and James were all contested. With AJ and Casey down low it was hard for anyone to get to the basket. The Elephant lead was cut to 4 with 13 minutes to play. That was when basketball IQ took over and the value of team chemistry. James and Robbie attacked the basket and knew where their teammates where to dish to. Getting stops was key. With Kenny in foul trouble, Anicito and B-Cyrious cutoff the production of the bigs while Robbie and James made two big baskets. As the game winded down it was crucial for the Elephants to make their free throws. James made two for two, while Robbie dripped 5 of 6.

The Elephants looked real good in the first round of the playoffs last night. They played a controlled game against a formidable opponent. They stared adversity in the eye and ripped right through it. Next week's game is against Sammy Said and the juice brothers. It will be another test against a good team. No one said that the road to a championship would be easy.