Playoffs
The champs were ready to defend their honor going into this
season’s playoff picture. Coming in with
a record of 5-4, the Elephants locked in a disappointing 7 slot, meaning no bye
round, no rest for the weary. The
Elephants had to go the hard road if they wanted to defend what was rightfully
theirs.
They would have to win a play-in game…EASY ENOUGH (SIFE 58 –
WHO CARES 30)
They would have to go up against the green team…DONE (SIFE
55 – WHO CARES 40)
Then they would have to match up against the team they
bested in the championship game last season, the team with the grey haired
monster. The team that beat down the
Elephants in the regular season. It was
a game that would prove to be a challenge mentally more than physically. The Elephants knew they were the better team
but a last second buzzer beater by Stoodles that sealed the fate of the champs
was not going to outweigh the beating the Elephants took by this team in the
regular season. If the Elephants were #1
in their own minds, the florescent adolescents were #1.8. For the Elephants this challenge would either
send them home in a disappointing, season-ending loss or propel them to levels
of confidence they had yet to know or see.
On the sidelines the Elephants had been seeing some familiar
faces. Brittany, once an outcast because
she came to a JCC Flying Elephants game and B-Cyrious lost more than his mojo,
clanking a crucial free throw in a tight playoff game (Noel laughing at the free
throw line, which upset Brian to no end).
B-Cyrious banished Brittany from then on in but now the curse had been
lifted. Brittany had brought the luck of
the German-Irish for a good part of the end of the season. Maybe it was her good looks distracting the
other teams? Either way Brian knew to
keep rolling that dice. Also in
attendance another Cyriacks….He’s known in town as the Outlaw. He sports a rugged moustache and battle
tested face. He stand 6’5 and will
crumble you with one glance…none other than Mr. Cyriacks. Since retirement he’d come to cheer on his
boy…by cheering I mean, cracking a grin. The Outlaw never speaks in
public. Let us not forget the newest,
youngest Flying Elephant teammate.
Little Tyler…now nicknamed “Little Psycho T” (you UNC fans know the
reference). Little Psycho T has been
corralling Buffalo Ant the past few months since his momma accepted a ring of engagement from Buffalo
Ant. This lady must be a saint. Little Psycho T has been on the sidelines
keeping Ant’s head in it, making sure he isn’t getting into scuffles and he’s
done a hell of a job. Little Psycho T
will soon be sporting a Flying Elephants jersey and hopefully one day will
carry on the legacy.
The semi-final game began as expected. The Elephants wearing their red jerseys, black logo. The florescent adolescents brightening up the
gym. The grey haired man gingerly
walking in three minutes to post. None-the-less, it was going to be a thriller
in tottenvilla. The game started as you
would expect. It was a battle between a
team that wanted revenge and a chance to compete for the title and a team that
felt disrespected that they only finished a 7th seed and wanted to
show the world they were champions and insisted to stay champions.
The Elephants rotated a 7 man roster with their enforcer
Casey missing in action as work duty called.
They knew that it was going to be rough without him but they were intent
on making this happen. Robbie Hart led
the way with his barrage of big-time shots and Jimmy V played larger than his
5’7 frame, grabbing boards over the trees.
B-Cyrious, Buffalo Ant, and Mikey A played some of the best defense of
the year, making sure that the Fluorescents didn’t hit outside shots. Noel played the Grey pretty well on defense,
doing what he could to keep him from driving and getting layups. Overall it might have been the best game the
Elephants played all season. Defense led
to offense and they hits just kept on coming.
The Elephants prevailed and were on their way to defend yet another
championship.
One Week Later…
168 hours had passed since the semi-final win and the
Elephants took the court to defend their title against Bounacore. Bounacore sports the orange jersey and brings
a fan base that measures up to the attendance of the Mets on any given
night. They have a cheering section that
waves the terrible towels and supports their beloved pumpkin-esq men. Bounacore has two key players on their team,
number 0 that is quick as lightening and number 10 who, at times, can hit the
long-range three.
The game opened up with the Elephants taking a commanding
18-5 lead. The Elephants were
fluid. They were moving the ball to the
middle and either kicking it out to Robbie or Jimmy for an open look or getting
it to the big guys like Casey for an easy deuce. The Elephants were much bigger than
Bounacore. In the better part of the
first half the Elephants used their size and strength to bear down on
them. But something changed toward the
end of the half. The Elephants became
stagnant and stopped working the ball.
Bounacore took advantage of this change in inertia and created pressure
by getting to the basket and finishing, sometimes with an “and one”. By the end of the half the Elephants saw
their lead diminish to just three and the momentum swing to Bounacore’s
advantage.
To start the second half the Elephants continued their
struggles but it was the defense that once again propped up the offense. Steals and rebounds led to transition baskets
where Jimmy or Stu would attack the basket and kick it out to Robbie or Noel
for open shots. The transition also led
to the Elephants getting points at the line.
All post season long the Elephants struggled at the line. It almost cost them the semi final game but
tonight it flowed. Robbie was probably
10-12 from the line and once horrid free throw shooter B-Cyrious was an
astonishing 6-8. Key free throws and big
time shots from Robbie from behind the arc separated champs from chumps. The Elephants went on to win their second
championship in as many seasons. Next
week the season begins as they look for the three-peat.
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