Summer Session 08' - Game #7

I think it is time for me to stop predicting the final outcomes every week because I have not been close in a long time. Heading into the game I figured we would be in for a difficult rivalry matchup with our nemesis "Dynasty". Little did I know that they would be missing "Peja" and their point guard who sat courtside with crutches. Still missing in action were their big man and they were without their two asian hustle guys who always give us a hard time. In their place was the other big man who killed us in the tournament game we lost to them and a couple of other fill ins who were less talented than the guys they were replacing. Needless to say things got off to another wonderful start as we quickly trailed 7-0, 3 minutes into the game. The 2-3 zone was tooe asy to penetrate and they were getting easy looks at the bucket. As the half wore on we started to impose our will and they began to tire a little bit. Before I knew it, we were leading at halftime by 4 points 26-22. Their big man who had been a key for them was missing easy shots and was having a hard time keeping his hands on the ball. Defense was key for us as we poked, stripped, swatted balls and were scrappy getting steals all night long. J.W. had another stellar defensive effort and continues to lead the league in charges taken. D.T. was back at it with the swipes underneath and M.D. and B.A. had a field day getting some easy break away lay ins. J.D. also got in front of some passes that led to easy opportunities for the team. In the second half our starters put the game out of reach and the lead bloated to 20 points. J.P made a nice hook shot and played another very solid game inside for us despite giving up 6 inches to the man he was covering. G.C. ran the show nicely and maintained the tempo for us while playing the full 40 minutes at the point position. Overall, we did leave some points on the floor like usual as we had a couple of bad stretches where we were held without a basket for a few minutes here and there. At the end though we were too much and the defecit was too much to come back from and we won going away 51-37. giving up under 40 points is very strong even if we were not facing the "A" team that "Dynasty" usually brings to the table. Next week we get "O'Donnell" who is coming off their first win of the season and is looking to improve on their 1 game winning streak going into the playoffs. If we win, we would face them again in the first round most likely. This will be a good chance for us to use some pressure. J.M was out again this week and is supposed to return next week. Rumor has it that A.H. might also return giving the team a huge boost headed into the playoff season. My prediction regardless of who we have is Clip Joint 64 and O'Donnell 48.