Summer Session 08' - Game #8

Just when you thought you had the Clip Joint figured out.....

This session has been played in a way that is unlike any other season in a long time for the orange and black. It started like every other season, high expectations, lofty goals, one more tune-up before making the jump to play with the elite etc. As things progressed we lost the "big man" we signed who has been missing in action for the past 4 weeks. (Not that anyone is complaining). We lost A.H. to injury for all but 1 game. (Rumor is he might be making a return beginning next week for the playoffs) We beat teams but not because we were blowing them out, we were trailing early in pretty much every game we have played and then we would come back and squeak out a win agains the good teams. Then we would beat the teams close to the bottom of the league by 10-15 points when in the past we would win by 30+. Last night the switch never turned on for us and we fell to the second worst team in the league.

Before I go off the deep end like I have been known to do every once in awhile, let me just say that the game was meaningless. In the sense that win or lose we were cemented in the #2 spot regardless of the outcome so we really weren't playing for anything other than exercise and the opportunity to go into the playoffs on a positive note. However, the other team had everything to gain since they were tied for the worst record and needed a win to avoid us again next week in the opening round of the playoffs. Yeah, so the script went ahead and played itself out like it has all season long. Start off SLOW , trail by 7 points and eventually tie the game and take a brief lead in the second half. Except this time, we could not recover once they regained the lead. Too many turnovers and not enough shot attempts as we were held to under 50 points. That alone tells the story because if we score less than 50 the odds are that we probably are going to lose the game.

Delving a little deeper into things, we decided to start the game playing a 1-2-2 full court trap just to show them a little something different since we were aware from playing them before that they could be rattled rather easily. Shocker, after only a couple of possessions we were all mixed up and all it takes is one player to be out of position for that defense to fail and of course it did. Keep in mind this team went ahead and recruited a point guard and a big man for the playoff push. Neither was super talented but both were the keys to their victory without a doubt in my mind.

Needless to say for whatever reason we let these two destroy us and the role players for them all managed to make some shots when we though they could do nothing but stand there and take up space on the court. I suppose you could say we overlooked them because we did, no question. We beat them earlier in the season with no problem and not one of us felt we would have any trouble doing the exact same thing this time. They had other plans and simply wanted it more than we did when the game was on the line. We did beat ourselves though because we probably had something like 20 turnovers give or take a few. Hell, I would not be shocked if someone had been keeping track and told me we turned it over 30 times because a few of them were during key possessions when we had to get a basket, and we simply frittered those chances away.

So, here we are finishing the season 6-2 as the #2 seed. Oh by the way, the next time a team wants to act arrogant during a game and disrespectful as if they were the better team I promise you that will not go down without a confrontation. There was potential yesterday for that to happen and a few times late in the game there were some harder fouls issued. Expect more of the same, although it is a shame that we will not get the chance to play them again. Assuming we are able to dispose of the "Tenatious Teabaggers" and the "Beltway Ballers" do not suffer the same fate in Round 1 , there will be no re-match unfortunately.

I think I might be done making predictions here but at least mine was realistic unlike a few of my Clip Joint breatheren who went off the deep end and thought we would win by 20+...I;m not sure what orange and black team they have been watching all season because it certainly is not the same one that took an L last night in possible the worst loss in Clip Joint history.

Until next time when we look at the playoff preview. Adios Amigos. Nighty Night.