For the record, yes Cliff missed a few free throws, but I wasn't singling him out in the video, as a team we prob shot about 25% from the field and that includes free throws.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Game 4 Recap
No grades. We played like complete crap. I am just going to write freely here, let my mind infuse my fingers, some of it may be incoherent, but here it is:
car ride, ahmad late again doesnt he know parking sucks uptown? UNC destroyed Nova and went on to win the national championship, thankfully Bergs understands the power of perfection. Wow, we really take for granted the beauty of the Verazzano bridge. cant believe how the wind blows off shore rd. Bergs tells Ahmad that he's proud of Nova and losing to the ultimate champs, verbatim from what i told him he was going to say. Talking about NBA draft (my favorite time of the year after Christmas). we pick up anthony from HQ, he tells us Oren does #2 with the door open, weird. no parking uptown like we already knew. Ahmad puts all our lives, and the lives of 6 cross-walkers in danger when he pull a half a u-turn to grab a spot on 1st ave and 90th, closest we've parked all year.
Wind blows dust in my face on the walk over, i was checking out the girls playing soccer then realized they were 9 years old. we start the game with Zurica on the bench, why does our point guard want to sit?? We're playing the red team, Cliff got his wish, thinking about his comments at the apartment, "im going for 30 tonight" my response "it would be nice if you said, im getting us a win tonight". We start the game slowly on both ends, not being able to score, letting them penetrate the middle, no one in our paint to contest the shot, we needed a guy like Tanzosh in the middle for this game. Can get quality looks, betancourt shadowed, we need to set screens for him, cliff does a good job attacking the basket but he is 0-2 from the free throw line, we're down 19-9. ahmad and anthony finally come in. we cant really make a run against this team. their two best players (#5 and fake #1) come out and they extended their lead to 12. wtf is going on right now, i feel like im on crazy pills.
second half, we're still down 10. i need to step up my intensity and throw my body around. why am i thinking about that gorgeous Indian girl who got on the Q train tonight after work? will i ever run into her again? and if i do, will i have the b's to say something? probably not. lets go mike, mix it up! i crash, i burn, i force a couple of shots in the paint, but im defended by weaker guys i know i can score. cliff for three, ahamad for three, i wish these guys would just go to the hoop. how did ahmad just miss a wide open lay-up on the left side when he makes tough ones in the paint. ant comes in, we cut the lead down to 6 with 12 minutes to play. anthony's comment "see what happens when i come in". bergs nails a big three. josh is playing a solid game. cliff saves a rebounds and burns one of our time-outs, ant throws the ball away on the ensuing possession. what a waste of a time-out. poty is scary to look at. i dont know who is worse, poty or the girl doing the clock. does anyone else notice the creepy old guy that stares at us? who is that? Marybeth is here?? betancourt is not getting open. right now cliff is literally 1-14 from the line. terrible!! i come out for the last 7 minutes, dont know why. doesnt really matter. betancourt didnt get the ball within the last three minutes when he's our best shooter. i dont have an answer that either. we looked like crap. we're 1-3. we have to pick it up.
car ride home, ahmad misses josh's exit, josh tells us he has a rooftop pool, we have to go when weather gets warmer. bergs wants to go to sty town to play ball, im down. drop off bergs and show cliff a greek place thats open all night for dessert. he's excited.
car ride, ahmad late again doesnt he know parking sucks uptown? UNC destroyed Nova and went on to win the national championship, thankfully Bergs understands the power of perfection. Wow, we really take for granted the beauty of the Verazzano bridge. cant believe how the wind blows off shore rd. Bergs tells Ahmad that he's proud of Nova and losing to the ultimate champs, verbatim from what i told him he was going to say. Talking about NBA draft (my favorite time of the year after Christmas). we pick up anthony from HQ, he tells us Oren does #2 with the door open, weird. no parking uptown like we already knew. Ahmad puts all our lives, and the lives of 6 cross-walkers in danger when he pull a half a u-turn to grab a spot on 1st ave and 90th, closest we've parked all year.
Wind blows dust in my face on the walk over, i was checking out the girls playing soccer then realized they were 9 years old. we start the game with Zurica on the bench, why does our point guard want to sit?? We're playing the red team, Cliff got his wish, thinking about his comments at the apartment, "im going for 30 tonight" my response "it would be nice if you said, im getting us a win tonight". We start the game slowly on both ends, not being able to score, letting them penetrate the middle, no one in our paint to contest the shot, we needed a guy like Tanzosh in the middle for this game. Can get quality looks, betancourt shadowed, we need to set screens for him, cliff does a good job attacking the basket but he is 0-2 from the free throw line, we're down 19-9. ahmad and anthony finally come in. we cant really make a run against this team. their two best players (#5 and fake #1) come out and they extended their lead to 12. wtf is going on right now, i feel like im on crazy pills.
second half, we're still down 10. i need to step up my intensity and throw my body around. why am i thinking about that gorgeous Indian girl who got on the Q train tonight after work? will i ever run into her again? and if i do, will i have the b's to say something? probably not. lets go mike, mix it up! i crash, i burn, i force a couple of shots in the paint, but im defended by weaker guys i know i can score. cliff for three, ahamad for three, i wish these guys would just go to the hoop. how did ahmad just miss a wide open lay-up on the left side when he makes tough ones in the paint. ant comes in, we cut the lead down to 6 with 12 minutes to play. anthony's comment "see what happens when i come in". bergs nails a big three. josh is playing a solid game. cliff saves a rebounds and burns one of our time-outs, ant throws the ball away on the ensuing possession. what a waste of a time-out. poty is scary to look at. i dont know who is worse, poty or the girl doing the clock. does anyone else notice the creepy old guy that stares at us? who is that? Marybeth is here?? betancourt is not getting open. right now cliff is literally 1-14 from the line. terrible!! i come out for the last 7 minutes, dont know why. doesnt really matter. betancourt didnt get the ball within the last three minutes when he's our best shooter. i dont have an answer that either. we looked like crap. we're 1-3. we have to pick it up.
car ride home, ahmad misses josh's exit, josh tells us he has a rooftop pool, we have to go when weather gets warmer. bergs wants to go to sty town to play ball, im down. drop off bergs and show cliff a greek place thats open all night for dessert. he's excited.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Quick note
Gentlemen, please bring your (ridiculous that they have no front) jersey to the game, we gave them 4 points for no reason. I know both Bergs and Josh had shirts that pretty much looked exactly like our real jerseys, but they are sticklers here for the rules.
Josh - I know you like wearing tight clothes to show your gym progress (as does cliff) but maybe u could somehow shrink your new shirt and not cost us free throws
Bergs- No excuse as you dont have the bulging bi's of josh or cliff.
Josh - I know you like wearing tight clothes to show your gym progress (as does cliff) but maybe u could somehow shrink your new shirt and not cost us free throws
Bergs- No excuse as you dont have the bulging bi's of josh or cliff.
Game 3 Recap
Players present and member grades
Anicito (B) - showed his toughness and pride on defense. Mixed it up down low but needs to work on his free throw shooting, bad!
Zuricalaw.com (B) - Floor general as usual. Forced a couple of passes that were salvaged by the athleticism of his teammates. Scored the game sealing layup.
Bergs (B+) - All around good game. Stuck some dagger threes that demoralized the opponent. Played lock down defense on #4 in the second half.
Ahamd (B) - played a hard fought game. Forced possessions at times but made big plays when they counted.
Betancourt (B) - stroked the three for about 40%. Defense knew where he was most of the time because of the college connection. Mike lost half a grade for his poor first half defense, which he improved immensely in the second half.
Josh (B+) - Josh's solid basketball performance anchored down the team. Aggressive going to the hoop against tree sized defenders.
Cliff (N/A) - Doing security work for the Obama administration's departure to London.
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible." - Albert Einstein
The Lawmakers have been frustrated so far by the lack of success in their first two games in the new Asphalt Green league. Zurica and Anicito discussed potential roster changes, be it Lawmakers on the trading block or a starting line-up jumble. Over at Zuricalaw.com underground head quarters, a.k.a. Oren's apartment, Zurica and Anicito had the following conversation:
MA: I am tired of losing Ant. I am tired of your tyrannical behavior. You immediately removed the picture of you on the unicorn and you wouldnt allow me to bring in the players I wanted to in the off season. Now look at us! 0 and 2.
AZ: (in very lawyer-ly fashion) Mike, I understand your concerns about the direction of the team. I am open to letting you have authority only if my authority supersedes it. I am willing to let you post any picture as long as the creator of the blog is allowed to make any changes he deems necessary.
MA: Stop pretending to be a corporate lawyer. You used to go to Sound Factory every Saturday night.
AZ: Ok fine. We suck. Admittedly, we are not playing to our full potential. What should we do?
MA: I was thinking about trading Cliff. I think we can move him to the green team for a used Spalding basketball and kacky green team shorts.
AZ: Wait. Isnt he your roommate? I cant do that, it might affect your personal life. Let's move Bergs out of the starting line-up and see what happens...
The White team, now dubbed, The Ghost of Basketball's Past (GOBP), could have also been dubbed, tall white guys because no one on the team was shorter than 6'1, was the formidable opponent. Without starting center Cliff Wilford, the Lawmakers were severely undersized. The first half opened with a drought that hasnt been seen since 2002 when you had to request water at diners and restaurants. The Lawmakers had a hard time putting the ball in the basket. They got down 15-6 in rather quick fashion and didn't seem to have an answer for why they couldn't score. Maybe it had to do with the three guys in the front court 6'4 and taller clogging up the paint, making it hard for Ahmad to get to the lane or the 6'2 guards on the perimeter harassing Betancourt's shot. It wasn't until Bergs came off the bench that sparked some life into the Lawmakers. GOBP's #4 was killing the Lawmakers who went man only 4 minutes into the game to try to ruffle some feathers. Betancourt had been guarding #4 but it was decided to let Bergs take him so Betancourt wouldn't have to work so hard on both ends of the floor.
The transition from zone to man defense was a huge factor in how the Lawmakers made a run. Fast breaks off of turnovers eclipsed into easy points and while second chance opportunities were once again hurting the marooned mavericks, the Lawmakers cut the lead to 5 with less than a minute to play in the first half. A defensive rebound by Anicito found Ahmad with six seconds to play. Ahmad pulled up and hit a three to cut the lead to 2 with no time left of the first half. (Ahmad's 3 point stats: 2-9 .222% - not his strong point).
Being down by only two going into the second half was not the worst thing in the world. The Lawmakers fought and fought. Josh played very well. Attacking the basket and even getting an 'and one' call. He was also one of the few who converted his free throws. Anicito was 0-4 from the line while Bergs and Zurica combined for 1-4. That was almost the difference. The fact that GBOP had only 5 players and the prowess defensively play by the Lawmakers allowed for guys like Betancourt and Bergs to get open shots. Zurica did a nice job penetrating the middle and kicking out to the shooters, although he was underneath the basket at one point and didn't even look to score.
The Lawmakers kept pace with GBOP and eventually pulled out the victory by playing defense and making open shots. It was the first win of the season in the new league and put a dent in the loss column of a previously undefeated. Good game all around guys.
Anicito (B) - showed his toughness and pride on defense. Mixed it up down low but needs to work on his free throw shooting, bad!
Zuricalaw.com (B) - Floor general as usual. Forced a couple of passes that were salvaged by the athleticism of his teammates. Scored the game sealing layup.
Bergs (B+) - All around good game. Stuck some dagger threes that demoralized the opponent. Played lock down defense on #4 in the second half.
Ahamd (B) - played a hard fought game. Forced possessions at times but made big plays when they counted.
Betancourt (B) - stroked the three for about 40%. Defense knew where he was most of the time because of the college connection. Mike lost half a grade for his poor first half defense, which he improved immensely in the second half.
Josh (B+) - Josh's solid basketball performance anchored down the team. Aggressive going to the hoop against tree sized defenders.
Cliff (N/A) - Doing security work for the Obama administration's departure to London.
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible." - Albert Einstein
The Lawmakers have been frustrated so far by the lack of success in their first two games in the new Asphalt Green league. Zurica and Anicito discussed potential roster changes, be it Lawmakers on the trading block or a starting line-up jumble. Over at Zuricalaw.com underground head quarters, a.k.a. Oren's apartment, Zurica and Anicito had the following conversation:
MA: I am tired of losing Ant. I am tired of your tyrannical behavior. You immediately removed the picture of you on the unicorn and you wouldnt allow me to bring in the players I wanted to in the off season. Now look at us! 0 and 2.
AZ: (in very lawyer-ly fashion) Mike, I understand your concerns about the direction of the team. I am open to letting you have authority only if my authority supersedes it. I am willing to let you post any picture as long as the creator of the blog is allowed to make any changes he deems necessary.
MA: Stop pretending to be a corporate lawyer. You used to go to Sound Factory every Saturday night.
AZ: Ok fine. We suck. Admittedly, we are not playing to our full potential. What should we do?
MA: I was thinking about trading Cliff. I think we can move him to the green team for a used Spalding basketball and kacky green team shorts.
AZ: Wait. Isnt he your roommate? I cant do that, it might affect your personal life. Let's move Bergs out of the starting line-up and see what happens...
The White team, now dubbed, The Ghost of Basketball's Past (GOBP), could have also been dubbed, tall white guys because no one on the team was shorter than 6'1, was the formidable opponent. Without starting center Cliff Wilford, the Lawmakers were severely undersized. The first half opened with a drought that hasnt been seen since 2002 when you had to request water at diners and restaurants. The Lawmakers had a hard time putting the ball in the basket. They got down 15-6 in rather quick fashion and didn't seem to have an answer for why they couldn't score. Maybe it had to do with the three guys in the front court 6'4 and taller clogging up the paint, making it hard for Ahmad to get to the lane or the 6'2 guards on the perimeter harassing Betancourt's shot. It wasn't until Bergs came off the bench that sparked some life into the Lawmakers. GOBP's #4 was killing the Lawmakers who went man only 4 minutes into the game to try to ruffle some feathers. Betancourt had been guarding #4 but it was decided to let Bergs take him so Betancourt wouldn't have to work so hard on both ends of the floor.
The transition from zone to man defense was a huge factor in how the Lawmakers made a run. Fast breaks off of turnovers eclipsed into easy points and while second chance opportunities were once again hurting the marooned mavericks, the Lawmakers cut the lead to 5 with less than a minute to play in the first half. A defensive rebound by Anicito found Ahmad with six seconds to play. Ahmad pulled up and hit a three to cut the lead to 2 with no time left of the first half. (Ahmad's 3 point stats: 2-9 .222% - not his strong point).
Being down by only two going into the second half was not the worst thing in the world. The Lawmakers fought and fought. Josh played very well. Attacking the basket and even getting an 'and one' call. He was also one of the few who converted his free throws. Anicito was 0-4 from the line while Bergs and Zurica combined for 1-4. That was almost the difference. The fact that GBOP had only 5 players and the prowess defensively play by the Lawmakers allowed for guys like Betancourt and Bergs to get open shots. Zurica did a nice job penetrating the middle and kicking out to the shooters, although he was underneath the basket at one point and didn't even look to score.
The Lawmakers kept pace with GBOP and eventually pulled out the victory by playing defense and making open shots. It was the first win of the season in the new league and put a dent in the loss column of a previously undefeated. Good game all around guys.
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