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.