Game Recap

A late call into office management had the Lawmakers in a tizzy before last night’s game. Starting 3 guard, Cliff Wilford informed the team that he would not be able to make last night’s game due to his hair and massage appointment getting pushed back. Anicito had to race to the subway to make the game while Anthony wondered why Cliff was on the team since he’s played in only two games.

The rest of all members were in attendance and had one thing on their minds….a win. It had been awhile since the Lawmakers had a win. Last week’s depleted team let a 10 point lead dwindle and fade due to three key members missing the game for Cinco De Mayo. You can blame the organization, a.k.a. Anthony Zurica for scheduling games on St. Pattys Day and Cinco De Mayo so it didn’t run in his bootcamp workouts that he does with his wife, Pina.

Last night’s opponent was the Blue team. The Blue team was highly scouted by coach Zurica and assistant to the water boy/shooting guard, Josh. Both and Anthony and Josh had painted the portrait of the newly dubbed Blue Nile Killer as a reincarnation of Pistol Pete Maravich. Josh was heard saying “you have to see this kid. Im telling you he puts Betancourt to shame.” Anthony had written next to his game notes “don’t lose #1, better than Betancourt.” Was this a coup against the Lawmakers’ best shooter, Mike Betancourt or was it just poor basketball judgment by Ant and Josh? Seems like Ant and Josh were really just so transfixed on 1 game they seen the Blue Nile Killer that they forgot what a basketball player looks like. It turned out the Blue Nile Killer stood 5’2, pudgy, couldn’t jump, and paraded around in a styled half a mohawk, half mullet. There would be no way he could single handedly beat our team. But Ant and Josh were hell-bent on starting out in a 3-2 to protect the perimeter.

It wasn’t much of the defense that hurt the Lawmakers. It was more the lack of scoring in the first half. Betancourt struggled to find his shot and Anicito and Bergs seemed hesitant to shoot. With Ahmad on the bench the Lawmakers got down early by 8. Then it was the defense that turned it around. Good movement in the 3-2 zone stifled the Blue team and led to turnovers. Bergs, Josh, and Ant were getting steals that led to fastbreaks and lay-ups. Ahmad found some sort of rhythm when going to the basket and scoring in the paint. Anicito battled and trashed down low, grabbing boards and getting second chance opportunities. The Lawmakers trailed by 2 at the half.

Then things started turning up. Realizing that the Blue Nile Killer was more of a descendant of Danny Devito than Pistol Pete, the Lawmakers went to a 2-3 zone to help with rebounding. It worked nicely but the Lawmakers couldn’t build a big enough lead to feel comfortable. With less than a minute to play, Betancourt converted two free throws to give the boys in maroon a four point lead. The Blue team drove down and nailed a three to cut it to one. Zurica called a timeout. The Lawmakers knew they had to get the inbounds into Betancourt’s hands. Anicito was called in on special coaching duty to draw up an inbounds play. With four across the free throw line, Betancourt and Bergs crossed streams like the Ghostbusters and Betancourt converted both free throws once again. On the ensuing play the Blue team drove up, their point guard who had made two threes already had the ball knocked loose by Bergs, forcing one of their four doofy kids to shoot a three that almost went in. With Ahmad sealing the miss and making his free throws, the Lawmakers won their second game of the season.

On a side note, Josh had made two conspiracy theories in the car ride home. One had to do with Magic Johnson but needs not to be repeated and the other has to do with Yankee great Derek Jeter. Josh maintains that through Jeter’s enormous PR machine, he hires C and D list actresses to “date” him to cover up the fact that he is really a homosexual. I almost tackled him for making such an accusation about the greatest Yankee in the last 20 years but Josh does have some convincing points; mainly that no woman has come out and said what a douche Jeter was to her. Even guys like Bergs have women who have blogged their love affair and cry of a broken heart. How can Jeter not??