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9. Carolina Rebels (9)
Another team my metrics aren't giving enough credence to (probably) and Daisy has a right to be annoyed, seeing as they're sitting at the second seed in the Big 8, especially after that defensive dominance over Linndale last weekend. Funnily enough, their defensive efficiency ranking is why they end up just below Linndale, as they rank 10th overall while Linndale ranks 6th. Either way, that was a hell of a performance and probably what got Speedtraps' crew allllll hot and bothered come Tuesday night. A Nothing To See Here win over BOBBBS with a tremendous 115-point victory on Tuesday and now they move on to a road matchup with 209's followed by hosting BKDogs.

10. Żubr Białystok (10)
As expected whitestok's group ended up falling to The Ashkickers last week which inhibited their ability to make a last second play-off push, but they have to feel good with a nice win over The Beer Bellys before that on Saturday night, beating them out by 12. While I admit I was surprised by their performance last season, finishing 2nd in the standings, I'm equally surprised by their drop off this season to be a .500ish team. They've got a chance this week to make up ground to get to .500 with a matchup at home against the Spartans followed by a bot game at Sweaty Socks, which will lead to their final game, facing off against Hustlas.

11. The Philadelphia Spartans (11)
An easy win last weekend while hosting Motor City with 6 players scoring double digits, two of them off the bench in a game that wasn't really ever close. They got their comeuppance traveling to Miami, however, losing by 23 on the backside of the week. Next up, the aforementioned trip to Żubr Białystok before then having to host Hustlas. I'm predicting two more losses on the season before they get to finish out against Sweaty Socks at home in their final game.

12. Lion Rebels (12)
Finally rid of the injury bug, rumor has it that Lion Rebels management is looking to purposefully relegate to get one easy season of training in before trying to return to Div III with another attempt at it before T. Armstead starts to decline. A brutal Is Anyone Even Trying game against 209's resulted in a 30-point loss before the gods mercifully presented BKDogs to the altar at Daylis Stadium for a 31-point victory to snap their five-game losing streak. This next week doesn't look promising as they travel to Linndale before playing host to San Dominica. This isn't their worst season ever, having only won 4 games in Season 54 in Div III.15, but they are in danger of having their 2nd worst season even if they can't win just one more game to tie their Season 53 record of 7-15. Looking bleak.

13. Motor City Waddupdoe (13)
For the season, Motor City is shooting just 33% from the field, including a paltry 28% from three and are averaging just 72.8 PPG. It's been a rough 2nd season for the squad as they'll most likely venture back down to Div IV after winning IV.46 in their inaugural season. A loss to Philadelphia Spartans last weekend was followed by a demoralizing defeat at the hands of Hustlas this week. And it's not going to get better as they finish the season out against current seeds 4 (The Beer Bellys), 1 (The Ashkickers), and 2 (Miami Cleo).

14. BKDogs (14)
BKDogs welcomed a bot win against BOBBBS this last week scoring a regular season high of 139-points shooting almost 60% from the field and hitting 11-17 from three enroute to their third victory of the season. That was followed by the previously noted defeat to Lion Rebels. Next up comes seeds 1 & 2 in the Big 8, Philly Dribble and Carolina Rebels before they finish out the season hosting 209's MostWanted.

15. Sweaty Bots (15)
Blech.

16. BOTTTSBURGS (16)
Will their defensive efficiency reach the Illustrious 200 mark?! I'll let you know next week!

Last have a fun last full week of the regular season - good luck!

"This is Happy Ourer with Marshall Richards on your Linndale Basketball Network. With reports of unrest in the locker room leaking out, Marshall what have you been able to find out."

MR: "Well first thing is that Linndale is looking for a PR manager. That was horribly done by him. Secondly, you would have thought that was the coaching staff exploding in the locker room, but I'm told by a number of sources it was players largely. Late as it is in the season, I'm told Cyozo Czagala was upset that he wasn't getting the ball more and that was what kicked off the fireworks. I spoke with 3 members of team willing to go on the record, Ubaldo Pestana, Nick Guevara and Bobbie Coenen. Pestana indicated Czagala was upset about the lack of touches, Guevara confirmed that he told Gzagala he wasn't effective with the ball on offense and Coenen told Czagala he wasn't effective with the ball at all. The soon to retire Coach, who has largely been in a ceremonial role as Pio Reina gets his bearings running the show, said that the numbers bear that out and Czagala was incensed when he was shown the data. Czagala indicated he was the reason the team was even still in the playoff chase when Reina and the GM had him escorted to a private area. No one was willing to talk about what was said then and there, but I think it's obvious with the end result being Czagala being transferred."

HO: "Marshall, I have Czagala's numbers in front of me, and I can't argue against what he was told. Though he rated well and did show improvement, the fact is he's not an offensive player. His shooting is not goodm his outside shot is nonexistent, his free throws are bad, he's a bad passer and turns the ball over. His rebounding is solid if unspectacular, and his defense while very good, doesn't compensate enough for his offensive shortcomings. Harrison Mann is seen as the better player. Coming off his injury and with Czagala's attitude, I can see why this was done."

MR: "Happy, let's cut the crap. The team might fire me for this. That's fine, but let's be honest here. He had to go. The team was upfront about what they wanted from ALL the bigs this season. Largely they got that improvement, and when the opportunity to get better players presented itself, they took advantage. Datler was seen as the center of the future, and still might be, but Ramon Sanz Garcaa is the man now. Czagala was only starting at the power forward because it was thought Nick Guevara might provide offense off the bench, not that Czagala was better; hell, Czagala was starting at center before upgrades were made, so I don't want to hear any of his crap. When a vet who hasn't been here long, and your starting point guard come out against you, that says a lot. Guevara willingly went to the bench to let Czagala start because he's a team guy. Doing that in the middle of what seems like a breakout year for him. Nick has done everything asked of him quietly and while producing. The only move to be had was getting rid of Czagala."

HO: "Wow Marshall; tell us how you really feel! Folks, we'll be back after this word from our sponsor. I've a feeling Marshall has a lot more to say!"

Last edited by Speedtraps at 1/13/2023 11:19:55 AM

Pio Reina steps to the podium.

PR: "We played well defensively. We did not rebound well. We took care of the ball extrememly well, but you all know I'm going to have some words with Kellokoski about those 2 turnovers. We held Armstead to 9 points but he did grab 22 boards. I thought our bigs did a great job collectively. It was nice to get Harrison Mann back and he looked good. Kyle Knowles was efficient scoring; outside of him we're basically the gang that couldn't shoot straight tonight. We've got to find a way to close these games out; losing the 4th quarter 31-19 doesn't sit well with me. We've got to be better there. I'd like to see more steals and blocks, but if we can lock down the other team offensively like we did tonight, I can live with that. Was it pretty? No. Are we out of the woods yet? No. 209 got huge win over Carolina, so they stay on our heels. The good news for us is that we have a trip to Bobbbsburgs coming up before we go to San Dominica. If things go our way, we could wind up with the second seed. I don't think we'll finish in the 2 slot, but if we take care of business our fans can expect postseason basketball. Before anyone asks, no I'm not talking about any active player who is no longer here. My focus is on the guys that are here and what they are working to accomplish. I hope everyone appreciates Coach's last home game. It doesn't seem real, but at the same time, we just want to make him proud. Did I answer all of your questions before you asked them? No? OK; call our new PR Manager when we get one and we'll set something up. I'm gonna go and be with my team. Thank you and good night!"

Last edited by Speedtraps at 1/15/2023 3:20:11 PM

Day 20 (Saturday 14 January 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Lion Rebels 74 - Linndale 85
BOBBBSBURGS 38 - San Dominica Warriors 154
Carolina Rebels 82 - 209’s MostWanted 94
Philly Dribble 130 - BKDogs 101
The Ashkickers 78 - Miami Cleo 87
The Beer Bellys 93 - Motor City Waddupdoe 61
Sweaty Socks 44 - Hustlas 142
The Philadelphia Spartans 85 - Żubr Białystok 107

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 154 : San Dominica Warriors
Rebounds : 86 : San Dominica Warriors
Assists : 40 : San Dominica Warriors
Steals : 11 : Hustlas
Block Shots : 10 : San Dominica Warriors

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 31 : M. Granja (San Dominica Warriors)
Rebounds : 22 : T. Armstead (Lion Rebels)
Assists : 12 : É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors)
Steals : 4 : R. Oblacinskas (Hustlas)
Block Shots : 3 : C. Riggins (Żubr Białystok), I. Homs (The Beer Bellys), G. Sankoh (BKDogs)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors) (22 Points, 5 Rebounds, 12 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 38
Shooting Guard : M. Granja (San Dominica Warriors) (31 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 35
Small Forward : Á. Márquez (San Dominica Warriors) (15 Points, 12 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 29
Power Forward : J. Bégin (San Dominica Warriors) (22 Points, 19 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 41
Center : C. Riggins (Żubr Białystok) (22 Points, 13 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 33

MVP of the evening
J. Bégin (San Dominica Warriors) (22 Points, 19 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 41

The bad performance of the evening
E. Meeks (Sweaty Socks) (0 Points, 0 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -12

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : M. Redman (Motor City Waddupdoe), T. Colomina (The Ashkickers), S. Cohen (BOBBBSBURGS) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), M. Smalls (Motor City Waddupdoe), M. Redman (Motor City Waddupdoe), F. Taylor (The Philadelphia Spartans), É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors), R. Singh (Lion Rebels), H. Šapiras (Żubr Białystok) : 5 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks), M. Redman (Motor City Waddupdoe), S. Hollins (Lion Rebels), S. Hatch (Żubr Białystok) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : A. Ziółkowski (209’s MostWanted) : 5 Three points

The best performer : S. Klin (Hustlas) : Rating : 17.0

The worst performer : G. Blair (BOBBBSBURGS) : Rating : 0.5

"We are not ready for the playoffs. But I think, if we can get through the first round, we may have a shot," said John Walton.

"You think so? We lost to the top three teams in each conference in succession. I don't think we are ready for anything. WE are unpredictable. And that will only take us so far. If the players show up, yes, we have a shot. But if they don't? Then I do not like our chances," said Bobby Sparks.

"It's the age. We are going to have to blow it up and start over at some point," said Coach Boone. "The sooner the better. Who cares if we don't stay in Division 3. Let's go down to D.4 and win some titles. Our players are old. I don't trust them in the playoffs. It's impossible to know what plays to run for them. We should be a great Look inside team, but we are not. So, we have to just pray..., that we can do well this season."

"And we will. I have every confidence and faith in this team," said Bobby Sparks.

"As you should say. Doesn't make it true," replied Coach Boone.


The Hustlas vs The Philadelphia Spartans. Next!

Samantha Swinson: "I'm Samantha Swinson and this is the Warrior's Post Game Report. We take you now to Pluck TaPaul who is with Coach Stephenson"

Pluck TaPaul: Coach, big win tonight. A rivalry win on top of that. How does it feel to get
the sweep?

Coach S: Real good. Hmm close game, especially early. Hard fought. That should not surprise anyone regarding
this rivalry. We tried to come up with a game plan that would allow us to ... set a high tempo but also try
to contain their bigs. Fortunately for us the plan we came up with worked.

Pluck TaPaul: You guys have essentially clinched a playoff berth with this win. How are you guys taking this all in?

Coach S: We're happy to be in the playoffs again. Second year in a row. Lord knows how hard that is to do in this
league especially given how tough the Big 8 has been this year. But that was our goal. First and foremost
make the playoffs. Unfortunately we can't really become too relaxed. The 209 went thuggish ruggish vs
Philly. Hmm like I said a week or so back, they're a dangerous squad and just as much as we want to
be in the playoffs they want to be in. Now they and Lindale are duking it out for that final playoff spot
and we're caught in the middle.

Pluck TaPaul: Speaking of that. Last game in the SMG this season. Lindale will be coming weapons hot for
all the reasons mentioned. What's the game plan for Pio Reina and that squad?

Coach S: Well the Old Man is still there so still have to consider what wheels are turning in his head. (pauses) Oh
Lord! Now see what you've done (laughs). He's gonna be calling me out while talking to Happy.
Can hear him now. "Who you calling old!"

But nah we're gonna treat it like we treat every game. We're gonna evaluate what's best for our team
and plan according to that goal. There are so many scenarios we have to consider. We could be facing
these guys the following week in the playoffs. So you know, but there's no doubt they're gonna be doing
everything they can to light it up and get the win. For them it is basically a play-in game. Win and
They're in. They're in the post season. They're guaranteed another season here in Division III. Lose and
then it becomes a matter of this and that. Win percentages and tiebreakers and relegation. Right now
we're celebrating this win. 5 AM tomorrow I'll be stra-ta-tah-jahzing.

Pluck TaPaul: Speaking of strategy. You went with a Box defense! Any particular reason?

Coach S: You know I'm a John Chaney guy! I love me some match-up zone! Hmm foolin aside, we knew in this
game two things couldn't happen. Armstead couldn't have a 20 rebound game nor could Singh be
allowed to run amuck getting his own shot with ease. Well you've seen the man over the years. You
can't just put one man on Cloth. He just starts wiping the floor on the interior. At the same time we
wanted to neutralize Singh's ability to drive pass the first man. Everything kept leading that answer so
'Wha-la!' I'm just happy it worked.

Pluck TaPaul: That it did. Thanks Coach, enjoy the win.

Coach S: Thanks Pluck.

Pluck TaPaul: Back to you Sam!

Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 1/18/2023 3:17:39 AM

Day 21 (Tuesday 17 January 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
San Dominica Warriors 110 - Lion Rebels 85
Linndale 166 - BOBBBSBURGS 53
BKDogs 77 - Carolina Rebels 105
209’s MostWanted 116 - Philly Dribble 108
Motor City Waddupdoe 47 - The Ashkickers 105
Miami Cleo 66 - The Beer Bellys 77
Żubr Białystok 124 - Sweaty Socks 47
Hustlas 116 - The Philadelphia Spartans 114

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 166 : Linndale
Rebounds : 67 : Linndale
Assists : 42 : Linndale
Steals : 24 : Linndale
Block Shots : 10 : The Ashkickers, Linndale

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 39 : K. Brown (Lion Rebels)
Rebounds : 26 : H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels)
Assists : 10 : G. Cappilli (The Philadelphia Spartans)
Steals : 4 : J. Brown (Linndale), M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok), P. Paredi (BKDogs)
Block Shots : 3 : E. Öztün (The Ashkickers), T. Colomina (The Ashkickers), R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : A. Kričković (Żubr Białystok) (25 Points, 5 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 36
Shooting Guard : K. Knowles (Linndale) (18 Points, 1 Rebounds, 9 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots), J. Esposito (Hustlas) (37 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 28
Small Forward : A. Reese (Linndale) (31 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots), Y. Delagnès (Żubr Białystok) (29 Points, 11 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 33
Power Forward : H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels) (30 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46
Center : R. Sanz Garcáa (Linndale) (16 Points, 16 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 2 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40

MVP of the evening
H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels) (30 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46

The bad performance of the evening
J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks) (13 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -12

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : J. Moore (BOBBBSBURGS) : 8 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : G. Blair (BOBBBSBURGS) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : A. Gallucci (Miami Cleo), J. Dotson (Sweaty Socks), H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels), M. Bowie (Motor City Waddupdoe), T. Medina (Lion Rebels), Y. Delagnès (Żubr Białystok) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : J. Esposito (Hustlas) : 6 Three points

The best performer : M. San Miguel (The Ashkickers) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : E. Meeks (Sweaty Socks), J. Moore (BOBBBSBURGS) : Rating : 1.5

"Hello Hustla fans, I am Cash Danger, and welcome to Hustlas TV. We are here to talk about another fourth quarter comeback by the Hustlas, but this one the best of the recent seasons of Hustlas basketball. The Hustlas went into The Philadelphia Spartans home and stole a victory."

"That's right Cash," says Katie Bell. "They went there and stole a victory. Though the game should not have been close to begin with, but the Hustlas we're playing lackadaisical and sloppy. And The Philadelphia Spartans played the Hustlas Achilles Heel offense, Look Inside. We thought they had them. Coach Boone thought they had them. The Hustla fanbase thought they were had, and th Philadelphia Spartans thought they had the game. And, for a while there, they did have them."

"I'm sorry everyone, that is the lovely Katie Bell filling in as co-host. And she is absolutely right, the Hustlas had this game lost," said Cash Danger. "In the 3rd quarter with 5:12 left, the Hustlas we're down 63-86. We could not understand why they were down and what they were doing. They were not playing good basketball and this game was out of hand. But then, shortly afterwards, the Hustlas bench play improved. They came alive. They cut the deficit going into the 4th, Hustlas down 13. Katie?..."

Katie Bell continues, " But then the amazing 4th quarter begins. Hustlas trying to make a run, but The Philadelphia Spartans refusing to yield. The lead is back up to 17 after this play,

(F. Taylor (H) gets off a great pass to G. Romão (H). G. Romão (H) forces up a three from the top of the arc. Scored.)
Hustlas down 85-102. 9:41 left in the game, down 17."

"And it didn't get better from there," continues Cash Danger, "as with 8:46 remaining, Hustlas we're still down 17, 87-104. From there, the Hustlas began their crawl. They would outscore the Spartans from here, 29-10. At 4:41 left in the 4th, we all thought that the game was over, score was 99-114. Then the Hustlas defense came alive."

"They held the Philadelphia Spartans scoreless for the rest of the game. Even still, it felt like the Hustlas could not make the comeback," said Katie Bell. "Be sure with 1:41 left, the Hustlas we're down 105-114, and Denkovic was at the free throw line. 2 free throws for Denkovic, a basket by Klin and Slakteris brought the score to 111-114. Hustlas still had a shot but the Philadelphia Spartans had the ball."

"And then, this sequence takes place..."
A replay of the game plays..
( 0:34 111 - 114 P. Zychowicz (H) tries a driving layup. Shot missed.
0:34 111 - 114 S. Klin (A) corrals the missed shot.
0:26 114 - 114 J. Esposito (A) attempts a three-point shot from the wing with A. Llanos (H) right in his face. Scored)

Cash Danger continues, "Esposito ties the game with 26 seconds left. He had 37 on the night, hitting his 6th three point shot. The Spartans, with no timeouts left, went down and tried to score, missed, and
Senserrich grabbed the rebound."

Katie Bell, excitable, continues, "With one second left, Senserrich goes up and is fouled by F. Taylor. Senserrich went to the line. Hustlas we're perfect from the free throw line in the fourth, and clawed all the way back. With one second left, Senserrich sinked the two free throws, giving The Hustlas their first lead of the game. With one second left, the Philadelphia Spartans got a great look, but missed, giving the Hustlas the impossible comeback and improbable victory."

"What a game, what a finish," said Cash Danger. "All the people that tuned in to the game late saw a great finish. The Hustlas did incredible, and showed true grit in coming back and squeezing that one out."

"Yes they did Cash," said Katie Bell. "And now they move on to their final game of the season. They did place most of their players on the transfer wire, but we don't see any movement taking place, thought their big backup center, Take, has been transferred. That means Hannes Karus, if he isn't transferred, will get those minutes."

"T

Last edited by Reece at 1/19/2023 1:02:44 AM

Great recap and thanks for highlighting this - I hadn't looked closely at the box scores yet - crazy win! I think the biggest comeback I've seen.

"Happy Ourer with Coach on the night before his final regular season game of his illustrious career. Coach, this is your show tonight! Anything you want to say or talk about?"

"No", Coach replied, "not in particular. It's been a good run, and I just hope all the fans are proud."

"Coach, on the eve of the final game of the season, we find ourselves with having to win to get into the playoffs. WHat needs to go right to get that win?"

"Everything. This is not going to be a walk in the park. You know what to expect from us. We're going to take care of the basketball, try to force turnovers, fight for rebounds, share the basketball, and play some good defense. Us old guys are set in their ways; we do what we do."

"Speaking of old, Coach, you heard about the comments from your counterpart with your opponent?"

"Happy, I wasn't bothered. It's true; I am old. It's why I'm handing over the reins to Pio Reina and walking away. This is a young man's game. The problem is I've got a locker room of young guys who are incensed and feel like I'm being disrespected. They can't wait to get on to the court and get the last word.."

"What about the possibility of playing them in the first round of the playoffs?"

"Happy, if we do, then we'll go out and take care of business. The game will get played. We'll try to win. Of course, we've got to get there first, and that's no easy task. We'll do the best we can, and let the chips fall where they may."

"Coach, what has to happen to make the playoffs? What has to happen for you to pull this game out?"

"We have to win. We have to make more shots than they do. We have to keep them from second opportunities. We have to not foul them or turn the ball over. We can't give away possessions. We can't get away from being who we are. When we play our brand of basketball, things tend to work out for us. We're not changing or doing anything special. Happy, there comes a point where you got to roll out your best and say `here we come, stop us if you can`. Well, here we are. You know what we do. Stop us if you can. If they do, we don't deserve to make the playoffs. Plain and simple."

"We'll be back with more from Coach after this commercial break!"

"Marshall Richards with Coach at halftime, where Linndale leads the San Dominica Warriors 41-35. Coach, what was the key?"

"Well Marshall", Coach replies, "the boys just had to slow down and trust the plan. We got off to a slow start on both ends, but once they got comfortable, things got working. It helps that we don't think San Dominica isn't playing their best; they're in the playoffs so that makes sense."

"Coach, it appears you've unleashed a new wrinkle. Why now?"

""Well Marshall, I didn't want to tip our postseason plans, because we may be playing them again most likely in round one. And I figured, let's do something we don't do. I can't remember the last time we used this defense if ever. Gotta keep them guessing. Of all the things to think about, I wouldn't guess anyone saw this coming."

"Thanks Coach, and good luck in the second half."

"Thank you, Marshall!"