GAME 1: POWER (2-1) DEFEATED TRILOGY (1-2)
A lot of the big action in this game happened before it began. Trilogy Captain James White had to miss the game for Trilogy. The man who took his place was Ryan “Hezi God” Carter. While Hezi God acquitted himself quite well on offense, finishing with seven points on 3-4 shooting, the 6’1 Carter had a lot of trouble against the size of Power.
Power’s big men played well against everybody, but they had their best success when they went at Carter, and it’s hard not to wonder if Coach Stephen Jackson should have replaced the 6’8 White with someone with a bit more size.
Power’s big men really did have a tremendous game – Royce White and TJ Cline were active as always, consistently going at the basket and finishing through contact. White, who went 0-9 from beyond the arc in 2022, even stretched the floor, hitting two threes when Trilogy left him alone. All game long, they were able to get themselves space by cutting hard and sealing their man off, and their teammates consistently rewarded them by passing it right into the space their activity and positioning created. More often than not, the result was a layup. Ultimately, the duo of White and Cline finished with 36 points, and shot a combined 15-20 from the floor. They’re Power’s engine, and Trilogy didn’t have the right answers for them on Sunday.
Glen Rice Jr. had a quietly fantastic game as well. He’s more than capable of scoring in bunches, but he recognized that Power’s bigs were feasting inside and adjusted his game accordingly. He finished with just six points, but he went 3-4 from the field, had four assists, and didn’t turn it over.
Trilogy didn’t play terribly by any stretch of the imagination. They did a good job of using their size on the boards, Earl Clark was able to make shots from all over, and Isaiah Briscoe and Hezi God were both able to use their handle to get to the rim. Unfortunately, they shot just 4-11 from beyond the arc, and more importantly their ball movement wasn’t there. They finished with just three assists (Power had 10), and they turned the ball over seven times, which you simply can’t do against a team like Power.
The game-winner came on a beautifully designed and executed baseline out-of-bounds play. TJ Cline pretended like he was going to set a down-screen, but halfway to the three-point line he turned around and exploded to the basket, leaving his defender in the dust. He got the inbounds pass, laid it in, and Power won the Championship rematch by a final score of 50-40.
FIREWATCH:
With the score 22-18 Power, Trilogy Coach Stephen Jackson challenged a foul by Ryan “Hezi God” Carter on Akil Mitchell. Mitchell dribbled Carter under the basket and knocked him over, but missed the wide-open layup. NO BASKET.
With the score 38-27 Power, Nancy Lieberman challenged a foul by Akil Mitchell on Earl Clark. Mitchell fouled Clark, BASKET GOOD.
With the score 42-31 Power, Jackson challenged a foul by Hezi God on TJ Cline. Cline missed a layup, NO BASKET.
GAME 2: TRIPLETS (2-1) DEFEATED TRI STATE (2-1)
This was a matchup between two of the best teams in the league, and it didn’t disappoint. The big news of the day is that Iso-Joe is all the way back. After struggling a little bit with his shot over the first two weeks, it was apparent that Johnson was playing at his pace on Sunday. He looked for open three-point opportunities off of rebounds and when the defense sagged off of him too much, and shot 3-4 from beyond the arc. He got to his spots off of the dribble and finished through contact. When the defense doubled him, he consistently made the right read, and finished with a game-high five assists without turning the ball over.
Jeremy Pargo was deadly in his own right, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 10-18 shooting from the field, 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and a four-pointer for good measure. When Tri State got too close to him, he blew by them for a layup. When they gave him space, he swished a jumper. For the second consecutive week, he made it look easy.
Johnson and Pargo were every bit as important defensively as they were on offense. Johnson managed to do the impossible and slow down Jason Richardson, who had been unstoppable coming into Sunday’s game. Richardson still got 14 points, but he had to work for them, and wasn’t able to get any easy baskets inside the arc.
For his part, Pargo’s defense in the post against DeShawn Stephens was absolutely invaluable – despite his significant size advantage, Stephens wasn’t able to take advantage of Pargo at all. He finished with just four points on 2-6 shooting from the field, and due to his struggles Tri State were forced to settle for more outside shots than they would have liked, especially since Trilogy did a good job of contesting them.
Tri State did a great job of playing with physicality and discipline and kept the game close the whole way, but Triplets managed to stay in control for most of the game, and put Tri State’s first loss of 2023 in the books when Pargo drove on Justin Dentmon and laid it in to give Triplets the 51-45 win.
It should be noted that Jason Richardson went to the bench with a twisted ankle near the end of the game and did not return; hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later.
FIREWATCH:
With the score 39-34 Triplets, Lisa Leslie challenged a foul by Larry Sanders on Jason Richardson. Richardson missed a tough step-back jumper, NO BASKET.
With the score 39-36 Triplets, Julius Erving challenged a foul by Ray Nixon on Joe Johnson. Johnson got to the left block and drew a foul, BASKET GOOD.
GAME 3: BIVOUAC (2-1) DEFEATED ENEMIES (1-2)
Scoring in this game came in peaks and valleys. In the first half Bivouac found some success getting to the basket and Enemies were hitting their long jumpers at a nice clip, but in the second half things slowed way down. Ronnie Brewer was a major source of energy for Bivouac – the team had been far too willing to settle for long jumpers through the first two weeks, but Brewer made a point of attacking off the dribble and constantly trying to get to the rim.
Both teams started to settle for threes, and it was not working out for either side. When the score was at 36-33 Bivouac, both teams had shot 1-11 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Finally, the stalemate was broken when Garlon Green ran off some huge plays. He hit a contested three, got a layup off a turnover, got an and-1 to go, and went into his bag before hitting a pull-up jumper in Quincy Miller’s face. That flurry gave Bivouac the lead for good, and they finished the game when Ronnie Brewer grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a cutting Gerald Green for a dunk.
As for Enemies, who were without the services of Head Coach Gilbert Arenas and starting center Isaiah Austin, it was the same story: not a lot of passing and some great shot-making, but the offense sputtered when the shots didn’t fall from the outside. The team sorely missed Austin’s presence at both ends. Brewer’s forays to the rim were really the best thing Bivouac had going for them offensively for most of the game, and Austin’s shot-blocking could have helped to shut them down.
FIREWATCH:
With the score 19-11 Enemies, Interim Coach Nick Young challenged a foul by Elijah Stewart on Corey Brewer. Brewer managed to step through for a layup, BASKET GOOD.
With the score 48-38 Bivouac, Coach Gary Payton challenged a foul by Brewer on Jordan Crawford. Crawford pulled up from the free throw line and hit the jumper, BASKET GOOD.
GAME 4: KILLER 3’S (2-1) DEFEATED ALIENS (0-3)
Normally, the Killer 3’s play off of Franklin “Frank Nitty” Session, but the Aliens did a fantastic job of staying in front of the lightning-quick Session without overhelping, forcing him into pull-up jumpers. Session finished with just nine points on 4-13 shooting from the field and one assist. Fortunately, his teammates were there to pick him up on Sunday.
Donte Greene had an absolutely spectacular game, finishing with a game-high 28 points. He was patient inside and used his combination of size, body control, and touch to consistently finish through contact and over defenders, and he was absolutely feeling it from outside, as he finished 4-8 from three-point range and splashed in the only four-pointer he took. Josh Powell and Dominique Johnson were both efficient and provided tons of energy, but this was really the
Greene show for the Killer 3’s, who put the finishing touches on their 51-39 win when Dominique Johnson hit a pull-up jumper over Tomislav Ivosev.
For the third consecutive week, the Aliens had a rough go of it offensively. Team Captain Dusan Bulut still can’t find a way to get easy baskets, and finished shooting 4-12 from the floor. For the second consecutive week, he was hit with a technical foul, and he was actually ejected from Sunday’s game – his frustration with how the season is going seems to be bubbling over.
Too much of this offense is still Janis Timma firing quick-trigger threes before the Aliens have run any sort of offense. Timma is a phenomenal shooter, but his shots need to come from the offense creating open space for him – right now he’s just grabbing it and firing it whenever a defender is too far away to block his shot. On Sunday, he shot 4-12 from beyond the arc, and missed the only four-pointer he took. That’s not a horrible percentage, but the volume of shots he’s taking is choking out the offense, and he’d be shooting the lights out if he waited to get open shots in the flow of the offense.
Tomislav Ivosev was a bright spot for Aliens – he was able to get inside position, was patient with the ball down low, hit cutters, and even stepped out and showed some range on his jumper. He finished with 10 points on 5-7 shooting, 9 rebounds, and a game-high five assists.
FIREWATCH:
With the score 18-13 Killer 3’s, Rick Mahorn challenged a foul by Ivosev on Frank Nitty. Ivosev stayed in front of Frank Nitty, who missed a step-back. NO BASKET.
With the score 41-31 Killer 3’s, Rick Mahorn challenged a foul by Dusan Bulut on Javier Carter. Carter ripped under Bulut’s arm and slammed home the open dunk, BASKET GOOD. (Bulut got a technical foul and was ejected from the game after arguing the no-call on Carter.)
GAME 5: 3’S COMPANY (1-2) DEFEAT 3 HEADED MONSTERS (1-2)
3’s Company did not want to start the season 0-3, and you could see it in the way they played on Sunday. They were aggressive, constantly attacked the rim, and moved the ball far better than they did in Weeks 1 and 2, and that was enough for them to come away with the win against 3HM. Big Man Julian Wright did a particularly good job of both cutting for layups and looking for cutters when he had the ball, and finished with 14 points on 7-11 shooting and a game-high four assists.
This was not a good week for 3HM, who saw a short-term problem become a potential long-term problem late in the game. The team once again struggled to keep the floor spaced. As of right now, Reggie Evans is clogging the paint, and whenever one of his teammates tried to get to the paint, Evans’ defender was right there to dissuade them from getting to the basket. Either the team needs to run their offense through Evans more or he needs to be more active in creating angles without the ball, because 3HM’s offense is not clicking right now.
Evans’ physicality continues to be a positive for 3HM, as they drew a ludicrous 19 fouls on 3’s Company, but that doesn’t make up for a lack of offensive flow.
2022 BIG3 MVP again struggled from the field – with Evans keeping the floor cramped, Murphy tried his luck with contested jumpers from deep, and it wasn’t working out. He finished the game with 13 points on 5-19 shooting from the floor, 1-6 shooting from deep, and 0-2 shooting from the four-point circles.
Things went from bad to much, much worse for 3HM late in the game. Murphy drove it against Mario Chalmers, who slid over late and got hit with a blocking call. It was a clean play, but Murphy landed extremely awkwardly on his right knee, which bent at a very odd angle. Murphy had to be carried to the locker room, and did not return.
The finish to the game came when Michael Beasley blocked Jermaine Taylor’s shot. The ball fell into Julian Wright’s lap, and he laid it home for the easy finish and the 50-42 win.
FIREWATCH:
With the score 16-8 3’s Company, Michael Cooper challenged a foul by Tony Allen on Reggie Evans. Evans dribbled Allen under the basket and flipped it home, BASKET GOOD.
With the score 18-14 3’s Company, Reggie Theus challenged a foul by Robert Dozier on Tony Allen. Allen lost the handle and missed a tough fadeaway, NO BASKET.
With the score 42-32 3’s Company, Cooper challenged a foul by Tony Allen on Rashard Lewis. Lewis dribbled Allen under the basket and made the jump-hook, BASKET GOOD.
With the score 44-40 3’s Company, Theus challenged a foul by Evans on Beasley. Beasley missed a left-handed runner from the right side of the paint, NO BASKET.
GAME 6: BALL HOGS (2-1) DEFEATED GHOST BALLERS (2-1)
This was a masterful performance from Ball Hogs, who were able to use their speed, shooting, and ball movement to overcome the Ghost Ballers’ size advantage.
Nobody can stop Leandro Barbosa off the dribble, and he consistently got into the lane to either finish himself or set up a teammate. Jodie Meeks continues to torture BIG3 defenses with his dead-eye shooting and off-ball cuts, and he was also a willing playmaker when the defense helped onto him. He finished with a game-high 16 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and also finished with a game-high five rebounds. He even had a game-high six rebounds for good measure.
Jeff Ayres was a revelation for the Ball Hogs on Sunday. In Week 2, the Enemies were able to slow down the Ball Hogs’ offense by simply leaving Ayres wide open on the perimeter, even though he was able to hit a few threes. Ayres splashed in another open 3 against the Ghost
Ballers, but for the most part he was active and looking to cut to the rim when the defense left him alone. This put much more pressure on the defense than spotting up did, and he finished with 10 points on 4-6 shooting and four assists of his own.
The Ghost Ballers made a late run to make things respectable, but this game belonged to the Ball Hogs. They shot the lights out, they have so much speed, they’re always moving without the ball, and they’re always willing to pass if it means creating a better shot for a teammate. They finished shooting 18-29 from the field, shot 8-13 from beyond the arc, had 14 assists on their 18 baskets, and only turned it over three times. They have a very tough matchup with Power next week, but things are looking great for the Ball Hogs.
The game ended when Jodie Meeks was fouled taking a three and drilled the resulting “three-throw” to give the Ball Hogs a 50-39 win and hand the Ghost Ballers their first loss.
FIREWATCH:
With the score 31-17 Ball Hogs, Rick Barry challenged a foul by Jeff Ayres on Chris Johnson. Chris Johnson hit a step-back jumper from the top of the key, BASKET GOOD.
In the second half, George Gervin challenged a foul by Mike Taylor on Jodie Meeks. Meeks missed a banker over Taylor on the right block, NO BASKET.