PCTI 2, Game 3 Review

Synopsis: Game 3 was simply a tale of two halves. Like many PCTI performances, this game came down to one team hitting some shots in the 2nd half as the other team struggled. My take after watching the game is that Team Eskildsen was actually the aggressor as we took 9 more FGAs, 13 more 3FGAs, and just 3 fewer FTAs. This surplus in extra shots for our team can be explained by us snatching 3 more offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 3 fewer times. Even with that advantage though, team BC was too efficient for us to overcome as they shot 49% from the field for the game and 40% from 3s, while we shot 35% from the field and 25% from deep. Team Eskildsen jumped out to an early 7 point lead as Pitto hit some 3 balls in succession, and B-EZ created some nice scoring opportunities with penetration. Bruise also powered in some buckets with some strong play underneath. Team BC made a late push towards halftime to close the deficit to 41-38. From that point, team BC took control and out scored us the rest of the way, 39-25, earning a 77-66 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

Analysis: I actually thought we were in really good shape at halftime. We had a 3 point lead and our best offensive player hadn't scored yet. Pitto had a really nice first half with 18 points and Brian was steadily getting into the paint for us. But the tide soon turned when team BC went several possessions without missing a shot, while team Eskildsen went multiple minutes without scoring. In the second half, team BC shot 14-27 from the field for 52% and 3 for 5 from the 3 point line. Meanwhile, team Eskildsen shot a pisspoor 8 of 35 from the field for 23% and just 2 of 16 from deep for 12%. The lack of any kind of consistent 2nd half scoring threat ultimately doomed us to our fate. For team BC though, balance was the watchword, as Hite went for 17 points, JT 15 points, Abe 13 points, and BMac 11. Their ability to consistently take and make good shots trumped our inability to generate sustained offense. Team BC's strategy was crystal clear in this game: whoever Pitto is guarding, attack there first. Although Pitto played a valiant offensive game, it became apparent that his porous defense was attractive to team BC and they exploited it. Team Eskildsen did not make any adjustments and should have in hindsight.

Notable Performances: Josh Pitto. 25 points, 8-14 FGAs, 5 triples, 4-4 FTAs, 4 boards, and a steal. Lots of nice shotmaking by this guy in Game 3.

Abe: 13 points, 11 boards, 5-8 FGAs, 2-2 FTAs, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 5 amazing turnovers. Stephens makes double-doubles look relatively pedestrian. Guy is very talented.

Doctor: 15 points, 5-10 FGAs, 3 triples, 2-4 FTAs, 2 boards, and an assist. Really let the game come to him and played with nice pace.

BMac: 11 points, 4 boards, 5-11 FGAs with a triple. Really asserted himself this game against a smallish team Eskildsen.

Bruise and B-EZ: Combined for 23 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals as the only teammates who could help Pitto in this game.

Forgettable Box Scores: Ben. I love the BMW more than anybody in PCTI, but this was just a tough game for him. 0-11 FGAs, 0-6 from deep, 0 points. Funny thing is, I actually thought he played a really nice floor game with 7 boards and 5 assists against just 1 turnover. I doubt we see this ever again in PCTI.

Sabin. 6 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 2-8 FGAs, 2-2 FTAs, and didn't piss a drop when his team needed him. This was a low point for me in PCTI.

Great Plays: Ben finds a cutting Hops with a screaming bullet pass after drawing a few defenders. Hops then proceeds to shoot a wide open layup off the top of the backboard and softly through the net. A great play and comedy at the same time.

Hops also beasts Abe on an offensive rebound, then converts the putback with the left hand. I had to rewind it a few times to take in the full awesomeness of this play.

Hite beats Wes off the dribble and jumps over Sabin while getting fouled for a really nice And One conversion.

Chase blocks a driving layup attempt by Hite with such authority that it made me say "Damn, that was a grown ass man play".

Bruise literally almost assaults DK after the Commissioner fouls him while trying to score a layup. It was so violent and terrifying that DK walked away from the altercation laughing it off. But deep down, he knows that he was pissing his pants. It's awesome how 2 best friends can become enemies on a basketball floor sometimes.....you know, like me and Pitto.

Mediocre Plays: JT and Abe fight for a rebound with no member of team Eskildsen within 15 feet of them. Neither of them defers to the other for the ball, and it trickles off their hands and out of bounds for an unforced turnover. JT is visibly fuming after the play, probably wondering why the best rebounder in PCTI is going for a board in the Doctor's area. In a related story, when asked about this incident afterwards, Stephens could not remember this play and couldnt quite recall who Joe Thompson is either.

Sabin skies for a rebound, only to bring the ball down on teammate Ben's head, while the ball falls harmlessly into the hands of Smo for an uncontested layup. Sabin responds to this play with a "Shit!!!" that is easily picked up by Deuce's camera from the other end of the court.

JT shoots a 28 footer that hits nothing but the foam on the underpart of the backboard. The next trip down the floor, The Doctor shoots a contested 3 ball from the corner that somehow goes in. That is the type of consistency that allows JT's teammates to loathe and detest him.

Observations: Brian Eskildsen is a really good ballplayer. Never in a rush, can play with either hand, competent in all 3 phases, and can guard almost any position in PCTI. When I watch this guy on film, I love the old school technique, the deceptive change of pace, the wicked crossovers, and the fundamental spin moves. Plus, I feel like he is a celebrity since I see him on ESPN all the time with the Stanford men's program.

Can anybody tell me why DK passes up 5 footers so that he can make a nice pass to JT for a terrible 22 footer? No? Me neither...

I know many of us think this, but Abe is just a flat out tough shotmaker. Seems like every one of his buckets comes with a hand in his face or somebody draped all over him. Easily the best shotmaker in PCTI history.

Pitto scored 25 points on offense, but I graded him out as a minus 17 on my adjusted plus/minus scoring system. That means he was responsible for giving up 42 on the other end. Seems like a lot to me...

The Doctor referred to my team's strategy as "bullshit" on a number of occasions during timeouts. He didn't offer any explanation other than that and would not expound on which part of our game was the "bullshit". That type of insight and analysis will take you places...

Hops is now shooting heat check 3s, hoping that his Game 2 magic will continue on with him. In a related story, it didn't.

At halftime, Hops interviews Pitto and asks him, "so what do we need to do in the second half to maintain the lead?". Pitto responds with "we need to work hard, defend, and rebound". Hops replies with "but you don't do any of those things". Pitto walks away in disgust, thinking that his secret is now known to the rest of PCTI.

When your team's strategy is to post BMac and Joe (who have never posted in their lives) because Pitto is guarding them, you must really think that guy can't play defense.

By my count, Smo posted 38 times in this game, of which he completed 37 passes out to the perimeter, and one nice-looking hook shot. There is one possession where he posts, catches, and passes out to the perimeter on 3 separate occasions. I thought my DVD was caught on a loop, but it actually happened.

JT yells to his team,"Slow it down, let's work it around for a good shot". Usually, this is code for "Fellas, I haven't jacked up a 27 footer in a few possessions. Lets work the ball to me so I can put my 27% 3 ball to work."

Wes and BMac seem to be the only PCTI participants who are willing to take a charge. Friendships and health be damned!!! If you are taking it to the hole, these guys will step underneath you even though there is nothing positive that can come from it.

Sabin thinks he gets a clean strip on Hite, but is called for the foul. He then turns to the official and says "I'm on top of the ball. I can't play any better than that". I think I understand now why team BC thought I was crying for some of the weekend.

Conclusion: Team BC earned the victory with better offensive efficiency and consistent scoring. Team Eskildsen had too many droughts and was not able to overcome its lack of sustained scoring. Even so, it was a 3 point game with less than 2 minutes to go, and is evidence of a consistent PCTI theme that both teams are evenly matched no matter what the experts say. This was a swing game and put team BC in the driver's seat for much of the weekend.

Sabin