PCTI 8, Game 1 Review

PCTI 8, Game 1 Review

After months of hypothecation and analysis, the day arrived: July 6, the christening game of what was believed by many pundits to be one of the most hotly contested PCTI series of all time. Two teams, Weakness Leaves The Body and Nutt Saxx, locking horns in the 8^th iteration of the world’s most exclusive basketball club. Some even claimed that it was a battle for PCTI’s soul, as the QP's influence grows with other players and encroaches on Dan’s unlimited power monopoly.

 

Nutt Saxx boasted heavy offensive firepower, including PCTI’s top 2 career scorers and several other players who had previously scored 20+ points in individual games. Their success would ultimately be determined by shooting prowess and efficiency. They also claimed superior playmaking and enough rebounding to win the day. Weakness Leaves The Body, on the other hand, committed its offseason to conditioning, hoping to find gains in transition and easy baskets. It also had something of a size advantage for rebounding and defending, postulating that this might be enough to offset its opponents’ scoring ability. Thus the chess board was set, a battle of skill versus will, brains versus brawn, ability versus chemistry, and most importantly, good versus evil.

 

Game 1 began with pre-game interviews, bold series predictions, and memorable quotations. A few can be found below:

 

1. “Get the glutes firing” – Beas performing his yoga stretches before tip-off
2. “We had a team meeting and only said two words: Play Ball. Good guys in 6, book it.” – Ben, when asked about his team’s preparations and readiness
3. “I haven’t touched a ball in 2 and ½ years, but luckily my team is not expecting anything from me” – Smo, when asked how he felt before the game
4. “That’s what I do – shoot, and nothing else” – Smooth, when asked what he could do to help his team
5. “Should we talk strategy now?” – Hops, in pre-game huddle

Pre-Game Observations:

1. 2 minutes before tip-off, DK is pacing the court with no shirt and no shoes. He can’t stop mumbling to himself “Dictate the matchups”…
2. Is BC’s hair in a constant state of perfection? I never see a hair out of place…ever.
3. TP’s dunk show in warmups was special. He is PCTI’s first legit threat to throw down in a game.
4. Spotlight’s homage to 1980’s NBA shorts, more colloquially referred to nuthuggers or grape-smugglers. We also used to call this “Putting your business out in the street.”
5. During the National Anthem, TP turns comedian with “BBQ, Guns, Waterparks, Apple Pie, Roller Coasters…”
6. JT follows that up with a single tear streaming down his cheek, honoring the country that he loves.

 

Game Play

JT lifted the seal on the game with a 3 ball and reverse layup, staking WLTB to a quick 5-0 lead. Not to be outdone, Nutt Saxx answered with 2 quick triples by Beas and Hops, balancing the score at 7-6 TWLB. From this point, both teams quite literally traded baskets for something close to 10 minutes of game action, culminating with an Abe basket that drew the score the 23-21 WLTB. However, Dan’s squad ended the last 5 minutes of the first half with a 13-2 run, widening its halftime advantage to 36-23. What was really impressive about the final run was that 6 different players scored the final 13 points, demonstrating that WLTB was receiving contributions from up and down the roster. This end-of-half push would prove to be a serious blow to Nutt Saxx’s chance to mount a comeback.

 

The 2nd half likewise began with a quick 5-0 run by WLTB, this time with 2 jumpers from Sabin, pushing the lead to 18 points. However, Ben, Hops, and Beas scored to decrease the lead to 15 at 43-28. This is as close as Nutt Saxx would get as WLTB finished the game on an extended 29-12 run. Like a relentless rainfall, WLTB immediately answered with triples from DK, Godon, and Sabin. Adding a quick steal and bucket from Joe, Dan’s team completed an 11-2 run and forced Ben’s group to call time-out and re-evaluate. With the score at 54-30 and just 9 minutes remaining, the possibility of a comeback now seemed remote. Godon exited the time-out and scored 7 of his team’s next 9 points, staking his team to a 25-point lead at 63-38. Bruise, DK, and TP gave their team late buckets and finalized the scoring at 72-40, essentially announcing that it came to compete and win. Nutt Saxx would be forced to re-group and try a different tack for game 2.

 

Analysis

• You don’t have to look any further than the shooting numbers: 44% FGAs for WLTB versus just 28% FGAs for Nutt Saxx.
• Not only did WLTB shoot it better, but it also got more shot attempts, 69 to 58. The gains were due to increased offensive rebounds and reduced turnovers.
• Nutt Saxx will claim that it missed open shots, and WLTB will claim that its defense was the trigger. The reality is that both are right. Nutt Saxx had a great deal of open 3 ball looks, while WLTB connected and scrambled well on defense.
• A stunning 55% of Nutt Saxx’s total shots were 3 balls. Unfortunately, the team only converted 5 of 32 shots from deep for 16%.
• WLTB was not great from deep at just 9-28 and 32%, but it was able to get more transition buckets and layups than its opponent to offset inconsistent shooting.
• WLTB got 9 extra possessions than did its opponent with a 16-7 offensive rebounding advantage. It also earned a 48-33 advantage in total rebounds.
• Ben, Spot, and Hops had a tough game from 3, combining for 2-23 3FGAs and an ice-cold 9%.
• Godon and TP combined for 12-18 from the field, a smoking 67%.

 

Top Players

1. Godon: 15 points, 6-9 FGAs, 3-5 3FGAs, 7 boards, relentless pace-pushing
2. TP: 12 points, 5 offensive rebounds, 6-9 FGAs
3. Bruiser: 6 points, 13 rebounds, 3-7 FGAs

 

Sabin