PCTI 8, Game 2 Review

PCTI 8, Game 2 Review

 

Memorable Quotations:

 

1. “Who’s got next?” – JT after hitting a 3 and putting his team up 28-19 in the first half
2. “God Dammit, Ian!” – Bruiser after air-balling a 15-footer in the first half
3. “I’m feeling the JUMBO lineup!” – BC, during a timeout in which TP, BC, and Bruiser shared the court and played together
4. “Let’s not waste a timeout, WAKE UP!” – DK, yelling from the bench after watching his team’s defensive malaise
5. “It’s all me, I got this team on back.” – Smo, during a timeout in the 2^nd half
6. “See anything, Smo? Lotta good things.” – Conversation between Beas and Smo as Nutt Saxx made a comeback in the 2^nd half
7. “You’re a bitch. No, you’re a bitch.” – Heated exchange between Joe and Hops after the two were tangled up on the sideline

 

Game Play:

 

As is typical with the second leg of a back-to-back game, both teams got out of the gate relatively slowly. The pace of each team was noticeably less fast than was game 1, no doubt due to the gym’s humidity and general fatigue among the players. However, WLTB jumped out to another 5-0 lead in the first half on the backs of a Sabin triple and Bow mid-range jumper. It took the Nutt Saxx several minutes to break the seal on the game, but did so with a pair of Hops’ free throws to make the score 5-2. WLTB then connected on 3 consecutive triples by DK, Bow, and JT sandwiched around a Wilson 3-ball that extended the lead to 14-5. Although it was early in the game, this was a pivotal moment given that a second consecutive blowout could’ve destroyed Saxx’s faith in itself. Sensing this, Saxx reeled off a 14-6 run of its own in which all of its players outside of Smo scored. At 20-19, balance had been temporarily restored. Not to be outdone, WLTB responded with an 8-0 spurt, highlighted by triples from Bow and JT, forcing Saxx to use a timeout at 28-19. Although Beas and Hops abated the run with back-to-back buckets, BC and Sabin scored the next 10 points, led by the Beast’s and-one and triple. WLTB strutted into halftime with a healthy 40-27 lead and the confidence that it commanded the day to this point. Saxx was forced to re-group and consider how to stop the balanced attack of WLTB.

 

With renewed energy and momentum, Saxx started the 2^nd half like a house afire and a 9-3 run. This put the score back to a much more manageable 43-36 deficit. After Beas and DK traded buckets, Saxx went on another 4-2 jaunt bringing the score to 47-42. At this point, momentum was clearly with Saxx. Although a Sabin triple pushed the lead to 50-42, this would be the last basket for WLTB until the closing minutes of the game. Sensing that WLTB was in a drought and having a difficult time scoring the ball, Saxx pounced with an 8-0 run, tying the score at 50, highlighted by Beas’ energy and effort on the offensive glass. Both teams went a few minutes without scoring and neither team seized control of the moment. With about 3 minutes to go, TP converted on a very difficult backboard shot, but was immediately matched by a deuce from Abe. Once again, TP came up with his second consecutive huge play, scoring on a strong drive in the lane. After WLTB got a stop on the defensive end, Bruiser converted two game-tilting baskets in a row, the first of which was an incredibly skilled and fortuitous tip-in of a WLTB miss. At 58-52, Saxx exhausted itself in the effort to climb back in the game. It simply did not have enough energy left to claim the lead and knot up the series. Sometimes, a team can use all of its effort to climb out a hole but not have enough in reserve to fully scale the mountain. This game proved two things: one, many PCTI games come down to which side makes a play in the last few minutes (WLTB made a shot, Saxx did not), and two, this is a game of runs. Both teams made massive runs at each other, followed by periods of drought.

 

Analysis

 

• Neither team shot the ball well, Saxx at 34% and WLTB at 35%.
• Likewise, neither team shot well from 3, but WLTB made 4 more tries than did Saxx.
• 15 offensive boards for WLTB helped give them 4 extra shots more than Saxx.
• Both teams turned it over a ton. Saxx with 12 and WLTB with 14, both huge numbers given the lack of ball pressure in the tournament.
• Saxx with 11 steals and every teammate with at least one.
• Remarkably, not a single player on either side shot better than 50% for the game.
• The 3-ball abandoned Saxx on day 1. 5-32 in Game 1 and 5-22 in Game 2, combined 19%.
• Hops with 10 of his team’s 16 total free throw attempts on day 1.

 

Top Players

 

1. Beas – 14 points, 11 boards (4 offensive), 2 steals, 7-15 FGAs
2. Abe – 16 points, 11 boards, 2 steals, 6-19 FGAs with 3 triples
3. Joe – 11 points, 8 boards, 3 steals, 2 assists, 4-10 FGAs with 2 triples
4. Bruiser/TP Combo: 16 points, 18 boards (5 offensive), 4 assists, HUGE plays down the stretch

Character Comparison-Mike Tyson Punch Out

Who didn't love this game?  I figured there was no better way to reminisce and momentarily bring this game back to life than a little character comparison.  Since there were barely enough characters to cover all of PCTI, I had to get a little creative unit.  If I left you out, I apologize.. From when I started until now the avocado market skyrocketed, duty calls!

Doc Lewis: Spotlight.

Analysis: This comparison was based on Spotlight's performance as a coach in 8 rather than a player... No nonsense motivator and completely unafraid to rip their teams, Doc and Spot had very similar styles of heavy accountability for their players, but low accountability for themselves (Doc was fat and out of shape, Spotlight thought a 10K the week before was a good idea).  Regardless, both were well received in their roles.

Great Tiger: Juice.

Analysis: Between the ugly as all hell mustache, ability to borderline teleport all over the ring/court, speed/quickness combination, and constant state of anger, Tiger and Juice were made for each other.

Don Flamenco: Nature.

Analysis: Both flamboyant figures that love prancing around looking good, Flamenco and Nature combine superior athleticism and showmanship to make for great characters in their respected field. Could totally see Naitch complaining about messing up his hair similar to the way Don did.

 

Soda Popinski: Sticky.

Analysis: Power guys known for feeling no pain, destroying people and drinking an inordinate amount of alc unit, I'm not sure there's a more obvious comparison on this thread.  Both are rugged but good looking when you get past the bad boy persona.

Mr. Sandman: The Beast.

Analysis: There was no more unpredictable, angry snap out artist than Mr. Sandman... I think PCTI has one of those, no?  The Beast was able to keep his head on straight in 8, openly bragging to whoever would listen about his newfound head strength, but honest question... If anything went the least bit wrong for TWLB, would he still be able to say that?  On a side note, but Mr. Sandman and The Beast are borderline dominant defenders that use their character issues and anger to constantly frustrate opponents.



















Little Mac: Hops/Smooth/DTB

Analysis: Neither Mac nor DTB, Hops or Smooth have many positive physical attributes, measurables or skill, and have to rely on an excessive training regimen, savvy and heart to get by. All four seem to live in a constant state of body pain and trauma, but you can bet they will keep coming until their hearts stopping beating!



















Super Macho Man: The Actor.

Analysis: Both from Hollywood, couldn't you see Actor coming into PCTI20 on roids and claiming he was 25 years old?  According to the game details, Mach claimed he was 27.  Anyone remember the Macho Spin Punch?  Not sure what's a worse feeling, knowing that's coming or knowing Actor is creeping up behind you for his one man press.  Both are intimidating.



















Glass Joe: Smo.

Analysis: Annoyingly, Glass Joe is everyone's favorite character, similar to Smo for reasons I'll never understand... Both defensive guys that hate defense, but most importantly is the way you can hit Glass Joe when he has full strength and it will knock him out... How many times has Smo come out of the game after a minute when he hears Bruiser's famous "anyone need one" call?

Bald Bull: TP.

Analysis: Bull isn't quite as aesthetically pleasing as TP, but both are imposing figures with one specific move that makes them extremely difficult to control... Bull's "Bull Charge" is similar to TP's bullet cut from the 3pt line to the basket that no one has any clue how to defend... If you're Mikey, you just punch him in the stomach when he comes at you, but with TP his body control is too good to take a charge on.  Lastly, can't help but to wonder what's going on in both of their brains.

King Hippo: Ben.

Analysis: Both are offensive juggernauts that when they get going, will absolutely DESTROY you. Ben can do it in a variety of ways, Hippo not so much, but one punch will pretty much take anyone down.  Problem with both is their overall lack of defensive awareness, with Ben simply not caring and showing it, and Hippo making it obvious with his covering up stomach.



Mike Tyson: Abe.

Analysis: 8 years deep Abe still reigns superior on PCTI's big board as top dog.  Both Abe and Tyson have very few flaws in their game, can beat you in a variety of ways, and are physically and mentally imposing (Tyson because of his nastiness, Abe because he doesn't say a word).

Piston Honda: Donley.

Analysis: Talk about having "The Look" both Donley and Piston have all the qualities you look for in pretty much anything you do physically.  Back in the day, I would have said Piston's eyebrow flutter before punching was comparable to Donley going into the post knowing his up and under was coming, but he's since added some moves to his routine.

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

PCTI8 Awards

Another year in the books! San Diego was a great time except for the basketball… Well I guess TWLTB had a good time on the court. That was a great team performance and what shows that the most is the way the votes fell. Each player on TWLTB received at least one vote for AT which has never been done before. Before we get to the awards, some off the court awards:

All tournament performance: Spot for making PCTI international, Joe for making out at a restaurant after meeting the chick 5 minutes earlier, Bruise for his bottle ordering skills, Abe for his performance between the sheets, the others that also got some action, whatever drug delivery service we used, Smo driving, Costco and the Night Manager. And the MVP for the 8^th year in a row off the court: Deuce! Thanks for this pic…

Congrats to TWLTB as a team on a great tournament! As for how the votes broke out individually, here are the results:

Missed AT

Bruiser

TP

Juice

Each of these dudes got 1 vote. TP didn’t put up monster numbers but his energy, size, and effort killed our team. He also scored in double figures 3 of 4 games and average 10 ppg. The Juice Man made some delicious liquid snacks, but also created a lot of opportunities with his movement and energy. Also, putting up 7.3 rebounds per game at his position was huge. Everyone knows what a force Bruise was on the boards creating advantages and opportunities for his team time and time again. He was also excellent on the defensive end.

Abe

Joe

Both of these guys got 2 votes. I guess if our team didn’t have Abe we would have lost by 30 every game? Abe was able to finally get over the 25-point hump and scored 26 in game 4. He led his team in scoring and rebounding. Joe scored 10 ppg and was awesome on defense averaging 2 steals per game.

All Tournament

BC (1 vote MVP, 8 for AT)

DK (3 votes MVP, 10 for AT)

THE BEAST was loose in San Diego! While not as high of a scorer this year, BC was a matchup our team struggled with most the weekend. He answered the call on D leading all players in STOCKS (steals+blocks for the dummies). He did all of that while not saying one word to the refs! Hope he has paid his debt to Smo. He also led the league in 3 point %. Just an all-around good performance all weekend.

Dan was the general for your team on the floor and played unbelievable. Shooting a high percentage, pulling down boards, being an anchor on defense were all reasons why he deserves the all-tournament spot. But the assists… the mother fucking assists!! 16 and 10 the last 2 games?! He averaged 9 assists per game. To put that into perspective, in PCTI 1-7, only once had some had someone had more than 9 assists IN A SINGLE GAME. Back-to-back years that Dan has had incredible performances.

MVP

Sabin (10 votes MVP, 4 votes AT)

He finally broke through and won a PCTI! With a C donning his chest, Sabin played incredible and led his team to a sweep. He was relentless on the offensive end and continually beat our team down the floor. He was solid on the defensive end having to matchup all over the place. There were multiple times where he looked gassed and needed a sub but fought through the fatigue and made a big play. He set the tone with his team and got them ready for battle. He deserved the MVP and I’m glad he got it!