The moment we've all been waiting for is here. It's time to separate the pretenders from the contenders. It's time for the playoffs in the JaVale McGee Flint City Pro-Am.
Before the "win or go home" games began on Sunday, Saturday was a tune-up day so the guys could be fully ready to go on Sunday. Tre Holloman made his debut for Team McGee, and it was an outstanding debut. Sam Dillard scored a season-high 34 points in the tune-up game for Hamo Law Firm, and Team McGee and Team Bridges combined for over 240 points in an overtime thriller.
The stage was set for the knockout rounds. Small Guard was the best team in the regular season. Can they dethrone Overseas Elite? Will the talent on Team Bridges and Team McGee overwhelm their opposition? We'll have to see.
106-87 Team Bridges
This one had the most upset potential out of all the first-round matchups. Miles Bridges nipped that upset noise in the bud quickly. He and team Bridges jumped out to a furious start and didn't let up. Bridges' matchup with Omari Duncan was entertaining. Considering the circumstances, Duncan held his own in the matchup and dropped 15 points.
The two exchanged buckets as the commenter roared on the mic, instigating the matchup like each basket like they made decided a NBA title. Even though Bridges led the game with 40 points, the game is more than bucket-getting and watch-your-head finishes like these dunks from Saturday's game.
Bridges had a pair of jaw-dropping passes: a full-court bowling ball pass and another dino that hit Lon Martin in stride going to the rack. Martin was one of the best shooters in the gym, and he proved it Sunday en route to four 3-pointers that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. Small Guard won't be leaving him open next week.
After team Bridges jumped out to a quick 9-2 start, Quan Coleman responded with a pair of buckets to cut the lead. Coleman finished the game with 13 points. Ball Hogs continued their team-first approach even in a loss. Omari Duncan, Lamont Tolbert, and Kareem Aburashed all added double-digit points.
Tolbert got his midrange going early. He's a leaper and attempted to climb the ladder on Bridges in the 3rd quarter: he got stuffed at the rim, but you have to respect the cojones it took to try to pull that off. Kareem is a pure shooter born from the Dirk Nowitzki family tree. His one-leg post fade is a lethal weapon with little the defense can do about it.
Even with their season on the line, Nate Brown's pass-up-a-good-shot-for-a-great-shot mentality continued. He basically led the league in assists, with about 6 assists a game this season. Their valiant effort must be commended, but the NBA talent and friends prevailed in this one. Team Bridges advances to the semi-finals and will take on #1 seed Small Guard next Saturday.
89-65 Team McGee
You know it's trouble when a 7-1 big kicks off the game with a space jam lob dunk. JaVale McGee used his egregiously long wingspan to set the tone early, letting the Gym Rats know this was his paint. Some of his dunks were reminiscent of his 2011 dunk contest performance, where he gracefully dunked two balls on different baskets simultaneously.
He also hit a triple at the top of the key to echo that this was his game.
Like Bridges, McGee let it be known that there are levels to this. He led the way with 34 points and 17 boards, a dominating performance in all aspects. But we know he wasn't alone.
Following Tre Holloman's spectacular 47-point, 8-rebound, and 8-assist debut on Saturday, he was steady with 22 points against Gym Rats. The Michigan State guard is a handful to stay in front of. He has a convincing stutter step that keeps defenders on edge. They have to make an impossible decision. Because defenders never guess right, his unpredictable stutter step allows Holloman to get 2 feet in the paint at will. It'll be exciting to see how he fares in Tom Izzo's offense next year.
Isaiah Jones matched up with Bridges during the tune-up games Saturday, and he made him work. On Sunday, he continued his stellar defense and put together a backscratching put-back dunk.
He's a player you have to put a body on—a high-energy player who moves the needle hustling. Ty Hamilton has been the steadiest force for Team McGee. He put up an 11/9/6 stat line in Sunday's win. They'll need more scoring out of Hamilton to move past the defending champs, Overseas Elite, to go with his tremendous all-around play.
Yusef Jihad led Gym Rats with 23 points. He was their most consistent player all season. With Yusef playing, you knew efficient shot-making and floor spacing were on the horizon. If lead-leading scorer Devyn Marble (28 PPG) had suited up, this game may have been closer. But ultimately, the better team won, setting up a head-on collision.
90-62 Overseas Elite
In a twist, Keyon Menifield joined his former Beecher Buccaneer teammates going for their second straight JaVale McGee Flint City Pro-Am championship. Menifield brings transition finishing, one-on-one microwave scoring bursts, and unwavering confidence. He was named player of the game after dropping 16 and 6 in his Overseas Elite debut. With the edition of Menifield, there are so many lineup combinations they can trot out.
Overseas Elite tinkered with Kevin Tiggs Jr. running the small ball five and Carrington Wiggins, Carmelo Harris, Menifield, and potential MVP Robert Lee running 1-4. That's a young, fresh lineup zooming up and down the court with youthfulness and high basketball minds. Carmelo Harris controls the pace of every game he plays. Tyree Keyes is the vet on this team, and his experience was luminated in Sunday's clubbing of Hamo.
Hamo can gain a lot of this experience from this season. Their stars (Sam Dillard, Justin Smith, Colby Wiggins) are still on the upward trajectory in their careers. All three will return better with different tools in their kit next year. They can walk out with their heads high. Their peers respect them. That's obvious by the attention they receive. They're closing out on these guys hard, not giving them anything easy, and they responded with poise. It wasn't enough on Sunday, but they will get better.
79-57 Small Guard
The leader of the number 1 seed, Malik Ellison, did not suit up for Sunday, but that didn't stop his team from keeping their foot on the gas.
Jacob Carlson was one of the more underrated in-season trades. He's so involved in the Small Guard offense. Coming off screens, he rubs shoulders with Levane Blake and HBK Boom for trey balls. HBK Boom's fingerprints were all over this win, too. The left-handed slasher cut up on the defense when they were napping, getting back-door after back-door layups. The Swiss Army knife weapon was complete in this one, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Tre Garrett's 14 points were more of the same, as you can expect double digits from him regularly. Cameron Carpenter stole the show, though, giant slaying in the paint with high off-the-glass left-hand lays. Remember the springs in his legs, too; Carpenter's Russell Westbrook dunk looks easy.
He showed prime 810 the door with 19/5/4. Neshua Wise and Keyshawn Delvin played tough in their final season game. Wise didn't miss a game for prime this season and was a vocal leader throughout their run. Devlin's scoring is electric, and even his missed dunks are noteworthy. But now we look forward to Small Guard vs. Team Bridges, a matchup that is always a must-see TV.
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