37 First Scrimmage
It was soon after that our match is about to start. I saw 2 games before ours is next in court B and it was much better than the games I've seen so far. Although there are a lot of glaring flaws and bad turnovers, that's a given when your team has only been formed for less than 30 minutes.
So far, the quality of shots and the degree of difficulty on one-on-one defense is very high. It could use some better communication on the defensive end to rely on your teammates to stop an offense so that is what I was discussing with my team as we watched.
It's a good thing we have time to discuss than the teams before us to perform better in our match.
I caught a glance at the other court and heard some gasps and shocks due to Kyrie Irving and his opponent's point guard making counter moves one basket after the other.
I would've loved to watch them finish their game but we have a game ourselves to finish too so I'll have to focus on that.
After we're all done with our warmups, the game is about to start so Alex and Zeke are positioned at center court for the tip-off. The whistle blew and the ball is simultaneously thrown between the two centers and followed by their quick reaction to take possession for the team.
Zeke was a little better that time and Marquis grabbed the rebound for their team to make the first offensive play.
Marquis advance the ball to their side of the court and their team is set into motion. KCP approached Marquis and requested the ball which he then got with Trey guarding him because of a switch.
KCP still held the ball for a few seconds before making a quick crossover to the right to make an easy drive to the basket and made an easy layup. Alex was late to contest that shot because he was cautious of KCP dropping the ball if he approached him early.
0-2
It was a good play and we are about to counter, Trey advanced the ball for us and called out a play we discussed earlier. The play started with me giving DJ a screen so that his defender will be left behind just enough for him to take a shot.
But when DJ motioned to jump, he stopped and made a bullet pass to me who is going to the basket. I skillfully caught the pass and made an easy layup to the basket.
The original play was to pass that ball to Alex and let him make the basket but since Zeke was too busy defending Alex, the basket was wide open for me and I punished them for their misplay.
2-2
Again, that was a miscommunication on their part to make switches on screens. Because they can't communicate well enough, they were several steps behind in defense and that is what we will take advantage of.
They then began their offense to create a better momentum for their team so Marquis passed the ball to KCP and he then passed it to Karron posting Isaiah. But I guess that was a bad idea because Isaiah was too strong and Karron was just overwhelmed by the difference in their strength.
Karron couldn't find a good shot so he decided to quickly pass it cross-court to Jamil but I already expected this. I immediately took action when Karron was about to pass and positioned between them to intercept the ball.
I stole the ball and made a run to the other side of the court. Marquis was the only one ahead of me to defend but I'm not afraid. I made a sudden drive but stopped just beyond the 3-point line and made a pull-up 3-point shot for the transition play.
Marquis didn't expect this so he had no time to contest my shot. He could only watch as the ball is beautifully arcing towards the basket and splashed.
2-5
My fastbreak plays were always deadly just because I can drive to the basket even with someone defending and I could also make a pull-up three just like what I did. A lot of my points are off fastbreaks and I guess that's a part of my identity as a unique player.
I always like the fast-paced style of plays that's why when I get an opportunity like earlier, I always commit to getting quick baskets in any form of shots.
Our opponents are a little worried now and are playing much safer. KCP is handling the ball and again drove to the basket but this time, he passed it back to Marquis behind him who is open for a 3-pointer.
Marquis took the shot and it went in.
5-5
We now have a basketball game ladies and gentlemen. I'm actually getting excited to play against these guys who know how to create high-quality shots.
It's now our turn and Trey asked for a screen from Alex and now the paint is wide open. But KCP is tightly guarding Trey so he could only pass the ball to DJ who is cutting to the basket but when he tried to lay it up, he missed making the shot.
Fortunately for us, Isaiah did a good decision to position for the rebound earlier and tipped the ball inside the basket.
7-5
DJ was a little shaken by his glaring misplay but we did not let it show and encouraged him to play better, it's still too early in the game.
After a few back and forth possessions with great offense and defense, 2 minutes only remain in the ball game and the score is 39-38.
We only led by a single point and the ball is in their possession. We are now going for a man-to-man defense and I'm guarding Jamil on the right.
Marquis is holding possession of the ball on top of the post and is looking to pass the ball to Zeke. If there is one weakness of our team, that is Alex. In this game, Alex just made the worst performance on our team. DJ redeemed his early mistake by making clutch defense and shot selections.
Alex couldn't defend Zeke properly because Zeke is just more athletic and makes better finishes to the basket. Zeke had 16 points for his team with only missing one shot. Such a high shooting percentage is big trouble for us, especially how close this game is.
But this time, we already talked about helping Alex out when they drop the ball to Zeke. Isaiah was quick to help defend Zeke and gave him a lot of trouble. Zeke couldn't find a shot but he also couldn't find the open man because of the intense defense.
So he finally decided to take a spin move to the left and made a skyhook that Alex barely defended. Fortunately for us, the ball didn't go in because of the rush of the shot and Isaiah quickly grabbed the rebound. He was looking for a fastbreak play but saw that the opponents were quick to make a defensive formation already.
So he passed the ball to Trey and let him do the play. Trey was actually a little nervous because of a couple of turnovers he made early in the second half. So with that trauma lingering in his mind, he decided to let me make the play.
DJ was supposed to be the second choice according to roles but I was the only one having a better performance than anyone. I have made 22 points and 3 3PM already with only a few misses so I'm well prepared to know that I will make this play.
I just crossed the half-court line and stayed there for a few seconds until there was only 1 minute remaining in the game. My defender was a few feet from me knowing that I will not make a shot that long. But that's where they were wrong.
I got into my shooting motion and my defender panicked deciding whether I'm faking or truly making a shot. By the time he finally decided to contest my shot, the ball was already in the air. 26 feet from the basket with a high arc took a couple of seconds before it went inside the basket.
42-38
That was the heartbreaker right there. Everyone knows the game's over at this point and my opponents just don't have enough fighting spirit left after that long 3-pointer like a dagger to their hearts.
The game resumed with little energy left and after a while, the game just ended with us inevitably winning.
