By Kawhi Leonard
Oakland - A lot of people are making a big deal about how I'm calm and stoic. They even make fun of me because I'm not acting a fool just because my squad won the NBA Championship Thursday night at Golden State. I'm sorry - I didn't get a copy of David Stern's Professional Basketball Celebration Etiquette, Volume 2 before the series. Even if I did, I probably wouldn't read it. I'm more of a Jane Eyre kind of guy.
Also, my coach is named Nick Nurse. For real. I mean, if you can't see how it's all a farce you must be blind. Nick Nurse? Who just happens to kinda look like Nick Nolte? Y'all remember Blue Chips, don't you? It's pretty easy to see what's going on. Like my Pops said when Magic hit the running hook shot against Boston in 1987 (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=running+hook+shot+magic+johnson&view=detail&mid=2A5155E2E54923AE6AD22A5155E2E54923AE6AD2&FORM=VIRE)
"It's all rigged."
Plus, everybody knows Shaq and Penny. But what happened to Matt Nover? He was the Blue Chips Indiana boy. He never did make it to the NBA, but he did play for the Portugal national team and is now a Regional Sales Manager for TELA Bio in Indianapolis. So, things are looking up. And that's kinda my play. I'm always looking out for the underdog. I've had to grind my way up the ranks, which is why I'm such a huge fan of the WLC BBALL League. And that's why I wasn't losing my mind when we beat Steph and them. I was glad we won, but all I could think about was whether Team Posley could knock off Team Baker, and if Team Humphries improved chemistry would last. I'm driving to the rack and dishing to Serge but in the back of my mind I kept picturing Bell and Thomas trying to carry their squad and hoping they'd all show up.
It was a great week for me personally, but I can't be too elated because I'm still thinking about Team Templeman's collapse against Team Posley in Week 4 and Team Brown's search for someone who can play the Danny Green role to Earl McLaurin's Kawhi...
Ok, let me hit you with the recaps. The games were fun as always, and I can't wait to see Week 6's contests.
'
Team Bell v. Team Templeman
Anxiety swirled at GN Baptist Arena, as Team Bell was down to only two players. Fortunately, they had their two best players, Bell & Thomas. Unfortunately, even the two greatest players in the world would likely fail to beat a full team over the course of 40 minutes. On the Templeman side of the contest, Stephen Green continues to be (perhaps) an underrated component. Through 5 weeks, Green is averaging nearly 13 points and 11 rebounds a game. He is consistently finishing under the rim and this game was no different. Jerell "Juice" Hassell joined Stephen in cleaning the glass Sunday night, collecting 17 boards to lead the league.
Greg and Corey fought hard, and a few players from other squads jumped in the mix. Halfway through the season, Thomas and Bell are both top 6 in scoring. But, they need more. Hopefully, Egerton, Ming, Shelton, Ferguson, McDonald and Morrison will return Sunday night, as Team Bell has a rematch against Team Posley. That game, the only one this season that Team Bell had its full roster, went down to the final minutes. This game didn't come close to the final minutes as Coach Adrian and company rolled to a 80-54 lambasting of the incomplete Team Bell.
'
Team Posley v. Team Baker
The 8:15 game featured a rematch between the top two teams. In Week 2, Team Baker survived a shootout with Team Posley, winning 77-71. That game is the highest total point output of the season, and the fifteen fans assembled along the sidelines were anticipating a similar high-scoring, nail-biting affair.
For the most part, the fans got what they wanted. Team Baker was down several players, including Ruben "The Unknown Wunderkind" Dominguez, who has taken his meteoric rise in WLC BBALL popularity international. He was last seen on an Instagram story from the Dominican Republic. Wherever he is, he wasn't on the court Sunday night, and Team Baker felt his absence.
On the other side of the court, Team Posley continued its remarkable balance, with four players in double figures. This week, Butler and the elder Cooper led the charge in scoring, while the younger Cooper, the old Holser and Vonner snared enough rebounds to slow down Team Baker's put-back game. Dworske was limited with a triceps injury and Pochekailo showed some signs of playing in Game 1. Whatever the reason, Team Posley pulled away in the second half winning 66-54, and now holds the first place position in the WLC BBALL League.
'
Team Brown v. Team Humphries
The conclusion to the night contained an absolute slugfest of a game. Back and forth, up and down the court, Team Humphries and Team Brown went at it. As is often the case for Team Brown, it was a low-scoring affair. Holding a 26-22 halftime lead, it appeared as though Earl and the Band would get the victory. Indeed, unlike previous games, Team Brown had genuine scoring balance, with three players adding 6 points or more to McLaurin's 21 points.
But Team Humphries has been a bit like Stella lately. The groove is back and Team Humphries applied it in the second half. After being led by Matt Maza's strong 10 points in the first half, Justin "Big Shot" Sivells showed up in a big way, pouring in 15 of his 22 points in the second frame. Humphries continued his multi-verse playing, doing a little bit of everything. He may be built like a Karl Malone, but he passes like John Stockton. Halfway through the season, Sammell is second in the league in assists.
Down the stretch this tight game came. Chris Oliver stepped up for Team Brown, making moves and finishing strong. Jake Guill drained a big second half three-pointer and Calvin scrapped to snag 3 steals. With seconds to play and a three-point lead, Earl McLaurin was fouled near halfcourt. As he pitched a flailing shot toward the rim, the referee signaled that Earl was fouled while shooting. This led to much consternation and debate, but ultimately Earl did not hit the free throws when it mattered most and Team Humphries held on for the 50-49 win.