Round 17 of the TV game show (Match Prediction Contest) is in the books. I missed another double game day. Nonetheless our one matchup was a good one.
Winner: Slashing Dragons pushed the pace this game out scoring their opponents and winning 138 - 116. Claiming the series and overcoming the home court advantage hurdle like it was nothing.
Summary: The damage was done in the first half with the Dragons ahead by 21 at the midway point. They didn't have as shutdown a defensive performance as you would expect, but they scored absolutely everything. 54% from the field, 60% from 3pt range, and 83% from FT. The big three of the Newts (Villamater, Seidinger, and Anastasio) were incredible in their own right scoring 82 of the team's 116 points by themselves. Nonetheless, getting 15 less shot attempts than your opponent is a really hard tide to swim against. Especially when your opponent can't miss.
Questions: Where does this leave our heroes? The Newts are still safely in 7th, 2 games ahead of 8th. As long as they don't burn all their enthusiasm they will be a handful for the 5th place finisher in the Great 8. Meanwhile the Dragons continue to hold on to their claim to first round home court over the Dark Matter or Archers vying for 3rd. We are in the home stretch now with 5 games to go. Do teams have enough in the tank or are they saving their reserves for the playoffs?
Final Score: Slashing Dragons 138 @ New York Newts 116
Slashing Dragons 138
Pos - Player of the Game (Pts, Asts, Rebs)
PF - R. Cáceres (43, 2, 13)
Team Ratings:
Highest - Perimeter Defense (9)
Lowest - Rebounding (6.3)
New York Newts 116
Pos - Player of the Game (Pts, Asts, Rebs)
PG - I. Villamater (32, 7, 3)
Team Ratings:
Highest - Outside Scoring (10)
Lowest - Rebounding (4.7)
Television Game Show Leaderboard
Manager - Points (Weekly 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Closest)
1. Coach Shnuffy - 36.5 (1st)
2. Jasen Harper - 28.5
3. Rexapex - 25.5
4. Mongo - 21 (2nd)
5. Sterling Archer - 18 (3rd)
6. DrChristopher - 14.5
7. tony9955 - 8.5
8. Hutch44 - 6
9. squall - 5
10. GhostDog - 1.5
As for next gameday...
Saturday 5/11/2024 8:00:00 PM 1st Place Mighty Moose Rockets @ 3rd Place Dark Matter
Summary: The Dark Matter have made it to the 3rd spot and away from the tough first round matchup, but everyone has to face the Rockets eventually. Can they hold off the Rockets enough at home to save their league position, or will the Rockets start taking their foot off the gas because they are within walking distance of the finish line? However, that coveted automatic promotion chance is always a good reason to stay focus in this last leg of the season. Some highlights are that the rocket have incredible on-ball pressure with the highest turnovers created and steals in the league. Meanwhile the Dark Matter are now the highest scoring team in the league averaging 112.5 points a game on 44% 3pt shooting.
Injury/Transfers: No injuries or recent transfers. However the $115,000 dollar difference in starting five salary gives this the feel, of a David and Goliath battle.
Last Matchup: This is a storied rivalry with this being a big matchup for the Rocket fan survey. The all-time record standings sit at Rockets (4 wins) and Dark Matter (3 wins). The most recent matchup was a 69 - 97 victory for the Rockets at home in the early part of the season. An interesting item of note is last season's regular season contests between these two sides averaged a margin of victory of 2.5 points. Was last time the new normal or will the hard-fought battles resume this week?
Ramifications: Everyone is in the playoffs pretty much, but now the seeding for who has to get stomped at the Rockets' dreaded Mighty Moose Arena is being fought over. Furthermore if the Rockets win presumably the Dragons will have some breathing room between themselves and 3rd.
Who's got the magic eight-ball this week and can pre
The doctor is in...