- WEEK 3 RECAP -

WRITTEN BY: PROFESSOR X

Yessss! Another week in the books and plenty to discuss. Unfortunately I was not in the building to watch all the greatness but I did get some footage sent to me and I will use the boxscores to do my best to tell a story. League ramp up as soon as we get jerseys and the Commish says May 14th we will definitely have them! I am excited as this inaugural season looks to be phenomenal. Great teams and great players will make this one to remember. Let's get it. 

BLAZERS vs MAGIC: The Blazers destroy the Magic in what was an anticipated matchup. Looking at the boxscore I can tell the Magic were missing Suman and TK and woulda been playing real small ball and the Blazers took full advantage. They are just a well rounded machine and if Rishe is hitting 5 triples in a game...then it is going to be night night for pretty much everyone. Rashad made his ETBL debut and contributed nicely with 10 points and 5 rebounds while hitting 3 triples in the game. The word is that he is a steady guard and can relieve Duzan from ball handling duties and also make outside shots when called upon. Duzan was Duzan and right now it looks like they are going to make some serious noise this season. The Magic are now 1-1 and they got destroyed in the 2nd half of this one. Considering they were shorthanded we cannot read too much into it. Lamont was a bright spot with 16 points and 6 rebs on 7 of 9 shooting. Their best players however did not shoot the ball well and therefore it is going to be a long night. Heard Justin got thrown out of this game or was it Matthew (no clue but I will eventually figure it out) for chirping the referee. Gotta keep your emotions in check and focus on your game to help your team. Let's see if they can bounce back in the next one

Final Score: Blazers 76 - 57 Magic               Player of the Game:  DUZAN INDRASITHU  19pts/8rebs/9asts/2stls/1blk -  46% Shooting - 2 Triples

LAKERS vs RAPTORS:  Two words...CHRISTAIN OVERHOLT...my goodness. The man did everything in his ability to get the W for his squad it looked like. It’s one thing to score 43 points but its completely another to do it so efficiently. 18 for 24 shooting with only 1 turnover. GOD F*CKIN DAMN! Did not know this kid can ball out like that. I wish I saw this performance in person. This is what ETBL is all about man. Put your team on your back and ball out. No excuses just step up and do the best you can! Going into halftime the Lakers were down 6 and apparently Christian and Jonathan were in foul trouble too. They still pulled this out somehow. That’s two disappointing losses for the Raptors to start the season. Personally, its not the losses but how they are losing. In both games they lead at half-time and then get blown out in the second half. I still think this team has the personnel to make the playoffs but they need to start showing me. They got good pieces and Mithun can ball but something is off. Let's see if they can put it together soon.

Final Score: Lakers 66 - 55 Raptors               Player of the Game:  CHRISTIAN OVERHOLT  43pts/6rebs/1asts/4stls/1to -  75% Shooting - 4 Triples

BULLS vs CLIPPERS:  The Prime-Time game didn’t disappoint. Both teams I had in the top 5 to begin the season and my mind didn’t change after this. Both teams have shot makers and play a fast paced game. Early MVP candidate Malcolm London had another fantastic game with 23 points 6 assists and 6 boards. Looks like the Bulls used their length and athleticism to contain him for the most part and made him take some tough shots as evident with his FG% (8-25). If the Clippers are to go far they need more from their #2 guy in Avery Campbell. The rebs are nice but when playing the top team you need more than 9 points and definitely take care of the ball better. This brings me to the story of the game. TURNOVERS...lots of them. The Bulls have shown to be one of the better defensive teams in the league as they use their athleticism to get in the passing lanes. They turned the Clippers over 20 times which lead to easy baskets. It was a nice team game by the Bulls as they didn’t heavily rely on one player. Robert lead the way with a 16/12 double double and had great support by Lawrence and Merci. Bulls are rolling. 

Final Score: Bulls 56 - 53 Clippers               Player of the Game:  ROBERT SCOTT  16pts/12rebs/1asts/1stl -  63.5% Shooting

WARRIORS vs GRIZZLIES:  The Dubs get a win against a solid Grizz team. 5 guys in double figures will usually do the trick. Aakgash made his debut and immediately had a big impact on the game. He provides them with some defence and someone who can run in transition and get you buckets. Just a lot of talent on this Warriors squad and once they get their chemistry right...they will be tough to handle. Grizz had a big game from Ryan Ramoutar! 19/5/3 with 2 steals and no turnovers. Sabit was great on the glass but overall the team just could not muster up enough in this one. Just feels like they should be doing a lot better with the team they have. They went up against a contender so no shame in losing to them but they still got lots of room for improvement. Let's see how long it takes them to find their rhythm. 

Final Score: Warriors 68 - 61 Grizzlies               Player of the Game:  JAHLOVE LYNCH  13pts/14rebs/6asts/4stls/1blk -  57% Shooting