Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
3rd Place Game: 3 Headed Monsters vs Power
Inactive: Reggie Evans, Carlos Boozer
Corey Maggette, playing in his final Big 3 game, scored the first points of the game on a one-handed dunk on the inside, but the 3 Headed Monsters responded with three shots from long range - two four-point shots from Mario Chalmers and a corner three ball from Rashard Lewis - that were part of a 13-0 Monster run.
Maggette, with 7 first half points, tried his best to keep his team in the game early, but the Monsters' out-hustled Power and played outstanding defense, taking a 25-18 lead into the half, with Rashard Lewis leading them with 9. Rodney Carney added 6 in the opening half.
Mahmound Abdul-Rauf put his imprint on the game in the second half, with 7 of the first 9 3 Headed Monsters points, as they opened up an 11-point lead at 34-23. A Larry Sanders jam and free throw then gave the Monsters their biggest lead of the game at 42-27.
Not going down without a fight, the defending champions surged late, going on a 10-2 run to cut the Monsters' lead to 7 before Monsters coach Gary Payton called timeout with his team up 44-37. The lead was then cut to four when Jeremy Pargo hit a three. Sanders then scored on a dunk and a jump hook to make it 48-40 Monsters. On what would turn out to be the game's final possession, Maggette hounded Lewis and made him give up the ball from just inside the right arc to Sanders, who hit the game-winning jumper to secure the Monsters' 50-42 win and 3rd place in the Big 3 for the 2019 season.
Sanders, Lewis, Carney, and Chalmers all scored in double figures for the 3 Headed Monsters, with Sanders, Lewis, and Carney all scoring 11 and Chalmers scoring 10. Sanders also added 10 rebounds, while Lewis had 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Pargo led Power with 18, while the retiring Maggette scored 9.
The win was big for a 3 Headed Monster team that started the season 2-0, and then needed to win two straight to get into the playoffs. Going against the defending champion (albeit injured) Power team, the Monsters showed what they are capable of when all of their guys are clicking and playing well.
For Power, the result brought to close a difficult and disappointing season. They endured two season-ending injuries, and could never find cohesion and chemistry. Losing Maggette to retirement will be difficult, as he was their top player. However with a growing pool of former NBA talent readying to play in the Big 3 for next year, they should be able to find an adequate replacement.
Championship Game: Killers 3s vs Triplets
Inactive: Sergerio Gipson, Eddy Curry
The Triplets' Alan Anderson started fast, with 7 of his team's first 10 points as they jumped out to a 10-4 lead.
Play-by-play man Brian Custer remarked early in the game that the Killer 3s' Stephen Jackson had told him that he had the secret when it came to defending the Triplets' Joe Johnson, and while Johnson's first three-point attempt was blocked by Jackson, it didn't take long for Johnson to find his groove. As the saying goes, "good offense beats good defense", and Johnson did his best to prove that in the opening half.
Johnson had 16 on 7/11 shooting, hitting tough and contested jumpers without difficulty, as his Triplets took a 25-20 lead into halftime. His 16th point came off a Jackson drive in which he stripped Jackson, and laid it in off the glass.
Jackson, who started the second half on the bench, played Johnson tough when he checked back in, forcing him into difficult shots and putting pressure on Johnson to defend him. The second half was tight the entire way, with Jackson getting his team within two, 41-39, hitting on a free throw for his 21st point.
Johnson would then do what he has done so many times this year, being the spark on an 11-0 run, ending the game with a three ball off of an inbound on the left side of the floor over Jackson. He would finish with 28 in the game. Jackson led the 3s with 21.
It was a familiar scene for the Triplets, who all year long relied on Johnson to get them big buckets when needed. He was the league's best player, and continued to prove that game in and game out.
The Killer 3s, in defeat, have nothing to feel bad about. They played hard and scrapped, but in the end they were outmatched by the better team with the best player. The 3s also should be proud about the way they battled and got to the Finals after - in the middle of the season - they were teetering and could have easily fallen off after that stretch where they lost 3 of 4 games. If Jackson is to come back next season, they can make simple roster improvements that can keep them in contention.
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