The first Week 7 stop for the Big 3 is Allstate Arena, just outside of Chicago. Action begins with a pair of 2-3 teams in the thick of the playoff hunt looking to get to .500, and concludes with a top tier team looking to get back on track after a double digit loss last week.
Game 1: Tri-State (2-3) vs Ghost Ballers (2-3)
Playing in his hometown on Saturday, Ghost Ballers guard Mike Taylor brought the energy for his team en route to a game high 14 points, as the Ballers got the victory 50-38.
Starting Robert Hite, Yakhouba Diawara, and Corsley Edwards for the second consecutive game, Tri-State hung tough early, trailing 11-7 before Amare Stoudemire subbed into the game. Stoudemire would have 6 of his 10 total points in the first half, but it was Taylor who made his presence felt as halftime neared.
Taylor - part of a frenzied sequence of back and forth play - hit two straight threes for his team, and a free throw to give the Ballers a 25-24 lead at the half.
As the second half began, the Ballers' Alex Scales caught fire with 7 of his team's first 9 points. Tri-State would then call timeout after a Chris Johnson three stretched the Ballers' lead to 9, at 37-28. The same lineup that started the contest for Tri-State would then check in, and Robert Hite - who led Tri-State with 11 points in the game - scored 8 quick points that had Tri-State down 4, at 40-36.
Then it was Taylor who began to take over.
With Stoudemire subbing back into the game, Taylor got two quick steals and lay ins to extend the Baller lead to 8. After a missed free throw by Hite, Taylor fed Johnson on a screen and roll to push the lead to 10, and - after a Stoudemire free throw - he hit a jumper to make it 48-38. Ricky Davis - who scored 13 in the game - then ended the game at the line with a free throw.
Going into this matchup on paper, you would have thought that Tri-State - with Nate Robinson returning to join Stoudemire and Jason Richardson to form a formidable tri0 - would have had the convincing edge. However, the Ghost Ballers' energy and effort, along with the solid play of Chris Johnson (12 points, 3 rebounds) in his Ballers' debut, proved to be too much for a Tri-State team that drops to 2-4. Sliding to two games under .500 this late in the season puts them at 11th place with just two games to go.
The Ghost Ballers, meanwhile, get to 3-3 and stay in the thick of the playoff hunt with the collection of teams that are bunched in the standings between seeds 4 and 9. They join 3s Company and the Enemies at 3-3. Company could get to 4-3 tomorrow with a win, and the 3 Headed Monsters can get to .500 at 3-3 with a victory tomorrow. The Ghost Ballers will face Trilogy in Miami next week in a pivotal game.
Things don't get easier for Tri-State, as they face the 5-1 Power in Miami next Saturday.
Game 2: Power (4-1) vs Enemies (3-2)
Inactive: Gilbert Arenas, Cuttino Mobley
Power was strong coming off of their bye week, getting a 50-41 victory over a game Enemies team.
Playing without Gilbert Arenas, Royce White was solid early on in the game - working in the post - and Perry Jones led all scorers with 20, though it wasn't enough to upset the 5-1 Power.
The Enemies took a five point lead early, at 13-8, but newly acquired Power big Carlos Boozer had all 6 of his points late in the half to give Power a 23-19 edge before Quentin Richardson hit on a three ball to send the game into the half with his team holding a 26-19 advantage.
Power's Julian Wright was solid again off the bench, as a jumper from him pushed the Power lead to 9 to start the half. Glen Davis scored 6 in the second half before exiting the game with a knee injury, but Corey Maggette brought Power home with a free throw late followed by a game clinching three pointer to give his team the win.
Despite the loss, the aforementioned White and Jones played well, with White finishing with 10 points and 5 rebounds. He was working early and had a couple of back down spin moves before an inadvertent hit to the eye from Davis limited him the rest of the way.
Quentin Richardson added 12 for the Power to go along with Maggette's 16 points and 6 rebounds. Wright and Davis had 8 points a piece, while Boozer had 6 rebounds to go along with his 6 points. Power, with the victory, moves into a tie with the Triplets for first place, while the Enemies drop to 3-3. Arenas will return to the lineup next week, as they will face Rashard Lewis and the 3 Headed Monsters in Miami.
Game 3: Bivouac (2-3) vs Killer 3s (4-2)
The Killer 3s continued their slide Saturday after looking like an early championship favorite, losing their second consecutive game to drop to 4-3. After starting the season 3-0, the 3s lost in Brooklyn to Trilogy and needed a 16-2 run in Oklahoma City to defeat the winless Ball Hogs, who were hanging with the 3s in that game. Last week, the 3s lost by 10 to 3s Company.
Today, it was Bivouac who gave them trouble, using a 25-17 halftime advantage to springboard them to a 51-42 victory.
Bivouac's Will Bynum, who was returning to action, poured in a Big 3 season high 33 points on 12 made field goals to led the Bivouac attack. The 6 foot guard also corralled 8 rebounds. Josh Smith added 11 points and 6 rebounds.
For the Killer 3s, they did not get much outside of Stephen Jackson, who led them with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Donte Green and CJ Watson scored 7 a piece, while Franklin Session could only muster 4. With a week off before their next contest, they will need to make sure that they are ready to go against a tough Enemies team that will have the services of Gilbert Arenas. That match up is Saturday, August 17 in Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center in the last week of the regular season.
Bivouac's next match up will also be in Dallas, against the Ball Hogs.
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