On Sunday night, the Drew League hosted the Goodman League in a rematch between the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. based pro-am leagues. After losing by a point in D.C., the Drew league were able to even the summer series against the Goodman league with a 151-144 win featuring over a dozen NBA guys.
*The Goodman league was led by John Wall (55 points) and Kevin Durant (50 points) who both put on a scoring clinic. Wall’s on-ball speed might have been one of the more impressive things I saw during the game as he was able to make the Suns ’06 “7-seconds or less” offense seem like a lifetime by comparison. Wall got in the paint at will using his ability to change pace and a variety of crossovers, and when he got in the paint, he put on a show finishing off a few dunks that got the attention of the crowd.
*Durant, who spent the whole summer burning down gyms and arenas, scored 50 with a barrage of three-pointers, fade away jumpers, turn-around fade aways and dunks. A few guys took a shot at guarding him, but Durant was able to go to work in almost every isolation situation and find a way to get a bucket.
*It was nice to see Rudy Gay back on the floor. Gay suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last year and Sunday’s game was one of the first times he’s been able to get back on the floor and play. He wasn’t the scorer that we’re used to seeing, but he had a few nice moves off the dribble and threw down a couple of mean dunks.
*On the Drew side, James Harden had the most impressive night in terms of the box score. He poured in 48 points, taking on all defenders. No, seriously. James Harden took on everyone as he was shooting the ball almost every time he touched it, leading to an exchange with a fan who pleaded for him to pass. Nonetheless, Harden was incredibly difficult for any of the Goodman league guys to handle individually. His strength and athleticism definitely set him apart from almost everyone else on the floor. His beard was a bit tough to handle, too.
*Early in the game, Nick Young was a bit frustrating to watch as he tried to run the show at the point, but he had a few nice dunks and played very well down the stretch. His jumper was falling when the game’s intensity started to pick up. The game was tight with just a few minutes left, and Young helped the Drew League pull away from the Goodman league with a couple of contested jumpers from around the pinch post.
*Finally, the Lakers own Matt Barnes may have been the single biggest reason the Drew League was able to pull away from the Goodman League. Barnes was assigned to guard Durant down the stretch, and only gave up five points to Durant during the last 4-plus minutes. After Durant nailed a three in Barnes grill, Barnes ripped a Durant crossover which led to a fast break bucket. A few possessions later, Barnes picked up a loose ball that would have easily led to a Goodman dunk on the other end and was able to lay it end extending the Drew lead to two possessions. I don’t have a copy of the official box score, but I believe Barnes finished 2nd in scoring for the Drew League with 20.
the other Stephen says
yesss. thanks for the recap, philip.
the other Stephen says
*i mean, phillip.
R says
The first two weeks of the regular season have been cancelled. I think I’m going to spend not a thin dime on the NBA this coming season (if there is one).
I’ll check FB&G of course, and watch games on the teevee, but no merchandise or tickets, nope.
Once the leagure is ready to play a full season again, then I’ll be back and all will be forgiven. I encourage ‘yall to do likewise!
Aaron says
I’m a basketball fanatic. So I’m very sad tonight. I am very sad. It’s sad how sad I am. I also want to say how much I am rooting for Derek Fisher right now. He is a very special and talented human being.
R says
… not to mention a fine PG!
Chearn says
Thanks for the recap, Phillip. This summer Drew League stepped into the void that was left by the NBA lockout and provided us with some electrifying basketball. Game high scoring from Kevin Durant and James Harden is expected from these two, as they have been offensively consistent during the summer exhibition games. Games that are played with nothing other than bragging rights are generally predicated upon the offensive end by both teams, except for the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
The battle between the west’s Drew League and the east’s Goodman League was supposed to determine which league had the better team…yet to be determined. As both teams proved that they could win on their home court. If the NBA lockout continues, we should see more rivalries develop.
sT says
What bad news indeed, the first two weeks of basketball, just gone like that.
drrayeye says
The reality is starting to sink in. We turn to REM: It’s the end of the world as I know it–It’s the end of the world as I know it–it’s the end of the world as I know it–and I feel fine!
Listen up, NBA. You don’t have the leverage you think. The players have been preparing. About 30 have already cut deals–watch it climb past 60 real fast.
Kobe and Pau will be hanging out in Europe. Metta and Lamar can’t be too far behind.
This prescient post, written in August, may give us a foretaste of the future:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_angle/2011/08/the_nba_is_the.html
Even if a deal is cut, the rest of the world has been watching. I don’t think the NBA will ever be the same.
DirtySanchez says
I saw Rudy Gay play in a charity event held by Chris Paul in Winston Salem, NC about a week and a half ago, not even close to where he was before the injury. D. Wade, Lebron, J.R. Smith, Durant, Step Curry, J. Wall were all there and it was something to see. I guess these run and gun showcases are what NBA fans have to look forward to in order to get their fix. These games have really allowed fans that would have normally not been able to see a game at an arena a chance of a lifetime. The effort of players around the league putting on these contest shows a level of respect for those who follow them, the owners on the other hand just wants you to buy another 100 dollar jersery and 10 dollar beer.
T. Rogers says
8)- I’ll take it a step further. The owners are cutting off their noses to spite their faces. The same players they are waging a PR war against will be the ones they depend on to sell their league to the fans once the lockout is over. If the fans decide to stay way because they see NBA players as “overpaid jerks” it will hurt the league as a whole and hit the owners in the pocket books. Currently, the NBA has a level of star power not seen since the late ’80’s when it had Magic, Bird, and an emerging Michael Jordan. The league has seasoned vets like Kobe, Dirk, Garnett, and Nash who still have juice left. That’s combined with prime players like LeBron, Wade, and Howard. And then you can throw the pups like Griffin, Durant, and Wall on top of that. This is the moment the NBA is supposed to be capitalizing on talent-wise.
Instead they may lose a season. They will surely lose fans and kill the great momentum last season created. By the time they recover the fans the momentum the will be long dead and the talent surely won’t be the same.
The owners are forgetting the players are not just their employees, they are their product. At some point publically haggling their employees will begin to tarnish their product. And when that happens the entire league loses.
Sorry for the rant. But this situation really frustrates me.
Darius Soriano says
A new post is up.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2011/10/11/out-in-the-cold/