Game 16: February 6, 2009

Fort Wayne (10-15) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (14-13)

Actually, I wouldn’t know if the fourth quarter was as exciting as it seemed to others. I wasn’t there.

I won’t try to convince you that D-League basketball is always great. It’s not, as we saw Friday night. On one hand, we had the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (seriously, it seems like we play them every home game these days) who were running crazy, playing like, you know, the game mattered.

On the other hand, the Skyforce; camouflaged in Military Night uniforms, blending into each other as if drops of mercury rejoining the site of a spilled thermometer. They played sluggish. They didn’t care.

And, for that reason, either did we.

This was our first night seeing last year’s MVP Kasib Powell. I had hoped for a good showing, and he didn’t disappoint, seemingly the only guy who had even bothered to commit to the game. Unfortunately, his play was overshadowed by the rest of the group. A group that was tired. A group that couldn’t be troubled to fight through that tiredness. A group that was as uninterested to be there as we were come halftime.

It was a date night, and we were excited to be there without Sierra. It turns out that the best part of the evening was when we left, went to Culvers, and watched as the guy blending my Concrete Mixer was giving more of an effort than the paid basketball players we had just left.

It was sad. There were a lot of people there to witness a good time. And I know the Skyforce are a better team.

Listen to me. An angry fan, just another railing against the professionals, telling them to know their place, bitching about poor play with a ham-fisted series of lame accusations.

It was probably just an off night. But whether or not it’s because we go to fewer games, or because we were expecting something better – payback for the last two Fort Wayne losses, perhaps – or simply because we’re getting tired of being losers at home, I took the loss personally.

I took their lack of effort personally.

I took the game personally. I just hope they did the same.

Skyforce 89, Fort Wayne 95.

Well, duh. I totally forgot that regular blogger Rod Benson plays for the Dakota Wizards, who were in town last Saturday. (We missed it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they revoked our season tickets for missing a heated rivalry game. Seriously. I feel like a chump for missing the game.)

Anyway, he does a good job of summing up the Dakota Wizards/Sioux Falls Skyforce rivalry without hyperbole, helping lend some credibility to my claim that, yes, D-League Basketball is indeed entertaining, important and high quality.

From the post:

On Saturday we played in Sioux Falls. These guys are our rivals, a rivalry that borders on the Bulls-Pistons level back in the day. I mean, I guess I should say it’s as close to that kind of hard-fought, knockdown, drag-out rivalry as a minor league basketball rivalry can be. The guys on each team are usually some of the best in the D-League. They have been with the same team for years. Of course, the whole “North Dakota vs. South Dakota” thing plays a part. The attendance is the best in the league for these games. There’s just a lot of emotion involved every time we play.

The bad thing is that Dakota won thanks to some stupid heat-of-the-moment technicals and fouls. If it wasn’t for getting into our own heads, the Skyforce would be undefeated.

Regardless, nice to see some semi-national attention for the ‘Force.

Games 12 & 13: January 15 & 16, 2008

Fort Wayne (5-11) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (12-8)

It’s not that we haven’t been going to games this season. It’s just that, you know, we’ve been pretty busy, what with the world continuing to spin despite the continuation of the NBA D-League. Imagine that – even in the wake of a new season, life moves on.

Actually, I should be fair. If we’ve been missing games, it’s our own fault. We can no longer blame Sierra – especially since the advent of her willingness to hang around for the entire contest. To begin the season, we were wary of her attention span, assuming she’d be out around half-time – her natural bedtime. But, thanks to a couple souvenir balls we’ve snatched out of the air, and owing a lot to her advanced patience with daddy’s favorite sport, we’ve gotten to stay longer and longer each game.

Unfortunately, this added attention has come as the team began its decline. We began the season with a 9-2 record, losing only the season opener vs. Iowa and a lopsided contest in Austin that sparked a 9-game Toros winning streak.

But then Christmas happened – a two-point loss to Dakota at home – and then 3-6 happened.

And that’s the story of the first half of the season. After 20 games, the Skyforce were a disappointing 12-8. Looking for a spark, they sent longtime guard Carl Elliot to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for longer-time-guard David Bailey. Things seemed as though they’d be okay – after all, we had a weekend home series against the last place Mad Ants, and we just brought back one of the most popular players of recent memory – a player who, theoretically, new the opponent about as well as you possibly could.

At both games, we were joined by company. We were surprised to see our friends Eric and Tony at the Thursday game, and just the next day we invited more friends (Jim and Mel, Sara and Ryan) to join us.

It was a different feeling to have friends at the game. For so long, we have simply made the Skyforce our little thing – never making the connection between the pastime and the friends we’d visit after the games. The Skyforce are our vice, and by having friends at the game it felt as if we were entertaining – as if we were responsible for how the team played. After years of being a hardcore fan, we found ourselves passing that fanhood on.

What’s refreshing is that our friends look at the game from a different angle. To them, it’s still fresh and somewhat exciting. They question the conventions, and they ask about things we’ve long held as truth.

We talked about half-time shows. We answered questions about the league itself, and about the team, and about the NBA affiliate system and how NBA players are sent down and D-League players called up. We went through the subtle nuances of the league and discussed the mundane nature of the Arena’s pretzels. We were Skyforce experts, and, while we might not be proud of that fact, it was fun to inform instead of grumble silently.

It was like rediscovering the game we had become so numb to, looking at them from a fan’s perspective, and not from the chiseled glasses of a bitter, long suffering cynic.

“So, who’s the go to guy,” Eric asked on Thursday.

This question stopped me. I was stunned, actually, that I couldn’t think of an answer. I didn’t know, I said. The Skyforce have never really had a go to guy. It changes daily, the team turning toward whoever had the hot hand.

On both nights, it turned out to be Frank Williams, averaging 26 points over the two contests. Newcomer/old favorite David Bailey poured in a few of his own, sure, but it was Frank – seemingly absent from the games we had attended previously – who put the team on his back and charged forward.

He was really the only consistent bright spot. As is the team’s custom, we took a lead into the half both nights, and, as is our habit, we promptly lost it in the 3rd quarter both times. The refs could be to blame – both nights saw an attempted comeback thwarted by tic-tac fouls called by a greenhorn ref – a ref who called loose in the beginning and tight near the end (the exact opposite of what you’d expect). But really, it was Carl Elliot who took the wind out of our sails, leading the Mad Ants to two straight wins on the road, sending our record to 12-10, lovingly giving us a little payback for sending him to one of the worst teams in the league.

It was the Carl Elliot we had ourselves enjoyed. And while both nights were cold, and much quieter than usual, we were torched by a Mad Ants team that simply wanted to win a lot more than we did.

It wasn’t the best face to show a set of visitors. But we couldn’t take it personally. After all – we’re merely visitors as well: visitors that show up more often than most, often leave early, and occasionally consider ourselves proud fans – fans that always end up looking on the bright side, who always enjoy the game for what it is.

It’s simply basketball. And it’s for all of us to share.

Thursday: Skyforce 127, Fort Wayne 131.

Friday: Skyforce 115, Fort Wayne 124.

Game 1: November 28, 2008

Iowa Energy (0-0) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (0-0)

Let’s just say I might be a little rusty.

More than just the writing, too. I’m rusty in being a fan. I’m rusty in understanding the nature of semi-professional basketball – the up and down nature, the streakiness, the completely unreliable lead.

Oh, the unreliable lead. How it gets me every time.

The Skyforce season began rather well. Up by 15 points near the beginning of the second half, I was already moving on to the next game. I was thinking of how easy it seemed. How well the veteran players seemed to be meshing. Our shots were falling. Our team looked fantastic.

I was thinking about how much crisper the team looked, a notion Kerrie mentioned several times. They looked more polished, less like the CBA team they used to be and more like the nearly-professional team they now are. Two years in the NBA D-League, with two years worth of great players and two years worth of Nate Tibbits experience, must have done the team a lot of good.

It was the best way to start out the first game of the 20th season, with a commanding win over a team that might soon become as big of a rival as the Dakota Wizards.

There was only one problem.

It was still only the third quarter. The Skyforce must have been rusty, too.

Because they ended up losing by 12.

Um, guys? Just so you know, that’s an awful way to treat a fan in section P who was already making plans for the playoffs.

It was the fourth quarter that killed us. Iowa shot 70% and outscored our guys 42-20 in the final quarter, and it seemed as if Iowa had constructed some kind of invisible robot that trolled the paint, knocking each shot a little off center, forcing ungodly shots and keeping the ball from ever entering the basket down low.

The defense was led by Courtney Sims. 22-point, 17-rebound, 11-block Courney Sims. That’s not a typo. That’s a triple-double. Including blocks.

Because I watched a lot of Boston Celtics playoff basketball last year, and because I often have delusions of grandeur when it comes to understanding the fine points of the sport, I began to formulate a complex reasoning as to why the Skyforce had suddenly found themselves sucking air.

It was the Rajon Rondo scenario, with big man Courtney Alexander playing the part of Rondo, a can’t-score defender who was needed on one end and a complete liability on the other. Knowing he can’t score, he wasn’t taken seriously. He was left wide open. He was given free reign down low. Setting the pick on a pick and roll opportunity failed because his teammates wouldn’t pass it to him. And his stat line shows his failure to help: 2 points on 1-10 shooting, 5 turnovers. Of his 13 rebounds, nine were offensive – easy shots, almost all of them either missed or blocked by Sims.

It was as if they were playing 4 on 5 offensively.

But I now see that it was more basic than that. We never bothered to establish an inside game. And when we did, we were sorely outmatched. There wasn’t much Iowa could do when we were making our jump shots. But when they stopped falling, the Skyforce began their own downward spiral.

Live by the jump shot. Die by the jump shot.

It was an awful way to start the season. But at least one thing is for sure – we can’t go anywhere but up.

Skyforce 101, Iowa 113.

Game 24: April 6, 2008

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (17-29) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (27-21)

The standings were tied between two long time rivals, two teams that have traded players and coaches and elbows and wins and sometimes blood and words and championships. The only thing that separated them was a tie-breaking series record and a state line. One team spent most of the year on top, the other wallowed in mediocrity, scratching and crawling its way back up the standings.

And then, just like that, after 48 games; after 23 home games and countless player changes; after ten face-to-face matchups; the two teams run side by side, sprinting for the finish. Only two games remained until the end.

The teams won’t face each other again. The Dakota Wizards have two games on the road, the Skyforce split their time between home and the road. With the series tie-breaker, the Skyforce control their own destiny. Win, and they’re just one game away from leading then division and playing their first-round playoff game in the friendly confines of Sioux Falls Arena. Lose, and they’ll have to hope for the impossible – two losses from Dakota against one of the worst teams in the league.

I haven’t written about the Skyforce in a while. Let’s face it – after 35 to 40 write ups over the past two years, I’ve kind of run out of things to say about my home team. It hasn’t helped that our season ticket appearances became sparse, thanks in part to Sierra and her uncanny ability to drive us toward home somewhere in the 3rd quarter.

But after a run up the standings – and after an exciting home win against the Wizards last week – there is a new electricity in the building. Something wonderful is happening. We’re not the best team in terms of records – in fact, we drop to the 5th seed without the benefit of a division win – but we’re hot as hell and we’re ready for the playoffs. In fact, for the first time in a long time, we seem unbeatable.

The collective “we” is back, my friends. The Skyforce, after a slight downturn, are back in the front of my mind. The story this morning may have been full of suspense, but after tonight’s game, it’s forging forward on its own energy, seemingly unstoppable, a train that no one wants to look at, let alone face in the playoffs.

Tonight, the Skyforce hosted the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Yes, those Mad Ants. A surprise announcement informed us of Kasib Powell’s newest accolade – NBA D-League Most Valuable Player. Imagine that – our first MVP! Our first best player, a guy who just a week ago was filling in for Dwayne Wade, who is now cheerleading and slaming down terrifying dunks and being the player that an NBA D-League team needs: a leader who just so happens to be able to play.

In celebration, the Skyforce decided to knock out one of the most dominating games of basketball I’ve ever seen. I mean, seriously – it was never even close, with Powell and company simply decimating the already decimated Mad Ants, a team that slides toward the off-season with one of the league’s worst records. The Skyforce had fun. They let everyone play. Kasib showed his dominance, while everyone else drafted off of his greatness.

Sure, Kasib Powell’s MVP award simply cements him as the best American player not in the NBA. He’s a big fish in a little pond, a player benefiting from the lack of talent around him.

But he doesn’t play that way. None of the Skyforce guys do. Throughout this season, we’ve been seen as the also-rans, as a team that could achieve greatness if they could simply play consistently, a team always in Dakota’s shadow, regardless of the Skyforce’s history of dominance of their northern brethren. And now, on this our last home game until the playoffs, we were treated to the kind of clinic that we’ve been looking forward to all year – a game that got everyone involved, that got a little chippy and high flying and, for once, comfortable.

For a while, it felt as if I had kind of forgotten the Skyforce altogether. They fell off of my memory, like snow melting off of a roof.

I don’t know if it was the surge up the standings, or the recent buzzer-beating win over Dakota, or Kasib’s sudden national attention, but a blizzard of Skyforce basketball blanketed my periphery. And tonight’s home closer did nothing to quell the wind and the snow, and I realize now that my mind was never quite rid of the Skyforce, that my season tickets will indeed be renewed next year and that, win or lose, I’ll be sitting in section P (or somewhere close by) cheering on a band of players who may never have played together before in their lives.

Champions or not, division leaders or not, professionals or not, the Skyforce have proven to be more than just a passing phase – a “something to do” from the days before fatherhood.

We’ll see you in the playoffs.

Skyforce 125, Fort Wayne 90.

With the NBA (and D-League) All Star Game quickly approaching, and with a special Valentine’s Night Skyforce game against Dakota, I couldn’t help but post this great take on D-League basketball from Hardwood Paroxysm: “Dr. BoomTho, Or: How I Learned To Stop Hating And Love The D-League.” In it, they sum up all the reasons I love the D-League – including the reasons you should stop grousing about the league’s lack of superstars and “talent” and start gazing in wonder at the league’s excitement, hard work and rewards.

From the post:

Most baseball fans don’t know anything about their team’s farm system. They couldn’t tell you a damn thing about who Jed Lowrie is, Jordan Zimmerman is, Clayton Kershaw is. But the rabids can. And it’s a good thing. Not only do minor-league teams provide amazing gimmick-nights, but they also bring a little professional quality athletics to areas that don’t normally get to enjoy those kinds of events. So there’s that. It’s entertainment that’s affordable. And it allows fans to have yet another area for them to get excited about and “geek” out over.

So why can’t this success be replicated for basketball? Why is it such a stretch to think that the NBA can drum up enough quality players to put together decent games? And why are we so insulted by the idea of inferior quality of play? Basketball’s basketball. And there are some legitimate talents in the league.

Check it out. (via Deadspin)

Game 12: February 1, 2008

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (9-14) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (12-14)

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Force. Three home games have come and gone without mention on the site – one I attended, but didn’t write about; two I missed completely due to other commitments. They had just beat Iowa for the first time all year, and followed that game up with another win, bringing their record to 7-10.

I lost track of them for a while. Unbeknownst to me, they lost four of their next five and looked horrible in the process. Then, the Skyforce turned it on in their habitual streaky way by winning four in a row coming into the game. An added bonus? They were now facing the Mad Ants, who had lost five of six themselves and had put up a horrible showing on Christmas.

The biggest change wasn’t in the standings, though – it was the roster, chock full of NBA power thanks to two NBA assignees: Jermareo Davidson of the Charlotte Bobcats and Chris Richard of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Talk leading up to the game was centered on a displaced annoyance from our two Big League Stars. No one likes to be sent down – to be forgotten among the tumbleweed of South Dakota’s plains and left for dead among players still struggling to don an NBA jersey. Grumblings were rumored, opponents panned. Jermareo and Chris didn’t feel they belonged down here, but down here they found themselves playing. Might as well make a game out of it.

This was different from Amir Johnson, our 2006-7 NBA assignee and all around Skyforce superstar. Amir didn’t just revel in the idea of gaining minutes – he specifically asked to be sent back down a second and third time in order to gain experience and help the Skyforce out. He wanted to be a teammate, to play and learn and lead – and that eagerness to succeed probably helped a lot when it came to contract negotiations at the end of the year.

If Jermareo and Chris didn’t want to be here, they certainly didn’t show it. This was an utter blowout from tip off. I was reminded of how dominating a young big man can be – a rarity on our usually small Skyforce teams – and dreams of having another Amir were answered with the athletic Jermareo Davidson. He was everywhere, and he was taking the spirit of the game into his own hands. He enjoyed himself tonight. He really liked the game, it seemed. He was even boppign his head to Soulja Boy’s “Superman.”

(A quick aside. For a franchise that claims to be incredibly family-oriented and driven to give everyone from 6 months to 106 years a great time, why would they even think about playing “Superman” over the PA? Seriously.

“Superman dat hoe!” it kept repeating, over and over again. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Maybe ownership has no idea what it means, but Urban Dictionary does. It’s pretty dirty, and it’s hilariously not family. Phyllis Heineman – Republican State Representative, mother/wife to the Skyforce owners and front row season ticket holder – would flip if she knew what the song was about.)

If having Amir again this year is impossible, we can take solace in having two worthy players this time around. Davidson is lanky and driven, a tall shooter with an ability to be everywhere at once. His counterpart, Chris Richard, is a balling brute of a big man, physical and intimidating – exactly what we need.

And boy, did it show. Jermareo scored 11 in the first quarter, leading the Force to a 30-13 first quarter lead. The newfound height helped create newfound second chances, as the Skyforce brought down 27 offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds! That was just six fewer than the Mad Ants brought down all together, offensive and defensive. A 62 to 33 rebounding edge sure helps.

Everything clicked. A 12-0 run in the third was greeted with the first standing applause we’ve seen this year, and it was another 5 points before the Mad Ants could recover and score. Great passing. Great rebounding. Great scoring. Teamwork, from friends, mashed together through a random process of drafting, assignment and free agency, joining together in one common goal – to entertain and to win.

Let’s face it. The last place an NBA player wants to be is Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The prospect of being sent down to the Skyforce can’t be a thrilling proposition.

But regardless of the misconceptions, once an NBA assignee steps onto the court and feels the electricity and excitement that we have for our team, it’s all forgotten. You can smile, and know that while you might not be in the big leagues, you’re at least someplace that truly feels like home.

Amir would have been so proud.

Skyforce 116, Fort Wayne 91

(And, as an added bonus, the Skyforce repeated the slaughter on Saturday. Same team, same result – another home win and a six game winning streak. The score makes it look closer, but it wasn’t – Game 13: Skyforce 123, Fort Wayne 103.)

Game 8: January 4, 2008

Iowa Energy (9-8) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (5-10)

The floater. A soft, pretty shot. A skilled high-arcing drop in the bucket.

The floater. David Bailey’s new best friend.

The Skyforce entered the game looking pretty rough. I had hoped that they were righting the ship, winning three of four (including Christmas Day) but was disappointed to see they had answered the semi-streak with three losses in four games. Everything was back where it started, evened out.

And who were we playing? The horribly named Iowa Energy, featuring a Chicago Bulls NBA send-down Demetris Nichols. They were second place in the division, three games ahead of the last place Skyforce. But we had one thing on our side: the Iowa Energy’s amazingly streaky win/loss record. Go ahead. Scan down their schedule. Win three, lose three, win three, lose three, win three. They had lost two in a row going into the Friday night game. We were destined to win, right?

With David Bailey playing the way he did, sure enough. Tonight was my first glimpse of the faster, friendlier Skyforce – little Elton Nesbitt was starting, J.C. Mathis had disappeared (which is weird considering how effective he was during the Christmas Day game) and David Bailey was featured front and center.

I mean, he was everywhere, playing with ferocity I had yet to see out of him this season. He was the fastest player on the court, and he was using it to his advantage. Versus Jeff Horner? Easy – drive around him. Versus Euro-trash Fabricio Vay? Easy – wave off the rest of the team and take him one on one. Someone’s hand his face? Even easier – the floater, his newest friend.

Seriously – I’ve never seen someone take more tear-drop shots in a game. It was as if he had met a best friend from high school and he couldn’t help showing him off to his new crew. Drive. Floater. Drive. Floater. It kept happening, and like a Malone/Stockton pick-and-roll, you couldn’t stop it.

This is what I’ve wanted to see for the past six games. Two speedy guards, splitting the court apart, driving to the basket. Driving! We didn’t let the jump shot beat us tonight – we left that to the incredibly hot Iowa Energy, a team that managed to make nearly every shot in the first half and lose their touch in the second. We drove! I mean it – this was an epiphany, it must have been!

Nesbitt and Bailey combined to bring a Nash/Barbosa like tandem to the court – speed and shooting, assists and steals, like pesky gnats swarming unsuspecting campers. They were all over the place, making the extra pass when needed, shooting the three when feeling it, making life hell for the slower, lankier Iowa guards.

At halftime, we were keeping up with the Energy, 60-60. We begrudgingly left, knowing we had to get Sierra to bed and being better parents for the act. I listened to the rest of the game on the radio – Bailey kept making his new signature teardrop shot, Chris Alexander re-appeared in the fourth to defend the Energy’s impending rise, and the Skyforce eked out a win. It was an ugly second half – after scoring 60 points, both teams ended with a 36-34 half – but it worked.

It felt good to get a win. It felt good to finally defeat Iowa after two losses. It felt good to gain ground in the standings, and it felt good to see the team playing like a team – finally gelling after a season-so-far of awkward getting-to-know-you play.

But it felt really good – no, it felt GREAT – to see Nesbitt and Bailey taking control and playing basketball that’s both fun and effective. Live and die by the jump shot no more. We’re driving – and floating – from now on.

Skyforce 96, Iowa 94

Sierra’s first meeting with Santa. She’s thrilled.

Of course, her lack of emotion could be because of the excitement of that night’s Skyforce game!

Game 6: December 25th, 2007

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (4-6) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (3-7)

Christmas day in Sioux Falls means something even more. It means Skyforce basketball in front of what usually ends up being the biggest crowd of the year.

This year, we faced the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – Detroit’s pet franchise and the team that sits just one game ahead of the Skyforce in the standings. It’s a relatively new rivalry – in fact, it’s brand new; the Fort Wayne Mad Ants are celebrating their inaugural season as members of the D-League.

Last year, we were the Detroit affiliate, and we benefited from their youngest future star, Amir Johnson. This year, we were dropped in favor of the Mad Ants – a team actually owned by the Pistons – and now we’re saddled with the Charlotte Bobcats in its place.

I mention all of these impressive big-league connections because I’m a little self conscious of our minor league status. Most of my friends see the Skyforce as a trinket on the basketball landscape, a knick-knack not worth much attention, let alone a season-ticket induced fandom.

“We’re for real!” I’ll scream. “A real team with a real coach and real jerseys and everything!” and my friends, many of which have strong connections to Minnesota and, therefore, the Timberwolves, just smile and shake their heads.

As if the Timberwolves could beat the Skyforce this season.

Tonight we entertained a real sports fan – Kerrie’s uncle Bernie, from Virginia. He’s an aficionado. He has years of sports knowledge tucked away and can spot things I never even think to look for – footwork, unbiased ref calls, the release of a shot.

In addition, he’s got some great connections. Enough that he has courtside tickets to Georgetown basketball. See that bald guy to the left of the scorer’s table? That’s Uncle Bernie.

That’s our guest. That’s what the Skyforce have to live up to – the unflinching brunt of a knowledgeable sports fan with tickets to one of the most sought after shows in the Washington D.C. area. Suck it up, Force. Don’t embarrass me for the hype I built up.

As if notified of the importance of Bernie’s visit, the Skyforce were on their game. Like, seriously on their game – great shooting, great defense and a drive to win. Maybe it was the crowd – a typical, “get us the hell out of the house!” Christmas crowd – or maybe it was the idea of moving up a spot in the standings. Either way, the Skyforce simply blew the Mad Ants out of the building.

And hey – some guys got a little chippy, and some guys got thrown out. The Mad Ants became frustrated, some flagrant (and flagrant-2) calls were tossed around, and the crowd became a seething pit of hatred, calling for Mad Ant beheadings and mass slaughter.

Less violently, this was the first game I really took notice of J.C. Mathis – both good and bad. The man has some great footwork (thanks, Bern!) and moved around defenders like they were stuck in epoxy. He sliced shots up and in, and developed the statement dunks when needed.

But then he wouldn’t give up the ball. He took shot after shot, leading the team in both scoring and off-balance, no-pass shots. Still, he ended with 29 points on 13 of 19 shooting, so at least he was making the shots he was blindly taking. David Bailey managed to do the same thing, except he couldn’t hit an inside shot all day (1-8 from inside the three-point line). Thankfully, he took enough long shots (4-5 from three-point range) to make his game worthwhile.

When the fury settled, what was left was the strongest Skyforce showing of the year. Over 50% shooting from the field and from three. Two players with a double-double and seven players in double figures. Every quarter won, no lead squandered. Even a justifying ejection by Fort Wayne’s brute, Corey Minnifield.

So maybe it’s not a Wizards game. It’s hardly even a Georgetown game. But one thing’s for sure – the Skyforce are competitive, and they’re nothing to look down your nose at. As long as the team can play like this every week, they’re no longer semi-pro. They’re all out pros.

Skyforce 116, Fort Wayne 88