Photo: Derek “Pearl” Bogarty is back!!! (Fall 2013)
Observations and calculations from Week Three.
The league by the numbers:
League percentages, games of Week Three:
Three pointers: 33/113 = 29.2% (Wk2: 17/96 = 17.7%) (Wk1: 28/96 = 29.2%)
FG: 141/401= 35.2% (Wk2: 145/439 = 33.0%) (Wk1: 143/404 = 35.4%)
FT: 54/80 = 67.5% (Wk2: 30/64 = 46.9%) (Wk1: 33/63 = 52.4%)
Observation:
Shooting percentages perked back up. More threes taken, by far, than in the first two weeks, especially as percentage of overall FGs attempted (28.2% of FGs this week were 3s compared to 21.9 last week). Game One had the two teams combine for 20/24 on FTs; NBA worthy numbers. Nice going Wollongong and Cairns. I’m thinking that shooting percentages will improve as the season goes, don’t you? More used to it all; shots under your belt; making better decisions, meaning taking better (more makeable) shots. We’ll see.
Welcome to Monte Goodwin and Jordan Edgett, our new scorers’ table stats crew. Say “hey” to them; they’re good guys who like hoops. The better you play, the happier they are. Actually, all you have to do is wait for the referee to signal you into the game before entering the game (subbing) to make them happy. They are serious about the stats and aim for 100% accuracy. If you have a complaint or believe there is a discrepancy, mention it to them and they will explain how it is that you got it wrong.
Week Two, November 16, 2013
G1: Wollongong started the 2nd half with slim 25-24 lead. The half then saw 6 ties (30-30, 32-32, 35-35, 42-42, 44-44, 46-46) and 6 lead changes before settling in to the final of 51-48 behind Josh Kratka’s clutch FTS with 9 seconds remaining. Never leave him alone at the FT line. (That’s a funny.) Bill Carruthers (PFL MVP in Perpetuity) was a nifty 8/9 from the FT line. 9/9 might have been game-changing. We know he’ll make it next time. (A PFL footnote: We once had a championship game, played at the Winter Hill School, maybe 8 years ago, in which the winning team won by 1. They were 19/20 from the FT line. They also hit a 3 from 1/2 court at the 1/2 time buzzer.)
Game One /Wollongong Hawks (1-2) 51 – Cairns Taipans (2-1) 48
(Players missing: WH: Cameron LaHart; CT: Mike Earley, Matt Siebler)
G2: The Tigers came with their iron five and roared away to victory. They enjoyed an 18 to 3 FTs attempted advantage. Was this their aggressiveness? The other teams passivity? A general more physical style of play? Or, for the conspiracy theorists, a referee’s bias??? I like the Wildcats. I like their chances. They were upbeat and honest and self-assessing after the game. Before the game, I saw Keith Storrs sitting in the stands with a ball flipping up left-handed mini-form shots. I thought to myself, “He’s not left-handed”. The nicest looking play/shot of the game? You guessed it, an 8 ft left-handed runner by the right handed Keith Storrs. Adam and I were like: “did you see that? Yeah, I saw that. Yeah, he’s right handed”.
Game Two / Melbourne Tigers (3-0) 50 – Perth Wildcats (0-3) 41
(Tigers on the loose: Paul Curran, Lida Mullendore, Mike Cox, Chris Perrotti; Wildcat on the prowl: Eddie “EJ” Jameson)
G3: Steven Friedman proved that no scouting report can stop him. 3/5 on 3s including one from the RIGHT WING! 14 seconds into the game. D Po continues to assist more than turn it over. Chizzy, Tim “Brick” Wall continue to defend. Megan Ladd continues to know where to go with the ball even before she catches it. (Watch her.) No player for the 36ers took more than 6 shots. Such egalitarianism. Generally, they are not a team of shooters or scorers. I think their best shot at winning games is the kind of defensive pressure shown by Barry Lai in the last 2 minutes of the game. If all nine 36ers did that for at least 36 minutes of the 40 minute game they’d be more fun to watch and they might even win a game. And they’d have earned their nickname: 36ers! Ha! They have the youth and the legs and the goalkeeper (“Chief”) to do it.
Game Three /Townsville Crocodiles (3-0) 40 – Adelaide 36ers (0-3) 31
(Absent players: TC: Chip Allen; A36: James Peerless)
G4: Jim Duane wrested the minutes played mantle from his son and the Kings emerged victorious. Watch Keith Reitman: he’ll steal your face right off your head. David Duane’s 4 FGs were all 3s. All nice, too. NZB had but 5 players. Before the game, Chris Ryan was heard to say in the huddle: “The fewer men, the greater share of honor. God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.”* It was inspiring, especially to Eric Poydar (24pts 14 rebs, and 0 stitches). Dave Kelleher and Chris Brown were valuable extra possession guys, very good on 50/50 balls. Disappointed Richie Snell didn’t bring his kids.
Game Four /Sydney Kings (3-0) 57 – New Zealand Breakers (0-3) 51
(Hunting turkeys: SK: Ranjith Zachariah; NZB: Erik Morales, Chris Railey, Jason Jaroszewski, Lou Wang)
* King Henry the Fifth, Shakespeare (but you already knew that)
The play of the week was Sandy putting a bone crushing screen on someone – I can’t remember who – twice her size.
She knows screening is one of the things it takes to win. And since she has a gold medal in women’s lightweight crew from the World Championships, I guess she knows about winning.
Although you usually notice him for his fine offense, Jeff Smith was “living in the passing lanes” and a very disruptive force on defense — in an 8:30 game, no less. Can I “dedicate” my 3 turnovers to him?
Also, funny to read Steve’s comment on Keith Storrs: while watching Game 2 with The Great Dave Hartjes, I turned to him at one point and said, “Did he just shoot that left-handed??”
“The Great Dave Hartjes”: I love that.
So, the 36ers should cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of War. Next week works nicely. Their almost press almost broke us. Unusual number of 3-0 and 0 – 3 teams right now. PFL history would say that this year’s champion is likely 0-3 at the moment. Doesn’t stop me hoping for a wire to wire win and looking forward to the showdown with the Tigers this weekend. Folks may want to get to the gym early for that one. Sydney Kings fun to watch. Wildcats may be the best 0- 3 team in the league. Hasn’t Pinchook been on that kind of team before?
Sshhh — Don’t let Steve B. know, but we 0-3 teams are secretly Riggin’ for Wiggins.
You mean teams are lining up at the bottom, hoping Alex Doerr comes out of retirement? Is that why Michael Peerless didn’t play this week? It’s all starting to make sense. And for those who aren’t in the know: Riggin’ for Wiggins.
A season in which the rosters are peppered with big men, another big man – an honest-to-goodness, back-to-the-basket post player – speaks. (The rumors have him soaking up the Vitamin D in The Sunshine State.)
Pinchook lays in the weeds.
and that would be . . . ?
Posted by a member of the Melbourne Tigers:
Melbourne Tigers Vs.Townsville Crocodiles
Saturday, November 23
One of these teams will remain perfect, and the other will have their first taste of defeat before the clock strikes 10am this Saturday morning (11.23) at the PFL Garden in Porter square, Cambridge.
Entering the game Saturday, the Tigers may be the best squad in the league. To wit: they have a true PG in Scott Lieber, suitably handling ball distribution duties while also scoring the ball with in-tight jumpers, floaters, and bankers; they also have size and rebounding buoyed by big man Evan Pepe and not-quite-as-big man Ryan Allison; and, with scorers and shooters to space the floor (see: PFL commissioner-described “MVP” Paul Curran and I’ve-got-an-automatic-soft-touch-12 foot-jumper Jamal Halawa), the Crocs will have their hands full.
However, as someone once said, “This is why we play the game!” So, play it the Crocodiles will. Indeed, with an average margin of victory of over 17 points per game, the Crocs have had their foot on the gas pedal for the seasons’ first quarter. They own the best % behind the arc and have found excellent shooting from Steven Friedman, who is at nearly 14 points/game! If the Tigers want to walk-out of the Kennedy 4-0, they’ll need to be sure to mark this man early and body him up often. With Chizzy offering consistent double-digit scoring and his usual maniacal in-your-face ball-hawking, the Crocs will look to diminish Lieber’s impact, pressure the ball, and get easy points off of steals.
It will be interesting to see if the Crocs can “dile” up this pace each and every week, entering their toughest challenge yet in the Tigers.
Remember: “You come strong, or you don’t come at all!”
Enjoy the games!