These were words taken from the last game of the NRF Season...the Finals at Madison Square Garden. They highlight a player by the name of Jesse Thompkins III.

....That wouldn't last long though with the explosive Jesse Thompkins (8 pts/4 rebs/2 blks/1 stl) playing the way he was on both ends of the floor, appearing to be one of the few players who actually seemed more comfortable with the longer court.....

....The inbound found Ricardo Viramontes, who looked up court and somehow found Jesse Thompkins with a pass. Thompkins caught the ball with 1 second left. When the ball left his hand, it felt as though the air in the room had been sucked out of it. The silence in the arena seemed to testify to the drama of the moment: We were all witnessing a potentially game-winning shot. The ball seemed to float towards the rim in slow motion as the Uptempo players looked on in disbelief and the Huarache players looked on in wild-eyed prayer. The entire season was a synthetic leather orb floating through Madison Square Garden. The backboard lights ignited red as the ball started to descend towards the rim. The buzzer sounded. And as the ball caromed off the backboard and Thompkins crumpled to the parquet in utter disappointment, the Uptempo bench erupted in one sudden ecstatic moment of realization: they were the new champions of the NRF....

It's fitting that Jesse took the last shot of the entire NRF Season. Today, it was informed to me that Jesse Thompkins III has passed away. Details of the cause are sketchy at the moment but it involved Jesse being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Apparently he was caught in the middle of a multi-car accident while he was out jogging....probably training hard for the next NRF Season.


Jesse's a 3 year veteran of the NRF and graduate on Columbia University. He's been with Team Huarache since the beginning under the coaching eyes of Andrew Simon. This year, they finally made it to the NRF Finals and the floor of MSG. In January 2006, Jesse was voted Player Of The Week. He had 14 pts / 3 rebs / 2 blks and 1 stl in one game.

Jesse was in the film industry. He did work for Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule as a production assistant on "INSIDE MAN". He also worked on such films as "Michael Clayton", "Munich" and more recently "Definitely, Maybe". He even acted briefly on the TV Show "Homicide: Life on the Street".

Jesse and I got to working together recently as we were putting together a sizzle reel for the NRF. Basically we were compiling video and photo footage of the playoffs to create a little 1 minute clip. It's been a while since I heard any progress and I was going to hit him up this week, in fact. Truth be told, I even have a check sitting on my desk made out to his name for his video editing services. I mean....the way Jesse went...he literally had to be at that exact spot at that exact second. Maybe if the video took 10 more seconds to render...or if he re-tied his shoelaces while he was jogging...he would still be here. It's obvious someone in heaven needed him.


This is the video he showed me to pitch the idea for an NRF sizzle reel. He used himself and made it look like a video game. It was dope and it won me over. And in doing so, Jesse created a memorial for himself. We'll miss you homey.

It was one of those gray summer evenings in Manhattan. You know, one of those Sundays when the sky turns the same color as the wet sidewalks

Somewhere, swiping Metrocards at turnstiles, hopping out of cabs, weaving through midtown foot traffic with their duffels, winding their way through the tourists clogging up the streets, twenty men walked towards their destiny. This past Sunday, for the 2nd year in a row, the Nike Recess Federation held its marquis event, the NRF Championship, at the holiest of holy B-ball temples and "the greatest arena on earth," Madison Square Garden

Instead of dead spots in a claustrophobic gym, there was a pristine, glistening, full-length wood floor. There were backboards that lit up red when time expired, a scoreboard that was bigger than the entire Hudson Guild Elliot Center itself, and a slick music and sound system that put the Commish's iPod and Bose hookup to shame. As players, league members, and the 200 or so friends and family who came to watch the game streamed courtside, Garden staff cleaned up the remains of the NY Liberty WNBA game that preceded. It was a historic night for the Liberty too, who routed their Phoenix Mercury opponents and racked up the single-highest point total in franchise history (105 points). You didn't have to be Beanie Sigel to feel something in the air


But all the fanfare and flashing lights in the world couldn't distract anyone from one simple fact: it would all come down to these last 40 minutes of the season. Would Huarache etch their names into the NRF history books as one of the best teams to ever play in the league? Or would Uptempo prove the doubters wrong and stake their claim as kings of the 2008 season? No two squads deserved to be under the bright lights of the big city more than Uptempo and Huarache, who were both making their first appearance in the Championship, and when the ref heaved the ball into air for the opening tip, an electric charge seemed to fill the huge stadium

And so it began. Lekeith Taylor (11 rebs/1 blk) hit the first bucket of the game with a pretty jumper in the lane. Uptempo's scoring monster Mike Won (12 pts/5 rebs/2 assts/1 stl) would quickly assert his presence, opening up a 6-2 Uptempo lead after three and a half minutes on his typically aggressive play. It was no news to anyone that he would need to have a huge game for his team to have a shot at the title


In the 5th minute of play, Huarache marksman Pat Cassidy (5 pts/2 rebs/2 assts/1 stl) found an inch of space and drained the first three-pointer of the night to give his team their first real lead (7-6). The lead would change a couple times in the next five minutes; as Terrence Chin predicted in his pre-game interview, this one was turning out to be a close game from the beginning. Turnovers plagued both teams early on, and players were struggling to adjust to the length and width of the Garden floor. The fatigue was evident as scoring came to a standstill midway through the 1st half and remained lower than usual throughout the night. With Uptempo's defensive attention directed at Taylor, Christian Grant-Fields, and Cassidy, Rondell Conway (4 pts/1 rebs/2 stls) started creating space and making strong plays for Huarache. Conway had a solid first half, as did Grant-Fields (10 pts/4 rebs/1 blk) who drained a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the half to give his squad a 4-point lead. And to cap off their mini-run at the end of the half, which was the result of a vicious full court press, Jesse Thompkins picked off a pass in enemy territory and scored the last bucket of the half. Huarache was up by 6 points (22-16), their biggest lead of the night

During the break, when I asked Uptempo's captain Terrence Chin how the length of the court was affecting his team's play, he said, "If anything, it affects the rhythm of the game. We're just not getting into a rhythm and they're hitting their jumpers. We had a weak finish at the end of the 1st half. We have to come out in the 2nd half and get back on track in the first 2 or 3 minutes." Chin and Company knew that they were on the ropes, especially against a team as deep as Huarache. Again, you couldn't help but notice how tired the players seemed as the 2nd half got underway. The first bucket from these usually prolific teams didn't fall through the nylon until 2 and a half minutes into the 2nd half, on a put-back in transition by Won.

Just as Chin had said, Uptempo cut Huarache's lead to only 2 points after 3 minutes of play. Things quickly started coming apart for Huarache, who turned the ball over on four straight possessions in the opening minutes. Credit Uptempo's defense, notably Ryan Kearney's lock-up job on Cassidy, for turning the tide of the game early in the half. Before you knew it, with 15:30 left on the NRF season, Uptempo had snagged the lead back (23-22). That wouldn't last long though with the explosive Jesse Thompkins (8 pts/4 rebs/2 blks/1 stl) playing the way he was on both ends of the floor, appearing to be one of the few players who actually seemed more comfortable with the longer court.


It was a dismal night from the free throw line for both teams, but particularly for Uptempo. It was a miracle that they were able to keep the game so close despite having missed so many crucial free throws, including a pair of clunkers from Danny Millan with 9:30 left on the clock

As Huarache started to go cold again with 8 minutes left in the game, Uptempo started inching their way back on the huge 2nd half performance of Millan (7 pts/6 rebs), who seemed more than up to the challenge of squaring off down low against the more athletic Taylor. Meanwhile, Chin quietly snagged 9 rebounds on the night.


With 6 minutes left, Uptempo had inched their way back into it and tied the game at 27, then a minute later, they did what they have been doing all season: took the rebound off a missed shot and turned it into a fast break on their end with Won finishing. They had the lead again with five minutes left in the game (29-27). Hearts were starting to pound a little harder in chests. But then with 1:40 left on the season, Grant-Fields, who has struggled all year from the line, hit the first of his 1-and-1 free throws to tie the game at 31. There was an electric charge in the air, and the tension was almost palpable. A series of Huarache miscues and a couple crucial missed free throws by Uptempo, and the score was 33-31, Uptempo, with 3.4 seconds left. Who else was at the free throw line with the chance to tie the game but Rookie of the Year, Christian Grant-Fields? His first shot missed by a lot, but his second shot was right on. It was a 1 point game. Both teams were out of timeouts. On the very next play, David Jacoby (7 pts/3 rebs/2 assts), who had a superb game, caught the ball and was fouled immediately. The clock was stopped with 3 seconds as Jacoby toed the line with the chance to make it a 3-point game. A stifled cheer rose from the Huarache bench as his first shot rimmed out. But his second shot was on target. Huarache, with no timeouts left, had no choice but to push the ball up the long parquet floor of MSG and heave a shot off in 3 fleeting seconds. They had one last chance. The inbound found Ricardo Viramontes, who looked up court and somehow found Jesse Thompkins with a pass. Thompkins caught the ball with 1 second left. When the ball left his hand, it felt as though the air in the room had been sucked out of it. The silence in the arena seemed to testify to the drama of the moment: we were all witnessing a potentially game-winning shot. The ball seemed to float towards the rim in slow motion as the Uptempo players looked on in disbelief and the Huarache players looked on in wild-eyed prayer. The entire season was a synthetic leather orb floating through Madison Square Garden. The backboard lights ignited red as the ball started to descend towards the rim. The buzzer sounded. And as the ball caromed off the backboard and Thompkins crumpled to the parquet in utter disappointment, the Uptempo bench erupted in one sudden ecstatic moment of realization: they were the new champions of the NRF.




In the dictionary, next to the definition of "rising to the occasion," there should be a picture of Danny Millan. A dominant 2nd half performance, which featured smart defense, tenacity on the offensive glass, and great ball movement, assured his team a spot into the NRF history books. Millan's 7 points and 6 rebounds were the decisive factor in Uptempo's late game comeback. Congratulations to Danny and the 2008 NRF Champions, Team Uptempo!
Worn by - Terrence Chin, Uptempo


To all my Ballers and/or Shot-callers. It's been my great pleasure serving as your court reporter, stenographer, nickname giver, and resident shit-talker this year. If I weren't heading back to school to work on the great American novel, I'd be right here with you in 2009 making sweet bloggy music all over again. It's been a banner year for the NRF, and I'm thrilled I got to play some small part in it. A couple dozen weeks of memorable round-ball and over 30,000 words later, this is your boy, Mik.

Signing off.

The entire NRF season, 20-odd weeks of nonstop war, came down to this night. 4 teams. 2 games. 2 hours. At the end of the evening, two squads would be saying goodbye to the dead spots, rickety rims, and migraine-inducing lighting of the Hudson Guild Elliot Center, and saying hello to one of America's most hallowed basketball Meccas. Game 1 was for all the marbles in the Downtown Conference, as Air Force 1, fresh off their dramatic upset over Delta Force, tried to keep their Cinderella run alive against a deadly Uptempo, who manhandled #2 Dunk last week and are playing some of the best team basketball I've seen all season. There were great match-ups to look out for all over the floor, whether between super-Rookies Mike Won and Paul Rivera in the backcourt, or between the big men Danny Millan and Darius Broadwater underneath, or between the versatile forwards David Jacoby and Chris Dowling. With such an evenly matched lineup, not even the Commish could pick a winner with any confidence. As play began, Uptempo got the jump on AF1, breaking open an 11-2 lead after 5 minutes, and forcing their opponents to call a timeout. Coach Josh Bletterman's idea to put the smaller Carmine Giovino against Uptempo's big man Danny Millan forced Dowling to double down, which in turn gave David Jacoby more space to heat up. And that's exactly what Jacoby (13 pts/4 rebs/1 stl) did in the 1st half. AF1 struggled from the floor, as Paul Rivera (18 pts/4 rebs) heaved one deep 3-pointer after another, finally hitting his first bucket after 8 minutes of play and then going on a tear. Midway through the 1st half, Darius Broadwater entered the game to mark Millan (12 pts/6 rebs/1 blk), who was making mincemeat of the Dowling-Giovino double-team. This had an immediate effect, as AF1 started to mount a steady comeback, largely from the free throw line, as Uptempo stumbled into early foul trouble. And before you knew it, with 55 seconds left in the 1st half, the ball found Rivera who drained an open 3-pointer and Uptempo's lead had been cut to 1 point (25-24). AF1 couldn't manage to score another bucket in the final minute, partly due to Jacoby's slick trick of counting down prematurely while on defense, which forced Eric Raymundo (14 pts/2 rebs/2 assts) to rush a shot just before the buzzer. AF1 was still very much alive going into the 2nd half, but once halftime ended and play resumed, Uptempo used their superior communication and defensive strategy to mount a devastating 6-minute 12-2 run that AF1 would not be able to recover from. Uptempo held AF1 to only 18 points in the 2nd half, silencing Dowling who only had 4 points on the evening. The 2-man tandem of Jacoby and Mike Won (22 pts/4 rebs/2 assts) had another commanding playoff performance together, as Uptempo dominated play on both ends of the floor in the 2nd half. It was a sea of blue and orange on the offensive glass as well, with Coach Terrance Chin snagging 7 big boards of his own. As AF1's season fizzled out in the 2nd half, the clock struck midnight on their Cinderella story. Meanwhile, Uptempo, who will be making their first appearance in the NRF Championship Game, come away with their 1st Conference title! Can they beat Huarache under the big lights of MSG? On Sunday June 22nd, we'll find out if Won, Jacoby & Co. have any more tricks up their sleeve.

PLAYER OF THE GAME Mike Won, Uptempo
	Points	22
	Rebounds	4
	Assists	2

Do not let those rankings fool you! In their previous two regular season games, #3 Hyperflight, who off-ed Generation last week to advance to the Uptown Conference Championship, have gotten the best of first place Huarache, who ended Shox's run at the crown last week in dominant fashion. Huarache, for their part, claimed never to have played Hyperflight at full strength or with all their starters. Whatever the case, one had a feeling going into this that Hyperflight, who were joined by their stellar big man Niko Klansek this week, had as good a chance as any to come away with the upset. There was plenty of genial trash-talking before the game, as much of the debate between the two crews focused on certain NRF Awards honorees. But Hyperflight backed up their talk, opening the game with 4 quick points from their one-two punch of Jose Carlson (7 pts/3 assts) and Klansek (17 pts/4 rebs/1 blk). Huarache didn't take long (8 minutes into the 1st half to be exact) to steal the lead back on a vicious spin move from big man Lekeith Taylor (12 pts/7 rebs/3 blks). But four minutes later, Klansek would return the favor with a nifty hook shot over Taylor, snatching the lead back in Hyperflight's favor. It was a battle for the ages between Taylor and Klansek, two of the most dynamic big men in the league. For the last few minutes of the half, the lead would change hands several more times, with neither team getting enough of a lead to make a run for it. However, with 1 minute left on the clock, Taylor would punctuate his monster 1st half with a rejection on the defensive end that lead to a two-handed dunk on the offensive fast break. Huarache was up by 5 at the break (24-19), not nearly enough of a lead to make them feel comfortable against Hyperflight, who aren't called The Best 2nd Half Team in the NRF for nothing. Huarache, sensing that a Hyperflight run was imminent, had yet to unleash their own 2nd half weapon: Pat Cassidy. Cassidy (17 pts/4 assts/3 rebs), who would score 12 pts in 2nd half and 7 points within the first 1 minute, sparked a 4-minute, 15-5 Huarche run. Much like in the previous game, where Uptempo broke open the game with an early 2nd half run, Hyperflight struggled for the rest of the half to get back into striking distance, which might have been a possibility against any other team in the league besides Coach of the Year Andrew Simon's deep lineup. More great post-season play from Christian Grant-Fields (13 pts/12 rebs/2 assts) and Jesse Thompkins (12 pts) was more than Klansek, Carlson, and Lou Miguel (8 pts/2 assts/1 stl) could handle. Huarache steamrolls their way into their first franchise trip to the NRF Championship! They face off against fellow Championship virgins Uptempo under the bright lights of the Garden. I for one don't expect anything less than an NRF Final Game for the history books. Sunday, June 22nd. You already know.

PLAYER OF THE GAME Lekeith Taylor, Huarache
	Points	12
	Rebounds	7
	Blocks	3

After Huarche sealed their Uptown Conference title over Hyperflight, something odd happened. An ecstatic Erik Parker (4 rebs) came and sat down beside the scorer's table and started answering questions that no one had asked him. As if he were being interviewed at an imaginary press conference, Parker started waxing poetic, "I feel that we really held them towards the end. Played tough defense..." Not one to back down from a potential interview subject, even a slightly delirious one, I lifted my Sony Cybershot off the table and motioned to him, as if to say, You want to be interviewed? After a bit of hesitation, I started recording him, and obviously unhappy with the traditional interviewer-interviewee format, Parker ripped the camera out of my hands and filmed what you're about to see. Warning: this contains partial nudity and gratuitous trash-talking. Action!

Win or go home. That was the slogan ringing off the walls of the Hudson Guild Elliot Center last Wednesday, as the first round of the 2008 NRF Playoffs jumped off with 4 action-packed, winner-take-all games. The whole season had been a prelude, a warm-up for this night. Eight teams stepped onto the court to decide who would take one step closer to Madison Square Garden, and who would watch from the sidelines. First up was a highly-anticipated match-up between Team Dunk and Team Uptempo. In his forecast from last week, Commish jeffstaple thought Dunk's killer combo of point guard Bang Takenouchi and big man Will Blunt would be too much for Uptempo's Danny Millan to handle. But it was obvious from the outset that Uptempo had a pre-conceived strategy for containing Blunt, the newly named 1st Team All-NRF center. After 6 minutes of play, the game was just as close as you'd expect it to be for the #2 and #3 seeds in the Downtown Conference, but in the 7th minute, David Jacoby (17 pts/8 rebs/1 asst), who had a sensational game, converted on a lay-up following an Uptempo steal and extended his team's lead to 6 points. Dunk was forced to call a timeout, and whatever coach Gabe Urist told his team, it worked, at least for a while. By the midway point of the 1st half, Dunk had tied the game at 13 with a tough drive through traffic by Bang Takenouchi (13 pts/1 asst). But just as Dunk seemed to be getting into a rhythm, the game started coming apart for them. In the final 10 minutes of the first half, Dunk did not score a single field goal, only registering 1 point from a Takenouchi free throw. Big scorer Blunt was eerily silent thanks to Uptempo's flawless double-team in the low post throughout the night. Danny Millan (13 rebs), Jacoby, and Chin (12 pts/2 rebs) succeeded in shutting down the usually double-digit scorer and rebounder to a mere 9 points and 9 rebounds on the night. The shooting frustration for Dunk in the first half was compounded in the 2nd half by a string of bad fouls that put them in foul trouble after only 8 minutes in the 2nd half. Mike Won, who had a shaky 1st half, would come alive in the last 20 minutes to put the game out of reach for Dunk, despite strong performances from Chris Petrie (9 pts/1 stl) and Richard Ting (10 pts/2 rebs/1 stl). It was different style of play than what we've come to expect from Uptempo, who have relied on their great shooters for most of the regular season. Tonight, we caught a glimpse of a more tactical, defensive team. This coming Wednesday night, they'll try to keep their Championship dreams alive as they go up against the Upset Kings of Air Force 1 for the Downtown Conference crown.

PLAYER OF THE GAME David Jacoby, Uptempo
	Points	17
	Rebounds	8
	Assists	1

A little back-story is needed to understand the importance, the hype and the deep rivalry surrounding this 2nd game of the night. Team Shox, who were in last place a month ago, had mounted a successful late-season run for the playoffs, upsetting some of the most fearsome teams in the league, including Delta Force and Foamposite. All while sporting motivational "Believe" tee shirts. But in order to advance into the 2nd Round of the Playoffs, Shox would have to upset the one team they weren't able to pull the rug out from under, the team they could not beat in the last game of the regular season, the team that sits comfortably atop their Uptown conference, the team that includes more of their co-workers than any other: Team Huarache. It would take a miraculous effort from Shox to pull off the upset, as the Commish noted in his Picks last week, especially without their injured big man Jason Burke. To make matters even more dire, Shox was forced to start the game with only four players and a sub, David Jacoby of Uptempo. (Rumor has it that, Pat Cassidy of Huarache conveniently sent Dime Magazine co-worker Andrew "Whitey" Katz of Shox on a task far outside of the city that had Katz scrambling to make it back in time for the game. He finally arrived in the final minutes of the 1st half and had an immediate impact for Shox.) From tip-off, the stunning depth of Huarache was on display: almost all five starters scored during the first five minutes, breaking open a 9-2 lead. Five minutes later, midway through the 1st half, after an alley-oop from Ricardo Viramontes to Jesse Thompkins (9 pts/4 rebs), Huarache had extend their lead to 10 points, forcing Shox to call a timeout. Justin Leonard (10 pts/3 rebs/1 stl), who has proven himself as one of the best guards at getting to the basket, whether drawing fouls or hitting tough Tony Parker-like lay-ups in traffic, was silenced by Huarache's back court and imposing big men underneath. And it wasn't until the last four minutes of the 1st half, when Katz (10 pts/6 rebs/1 blk) finally entered the building, that they started to cut into Huarache's burgeoning lead. Capped by a patented Bobbito Garcia (16 pts/3 rebs/2 assts) scoop shot, Shox would mount a 12-2 run to end the half, cutting Huarache's lead to only 3 points by halftime (25-22). Three minutes into the 2nd half, the phrase "biggest upset of the year" started flashing through everyone's mind as Garcia evened the game at 27 with a 3-pointer and on the very next drive, Rookie of the Year Christian Grant-Fields (9 pts/9 rebs) chalked up his fourth foul on a play that eventually led to a "Whitey" Katz bucket on the other end. And just like that, Shox were on top with their first lead of the night (29-27), and Huarache was on the ropes. For much of the 2nd half, play was back and forth, and the lead changed hands a couple times. Shox was getting a great boost from Garcia's outside shooting and from Jed Berger's (5 pts/6 rebs) all-round hustle. Meanwhile Huarache was staying in it thanks to the defensive intensity of Thompkins, Grant-Fields, and Lekeith Taylor (8 pts/3 blks/3 stls), and the offensive explosion of Pat Cassidy. Sniper Cassidy, who had been suffocated by Josh Gotthelf's smothering defense during the 1st half, started finding an inch here and an inch there, and as he's shown time and again, if you give him an inch he'll take a yard. Weaving through picks and at least on one occasion getting fouled during his shot, Cassidy would score 16 of his 20 points in the 2nd half. And with 6 minutes left in the game, Lekeith Taylor would steal a careless inbound pass, take two steps, and soar above the rim for one of the sickest dunks I've seen all season. You could almost hear the wind get knocked out of Shox after that point, as Huarache would go on to allow only 4 points in the last 8 minutes, closing out the game and ending the season for Team Shox, who had one of the most inspirational and unlikely NRF stories of the year. Huarache, on the other hand, seems like they're just getting started, as they roll into the 2nd round where they will face a dangerous Hyperflight crew.

PLAYER OF THE GAME Pat Cassidy, Huarache
	Points	20
	Assists	1

"If AF1 ties it all together and Delta snoozes for even 1 minute; look for this #1 v. #4 match-up to be the upset of the evening." These were the prescient words of Commissioner jeffstaple last week when asked about who might come out victorious in this third game of the evening. When I read that line, I admit that I was worried about jeff's mental health. Had he been in the sun too long over the weekend? Had he been drinking at the time? Besides having the best record in the NRF this year, Delta Force has OWNED Air Force 1 in both of their head-to-head battles. It seemed like a no-brainer, one of those slots on your NCAA bracket that you don't even think about filling. Of course Duke is going to crush Central Eastern Washington State College; of course AF1 is going to fall. But then the game started. And after 3 and a half minutes, it was obvious that AF1 had come to playbut not just to play. To win. Stifling defense from Chris Dowling (6 pts/5 rebs/2 blks) created opportunities early on. But after an opening flurry, AF1 started to cool off midway through the first half, which is when Delta Force started to rev up their defense and create opportunities for 1st Team All NRF-er Erskin Felix (18 pts/10 rebs), whose dominance on the offensive glass cut AF1's big early lead to a mere 3 points, and forcing AF1 to take a timeout at the 10:20 mark in the 1st half. AF1 closed out the half with a dazzling defensive performance that threw Delta Force severely out of whack. The normally dominant Kelvin Coffey (11 pts/4 rebs/1 blk) couldn't ignite from the field, and Delta's sloppy passing helped AF1 go up by 8 points by halftime. A Cinderella story was brewing. Coach Damian Bullock could be overheard exhorting his Delta teammates to get back in the game, and in the 2nd half, it was apparent that they had listened, including Smiley (8 pts) who hit a couple key 3-pointers early in the 2nd half. The strong backcourt play of Eric Raymundo (10 pts/3 rebs/2 stls) kept Delta Force's run in check. But, as we all know, you can only do that for so long. 3:16 in the 2nd half to be exact, which was when MVP Kelvin Coffey stepped up in a big way, drawing a foul while shooting a 3-point shot and proceeding to tie the game (43-43) with 3 of 3 from the line. A minute and a half later, Felix hit a pretty baseline fade-away to snatch the first lead of the night for Delta Force. It looked as though the clock was striking midnight for AF1's Cinderella story. But then I remembered another bit of wisdom the Commish dropped last week: "I get the feeling Paul Rivera hasn't shown us his full bag of tricks yet." With only 53 seconds left in the game (and perhaps their season), Rivera (27 pts/2 rebs/3 assts) reached into that bag of tricks and came out with the biggest shot of his young NRF career, a 3-pointer to put AF1 up by 1-point with under a minute left. On the very next possession, after forcing another Delta turnover, Rivera went to the line for 1-and-1 and hit both. He had a marvelous night both from the free throw line and from downtown. But with 20 seconds left, Delta had one final chance to avert the biggest upset of the NRF Playoffs thus far: Smiley caught a pass behind the 3-point line, hoisted it upand clanked it off the rim. David to Goliath: "Take a seat." Mik to Commish: "Here's $20." AF1's first playoff win in franchise history is a humongous one. Watch a post-game interview with coach Josh Bletterman to hear him discuss what this victory means to him and his team, and whether AF1 can keep their Cinderella post-season alive against an intimidating Uptempo this coming Wednesday.

PLAYER OF THE GAME Paul Rivera, Air Force 1
	Points	27
	Rebounds	2
	Steal	1
	Assist	3

Last week, the Commish described Hyperflight's comeback style of play as "a tough way to make a living," when he was explaining why he thought that Generation would come out victorious in this fourth and final game of Round 1 NRF Playoff action. Generation, a team of unmatched experience and athleticism, would have to make due without their All-Star guard J. J. McGowan, while Hyperflight was hoping to keep their season alive without the help of their versatile rookie, Niko Klansek, who was oddly M.I.A. I might as well start my coverage of this game at halftime. After being dominated by Keith Howard's (16 pts/4 rebs/2 blks) stellar 1st half and Generation's pesky defense, Hyperflight was down by 8 points, 24-16. Three minutes into the 2nd half and 5 unanswered Hyperflight points later, Generation called a timeout. They had to sense that, even though they had a pretty comfortable lead, no lead was safe against Hyperflight in the 2nd half. Not long after the Generation timeout, Clutch Player of the Year Jose Carlson (13 pts/2 rebs/1 stl) cut Generation's lead to only 2 points with a crucial 3-pointer and then Jomaree Pinkard (10 pts/1 reb) evened the game at 26 on the ensuing drive. Just like that, it was new game. There were still with 15 minutes to play, and for 14 of those minutes, it was anyone's game. Play was tit-for-tat, back-and-forth with several lead changes and no squad getting an advantage above 3 points. Bobby Jones (14 pts/1 reb/1 blk) was a big part of the reason Hyperflight hung tough through that stretch. But at the 1:43 mark, Howard, who had an otherwise flawless game, made the mistake of calling a timeout that Generation didn't have, sending Lou Miguel (10 pts/5 rebs/2 assts) to the line to increase Hyperflight's lead to as many as 4 points. But Miguel like his other Hyperflight teammates struggled from the free throw line in the final minutes of the game. Luckily, their stifling defense managed to keep Generation and Joe Branch (8 pts/8 rebs/2 assts) from mounting a counter-comeback. Despite a clutch 3-pointer from Jomo Davis with 16 seconds on the clock, it wasn't enough to stop the comeback kids, who held on to pull of a big victory. It might be a tough way to make a living, as the Commish said, but Hyperflight makes it look easy once again. They try to keep their Championship hopes alive this Wednesday against a red-hot Huarache.

PLAYER OF THE GAME Bobby Jones, Hyperflight
	Points	14
	Rebounds	1
	Block	1

Worn by - Bobbito Garcia, Shox


-Mik

As the coach of the league's worst team this year, jeffstaple and his unlucky Terminators have had better years. After winning it all last season under the lights of Madison Square Garden and snagging Coach of the Year honors to boot, the commissioner of the Nike Recess Federation will be watching the playoffs from the sidelines this time around. And with all that time to contemplate and prognosticate on how he'll turn his team around for next season, I also wondered if I could use some of that sage wisdom and prognostication to help power my coverage of this year's NRF playoff picture. Sure enough, his unparalleled knowledge of NRF history and his discerning eye did not disappoint. So, I give you, without further ado, the first of our incisive 3-part Special Feature, "The Commish's Picks"!

Game 1: Dunk v. Uptempo
Commish's Pick: DUNK
Why: This is a great #2 vs #3 matchup. Both teams finished the regular season 8-8 and on disappointing losses. And both teams feature first-year GMs. The rookie GMs were really able to turn both their squads around. There are no secrets with either team. For Uptempo, it's all about Mike Won being able to keep his head in the game and do what he does best-nail those midrange turnaround jumpers and slash his way to the hoop. Look for added support from Ryan Kearney from 3-Land, and David Jacoby and Danny Millan down low. Millan and Dao-Yi Chow both have played an NRF Finals game at MSG and that experience may come in handy tonight. I believe Dunk's fortune lies solely in the hands of Bang Takenouchi. Will Blunt will have his standard 20/10 game...there is little Uptempo can do to stop that. But Dunk lives and dies with Bang's performance. They need him to step up big time tonight. He also has Championship blood from his Terminator season last year, so he is definitely capable. The question is whether he wants to come out or not. If Blunt and Bang are both firing, I think Uptempo will have a hard time stopping them.

Game 2: Huarache v. Shox
Commish's Pick: HUARACHE
Why: Shox has me "BELIEVING." They went from outside the playoff fence to real deal contenders. In an interesting twist of scheduling, this 1st Round Playoff match-up will be a repeat of last week's regular season final game where a determined Huarache team won by 9 points. Let's face facts: Shox made it to The Big Show by the skin of their teeth. Justin Leonard and Bobbito will need to have solid games. More importantly, Jed Berger, Josh Gotthelf, and Andrew "Whitey" Katz will have to ALL play the game of their lives to stop the Huarache powerhouse. If Jason Burke is able to pull a Bernard King somehow, they stand a much better chance. No secrets to Huarache's success. Where to begin? Cassidy from downtown, Ricardo from the wing, Lekeith and Christian any damn place they choose, Andrew Simon with smart coaching and a deep bench...this team has little weakness. Shox has heart. But it's gonna take a miracle to overcome Huarache this season.

Game 3: Delta Force v. AF1
Commish's Pick: ??????
Why: On paper, Delta Force should trump AF1. They won the season series easily. The .500 AF1 made it into the playoffs in part due to a weak Downtown Conference. On the other hand, Delta Force has been sitting atop the Downtown Conference for a while now. In fact, they own the best record in the NRF. So why couldn't I decide on a winner? Something tells me there is a crack in Delta's armor. And something else tells me AF1's savvy GM, Josh Bletterman finally figured out how to aggravate this Delta team. It's rare when Delta Force comes together as a true team. They have all the elements, but I have yet to see them play like a single fluid squad. There is no doubt Coffey will show up with 110% effort. Will their leader Damian Bullock show? Will Smiley take this game seriously? Will Erskin dominate like he did in past seasons? Will Sureshot earn back his award for Most Improved Player from last season? I'm not even sure Delta has these answers. AF1 is playing David to Delta's Goliath. I get the feeling Paul Rivera hasn't shown us his full bag of tricks yet. Eric Raymundo is due for a breakout game. Elan, Chris Dowling and Carmine need to come strong. If AF1 ties it all together and Delta snoozes for even 1 minute; look for this #1 v. #4 match-up to be the upset of the evening.

Game 4: Generation v. Hyperflight
Commish's Pick: GENERATION
Why: The NRF has been in existence for 4 years now. Team Generation were the repeat champs in Season 1 and 2. They still made it to the NRF Finals in Season 3. Bottom line: This team knows how to win. It boggles my mind also, but somehow, someway, Bobby Joseph, 4-year GM of Generation finds a way to bring his team to the Promised Land. They are doing what they've done in every other year: streaking into the Playoffs. Winners of 5 straight...You gotta wonder how a team goes from barely making the playoffs one week, to 2nd place in the Conference the next! On the other side, Hyperflight has been TEAM CLUTCH all year long. But that's a tough way to make a living. I don't think Hyper can rely on last minute heroics from Jose Carlson, Niko Klansek or Lou Miguel to bail them out. Bobby Jones and Co. will have to take control early and BIG. Generation has been here before and they know how to crawl themselves out of a hole. I think experience will be the deciding factor here. Hyperflight has a solid young squad and they will be back another season.

-Mik

This past Wednesday, the 2007-2008 season of the NRF ended for two teams and just got started for eight others. In the Downtown Conference, the question of who would not make the playoffs in their group was answered long ago, thanks to the abysmal 1-14 season of Team Terminator. But at the beginning of the night, all five teams in the Uptown Conference were in danger of elimination. All eyes were on the first three games of the night, especially this first match-up between Uptown leaders Huarache and the formerly last place Believers of Team Shox. Standing with their breaths held on the sidelines were members of Hyperflight, who, even though they had the week off, were depending on a loss from either Shox, Foamposite, or Generation to secure their spot in the playoffs. It was looking good early on for Shox, who were up 8-2 after 2 minutes. Huarache would cut into the lead, as the scoring was fast and furious for both teams early in the half. After only 10 minutes of play, the score was higher than many halftime point totals (20-17), and Shox had the slight advantage, thanks to the scintillating play of their point guard Justin Leonard (26 pts/4 assts), who has been instrumental (CP3-like) in his team's late season revival. Despite the great shooting in the first half from Leonard and Bobbito Garcia (14 pts/4 assts/2 stls), Huarache, led by the ferocious above-the-rim play of Christian Grant-Fields (27 pts/7 rebs/2 stls), would keep the game close, ending the half with an exclamation mark from explosive big man Lekeith Taylor (17 pts/6 rebs/4 blks/4 assts), who scored on a dirty spin move along the baseline to pull Huarache to within 1 point right before the halftime buzzer (34-33). A couple minutes into the 2nd half, the guys of Dime Magazine, who made up a majority of the players on the floor, were letting their interoffice rivalry play out in public, as tensions started to rise. Every second brought both teams closer to a potential end to their seasons, as Leonard continued to attack the basket with howling intensity, undaunted by the presence of Taylor and Grant-Fields. But five minutes into the 2nd half, Huarache started running, breaking open a 6-minute 11-2 run, that swung the lead in their favor for the first time all game (46-40). But the scoring didn't stop for Shox, who seemed well aware that, even if they lost, getting blown out by Huarache could be the difference between a playoff berth and a seat on the sidelines for the postseason. Which is why buckets by Josh Gotthelf (6 pts/2 stls/2 assts) and the low post presence of Andrew "Whitey" Katz (9 pts/10 rebs) for Shox meant more in this game than they had all season. With 5 minutes to play, Leonard and Garcia were still hitting for Shox, but so was Jesse Thompkins (14 pts/5 rebs/2 blks) for Huarache. As time ran out and Shox began to foul to delay their inevitable defeat, free throw shooting, commonly a sore spot for Huarache (though not on this night), would decide how badly Shox would lose. In the end, they only lost by 9 points. Meanwhile, Huarache coasts into the playoffs with the #1 spot in the Uptown Conference and the 2nd best record in the league. And Shox ends their regular season at .500 (8-8). Whether or not they would secure a playoff spot would all depend on the next two games of the evening. [Spoiler alert: Thanks to AF1's blowout of Foamposite in Game 2 of the evening, Team Shox were assured a playoff spot because of the point differential rule. So, with 4 wins in their final 5 games, will the "Belief" that Leonard and Co. brought to the end of their regular season carry over into the playoffs? It better, because guess who their first round opponents are: yep, Huarache.]


Even though poet T. S. Eliot famously wrote, "April is the cruellest month," I think a slight revision might be in order to describe the 2008 season for Team Foamposite. For Coach Justin Monroe and his squad, it was May that proved to be the cruelest month. Foam, who shared the top spot in the Uptown Conference with Huarache as early as April 16, have not won a game all month, and going into their season-deciding battle against Air Force 1, they knew that Shox's close loss in the previous game, and Generation's likely victory in the game after theirs, meant that a win-or at least a close loss-was necessary to keep their season alive into the postseason. At least history was on Foamposite's side: they won their last game against AF1 on March 26. So, they were hoping for history to repeat itself, but they would have to do it without their scoring leader, Mike Tumbarello, whose absence has been a big part of Foam's recent fall from grace. For the first 6 minutes of the game, things were looking good for Foam, who maintained a slight lead, but in the 7th minute, an Eric Raymundo (16 pts/4 rebs/2 blks) steal and fast break would even the score and then a Paul Rivera steal and fast break would give AF1 their first lead midway through the half. AF1 would make a mini-run late in the half, as Rivera, who had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, was starting to catch fire. But Foam's Evan Waterman, who led his team with 15 points, would have answers from downtown, hitting two big three's that kept Foam in the game and only down by 4 pts at halftime. But the 2nd half belonged to Air Force 1, as Rivera and Raymundo continued to wreak havoc on Foamposite, capitalizing on turnovers and sloppy passing, and wracking up a string of unanswered points. Again, there was little support for Ron Jackson (11 pts/11 rebs) underneath the basket, and Do Kim (14 pts/5 rebs/2 assts) was less aggressive than usual in driving to the hole and getting his teammates the ball. With five minutes in the game, Foam's season started slipping away. They weren't just losing; they were getting blown out, as Rivera, one of the best free throw shooters in the league, would brutalize Foamposite from the line in the final minutes. The final score was 58-44, a 14-point differential, and after the number crunchers were finished crunching the numbers, the results were almost too heartbreaking to believe for Foamposite: Shox had edged them out for the last Uptown playoff spot by only 3 points. And AF1, who redeem their previous loss to Foamposite earlier in the season, seem to be getting better and more focused every game. They hope to bring that same focus into the first round where they will try to upset an intimidating Delta Force.


With Shox squeaking their way past Foamposite in the standings, the playoff hopes of Foamposite were resting on Terminator's shoulders now. Terminator needed to beat Generation for Foam to advance. Easier said than done for last year's champions, whose playoff hopes were dashed many weeks ago, having only won a single game all season (their first game way back in December). Generation, after a dismal Terminator-like 1st half of the season, have since staged a dramatic turnaround, which includes the longest current winning streak in the NRF (5 games). After losses earlier in the evening by Shox and Foamposite, Generation knew by tip-off that a win would secure them a playoff spot, while a loss could make them victims of the dreaded point differential rule. As the game got underway, it was obvious that Terminator, frustrated by a 14-loss season, had come for redemption and one last win. Their task would be made easier by the absence of Generation's All-Star guard J.J. McGowan, who cheered his teammates on from the sideline wearing street clothes and a brace on his wrist. Early in the first half, Generation saw scoring from 3 different players, whereas Terminator saw scoring from only one player, the same player whose been their offensive focal point all season, Brendan Callahan (26 pts/3 rebs/1 stl). After 7 minutes of play, Callahan would (more or less single-handedly) cut Generation's lead to 2 points. Terminator would keep things tight for most of the half, thanks in large part to the strong play underneath the basket from Al Reyes (5 pts/11 rebs) and heads up play in the backcourt from Dan Gladstone (8 pts/6 rebs/1 blk). But with 6 minutes left in the 1st frame, Jomo Davis (8 pts/5 rebs) would bounce off a screen and drain his 2nd 3-pointer of the half to increase Generation's lead to 7 points, where it would remain until halftime (24-17). In the 2nd half, Treasure Kyn Neal (12 pts/2 assts/1 reb) and Joe Branch (13 pts/6 rebs/2 assts) would wear down the Terminator defense with their inside-outside game, and Generation would lead by as many as 11 points midway through the half. Further tenacity on both ends of the floor from Kyn Neal would make it a 49-35 game with 3 minutes left, forcing Terminator to call its last timeout of the season. Out of the timeout, Callahan immediately sank a 3-pointer 2.5 minute, 9-2 run that would cut Generation's lead to 6 points. And then with 20 seconds left, Rich Hermosura, who had barely touched the ball all game, hit one of the biggest shots of Terminator's season to bring his team to within 1 possession of the game (50-47). Would this be the victorious bookend of the season that I predicted last week? With no timeouts and 14 seconds left, Terminator was forced to grab a rebound and run it up court for one last chance to send the game (and their season) to overtime. But like so many times this season, just when it seemed like Terminator was turning a corner, everything fell apart, and an errant pass dribbled off-court towards the scorer's table, and the Terminator season ended on a miscue. Generation, meanwhile, safely advances to the postseason. I always had a feeling that, like their counterparts in the Downtown Conference Uptempo and Dunk, Generation was one of those teams (and Bobby Joseph is one of those coaches) who saves their A-game for when it matters most. So, expect their 1st round game against Hyperflight to be a great match-up of two teams who know what it means to come from behind. As for Terminator, who had their worst year in franchise history, it's going to take some very hard work, and smart team reorganization, for captain jeffstaple to resurrect his once-great squad during the off-season.


With nothing to gain from playing their last game of the regular season, except perhaps a bit of practice before the first round of the Playoffs, Team Dunk opted to forfeit, ending their season with a whimper and not a Bang. Har har. (Wow, that's the HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hollow_Men" 2nd T.S. Eliot reference this week. I need to read other poets.) So, Dunk hands another win to Delta, who finish out the season with a league best record of 11-5. Dunk, who had a commanding start to their season, end up breaking even at 8-8. Delta hopes to keep their stellar season alive as they go up against Air Force 1 in the first round of NRF Playoff Action this Wednesday, while Dunk tries to send Downtown rivals Uptempo packing.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Paul Rivera, AF1
	Points	22
	Rebounds	8
	Assists	4

Worn by - Paul Rivera, AF1


-Mik

How big is the last night of the regular season for the teams in the Uptown Conference? Well, let's just put it this way: if Shox upsets Huarache, and Generation and Foamposite come out victorious in their games, all 5 teams will end the season with the same 9-7 record. (Hyperflight ended their season last week at 9-7.) Which would mean that the Uptown team who gets left out of the playoffs this year will be decided on a technicality: point differential. Every hour is going to bring a new twist. Take a look!

The team with the most to gain, but with the hardest task, is the perennial underdog Team Shox. They face a very fierce Huarache on Wednesday night in the first game of the evening. The odds are stacked against them, especially without their big man and scoring machine, Jason Burke. They'll have to rely on the aggressive play of Justin Leonard, the big rebounding presence of Andrew "Whitey" Katz, and the 3-point accuracy of Bobbito Garcia. If any one of those 3 doesn't pull his weight, it will be an uphill battle against Huarache's deadly starting lineup. Last time these two teams met, Huarache stomped Shox, 53-41. Shox is going to have to do more than rock motivational tee shirts to keep their playoff dreams alive. They're going to have to leave it on the court. Best believe that.

The Foamposite v. Air Force 1 match-up will also be one to watch tomorrow night. The last time these two teams met in Week 14, AF1's star point guard Paul Rivera hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to push the game into OT, where AF1 eventually lost. Expect a great game from these two fiercely competitive squads. Even though AF1 is assured a playoff spot in their Downtown Conference, their loss to Delta Force last week has them in desperate need of some momentum going into the post season. If Foamposite wants to stay alive, they'll need to have a full backcourt and at least one more low-post presence besides Ron Jackson, who has been shouldering the rebounding burden for his team the past few weeks.

Generation is also facing a must-win scenario, especially if Shox pulls off an upset in the first game. By the time Generation takes the court, they will have a good idea how hard they'll need to play against Terminator. The last time these two teams met, Terminator came within 3 points of getting only their 2nd win of the season, so this might not be the easy victory that most people think it will be for Generation. Terminator, after all, could be seeking a bit of poetic justice by ending their season the same way they started it: with a win.

-Mik

Three weeks ago, if you had told me that the guys of Foamposite, former heads of the Uptown Conference class, would be in danger of not making the playoffs at all, I would have laughed you out of the Hudson Guild Elliot Center. But with only one more week of regular season action left after this past Wednesday, the joke is on Foamposite, who have dropped 2 of their last 4 games in the ridiculously contentious Uptown Conference playoff scramble. Spoiler alert: at the end of the night, 3 teams in Uptown (including the two teams in this first game) would be in a dead heat. Meanwhile, Team Shox were still sporting their black "Believe" tees, although one of their players wasn't sporting one: All-Star center and top scorer Jason Burke was instead wearing a sling on his left arm, and in a post-game interview (see below), Burke revealed that, much like the Lakers' Andrew Bynum, he would be out for the rest of the season after undergoing major shoulder surgery. Though Shox would be without their important big man, Foam would be without their ace shooting guard Mike Tumbarello, who has been curiously absent from the hardwood this past month. Things got off to a fast start for Shox, whose early attacks at the basket opened up an 8-point lead after 7 minutes. Even trigger-happy Bobbito Garcia (20 pts/3 rebs/3 stls) was putting it on the floor and driving. It was obvious that Shox had come to play, while Foamposite was looking sluggish and out of sorts. With 5 minutes left in the first half, Do Kim (19 pts/2 stls) finally started lighting it up with his blazing cuts through the Shox defense and slashed his team's deficit to 5 points. But as Shox went cold from long range towards the end of the first half, Foam couldn't fully capitalize. And with a minute left before halftime, Bobbito kept the Shox halftime lead at 8 with a punctuating 3-pointer. In the first minutes of the 2nd half, Josh Gotthelf (8 pts/2 rebs) kept the momentum going for Shox with a 3-pointer after an unselfish assist from teammate Andrew "Whitey" Katz, who himself was dominant under the hoop, finishing with a game-high 18 rebounds. But Foam was starting to click, too, and there was heavy scoring on both ends of the floor throughout the 2nd half, most notably by Shox's resilient Justin Leonard (19 pts/5 rebs/3 assts/1 blk) and Foam's tenacious big man Ron Jackson (11 pts/11 rebs). Leonard, one of the best free throw shooters in the league, was perfect from the stripe, and Jackson was keeping his team in the game as he battled Katz for boards in the paint and hit key shots in the later minutes of the game. But in the end, the deadly outside shooting of Shox was simply too much for Foamposite, who were behind all game and couldn't cut Shox's lead lower than 6 points. And now, as Shox rolls to another victory (their 4th in a row), the playoff picture is as chaotic as ever in the Uptown Conference. Shox, Foamposite, and Generation all have the same record now. All eyes turn to the final decisive week of NRF action, as Shox goes up against Uptown Conference titans Huarache, Foam battles AF1, and Generation tries to put Terminator out of its misery. This year, all bets are off.



And on the 20th Week, Team Terminator, the Hillary Clinton of the NRF this season (1-13), decided to break their newly acquired taste for forfeiture by stepping up to battle Team Dunk in the 2nd game of the evening. Miraculously, after 5 minutes of play, Terminator found themselves in a highly unlikely position: that is, they were leading. True, it was only a 4-point advantage, but the worst team in the NRF this year was playing like one of the best, getting a big first half from Dan Gladstone (9 pts/4 assts/3 rebs). It was a fast-paced half (the fastest I've ever seen either team play), and Dunk started to benefit from Terminator's bare bones 5-man team, taking the lead for the first time midway through the first half on a 3-pointer from Bang Takenouchi, who had 11 pts on the night. But Gladstone would snatch the lead back for Terminator on a 3-point play a couple minutes later. The lead would change hands a few times before the end of the first half, and even though Dunk would come out of it with a 3 point lead at halftime (27-24), Terminator was still very much in it. In the 2nd half, as Dunk continued to score steadily, no other Terminator player seemed to be scoring aside from Brendan Callahan (17 pts/3 stls) who kept his team in the game for the first five minutes of the 2nd Half. But that was when Dunk started taking over the offensive glass and putting the game out of Terminator's reach. The big man combo of Gabriel Urist (6 pts/7 rebs) and Will Blunt proved too much for Terminator's lone presence in the paint, Al Reyes (8 pts/5 rebs). Blunt had a breakout game, erupting for 36 points and 17 rebounds. Only 10 minutes after Callahan had brought Terminator to within 1 point of the lead, Dunk would have an 18-point lead and only 5 minutes left on the clock, and Terminator, who had gone cold from the field, would not be able to recover.


It was a collision of the Downtown Forces in the third game of the night, with a slumping Delta clashing with a similarly ailing Air 1. After a tight couple of minutes to open up the 1st half, with AF1 maintaining a slight lead, Smiley (8 pts/4 rebs/3 assts), who had one of his best games all season tonight, drained two back-to-back 3 pointers to kick off a blazing 16-3 Delta Force run midway through the half. Delta would lead by as many as 13 points, thanks to the frontcourt-backcourt tandem of Erskin Felix (21 pts/15 rebs/3 stls) and Kelvin Coffey (16 pts/4 rebs/4 assts). However, AF1 managed to cut Delta's lead by halftime to only 6 points, and then after 7 minutes of 2nd half action, AF1, led by the dynamic Paul Rivera (23 pts/5 rebs/5 assts), had cut Delta's lead to a mere 3 points (39-36). At that point, just as it seemed that AF1 was taking control, Delta got more production from its role players Sure Shot (10 pts/2 rebs) and Lenny Dixon (7 pts), and some big shots from Coffey. And just as Delta seemed to be running away with it, Chris Dowling (13 pts/3 rebs/2 blks) with a steal and bucket sparked an AF1 comeback that saw Rivera hit two very deep 3-pointers in a row to give his team a 50-48 lead with 6 minutes left. But the turning point occurred with 1:45 left on the clock, when Delta's Lenny Dixon snatched an offensive rebound, and the ball found coach Damian Bullock behind the 3-point line with no one guarding him. "Come on, we need that!" teammate Smiley exclaimed as the shot went up and in, tying the game at 55. Delta's stifling defense forced a turnover on the next drive, and Felix finished with a transition lay-in, giving Delta the lead again, and forcing AF1 to call a timeout with 1:22 left. But Delta's full court boa-constrictor-like press, by far the most fearsome in the league this year, suffocated AF1's offense, holding them to only 2 points in the final 2 minutes. In the end, despite AF1's valiant comeback late in the 2nd Half, Delta Force, leaders of the Downtown Conference and NRF playoff favorites, come away with another convincing victory.


With a double bye next week, this would be the last game of the season for both teams, and an especially crucial one for Hyperflight who are in danger of missing out on the 2008 NRF Playoffs in the topsy-turvy Uptown Conference. Even with a Foamposite loss to Shox earlier in the evening, Hyperflight still couldn't afford a loss in their final game. And in the opening minutes of the game, they were playing with the urgency of a team facing elimination, opening up a 14-8 lead midway through the 1st half, thanks to some great outside shooting from Lou Miguel (7 pts/2 rebs) and what were the beginnings of a ridiculous night from deep for Niko Klansek, who had 27 points (5 3-pointers) and 4 rebounds. But the superhero duo of Mike Won (26 pts/8 rebs/2 assts) and David Jacoby (19 pts/7 rebs/2 assts) swung the game back in Uptempo's favor, closing out the 1st half with a slight 2-point advantage (27-25). I know I must sound like a broken record, but something magical happens to Team Hyperflight in the last 20 minutes of games. As if to prove my point, Klansek burst out of halftime with a quick 3-pointer to christen the 2nd half and give Hyperflight their first lead since early in the 1st half. From that point on, Mr. Klansek went O-F-F, single-handedly leading his team on a soul-crushing 8-minute, 19-2 run and hitting 4 3-pointers in 4 minutes. Uptempo didn't score their first points in the half until the 11:25 mark, but before you knew it, Won and Company had combined for 7 unanswered points. With 1:20 left in the game and Hyperflight leading by 4 points, Jomaree Pinkard (11 pts/5 assts/3 rebs), who had an otherwise flawless night, found himself caught in an Uptempo defensive trap at midcourt and, even though his team was out of timeouts, Pinkard mistakenly called for one, stopping the clock and sending Uptempo to the line to shoot a technical and retain possession. Half a minute later, Mike Won's intensity under the basket, rebounding his own miss, tied the game up at 49-49 with 30 seconds left. But as Uptempo fouled to stop the clock and Won failed to convert on offense, Hyperflight made a series of clutch free throws to seal the game in the final seconds. Holding off Uptempo, Hyperflight lands a huge win. Their eyes are undoubtedly going be on the first three games tomorrow night, where the craziness of the Uptown Conference is undoubtedly going to get even crazier.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Will Blunt, Dunk
	Points	36
	Rebounds	17
	Steals	3

Remake of Charles Barkley's shoes when he was on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team.
Worn by - Kirk Taylor, Uptempo


-Mik

This week we caught up with one of Shox's resident sneaker freaks and LTD Magazine head honcho Hawaii Mike Salman to chew the fat about all the projects he's been taking on when he's not off playing in the NRF. With all that he's got popping off, it's a wonder he even has time to play ball. I guess that's the kind of workaholic mentality that's made Mike the baller he is. And just in time for the playoffs, don't miss the beginning of a little sneaker beef with a certain AF1 point guard who shares a nickname inspired by another US island commonwealth. Blow the whistle!

My mom moved me out to Hawaii when I was 5, so I was in grade school there through 5th grade. While I was there, I took up surfing and it's stayed with me my entire life. When I moved to NY I was doing radio promotions, and there weren't a lot of people that were in that field that surfed. One of my friends was like, "Fuck Havana Joe, you're Hawaii Mike!" It kind of just stuck after that so I ran with it. I always want people to pick up the phone for me not where I work; it's my brand.

Oh I've brought some heat to the games. From AF1's to promo Jordan's, but not for on the court. You know, I'm not as privileged as the guys that work for said company that somehow keep getting "Sneaker of the Week" honors.

I don't really have an Alpha. I'm an AF1 and Jordan 3,4,5 dude for the most part. But lately I've been rocking a lot of 90s, 95s, and I can't believe I'm saying it, Dunks. Yes, the Dunks have been getting dusted off and seeing the light of day.

I'm a partner at Seed Gives Life which is a full-service interactive and lifestyle marketing agency and the founder/editor-in-chief of LTD magazine. I'm mostly in charge of Brand Strategy and client relations when it comes to the agency. Work people may have seen from Seed are the numerous websites we've built including: seanjohn.com, seanjohnfragrance.com, beyonceonline.com, and trendcentral.com to name a few. We also do a lot of work with Mountain Dew and run the Green Label Art program for them...As for LTD magazine, it's a quarterly limited edition publication that is distributed to a few thousand tastemakers. I think most members of the league have seen it and/or know about it. If not, ya better ask somebody! Oh, btw, the LTD site will be launching very soon.

Who the fuck's overrated? We the best of the best, we gonna be here, so the rest can take a rest. Blow the whistle!

interviewed by:Mik

You don't need to check the "Schedule" tab on this site or have me tell you that, after this week (19), there are only two more weeks left of the NRF regular season. All you had to do was watch the games this past Wednesday, and see how hard everyone has been playing, especially in the up-for-grabs Uptown Conference. But before "amazing could happen," this first matchup, between AF1 and Terminator, resulted in a 2nd consecutive Terminator forfeit. There weren't even enough Terminator players to run a scrimmage. By all accounts it looks like the defending champs have thrown in the towel for the 2007-8 season. So, with an empty court, the first hour was taken up with games of H.O.R.S.E. and a variation on H.O.R.S.E. called "Seven" that I schooled AF1's Josh Bletterman and Paul Rivera in. (Just playing, but we really did have a ridiculous 33-shot streak between the three of us.) AF1 wins, pulling neck-and-neck with Team Dunk in the Downtown standings.


What can you say about the Uptown Conference? Every team except one (Huarache) is in danger of getting knocked out of the post-season in the final three weeks of the season, and the team at the bottom of that pile for the time being is Team Shox. They have to close out the season with more or less perfect basketball against three of the toughest teams in the league, and their first potential dream-killer: Downtown Conference powerhouse, Delta Force. Justin Leonard and Shox, fully aware of their precarious position in the Conference, came out of the locker room sporting matching black T-shirts that said it all:

By the end of the 1st half, the game was too close to call. Neither team could break open a lead bigger than 3 pts, and as both teams struggled with outside shooting, the lead seemed to switch on every other drive. With 20 seconds left in the 1st half, Bobbito Garcia (10 pts/3 rebs/3 assts) hit a deep 3-pter to give Shox a 3-pt lead going into halftime (20-17). This game was notable because the three dangerous scorers on the court, Shox's Jason Burke and Delta's Kelvin Coffey and Erskin Felix, all had somewhat lackluster performances. Burke, usually a scoring machine, only clocked 8 points, though he did haul down 11 big boards. And rebound-monster Felix was less than dominant on the boards with only 2 rebounds all night, and only 9 points. Luckily, Lenny Dixon (who has been shining in Delta's past few games) was there to pick up the slack with 12 big boards. After 5 minutes of more back-and-forth ball to start the 2nd half, Felix hung in the air and converted on a 3-pt play to tie the game at 22. Six minutes later, Shox would only have a 1-pt lead. But that was exactly when Shox started to lay it on, with Burke coming to life in the low post and Bobbito hitting a bank-shot 3-pter. Thanks to some great passing and unselfish play, Shox would go on a devastating 5-minute, 14-4 run. In the final 2 minutes, the clutch play of Sure Shot would pull Delta to within 6 points. But Josh Gotthelf (9 pts/2 rebs), who had been superb from the stripe all night, would ice the game with a minute left. The True Believer himself, Leonard would lead all scorers with 16 points, 12 of which came from the free throw line, where he has really made his presence felt in the past few weeks. Meanwhile, MVP front-runner Coffey had a very un-MVP night with only 10 points, 4 rebs, and 2 stls. So, Shox plays Goliath-killer, pulling off a major upset against Delta in their ongoing quest for a playoff berth. One down; Huarache and Foamposite to go.


With Shox's win in Game 2 of the evening, the pressure was on Generation to keep some heat on their Uptown Conference rivals with a win. But they would need all of their weapons firing against the multi-faceted ballers of Hyperflight. From the first minutes, it was obvious that Generation would have their hands full, as Rookie of the Year contender Niko Klansek (16 pts/6 rebs/1 blk) broke the game open with a 3-pter. But after 8 minutes of evenly matched play, Jomo Davis (9 pts/4 assts/2 rebs) drained a 3-pter to give Generation their first lead (8-7). No one had any idea that this would be the beginning of the end for Hyperflight, and the spark that would ignite Generation, who closed out the 1st half with undoubtedly the most dominating basketball I've seen them play all season. It was a soul-crushing 20-5 run that saw four of the five Generation starters hitting from deep, including Joe Branch (11 pts/4 rebs/2 blks), who hit three 3-pters in a row. It was a rally that ended with Generation leading by 16 at halftime. Generation was doing everything right on both sides of the court, forcing turnovers with a savage full court press, making Hyperflight, one of the most explosive teams in the league, look like a shadow of themselves. One of the best at moving without the ball, J.J. McGowan (16 pts/3 assts/2 stls) tore apart Hyperflight's zone with his slashing cuts, and Keith Howard (16 pts/7 rebs/4 assts/2 stls) played perhaps his best ball of the season. Nevertheless, Hyperflight kept Generation from running away with the game in the 2nd half, as they steadily chipped away at the lead. With 8 minutes left in the game, Hyperflight was down only 10 pts, which Generation must have realized wasn't a lot with a team like Hyperflight, who have come back from larger deficits to blow teams out in the final minutes. Generation's shaky free throw shooting and good production from Lou Miguel (11 pts) made the possibility of a Hyperflight comeback even more real. But thanks to the great 2nd half play of Howard and Treasure Kyn Neal (10 pts/4 rebs/2 assts), and Hyperflight's dismal rebounding, Generation held on for another impressive victory, extending their streak to 4 games. Here's the kicker: now Hyperflight, a former contender for the top spot in the Uptown Conference only three weeks ago, is now in danger of not making the playoffs at all! It just keeps getting more interesting. Tune in next week...


Uptempo had dropped three of their last four games and were in a bit of a slump coming into this game against Huarache, who were trying to extend their recent winning streak to 5 games. In the 1st half, Huarache showed why they're among the favorites to win it all going into the NRF post-season. In a bit of role reversal, it was sharp-shooter Pat Cassidy (15 pts/4 rebs/3 assts) who was flexing his ability to put it on the floor and drive to the bucket, while Lekeith Taylor (16 pts/6 rebs/3 assts/2 stls), whose slashing Lebron-like drives have terrified defenses all season, was the one lighting it up with his jump shot. After 12 minutes of play, Uptempo was down by 10 pts, and with 20 seconds left in the 1st half, Terrance Chin scored 2 of his 10 pts with a sweet take, cutting the lead to a mere 6 points, and forcing Huarache to call a timeout. In the final ticks, on a textbook-Huarache sequence in which 3 of their players touched the ball, Christian Grant-Fields (21 pts/6 rebs/3 assts/2 stls) did what he does better than anyone in the league and soared above the Uptempo defense for the finish. Huarache was up 31-23 at halftime. But in the opening minutes of 2nd half, Mike Won (22 pts/6 rebs/1 stl) converted on a 3-pt play and then forced a turnover on the ensuing play that lead to him draining a 3-pter. And just like that, Won had brought his team to within 2 points. A Danny Millan (6 pts/6 rebs/3 assts) offensive put-back on the next drive, followed by a line-drive 3-pter by Ryan Kearney (7 pts/2 assts/1 reb) gave Uptempo their first lead of the night with 16 minutes still left to play. It was a new game, and in this new game, Huarache was hobbled once again by their foul shooting, perhaps their only Achilles heel, and Uptempo was clamping down on defense. Despite leading by as much as 10 pts, Uptempo still couldn't sit comfortably with Grant-Fields doing damage under the basket, and with under 5 minutes left, Cassidy drained a 3-pter with a man in his face to bring Huarache within 1 point (47-46). Despite a late scoring flurry from Grant-Fields, a combination of clutch free throws by Chin and Kearney, and a big steal from Won, would seal the game for Uptempo, as they snap Huarache's streak and gather some much-needed momentum going into the last weeks of the season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Mike Won, Uptempo
	Points	22
	Rebounds	6
	Steals	1

Made from recycled material.
Worn by - J.J. Mcgowan, Generation


-Mik

As you'll see in our Q and A, Gabe Urist is a man of few words. The coach and multifaceted big man for Dunk is the kind of guy who prefers to have other aspects of his life speak for him. Whether it's his nasty three-point shot, or his one-of-a-kind artwork. See, Gabe makes jewelry, but not just any kind of jewelry. With an array of custom-designed bling that skirts that tenuous line between art and commerce, his Nolita showroom, "World's Fair," has a collection that's as awesome as anything out there, and probably the only place on earth you'll find a tiny platinum Timberland boot pendant.
Also, for the record, dude has a client list that reads like a Who's Who roster of celebrities, having made custom pieces for Spike Lee, Bun B, Kanye West, Duane Wade, and Ben Kingsley. (That's right, how many guys you know draped Ghandi?!) He's also designed jewelry for fashion designers like Zac Posen and Narcisso Rodriguez, and more recently, he was commissioned by the NBA to fashion logos in metal for teams across the league. We hollered at Gabe "the Jeweler" and asked him to shed some diamond-bright light on his life outside the NRF.

I try not to think about it and just shoot. My shot's been off lately. It's hard to keep the game up without practice. I haven't been playing enough.

I knew I wanted to be an artist of some kind. I like building things. I like workshops. I guess as I got exposed to metals, I saw at the same time a lot of opportunity in making jewelry.

A haircut.

My favorite clients are DJ Premier, jeffstaple, and these 12-year-old kids from Montreal.

It's all about the library for me. I've made a lot of pieces for a lot of people. It's all about the collection of all of them, the chronology, the variety of stories.

I got picked up by Ben Meadows-Ingram back in the first season. I think Jeff told me he was putting the league together and to sign up.

We're playing possum. What part would a coach like me, with my positive talents, play, if there were no negativity to keep the balance?

interviewed by:Mik

It's Week 18 of the NRF. That means only 3 weeks of regular season action left, and the first game of the evening was over before it started, as Terminator forfeited due to a lack of players. The first NRF forfeit in 8 weeks (and Terminator's first "F" all season) comes at a very important time for Team Shox, who chalk up another mark in their win column and continue to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Uptown Conference, even though they have the most brutal schedule to close out the season. Their final 3 opponents are the 3 best teams in the league: Delta Force, Foamposite, and Huarache. And in order to have a fighting chance of making the playoffs, they'll need to win at least two of the games, and their Uptown rivals Generation will need to drop at least 1 of their last 2 games. (One of which is against Terminator.) And even then, it's still not a guarantee for Shox, but tonight's win-by-forfeit keeps them in the playoff picture for the time being. As for defending-champs Terminator, I guess what's one more loss when you've dropped 12 in a row, have no chance at the playoffs, and haven't won since December?


For a team that's made a name for themselves as one of the best in the 2nd Half, it was surprising to see how quickly Team Hyperflight dispensed of Team Dunk in the 2nd game of the evening. In the first 75 seconds, Niko Klansek (20 pts/10 rebs) drained a game opening 3-pter and then on the very next drive converted on a 3-point play. After two more quick buckets from his teammate Bobby Jones, who had 13 1st-half points, Hyperflight had gone on a crushing 10-0 run, and there were still 17:30 minutes left in the 1st half when Dunk finally called a timeout. Credit Hyperflight's defense, but Dunk wouldn't really be able to recover from those first 10 points for the rest of the game. (One wonders how different the score might have been if Dunk's big man and scoring leader Will Blunt had been on the court to match up on Klansek.) Blunt (14 pts/12 rebs) didn't enter the game until after the 10-0 run and had an immediate impact, hauling down offensive rebounds and getting his teammates involved in his first few minutes of play. From that point on though, Hyperflight proved that they wanted it more than their opponents, going on another run midway through the 1st half, just as Dunk got the game to within 5 points. Hyperflight would break open an 18-point lead with 4 minutes left in the 1st half, but tough defense to close out the half and a 3-pter from Bang Takenouchi (13 pts/2 assts) would give Dunk a little momentum and a slightly less intimidating 10-point deficit to overcome in the 2nd half. These two teams had met earlier this month, and in that game, Dunk had led by 5 points at the half and lost the game by 2 points in the final minutes. That reversal of fortune must have been on coach Gabe Urist's (12 pts/8 rebs) mind as he helped pull Dunk to within 8 points midway through the 2nd half. But despite some great defense by Chris Petrie and Richard Ting (3 stls) that would be as close as Dunk would come to Hyperflight's lead.


In a rematch of their epic, OT loss 3 weeks ago, Foamposite was trying to settle the score against fellow Uptown Conference leaders Huarache. But Foam would have to do it, as was the case last time when these two #1 teams met, without the help of leading scorer Mike Tumbarello. Unsurprisingly, this evening's game was notable for its defense, which was hard and fast all the way through, something we've come to expect from both squads all season. That meant the scoring was low all night, and by the end of it, no player on the floor had scored over 20 points, not even sharp shooter Pat Cassidy (11 pts) whose looks at the basket were complicated by the kamikaze defense of Do Kim flying in his face. The tough D also meant that there were enough turnovers to stock a bakery, which particularly hurt Foam early on. And after 7 minutes, the turnovers as well as Christian Grant-Field's (13 pts/11 rebs/2 stls) tenacity on the offensive glass was starting to swing the game in Huarache's favor. But the formidable low-post presence of Foam's Ron Jackson (17 pts/7 rebs/1 stl) kept Huarache from ever getting a comfortable lead, and Huarache's advantage at halftime was only 4 points (21-17). In the 2nd half, it was apparent that the two-week break had done some damage to players' accuracy as shooting woes continued for both teams. And as Huarache struggled, Foam made their move: four minutes into the 2nd half, Evan Waterman (10 pts/3 blks) caught a pass in transition, squared up, and tied the game at 22. A little bit after the midway point of the 2nd half, just as Jeremy "Double J" Jensen started to catch fire (8 pts/9 rebs/1 asst) and just as it appeared that Foam was getting some momentum back, Huarache burst open a 5-minute, 12-4 tear that included some highlight-worthy passing from big man Lekeith Taylor (12 pts/4 rebs/2 assts) and the Rick Ross-caliber hustle of Jesse Thompkins (11 pts/6 rebs/1 asst). Down 11 points, with four minutes left in the game, Foam called a timeout, which proved wise because they would pull the game to within 5 points after a Waterman 3-pointer with under 2 minutes left. But as the clock wound down and Foam started fouling, Huarache didn't fall victim to the poor foul shooting that had hurt them in the home stretch of their last game against Foam. Huarache went on to win by 9 points, climbing to the apex of the Uptown conference, and staking their claim as the most feared team going into the playoffs.


Talkin' bout my Geeeeneraaaation...Bobby Joseph's darkly-clad squad has made a late season run that has a lot of teams in the league taking notice. Though they had one of the worst records in the NRF midway through the season, they've recently turned an AF1-like corner. But tonight they'd need to turn an even bigger corner if they wanted to come away with a victory against the always dangerous shooters of Uptempo. It was a tight, low-scoring 1st half, with a couple lead changes in the last five minutes, but by the halftime buzzer, Uptempo had a solid 5-point lead, courtesy of their coach Terrance Chin (10 pts/4 rebs) and their ace, Mike Won. In the 2nd half, Won (25 pts/3 rebs) continued to go bananas, bursting open a 6-point lead early on, and eventually going on to score all but 15 of Uptempo's 25 2nd half points. (And he would have clocked even more had he hit any of his numerous free throw attempts.) Determined to keep their recent win streak alive, Generation's killer backcourt duo of Keith Howard (15 pts/7 rebs) and J. J. McGowan (20 pts/5 rebs/2 assts) went to work midway through the 2nd half, tying the game and eventually going up after 9 minutes of play. Part of Generation's offensive success was due to the intensity of their full court press, which would give Uptempo trouble for the rest of the night and would result in a lot of inadvertent fouls. "Bring out the first aid kit," one of the refs could be heard saying when there was 8 minutes left on the clock. "Is it getting rough out there?" the scorer's table wondered. The ref nodded, "Wait until the last 3 minutes." The fouls were hard and frequent, and both teams were taking trips to the free throw line often. In the end, it was the foul shouting that decided this very testy, physical battle. Generation made theirs; Uptempo didn't. (By way of example, 8 of McGowan's 20 points were from the stripe.) While Uptempo struggles to work up a bit of momentum going into the post-season, Generation continues to build a case for themselves in these last few weeks as a team to be reckoned with.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK J.J. Mcgowan, Generation
	Points	20
	Rebounds	5
	Steals	1
	Assists	2

Worn by - David Jacoby, Uptempo


-Mik

As the clock winds down on the season, a new hunger is starting to pervade the NRF. Every blown whistle, every loose ball, and every turnover means something more than it did a few weeks ago. Nowhere has that hunger been more apparent than in the Uptown Conference, where the playoff race is as wild as this year's NBA West. Hyperflight and Air Force 1, two squads right in the middle of that conference race, met in the first installment of this week's action. Hyperflight got off to an early lead and held the lead for most of the 1st half, playing tough defense and passing the ball well. But AF1 hung tough, and with 5 minutes left in the half, a 3-pointer by Eric Raymundo (23 pts/6 rebs/3 stls/3 assts) followed by a quick Hyperflight turnover, which led to a Paul Rivera (18 pts/5 rebs/6 assts/4 stls) fast break-and-sweet bounce pass, helped AF1 mount a mini-comeback. The killer backcourt tandem of Rivera and Raymundo (P.R. and E.R.!) would help give AF1 a slight edge going into halftime (23-22). Fact: birds fly south in the winter. Another fact: Hyperflight plays their best ball in the 2nd half. All season, it has been their home, and the man of the house in this particular 2nd half was Dirk Nowitzki's play-cousin, Niko Klansek (26 pts/13 rebs/2 stls), who had a dominant game underneath the basket, while Jose Carlson (10 pts/3 rebs/3 stls) and Bobby Jones (8 pts/2 rebs/2 stls) played tough in the backcourt. But Hyperflight's reputation and Klansek's big game couldn't stop AF1 from going on a crushing 4-minute, 11-1 run midway through the 2nd half. With eight minutes left, AF1 led by as much as 11 points. That wouldn't last for long, as Klansek would go on an offensive tear, capped by a 3-pt conversion with 1:30 left in the game. At that point the game was tied at 55-55, but the momentum was squarely in Hyperflight's favor, and as AF1 started to break down on defense (both teams combined for 28 steals!), Jones would put back his own shot and snatch the lead back for his team. They would go on to hold off AF1 and seal a dramatic comeback victory.


In the 2nd matchup of the evening, Dunk went up against a surging Generation team who were looking to extend their win streak and climb out of a tie with Shox for the last playoff slot in the Uptown conference. Like the Hyperflight v. AF1 game before it, this one was a fast, physical contest, with Dunk maintaining a slight lead for the first eight minutes of the game. That was when Generation's J. J. McGowan (18 pts/4 rebs/5 assts) got a dish from Treasure Kyn Neal (7 pts/7 rebs) on a fast break and gave his team a 9-8 lead. Despite the standout performance of Bang Takenuchi (18 pts/4 rebs/3 assts), Dunk was getting killed on turnovers, and Generation was capitalizing. The score reflected that, as Generation went into halftime with a convincing 25-18 lead. In the 2nd half, Takenuchi turned up the intensity on both ends of the floor, helping to cut Generation's lead to 5 points not long after halftime. And when Generation got into foul trouble, sending Dunk to the line with 6 minutes still left in the game, it seemed that the ball was starting to bounce back in Dunk's favor. But too many missed chances and 3 minutes later, Generation had extended their lead to 10 points and were in a comfortable position to win the game. Keith Howard's big 8-point 2nd half scoring burst was an additional boon, as Generation coasted to victory, extending their win-streak and putting Shox with their backs to the wall in the Uptown conference race for the playoffs.


At this late point in the season, the mighty Downtown conference leaders Delta Force are in no danger of missing out on the playoffs. But after a string of recent losses and shaky victories, Delta seems to be losing one of the most important factors in any playoff-run: momentum. After a loss to Foamposite last week, they would have their hands full again tonight with Huarache, a team that is in no need of momentum, coming off a devastating 40-point victory against Terminator last week. After 10 minutes of 1st half play, the score was tied 11-11, then Delta's Kelvin Coffey (14 pts/3 rebs/2 stls) hit on a 3-point play to give Delta the edge, but Huarache's Ricardo Viramontes (8 pts/2 stls/1 asst) came right back on the opposite side of the court with a 3-point play of his own. Huarache would continue their offensive attack, slicing apart Delta's full court press and wearing down their opponents with great shooting. Said the ever-entertaining Smiley (7 pts/3 stls) at one point, fondling the water bottles at the scorer's table, "Where's my juice?" And Delta was looking for their juice all night, turning over the ball too often and missing open shots, giving Huarache several chances to break the game open. But Huarache never made Delta pay, though a scoring flourish by Pat Cassidy (12 pts/2 rebs/2 stls) and Christian Grant-Fields (9 pts/4 rebs/2 assts) opened up Huarache's biggest lead of the night by halftime (30-18). With Sammie Taylor filling in for Coach Damian Bullock, Delta came back out of halftime looking desperately in need of a leader. Erskin Felix (14 pts/10 rebs/3 stls) was his usual dominant self in the paint, but he was matched by Huarache's equally dominant and explosive big man Lekeith Taylor (13 pts/9 rebs/2 blks). Delta could never really get back in the game, as Huarache comes away with another win. They continue to climb the leader board in the Uptown conference and make a claim as the favorite going into the NRF post-season.


In the last game of the evening, Foamposite and Uptempo, two of the best shooting teams in the NRF, went toe-to-toe in what would be a shootout to rival the Billy the Kid at the OK Corral. The marksmanship was on display from the opening tip, when Mike Won (25 pts/3 rebs/2 stls) stepped behind the line and dropped 3 of his 25 points in the opening minute. It would be a sign of things to come. Five minutes into the first half, Won hit a twisting shot to give Uptempo the advantage, which they'd increase to a 14-point lead on the sharp shooting of Terrence Chin (12 pts/8 rebs/2 assts). And after dominating the 1st half, Uptempo would start the 2nd half with a 7-point lead that would quickly disintegrate after their big man Danny Millan (5 pts/4 rebs/2 stls) was forced to exit the game after landing hard going after a rebound. Unfortunately, that was the break that Foam needed. Mounting a 5-minute 10-1 run on the MVP-like play of Mike Tumbarello (26 pts/3 rebs/3 stls) and the tenacious defense of Do Kim (9 pts/6 stls/4 assts), Foamposite turned the game on its head, slashing without the ball, passing expertly, opening up a 13-point lead after only 12 minutes in the 2nd half, and making Uptempo looking sluggish in comparison. Before you knew it, there was only a minute left, and the mercy rule had to come into play as Foamposite-overcoming a 13-point defecit to win by 17-showed why they're one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK J.J. McGowan, Generation
	Points	18
	Rebounds	4
	Assists	5

Worn by Iz Mateo - Generation


-Mik

Delta Force and Foamposite, the two top bananas of the Uptown and Downtown conferences (respectively), met in the first game of the night for what would prove to be a great battle between a couple of the best squads in the league. Foam, fresh off an epic OT loss to Huarache last week, started the game off with the same great ball movement and unselfishness they've shown all season, breaking open an early lead in the first few minutes. After 7 minutes of play though, Delta, energized as usual by the slashing drives of Kelvin Coffey (19 pts/6 rebs/4 stls), had a slight advantage. Midway through the first half, the lead would swing back in Foam's favor, thanks to the beginning of what would be a game-altering 28-point performance by Mike Tumbarello. In the final 5 minutes of the first half, after Delta had tied it at 21, Foam would go on the attack, mounting a 4-minute, 9-2 run. Despite being out-rebounded by Delta's fearsome frontcourt of Erskin Felix (15 pts/8 rebs), Lenny Dixon (10 rebs), and Rashaun Smith (7 rebs), scrappy Foam hustlers like Sammy Oh (5 rebs/5 assts) and Ron Jackson (13 rebs/4 assts) continued to force key turnovers on defense and hit open shooters on offense. Five minutes into the 2nd half, Foam would increase their lead to 10 points on a butter-smoo