It was playoff week for my Monday (Open Division) and Thursday (Friendship Division) basketball leagues. Entering the playoffs, both of my teams were probably considered underdogs. My Monday team was pretty good but faced a distinct size disadvantage against our opponents. My Thursday team had beaten our playoff opponent the week before but our overall record wasn't that great. We tended to run hot and cold.
However, both teams came through with some extremely good basketball. My Monday team played patient, got good shots, and raced out to an early lead. We eventually would win 77-63. My Thursday team did one better. We jumped out to a 16-0 lead, led 33-11 at halftime and ultimately won 53-39.
Thus, somewhat surprisingly, both my teams are in the championship games next week. In both games, my teams will probably be considered underdogs once again. Both opponents have a ton of firepower and we will have to work hard to stay competitive.
This will be my first time playing in two championship games in less than a week. My best season was in 2008 when I played in championship games in a Easter Tournament, Summer Basketball League and a Fall Basketball League (won one, lost two). As a side note, I will not be the ONLY player playing in both championship games. A couple of guys who play both teams will be opposing me next week.
As far as importance of these championship games, they are not particular important. Don't get me wrong. I definitely would love to win both games. There is something unique if my teams could come through. However, by my unofficial count, next week's championship games will be the 13th and 14th I have played in over the 20+ years that I played in adult league basketball.
In my younger days, I was high strung and nervous prior to playoffs and championships. It got so bad that I didn't do particularly well. However, I've played in so many playoff and championship games over the years that I realize that it's just another game. My approach is to treat these games just like any other. No need to make it more important than it really is. After all, we don't win trophies or money. It's all about for a positive memory and pride.
I find that staying relaxed is the best approach. My goal for next week is to help my teams win both championships. If we don't win, it's ok. It takes work to just get to the championship game and that effort should be appreciated.
Showing posts with label playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label playoffs. Show all posts
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Summer Basketball Season Is A Wrap
Been a while but I'm back! Tonight, my summer basketball league season wrapped after about three months worth of games. From early June until tonight, I squeezed in 15 league basketball games between my Monday and Tuesday night leagues. Unfortunately, from a team standpoint, neither one of my teams did exceptionally well and missed the playoffs.
My Monday night team finished a disappointing 1-7 overall. We had good players but the team chemistry was never quite there. We did managed to get it together enough for our only win (and I scored 26 points).
My Tuesday night team actually played well throughout the season but finished with a 3-4 record. We had our chances to win a couple of games against young teams but fell short. However, the team played fairly well as a whole. Despite my somewhat advanced age, I managed to lead the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game.
While the teams didn't do well, all the players had their individual moments to shine. I scored in double figures more often than I remembered in years past. I guess there is a fountain of youth for guys even if we are in the upper 30's!
So while my Monday night team is done playing, we will help out with scorekeeping and officiating in the next couple of weeks. So I will remain involved. I might take some time off from playing too much basketball except for my weekly Saturday runs. I'll plan to get my exercise via other means (gym, badminton, walking).
But there is no rest for basketball players. The fall league will start in about a month!
My Monday night team finished a disappointing 1-7 overall. We had good players but the team chemistry was never quite there. We did managed to get it together enough for our only win (and I scored 26 points).
My Tuesday night team actually played well throughout the season but finished with a 3-4 record. We had our chances to win a couple of games against young teams but fell short. However, the team played fairly well as a whole. Despite my somewhat advanced age, I managed to lead the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game.
While the teams didn't do well, all the players had their individual moments to shine. I scored in double figures more often than I remembered in years past. I guess there is a fountain of youth for guys even if we are in the upper 30's!
So while my Monday night team is done playing, we will help out with scorekeeping and officiating in the next couple of weeks. So I will remain involved. I might take some time off from playing too much basketball except for my weekly Saturday runs. I'll plan to get my exercise via other means (gym, badminton, walking).
But there is no rest for basketball players. The fall league will start in about a month!
Friday, August 05, 2011
It's a Wrap: Looking back at my 20th season of summer basketball
As I mentioned early in June, I was playing in my 20th season for one of my summer basketball leagues. That particular team had a very GOOD season. Despite some close calls (including two OT games), the team played well and finished undefeated (7-0) in the regular season.
In our particular division, there are 16 teams divided into two brackets (let's call them Bracket A and Bracket B). The top two teams from each bracket would make the playoffs. My team was in Bracket A and so we would play the #2 team from Bracket B in the playoffs. However, the #2 team from Bracket B was probably better than the majority of the teams we played in the regular season and we lost 56-45. While the score didn't look that great, it was due to free throws at the end. We were well within striking distance throughout but missed shots hurt us quite a bit.
My team was obviously disappointed as we had a chance to win the game. Yet, as I look back, I hope the young guys are proud of how they hung in there throughout the season. The team won games in all sorts of ways this season. We played one game without our star, fell behind by 10, but managed to win in overtime. We played one game with six players (meaning I played A LOT) and won by double digits. Plus these guys are still improving and with more experience, they will be a lot better next season.
For myself, I look at things in two ways. As a coach, I think I did alright. I mainly ran subs and focused on defensive strategy rather than offensive. I've never been much of an offensive coach so I was content to let the guys just play. Of course, if there were things I saw that could be improved, I mentioned them. If I wasn't playing, I probably would have been in a better position to coach.
As a player, I didn't do too well. I admittedly had some personal things I was working through and that affected me a bit during the games. But the fact is I was an old guy playing in a young player's league. The teams were quick and fast and I was a little outmatched. I hit a few shots here and there, got some rebounds and tried to fill in where I could. But for the most part, I was a bit player letting the young guys do their thing.
For me personally, while it would have a nice present to celebrate my 20th season in the league to make the championship (and even win it), I was quite happy to just have an undefeated regular season. Yes, we did end up losing our playoff game, but a 7-1 record is still pretty darn good.
To illustrate how good the record was, I have played 20 years in the league. In those 20 seasons, my teams have made the playoffs 9 times. Out of those 9 times, I have been in the championship game 4 times (winning two / losing two). My two championship teams were 10-0 and 8-1 overall. All the rest of the teams had 3 or more losses. Essentially, short of winning the championship, my 2011 team finished with the 3rd best record out of the 20 seasons I have been playing.
All in all, I am proud of my team and was happy I got a chance to play with a different set of guys. I think the young guys have a bright future and my hope is they stick around and grow together. As for my future, nothing is set in stone. I'll still be playing somewhere and if need be, I could play again next summer in 2012.
In our particular division, there are 16 teams divided into two brackets (let's call them Bracket A and Bracket B). The top two teams from each bracket would make the playoffs. My team was in Bracket A and so we would play the #2 team from Bracket B in the playoffs. However, the #2 team from Bracket B was probably better than the majority of the teams we played in the regular season and we lost 56-45. While the score didn't look that great, it was due to free throws at the end. We were well within striking distance throughout but missed shots hurt us quite a bit.
My team was obviously disappointed as we had a chance to win the game. Yet, as I look back, I hope the young guys are proud of how they hung in there throughout the season. The team won games in all sorts of ways this season. We played one game without our star, fell behind by 10, but managed to win in overtime. We played one game with six players (meaning I played A LOT) and won by double digits. Plus these guys are still improving and with more experience, they will be a lot better next season.
For myself, I look at things in two ways. As a coach, I think I did alright. I mainly ran subs and focused on defensive strategy rather than offensive. I've never been much of an offensive coach so I was content to let the guys just play. Of course, if there were things I saw that could be improved, I mentioned them. If I wasn't playing, I probably would have been in a better position to coach.
As a player, I didn't do too well. I admittedly had some personal things I was working through and that affected me a bit during the games. But the fact is I was an old guy playing in a young player's league. The teams were quick and fast and I was a little outmatched. I hit a few shots here and there, got some rebounds and tried to fill in where I could. But for the most part, I was a bit player letting the young guys do their thing.
For me personally, while it would have a nice present to celebrate my 20th season in the league to make the championship (and even win it), I was quite happy to just have an undefeated regular season. Yes, we did end up losing our playoff game, but a 7-1 record is still pretty darn good.
To illustrate how good the record was, I have played 20 years in the league. In those 20 seasons, my teams have made the playoffs 9 times. Out of those 9 times, I have been in the championship game 4 times (winning two / losing two). My two championship teams were 10-0 and 8-1 overall. All the rest of the teams had 3 or more losses. Essentially, short of winning the championship, my 2011 team finished with the 3rd best record out of the 20 seasons I have been playing.
All in all, I am proud of my team and was happy I got a chance to play with a different set of guys. I think the young guys have a bright future and my hope is they stick around and grow together. As for my future, nothing is set in stone. I'll still be playing somewhere and if need be, I could play again next summer in 2012.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
CIF NorCal State Division I Boys Basketball Playoff: Washington (SF) vs. Santa Teresa (San Jose)
I was working in Santa Clara today and realized that the Washington High Eagles boys basketball team would be playing in San Jose tonight against Santa Teresa at 7 PM in a CIF State Playoff game. Since I was in the area (sort of, it was estimated to be some 19 miles + 30 minutes away), I decided to head over to the game. Some thoughts......
The drive to Santa Teresa High School took about 40 minutes as I ran into rush hour traffic. As I pulled into the school's parking lot, I was surprised to see a lot of cars already there. As I walked to the gym, I saw a short line out the door. It was then I knew I would be walking into hostile territory.
The environment was crazy. Both sides of the gym were packed with fans (the majority of them Santa Teresa). There was a student cheering section as well as cheerleaders. The entire gym was loud, especially since Santa Teresa played well and eventually beat Washington 70-60. I don't know if Santa Teresa is like this every game they play, but it was definitely a boost to their team and hostile to the visiting Washington team.
The Santa Teresa team deserves some credit too. I haven't watched a ton of varsity basketball games this year but Santa Teresa was one of the better teams I have seen. Santa Teresa shot the lights out from three point land, had great fundamentals, played hard defense and crashed the boards. In my opinion, Santa Teresa was probably the best team Washington had seen in recent weeks. I don't think Washington had seen such a balanced team in a while and that proved frustrating. Washington's defense couldn't lay back as Santa Teresa would hit the three's. If Washington played tight, Santa Teresa was able to blow by the defenders.
The Washington team wasn't bad though. While I am not a graduate of Washington, I had officiated one of their games during this past season and knew the coach personally. After winning the San Francisco AAA championship against Mission last week (first championship since 1982), I was curious how Washington would do in the bright lights of the CIF State Playoffs.
Some of the things I had noticed during the AAA championship game came to light against Santa Teresa. Washington and Mission both thrive on up tempo games as evidenced by the 75-72 final score in the championship. I thought it was interesting that Washington didn't hit a lot of outside jumpers. Most of their shots were put backs or layups.
This proved to be a key against Santa Teresa. With Santa Teresa hitting their shots, Washington was forced to play half court and had trouble generating offense. They went through a cold streak from halfway through the first quarter into the second quarter and allowed Santa Teresa to pull away to a 20 point lead. Washington never really challenged after that.
While it was a tough night for Washington, they should keep their heads high for making a great effort. Good luck to Santa Teresa as they travel to Sacramento for their next game.
The environment was crazy. Both sides of the gym were packed with fans (the majority of them Santa Teresa). There was a student cheering section as well as cheerleaders. The entire gym was loud, especially since Santa Teresa played well and eventually beat Washington 70-60. I don't know if Santa Teresa is like this every game they play, but it was definitely a boost to their team and hostile to the visiting Washington team.
The Santa Teresa team deserves some credit too. I haven't watched a ton of varsity basketball games this year but Santa Teresa was one of the better teams I have seen. Santa Teresa shot the lights out from three point land, had great fundamentals, played hard defense and crashed the boards. In my opinion, Santa Teresa was probably the best team Washington had seen in recent weeks. I don't think Washington had seen such a balanced team in a while and that proved frustrating. Washington's defense couldn't lay back as Santa Teresa would hit the three's. If Washington played tight, Santa Teresa was able to blow by the defenders.
The Washington team wasn't bad though. While I am not a graduate of Washington, I had officiated one of their games during this past season and knew the coach personally. After winning the San Francisco AAA championship against Mission last week (first championship since 1982), I was curious how Washington would do in the bright lights of the CIF State Playoffs.
Some of the things I had noticed during the AAA championship game came to light against Santa Teresa. Washington and Mission both thrive on up tempo games as evidenced by the 75-72 final score in the championship. I thought it was interesting that Washington didn't hit a lot of outside jumpers. Most of their shots were put backs or layups.
This proved to be a key against Santa Teresa. With Santa Teresa hitting their shots, Washington was forced to play half court and had trouble generating offense. They went through a cold streak from halfway through the first quarter into the second quarter and allowed Santa Teresa to pull away to a 20 point lead. Washington never really challenged after that.
While it was a tough night for Washington, they should keep their heads high for making a great effort. Good luck to Santa Teresa as they travel to Sacramento for their next game.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
San Francisco Giants: National League West Champions 2010!
I had a bit of an interesting day today. I was scheduled to officiate some youth basketball games from 11 AM to 2 PM near Downtown San Francisco. Then at 6:30 PM, I was scheduled to play in an adult basketball league a few miles away. That left me quite a bit of dead time in between. I could have gone home but my 6:30 PM game was closer to where I was than home.
After I finished officiating at 2 PM, I realized that the gym had the San Francisco Giants / San Diego Padres game on. This game was a huge one. It was the final regular season game for both teams. For San Francisco, it was win or they had to travel to San Diego to play a tiebreaker game. For San Diego, it was win or go home.
The Giants managed to pull out a 3-0 win and clinch the National League West Championship. This will the Giants first playoff appearance since 2003. This reminds of 2002 when there was so much excitement because the Giants made the World Series that year. The Giants had a great chance to win but unfortunately lost in seven games. My friend and I actually made a trip to Southern California in 2002 to watch Game 6 and were bitterly disappointed.
In any case, I like the 2010 edition of the San Francisco Giants and have a feeling they might go far.
For the moment, the Giants are basking in the glory of their victory but starting tomorrow, they will need to get back to business.
After I finished officiating at 2 PM, I realized that the gym had the San Francisco Giants / San Diego Padres game on. This game was a huge one. It was the final regular season game for both teams. For San Francisco, it was win or they had to travel to San Diego to play a tiebreaker game. For San Diego, it was win or go home.
The Giants managed to pull out a 3-0 win and clinch the National League West Championship. This will the Giants first playoff appearance since 2003. This reminds of 2002 when there was so much excitement because the Giants made the World Series that year. The Giants had a great chance to win but unfortunately lost in seven games. My friend and I actually made a trip to Southern California in 2002 to watch Game 6 and were bitterly disappointed.
In any case, I like the 2010 edition of the San Francisco Giants and have a feeling they might go far.
For the moment, the Giants are basking in the glory of their victory but starting tomorrow, they will need to get back to business.
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