Kamijiroan Basketball Association (Domestic)

by **Kamijiro** » Sat May 20, 2023 10:13 pm

OOC: Decided to migrate the stuff in my dispatches to here

Good morning Kamijiro! Today, I am pleased to announce the founding of a new professional sports league, the Kamijiro Basketball Association. We are glad to note that there are 10 teams in total and two conferences, five in each. Both conferences are made of five teams from each island, which will be listed alphabetically by location below.

Jiro Island Conference:
- Hanayuki Tenno
- Havenstad Hawks
- Little Osaka Kaiju
- Porto Jiro Suns
- Ulta'i Ali'i

Kami Island Conference:
- Hikarimachi Lightning
- Isla Flores Flamingos
- Jardim Azul Dolphins
- New Volendam Orange
- St. Jerome Power

Without further ado, the starting fives for the ten teams, with non-Kamijiroans italicized and their nationalities listed.

Hanayuki Tenno:
- Devin Moore (PG), American, age 23
- Mamadi Diakite (SG), Guinean, age 24
- Clark White (SF), American, age 25
- Damjan Magdevski (PF), Macedonian, age 25
- Wataru Nishioka (C), Japanese, age 29

Havenstad Hawks
- Leonardo Prince (PG), Kamijiroan, age 24
- Damir Rikic (SG), Bosnian, age 24
- Nikolaos Spyridonidis (SF), Greek, age 26
- Raphaël Dondon (PF), French, age 32
- Manu Gayoso (C), Spanish, age 24

Hikarimachi Lightning:
- Oscar Gustafsson (PG), Swedish, age 25
- Brent Quiñones (SG), Filipino, age 24
- Jia Hanlin (SF), Chinese, age 22
- Yukiyoshi Shigematsu (PF), Japanese, age 25
- Greg Gurley (C), American, age 28

Isla Flores Flamingos:
- Jamie Sobey (PG), Australian, age 29
- Camron White (SG), American, age 27
- Domen Novak (SF), Slovenian, age 23
- Renato Ruggiero (PF), Italian, age 24
- Nemanja Mijatovic (C), Serbian, age 26

Jardim Azul Dolphins:
- Uwe Otto (PG), German, age 25
- Gordan Suput (SG), Croatian, age 26
- Assane Riviere (SF), French, age 26
- Stanley O'Connor (PF), American, age 22
- Karolis Vasylius (C), Lithuanian, age 23

Little Osaka Kaiju:
- Joachim Klein (PG), German, age 27
- Jung Yeong-Hwan (SG), South Korean, age 22
- Mangok Leek (SF), Sudanese, age 26
- Ben McMath (PF), Australian, age 25
- Alain Delmas (C), French, age 24

New Volendam Orange:
- Danny Anigbogu (PG), American, age 27
- Michail Papadatos (SG), Greek, age 24
- Luka Pekovic (SF), Montenegrin, age 24
- Ikechukwu Makanjuola (PF), Nigerian, age 23
- Gino Purdom (C), Kamijiroan, age 25

Porto Jiro Suns:
- Piotr Pawlak (PG), Polish, age 25
- Tim Walker (SG), American, age 27
- Karlo Gabric (SF), Croatian, age 22
- Ryuji Kitamura (PF), Kamijiroan, age 23
- Horacio Yepes (C), Spanish, age 23

St. Jerome Power:
- Filip Vranes (PG), Serbian, age 25
- Christopher Jackson (SG), Kamijiroan, age 25
- Bryan Faure (SF), French, age 30
- Charro Maldonaldo (PF), Argentine, age 22
- Oscar Pellegrini (C), Spanish, age 22

Ulta'i Ali'i:
- Kagetaka Mabuchi (PG), Japanese, age 30
- Morakinyo Okereafor (SG), English, age 29
- Justo Ocaña (SF), Spanish, age 28
- Adrian MacLeod (PF), Canadian, age 24
- Mangok Maker (C), Sudanese, age 30

The league has very few Kamijiroan talents, but the upcoming draft classes offer a lot of potential for the Kamijiroan game. The draft system does not involve a lottery, instead opting for a pure "worst-to-best" system for all ten teams. The salary cap is set at 250 million jiroes. The pre-season power rankings favor the Hikarimachi Lightning to win the league, with odds as low as +250 being offered at Kamijiroan sportsbooks.

by **Kamijiro** » Sat May 20, 2023 10:14 pm

The Slam Dunk Event Contestants:
1. Jung Yeong-Hwan
2. Mamadi Diakite
3. Joachim Klein
4. Nikolaos Spyridonidis

First round:
Jung Yeong-Hwan did a free-throw line alley-oop to himself, followed by a honey dip finish. Judges gave him a 48.
Mamadi Diakite attempted a free-throw line alley-oop to himself, with a double-clutch honey dip combo. He failed to make one in three tries, judges gave him a 0.
Joachim Klein did a 720 degree dunk right at the rim, which the judges gave him a 50 for.
Nikolaos Spyridonidis did a 540 degree dunk right at the rim, which the judges gave him a 32 for.

Second round:
Jung Yeong-Hwan did an off-backboard alley-oop into a behind the back dunk, which the judges gave him a 30 for.
Mamadi Diakite did an alley-oop off the side of the backboard to himself, and followed it with a between-the-legs dunk. Judges gave him a 48.
Joachim Klein attempted a 540 off of an alley-oop. He failed to make one, scoring a 0.
Nikolaos Spyridonidis did a lob to himself from the three point line, which he caught off the bounce and dunked. He got a 37.

Third round (two highest combined scores advance):
Jung Yeong-Hwan did a 360 degree dunk after lobbing it to himself off of the side of the backboard. He got a 44.
Nikolaos Spyridonidis slammed home a dunk between the legs off the side of the backboard and received a 50.

Jung Yeong-Hwan did a between the legs from right in front of the backboard and received a 31, bringing his final round total to a 75.
Nikolaos Spyridonidis failed to make a single dunk, needing just a 26 to win the contest and instead trying too hard to stun the judges. He received a 0, bringing his final round total to 50.

Jung Yeong-Hwan is the first ever KBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion!

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The Three-Point Shootout Contestants:
1. Jamie Sobey
2. Leo Barlera
3. Brent Quiñones
4. Piotr Pawlak
5. Oscar Gustafsson
6. Raphaël Dondon
7. Luka Pekovic
8. Bryan Faure

Round One (top four advance):
Jamie Sobey scored 17, making 3 money-balls, for a total of 14 made shots.
Leo Barlera scored 13, making 2 money-balls, for a total of 11 made shots.
Brent Quiñones scored 21, making 4 money-balls, for a total of 17 made shots.
Piotr Pawlak scored 23, making 4 money-balls, for a total of 19 made shots.
Oscar Gustafsson scored 20, making 5 money-balls, for a total of 15 made shots.
Raphaël Dondon scored 22, making 4 money-balls, for a total of 18 made shots.
Luka Pekovic scored 26, making 3 money-balls, for a total of 23 made shots.
Bryan Faure scored 13, making 1 money-ball, for a total of 12 made shots.

Round Two, shooters in order of points scored in previous round (top two advance):
Luka Pekovic scored 26, making 4 money-balls, for a total of 22 made shots.
Piotr Pawlak scored 20, making 3 money-balls, for a total of 17 made shots.
Raphaël Dondon scored 22, making 5 money-balls, for a total of 17 made shots.
Brent Quiñones scored 25, making 5 money-balls, for a total of 20 made shots.

Final Round, shooters in order of points scored in previous round:
Luka Pekovic scored 23, making 4 money-balls, for a total of 19 made shots.
Brent Quiñones scored 24, making 4 money-balls, for a total of 20 made shots.

Brent Quiñones is the first ever KBA Three-Point Shootout Winner!
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All-Star Rosters

Team Bryan (Bryan Faure of St. Jerome Power is Captain)
Bryan Faure (STJ)
Brent Quiñones (HIK)
Clark White (HAN)
Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV)
Raphaël Dondon (HAV)
Greg Gurley (HIK)
Gordan Suput (AZU)
Tomas Zemgulis (HAN)
Kagetaka Mabuchi (ULT)
Morakinyo Okereafor (ULT)
Holgeir Kjársson (NVO)
Joachim Klein (LOS)

Team Jamie (Jamie Sobey of Isla Flora Flamingos is Captain)
Jamie Sobey (ISF)
Mangok Maker (ULT)
Oscar Gustafsson (HIK)
Luka Pekovic (NVO)
Michail Papadatos (NVO)
Damjan Magdevski (HAN)
Tim Walker (PJI)
Wataru Nishioka (HAN)
Piotr Pawlak (PJI)
Adrian MacLeod (ULT)
Ryuji Kitamura (PJI)
Oscar Pellegrini (STJ)

The game was won by Team Bryan, 144-123.

Stat leaders for each team:
Points (BRY): Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV), 23
Points (JAM): Luka Pekovic (NVO), 21

Rebounds (BRY): Morakinyo Okereafor (ULT) and Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV), 8
Rebounds (JAM): Mangok Maker (ULT), 9

Assists (BRY): Joachim Klein (LOS), Kagetaka Mabuchi (ULT) and Morakinyo Okereafor (ULT), 9
Assists (JAM): Oscar Gustafsson (HIK), 8

Blocks (BRY): Greg Gurley (HIK), Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV) and Clark White (HAN), 1
Blocks (JAM): Oscar Pellegrini (STJ) and Jamie Sobey (ISF), 2

Steals (BRY): Bryan Faure (STJ), Morakinyo Okereafor (ULT) and Brent Quiñones (HIK), 2
Steals (JAM): Oscar Gustafsson (HIK), Adrian MacLeod (ULT), Mangok Maker (ULT) and Luka Pekovic (NVO), 1

Threes (BRY): Joachim Klein (LOS), 5
Threes (JAM): Luka Pekovic (NVO), 5

All-Star MVP: Nikolaos Spyridonidis (23 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal. Shot 9/15 from the field, incl. 3/7 from deep)

TLDR
Slam Dunk Contest Winner: Jung Yeong-Hwan
Three Point Shootout Winner: Brent Quiñones
All-Star MVP: Nikolaos Spyridonidis

by **Kamijiro** » Sat May 20, 2023 10:15 pm

The regular season has drawn to a close, bringing with it the playoffs. The four highest teams in each conference will face off to determine final seeding, much like the NBA's current play-in tournament. Afterwards, the two teams that win their way in will play a 7 game series to see who plays in the Finals, which is also a 7 game series.

The final table for Jiro Island, with already eliminated teams italicized:
- Havenstad Hawks (26-24), but owns the head-to-head record over Porto Jiro
- Porto Jiro Suns (26-24), but owns the head-to-head record over Hanayuki
- Hanayuki Tenno (26-24)
- Ulta'i Ali'i (24-26)
- Little Osaka Kaiju (20-30)

The final table for Kami Island, with already eliminated teams italicized:
- Hikarimachi Lightning (32-18)
- St. Jerome Power (27-23)
- New Volendam Orange (26-24)
- Isla Flores Flamingos (24-26)
- Jardim Azul Dolphins (19-31)

The one/two seeds will play in their first game for the top seed and homecourt advantage for the Conference Finals.
The three/four seeds will play in their first game for the right to play the loser of the first game for the second playoff spot.

The slate of play-in games are as follows:
A. Havenstad Hawks (H) vs. Porto Jiro Suns (A)
B. Hikarimachi Lightning (H) vs. St. Jerome Power (A)
C. Hanayuki Tenno (H) vs. Ulta'i Ali'i (A)
D. New Volendam Orange (H) vs. Isla Flores Flamingos (A)
E. Loser of A vs. Winner of C
F. Loser of B vs. Winner of D
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The Regular Season Stat Leaders:

Scoring Title and Runners-Up:
1. Brent Quiñones (HIK) - 1,253 points
2. Bryan Faure (STJ) - 1,223 points
3. Jamie Sobey (ISF) - 1,208 points
4. Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV) - 1,085 points
5. Kagetaka Mabuchi (ULT) - 1,026 points

Assists Title and Runners-Up:
1. Uwe Otto (AZU) - 440 assists
2. Oscar Gustafsson (HIK) - 411 assists
3. Morakinyo Okereafor (ULT) - 365 assists
4. Leonardo Prince (HAV) - 354 assists
5. Nick Dennis (HIK) - 347 assists

Rebounding Title and Runners-Up:
1. Mangok Maker (ULT) - 519 rebounds
2. Bryan Faure (STJ) - 486 rebounds
3. Moustapha Diene (HIK) - 404 rebounds
4. Tomas Zemgulis (HAN) - 400 rebounds
5. Antonio Guerra (LOS) - 389 rebounds

Blocks Title and Runners-Up:
1. Karolis Vasylius (AZU) - 107 blocks
2. Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV) - 103 blocks
3. Holgeir Kjársson (NVO) - 91 blocks
4. Greg Gurley (HIK) - 84 blocks
5. Oscar Pellegrini (STJ) - 80 blocks

Steals Title and Runners-Up:
1. Kagetaka Mabuchi (ULT) - 106 steals
2. Brent Quiñones (HIK) - 85 steals
3. Uwe Otto (AZU) - 81 steals
4. Bryan Faure (STJ) - 76 steals
5. Danny Anigbogu (NVO) - 75 steals

Threes Title and Runners-Up:
1. Brent Quiñones (HIK) - 208 threes
2. Bryan Faure (STJ) - 164 threes
3(T). Raphaël Dondon (HAV) - 150 threes
3(T). Luka Pekovic (NVO) - 150 threes
5. Jamie Sobey (ISF) - 145 threes

by **Kamijiro** » Sat May 20, 2023 10:36 pm

First Game: Ulta'i Ali'i (4) @ Hanayuki Tenno (3)

Quarter-by-quarter scoring:
TEAM| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FIN
ULT| 25 | 27 | 31 | 15 | 98
HAN| 17 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 64

An overall disastrous game from Hanayuki, likely due to missing starting guard Devin Moore.
Wataru Nishikoya shot 2/17 from the floor, including 1/10 from outside the arc. Tomas Zemgulis shot 1/11 from the floor as well.
Just an overall disaster-class performance for Hanayuki, who will be looking to improve leaps and bounds before next season.

As for the Ali'i,
Mangok Maker had a dominant game on the glass, grabbing 24 rebounds, including 7 on the offensive end.
Ulta'i had four starters have in double digit scoring, including Morakinyo Okereafor (18), Kagetaka Mabuchi (15), Mangok Maker (15) and Justo Ocaña (15). They also had a near double-double from Kagetaka Mabuchi, who had 9 assists.

The Ali'i will play the loser of the Porto Jiro Suns @ Havenstad Hawks game.
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Second Game: Isla Flores Flamingos (4) @ New Volendam Orange (3)

Quarter-by-quarter scoring:
TEAM| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FIN
ISF| 30 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 94
NVO| 30 | 36 | 22 | 20 | 108

A massive second quarter run condemned the Flamingos to defeat against New Volendam. MVP candidate Jamie Sobey had a game he could be proud of, putting up 26 points and 5 rebounds. It was the lack of production from his teammates that did the team in.

The Orange had a well-rounded team effort, with all five starters recording double digits in the points column, including 20 from Luka Pekovic, 19 from Gino Purdom, 17 from Danny Anigbogu, 12 from Holgeir Kjársson and 10 from Michail Papadatos. All five of them also had at least a +10 scoring difference when on the floor as well.

The Orange will play the loser of the St. Jerome Power @ Hikarimachi Lightning game.
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Third Game: Porto Jiro Suns (2) @ Havenstad Hawks (1)

Quarter-by-quarter scoring:

TEAM| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FIN
PJI| 31 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 93
HAV| 41 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 115

A highly anticipated game turned into a wire-to-wire blowout for the Hawks sees their MVP candidate show off why he's one of the front runners. Nikolaos Spyridonidis had a double-double, putting up 36 points and 10 rebounds. Manu Gayozo also had a double-double, putting up 14 and 10, as well as Raphaël Dondon putting up 13 and 11.

As for the Suns, Edward Kitamura had one of the worst shooting performances of his career, going 1/10 from the floor and scoring just 3 points in 33 minutes played. All combined, the Suns shot just 34.4% from the field, including 24.2% from three. A game to forget before they go play the Ali'i next.
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Fourth Game: St. Jerome Power (2) @ Hikarimachi Lightning (1)

Quarter-by-quarter scoring:

TEAM| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FIN
STJ| 22 | 15 | 24 | 21 | 82
HIK| 34 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 112

The Lightning drubbed their opponents, winning by a 30-point spread. Greg Gurley (23) and Brent Quiñones (22) both had over 20 points, with Gurley putting up 15 rebounds to go with his points. Gurley had a very efficient game, going 10/12 from the floor, and also had 3 blocks. Moustapha Diene had 13 points to round out the Lightning players in double digits.

The Power were embarrassed from start to finish, failing to register a single lead in the game. They managed a tie at 8-8, but it was all Lightning after that. Bryan Faure had 24 points and Filip Vranes had 16, the only two Power players to score over 10. It was a game to forget for Gino Francis, who shot 3/12 from the field. The next match for the Power will be against the Orange.
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Fifth Game: Ulta'i Ali'i (4) @ Porto Jiro Suns (2)

Quarter-by-quarter scoring:

TEAM| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FIN
ULT| 36 | 28 | 18 | 21 | 103
PJI| 20 | 26 | 28 | 11 | 85

A shock win for the Ali'i as they sneak their way from the 4-seed all the way to the Jiro Island Finals! They drubbed the Suns despite moments in the third quarter where it looked like a major comeback was on the cards. The Ali'i tightened up their defense in the fourth to prevent a comeback. Kagetaka Mabuchi scored a team-high 27 points. Mangok Maker had 12 points and 20 rebounds.

As for the Suns, a disappointing and bitter end to their season, as they went from being favored to make the Jiro Island Finals to ending out their season on back-to-back blowout losses. Tim Walker had 15 points, as did Ryuji Kitamura. Piotr Pawlak had 14. The Suns will do their best to bounce back next season.
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Sixth Game: New Volendam Orange (3) @ St. Jerome Power (2)

TEAM| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FIN
NVO| 45 | 18 | 30 | 21 | 114
STJ| 37 | 22 | 13 | 23 | 95

Neither 2-seed ends up making their Island Finals, as the Power had a terribly timed injury to star player Bryan Faure in the first quarter, which derailed any chance of them making an Island Final appearance. The Power can count themselves unlucky for this reason, despite being down 7 when Faure was injured. Oscar Pellegrini scored 19 points, Filip Vranes had 16, Leo Barlera had 13 and Rokas Lekavicius had 12, but their well-rounded scoring efforts were for naught.

The Orange can be very proud of their efforts, despite the injury to Faure. Michail Papadatos scored a game-high 32 points and made 6 three pointers. Danny Anigbogu scored 24 and had 4 assists. Luka Pekovic had 15 and Ismaila Iduwe had 11 to round out the double-digit scoring for New Volendam.
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Island Finals are set!
Jiro Island Final: Havenstad Hawks vs. Ulta'i Ali'i.
Kami Island Final: Hikarimachi Lightning vs. New Volendam Orange.

by **Kamijiro** » Sun May 21, 2023 7:44 pm

The inaugural Jiro Island Finals are underway, with the Havenstad Hawks hosting the Ulta'i Ali'i to begin the series.

Game One: Ulta'i Ali'i 106 @ Havenstad Hawks 97
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: ULT 25 - 24 HAV
Q2: ULT 30 - 28 HAV
Q3: ULT 36 - 21 HAV
Q4: ULT 15 - 24 HAV

Ulta'i takes over home-court advantage in the first game, owing to another double-double from Mangok Maker, who put up 18 points and 16 rebounds. Morakinyo Okereafor had a double-double as well, with 24 points and 14 assists. Kagetaka Mabuchi had 22.

As for Havenstad, Nikolaos Spridonidis had 24 points and 10 blocks, becoming the first ever player to block 10 shots in a game in the KBA, and nearly had a triple-double, as he had 8 rebounds. Havenstad had 5 players score double digit points. Their relative inefficiency (38.0% from the floor) likely cost them the game, especially considering Ulta'i shot 44.8% from the field.

Series Score: Havenstad 0-1 Ulta'i

Game Two: Ulta'i Ali'i 135 @ Havenstad Hawks 128
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: ULT 28 - 29 HAV
Q2: ULT 37 - 34 HAV
Q3: ULT 37 - 29 HAV
Q4: ULT 33 - 36 HAV

The Ali'i head home with a two game lead in the series. Another monster double-double from Mangok Maker sees him put up 26 points and 21 rebounds, the first 20/20 game of his career. Morakinyo Okereafor scored 37 points to lead both teams in scoring.

Nikolaos Spyridonidis had another great game for Havenstad, putting up 26 points and 8 rebounds. Leonardo Prince had 24 as well, putting on a good showing for Kamijiroan athletes. Raphaël Dondon had 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Series Score: Havenstad 0-2 Ulta'i

Game Three: Havenstad Hawks 106 @ Ulta'i Ali'i 133
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: HAV 27 - 37 ULT
Q2: HAV 21 - 41 ULT
Q3: HAV 37 - 31 ULT
Q4: HAV 21 - 24 ULT

Havenstad are in dire straits after going down 0-3 in the series, with little hope of turning the series around after being blown out on the road. Raphaël Dondon led the Hawks in scoring, putting up a respectable 26 points on 8/14 shooting. Indiana Murphy, the Hawks starting power forward, put up a disastrous -28 plus/minus when on the floor.

The Ali'i are one game off of making the Inter-Island Final. Kagetaka Mabuchi led the team in scoring, putting up 28 points. Mangok Maker had another double-double, this time putting up 16 points and 14 rebounds. All five Ali'i starters had double digit points, with the lower being Maker and Justo Ocaña, both of whom scored 16.

Series Score: Havenstad 0-3 Ulta'i

Game Four: Havenstad Hawks 124 @ Ulta'i Ali'i 112
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: HAV 27 - 20 ULT
Q2: HAV 24 - 32 ULT
Q3: HAV 37 - 26 ULT
Q4: HAV 36 - 34 ULT

Havenstad stave off a sweep, scraping an away win off of the Ali'i. Nikolaos Spyridonidis had 30, Raphaël Dondon had 28 and Indiana Murphy had 25.

As for the Ali'i, Morayinko Okoreafor had 24 points and 7 assists, Mangok Maker had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Collins Hobby had 21 points and 11 rebounds. They definitely caught the turnover bug, as they turned the ball over a total of 24 times, compared to the Hawks' 10.

Series Score: Havenstad 1-3 Ulta'i

Game Five: Ulta'i Ali'i 132 @ Havenstad Hawks 125
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: ULT 32 - 34 HAV
Q2: ULT 42 - 31 HAV
Q3: ULT 23 - 27 HAV
Q4: ULT 35 - 33 HAV

The Ali'i are Jiro Island Champions! Another great game for Morakinyo Okoreafor as he leads all scorers with 33 points. Mangok Maker had his fifth double-double in as many games by putting up 14 points and 15 rebounds. Justo Ocaña had 20 points and Kagetaka Mabuchi had 19.

The Hawks can be very disappointed with how their season ends, especially considering they were favored to win the Jiro Island Finals before the Play-in Tournament. They also failed to register a single win at home in the playoffs. Raphaël Dondon's 24 and Nikolaos Spyridonidis' 21 paced the Hawks in scoring, but their bench was their downfall, as the second unit only put up a combined 35 points.

Final Series Score: Havenstad 1-4 Ulta'i
Ulta'i are Jiro Island Champions!

by **Kamijiro** » Sun May 21, 2023 8:50 pm

The inaugural Kami Island Finals are underway, with the Hikarimachi Lightning hosting the New Volendam Orange to begin the series.

Game One: New Volendam Orange 94 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 120
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: NVO 21 - 29 HIK
Q2: NVO 25 - 30 HIK
Q3: NVO 21 - 24 HIK
Q4: NVO 27 - 37 HIK

A thorough display from the Lightning sees off the Orange in game one, protecting their home-court advantage. Hikarimachi's Brent Quiñones led all scorers with 37 points. Greg Gurley had a double-double, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Moustapha Diene had a double-double off the bench, putting up 12 points and 10 rebounds.

As for the Orange, it was their lack of scoring efficiency that did them in, as the team shot a combined 41.8%. Luka Pekovic led the team in scoring with 25 on 10/13 shooting, a very solid looking game from him, but not enough to bring his team's percentages up. Giuseppe Amato had 22 points off the bench on 8/13 shooting.

Series Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 1-0 New Volendam Orange

Game Two: New Volendam Orange 100 @ Hikarimachi Lighting 113
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: NVO 25 - 29 HIK
Q2: NVO 26 - 37 HIK
Q3: NVO 21 - 22 HIK
Q4: NVO 28 - 23 HIK

Brent Quiñones once again scored 37 points, which was enough to put the Orange to the sword. Greg Gurley had another double-double, putting up 22 points and 15 rebounds. Their star power led them over the line, with it being a relatively low-scoring performance from most players outside of Quiñones and Gurley.

The Orange were led by Michail Papadatos, who had 31 points on 11/19 shooting with 9 rebounds. Luka Pekovic had 21 points and Danny Anigbogu had 11 points and 10 assists. Overall, it was a good game from the Orange, it just wasn't enough to prevent a loss away from home.

Series Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 2-0 New Volendam Orange

Game Three: Hikarimachi Lighting 95 @ New Volendam Orange 99
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: HIK 33 - 33 NVO
Q2: HIK 23 - 19 NVO
Q3: HIK 13 - 22 NVO
Q4: HIK 25 - 27 NVO

A low-scoring affair sees the Orange protect their home court. Michail Papadatos scored 19, Luka Pekovic had 16 and Gino Purdom had 15. All three were the only players to score 10+ points for the Orange. Danny Anigbogu had 10 assists. Ismaila Iduwe had 12 rebounds.

As for the Lightning, an uncharacteristically bad shooting performance plagued the team, as Brent Quiñones, Greg Gurley and Oscar Gustafsson combined for 17/52 shooting. Fabio Sacco, the diminutive power forward, had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but had a +/- of -22.

Series Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 2-1 New Volendam Orange

Game Four: Hikarimachi Lighting 98 @ New Volendam Orange 90
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: HIK 33 - 30 NVO
Q2: HIK 17 - 14 NVO
Q3: HIK 18 - 23 NVO
Q4: HIK 30 - 23 NVO

The Orange fail to see out their home games, as the Lightning move to a 3-1 lead in the Jiro Island Finals. Another low-scoring affair from both teams, Luka Pekovic and Michail Papadatos led the Orange with 17 each. Gino Purdom had 13, and Giuseppe Amato had 10 off the bench, including a +/- of +20.

The Lightning were lead by Greg Gurley's 24 points and Brent Quiñones' 20 points. Oscar Gustafsson had 11 assists and 10 points. They combined for a very strong closing period to close out the game. The Lightning can count themselves fortunate that the Orange fell apart the way they did in the fourth quarter.

Series Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 3-1 New Volendam Orange

Game Five: New Volendam Orange 82 - Hikarimachi Lightning 112
Below are the quarter-by-quarter breakdowns:
Q1: NVO 18 - 32 HIK
Q2: NVO 30 - 21 HIK
Q3: NVO 15 - 28 HIK
Q4: NVO 19 - 31 HIK

The Lightning are Kami Island Champions! A great game for the Lightning and their talismanic shooting guard Brent Quiñones, who scored 31 points and had 8 rebounds. Quiñones had a +/- of +41. Oscar Gustafsson had 19 points and 9 rebounds.

The Orange, on the other hand, put up a weak fight en route to their elimination. Outside of the second quarter, they lost every quarter by over 10+ points. Holgeir Kjársson and Luka Pekovic led the Orange in scoring with 15 a piece. Danny Anigbogu and Michail Papadatos both had 12. The Orange will be looking to bounce back next season, despite their failure to reach the Kamijiro Islands Finals.

Finals Series Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 4-1 New Volendam Orange
Hikarimachi are Kami Island Champions!

by **Kamijiro** » Tue May 23, 2023 9:30 pm

The Finals are upon us!

The first ever Kamijiroan Basketball Association Finals pits the Ulta'i Ali'i of Jiro Island facing off against the Hikarimachi Lightning of Kami Island!

This is a seven-game series, the first team to win four games wins the first ever Kamijiro Basketball Trophy (name to be determined).
All games will be broadcasted on KBC Channel 7, with replays being available on KBA.com 24 hours after game time.

Preview: Hikarimachi and Ulta'i split their season series, 2-2, with both teams taking a game at home and on the road against each other. The Lightning are favored to win the series, but the Ali'i should prove to be stiff competition. The Ali'i are captained by their guard duo of Kagetaka Mabuchi and Morakinyo Okoreafor, along with towering center Mangok Maker, the double-double machine who has averaged 19.1 points and 11.8 rebounds over the course of the season. The Lightning, on the other hand, are led by league-leading scorer shooting guard Brent Quiñones and their center Greg Gurley, who averages 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Game One:
Opening Spread: Hikarimachi -7

The Lightning are expected to take full advantage of their home-court advantage here. Brent Quiñones has been quoted as saying: "We have the best fans in Kamijiro, and we fully expect to have their presence felt for all 48 minutes today." When asked what it would mean for Hikarimachi to win the league in the inaugural season, Quiñones said "It would mean the world to us as a team to bring such an honor to the fans so early on in the team's history. I fully expect us to bring home the title for our fans." Kagetaka Mabuchi fired back in the press immediately, saying "He's acting like it's already decided. We are no pushovers, and we expect to win every game, despite what everybody else says about us."

Final Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 107 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 95
A stunning victory for the Ali'i, coming off of the heels of the perceived cockiness of Brent Quiñones, who had promised a win for the Lightning in the press prior to the game. The Ali'i were led by the scoring of Morakinyo Okoreafor, who scored a game-high 31 on 13/18 shooting. Kagetaka Mabuchi scored 21 on 8/15 shooting, and Mangok Maker put up another double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

As for the Lightning, it was their extremely cold shooting that did them in. None of their starters shot above 50%, with Fabio Sacco going just 1/10 from the floor and Marc Dahi going 0/9. Neither of their performances boded well for them, as they have been shown as the "weak links" in the starting unit of the Lightning. Brent Quiñones, the Lightning's talisman, scored just 19 points on 16 shots. Of course, the team will be looking for a bounce back after such an embarrassing shooting performance on their home floor.

Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 1-0 Hikarimachi Lightning

Game Two:
Opening Spread: Hikarimachi -6

Despite their less-than-stellar performance in game one, the Lightning are still favored on their homecourt. Even if they manage a win here, they will surely be displeased with their performance defending their homecourt. Greg Gurley of the Lightning said, "We know what went wrong in game one, we just have to execute better. If we can't execute basic plays and finish the open looks we get off of them, we don't stand a chance." Mangok Maker of the Ali'i was quoted as saying "More of the same for us will do us well. We defended well, prevented them from running their plays, and quite frankly outplayed them."

Final Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 99 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 116

A game that was close until the middle of the third quarter and closed out by the Lightning, it was the performance of Oscar Gustafsson that stood out the most, as he scored 27 points on just 9 field goal attempts, going an impressive 8/9, including 3/3 from deep. He went 8/8 from the charity stripe as well. Greg Gurley had a monster double-double, scoring 24 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Moustapha Diene had 15 points off the bench, along with grabbing 8 boards, helping solidify the second unit's efforts for the Lightning.

The Ali'i have a lot to work on, specifically their three point shooting. Outside of their best shooters, Morakinyo Okoreafor (26 points), Kagetaka Mabuchi (27 points) and Justo Ocaña (17 points), it was a very bad showing, with five players having multiple three point attempts and zero makes, including an ugly 0/6 from deep from Mangok Maker. Collins Hobby had 7 points and 12 rebounds, Maker had 9 points and 13 rebounds, failing to register a double-double for the first time this post-season.

Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 1-1 Hikarimachi Lightning

Game Three:
Opening Spread: Ulta'i -1

After doing well to steal a game on the road, the Ali'i return home hoping to win both games. The oddsmakers think that they are the favorites here, even if by the slimmest of margins. The Lightning have it all to do, going on the road hoping to at least steal one game to re-gain mathematical home-court advantage. Morakinyo Okoreafor was quoted as saying "We have them where we want them. Coach was telling us before the series even started, 'if we take at least one of the first two in Hikarimachi, we can definitely win this series.' We did that, and we hope we can defend our home-court now." On the other hand, Fabio Sacco went on record saying, "We know what we have to do. I did not do a great job at home, and it cost our team a game. We must win one of these two games, there is no plan B."

Final Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 105 @ Ulta'i Ali'i 121

Another game that stayed much closer than the score indicated. The Lightning were actually leading by two at the halftime break, but the Ali'i outscored them by seven in the third and eleven in the fourth to win the game handily. Another shaky performance shooting the rock from Brent Quiñones must have the Lightning fans worried, as he made just 8 of his 24 attempts from the floor, scoring just 20 points overall. Marc Dahi had a much-improved performance compared to games one and two, shooting 5/6 from the field and scoring 14 points.

As for Ulta'i, it was the performance of Mangok Maker that stood out the most. He scored 28 points to lead all scorers, along with grabbing 11 rebounds, another double-double under his belt. Even with off nights from Kagetaka Mabuchi (15 points) and Morakinyo Okoreafor (18 points), the rest of the team picked up the slack, with Justo Ocaña putting up a respectable 14 points and Collins Hobby scoring 12. Adrian MacLeod scored 11 points off the bench. All eyes will be on them in game four to see if they can pull ahead into a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 2-1 Hikarimachi Lightning

Game Four:
Opening Spread: Ulta'i -1

With the potential to go up 3-1 in the series, the Ali'i will be looking to close out their home stand with another win. The bookies are saying that they have every chance to do so tonight, with home-court advantage and seemingly all the momentum in the world on their side. Brent Quiñones has reportedly snapped at his teammates in the locker room, saying that they have all been pathetic so far and that they need to play like the favorites they were meant to be. If this is true, there's a chance that it reflects in chippier play from the Lightning.

Final score: Hikarimachi Lightning 121 @ Ulta'i Ali'i 123

The Ali'i secure a 3-1 lead through the powerful performance of Mangok Maker. He scored 36 points and grabbed 9 boards, putting up a playoffs career high in scoring. His scoring effort was complimented by the overall solid performance of Kagetaka Mabuchi, who put up 23 points and 9 assists. Morakinyo Okoreafor had 17 points and 13 assists.

Another disappointing performance from Brent Quiñones has fans wondering if he's afraid of the bright lights. He shot a disappointing 4 of 15 from the field, scoring just 16 points. The Lightning's scoring was spearheaded by Greg Gurley, who put up 20 points and 12 rebounds. Fabio Sacco had 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Moustapha Diene had 9 points/11 rebounds off the bench.

Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 3-1 Hikarimachi Lightning

Game Five:
Opening Spread: Hikarimachi -6

The Lightning head home with their backs to the wall. They can't lose another game, or their entire season is down the drain. After coming close in game four on the road, they must believe that they have a good shot to win this game at home. Brent Quiñones reportedly has told his agent that he will request a trade if the Lightning fail to win this series, but this seems to just be the musings of an extremely frustrated star. As for the Ali'i, they are on the brink of winning the first ever Kamijiro Basketball Trophy, and they will be looking to bring home the silverware today.

Final Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 100 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 119

Disaster strikes for Ulta'i, as star guard Morakinyo Okoreafor goes down late on in the game with a sprained foot. He could potentially miss the rest of the series, much to the dismay of the Ali'i. They will be looking for support from either Adrian MacLeod, Anthony Contador or Bogdan Novakovic in Game Six. In the actual game itself, Kagetaka Mabuchi put up 31 points on 12 of 20 shooting, and Mangok Maker put up 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lightning have regained some momentum, both in the unfortunate injury to Okoreafor and in the performance of Brent Quiñones, who put up 37 points and 10 rebounds, his first big scoring game of the series. Greg Gurley put up a monster game as well, putting up 25 points and 20 rebounds, the first 20/20 game of his playoff career. Oscar Gustafsson recorded 17 points and 14 assists. All in all, this was a monster statistical game for the Lightning's stars.

Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 3-2 Hikarimachi Lightning

Game Six:
Opening Spread: Hikarimachi -4

Despite homecourt advantage, the Ali'i are underdogs due to the injury to Okoreafor. They have the ability to close out the series at home, but it may not be viable now that they are under-manned. Okoreafor is listed as a game-time decision, but he has allegedly already told team staff that there is "no shot in hell" that he would miss the Finals over a sprained foot. He will play, but will be hobbled. The Lightning will be looking to bring the series to a decisive game seven on their home floor.

Final Score: Hikarimachi Lightning 102 @ Ulta'i Ali'i 84

The Ali'i will rue their chances here, as they kept the game close until the fourth quarter, where they completely fell apart, losing the period by 14 points. They were disappointed by the shooting of Justo Ocaña, who shot just 3 of 12 and scored 8 points. They definitely felt they could have won this game.

The Lightning will be more than pleased to have forced a game seven on the road. Even with Brent Quiñones' terrible shooting (5/17 for 14 points), they were able to play their way back home. They were led by the bench scoring, with Jia Hanlin scoring 18 and Moustapha Diene scoring 12 off the bench. Greg Gurley had 20 points.

Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 3-3 Hikarimachi Lightning

Game Seven:
Opening Spread: -11 Hikarimachi

It all comes down to this! A game seven classic after the Ali'i throw away a 3-1 lead. They looked to be holding steady as the inevitable winners of the Finals, but they're crumbling while needing just one more win to take home a trophy. Both team captains are trying to rally their troops, with Kagetaka Mabuchi saying "Everything happens for a reason. We are just one more game away from a trophy, let's bring it home boys!"

End of Quarter One: Ulta'i Ali'i 23 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 43
HIK Leading Scorer: Brent Quiñones (15 points)
ULT Leading Scorer: Mangok Maker (5 points)

Halftime: Ulta'i Ali'i 45 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 71
HIK Leading Scorer: Brent Quiñones (28 points)
ULT Leading Scorer: Bogdan Novakovic (14 points)

End of Quarter Three: Ulta'i Ali'i 71 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 102
HIK Leading Scorer: Brent Quiñones (36 points)
ULT Leading Scorer: Bogdan Novakovic (14 points)

End of Game: Ulta'i Ali'i 101 @ Hikarimachi Lightning 121
HIK Leading Scorer: Brent Quiñones (36 points)
ULT Leading Scorer: Bogdan Novakovic (14 points)

Disaster strikes for Ulta'i, as they have thrown away their 3-1 lead. Their leading scorer was Bogdan Novakovic, who didn't score a single point in the second half. Kagetaka Mabuchi is currently in tears on the bench, as he had a poor performance in this game seven, putting up 20 shots and making just 5 of them. Mangok Maker shot 3 of 11, scoring just 7 points. An overall disaster, going from near-certainties to win the league title to second place in a matter of 3 mere games.

As for Hikarimachi, it was a redemption story for Brent Quiñones, who had a very bad start to his series, but sees him pour on a game-high 36 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, and had five three pointers. He also scored 15 of his 16 free throw attempts. Jia Hanlin had 23 points off the bench, including five three pointers as well. They will look back fondly upon this game seven, which saw them dominate throughout the game on all levels.

Final Series Score: Ulta'i Ali'i 3-4 Hikarimachi Lightning
Kamijiro Finals MVP: Greg Gurley (18.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 0.9 apg)
Jiro Island Finals MVP: Morakinyo Okoreafor (28.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 8.2 apg)
Kami Island Finals MVP: Brent Quiñones (29.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.8 apg)

by **Kamijiro** » Tue May 23, 2023 9:40 pm

Most Valuable Player: Bryan Faure (STJ), averaged 24.5 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game and 5.9 assists per game.
Defensive Player of the Year: Brent Quiñones (HIK), averaged 1.7 steals per game and 0.6 blocks per game.
Sixth Man of the Year: Christopher Jackson (STJ), averaged 10.7 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game and 4.4 assists per game.
Kamijiroan of the Year: Leonardo Prince (HAV), averaged 14.1 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game and 8.2 assists per game.

All-KBA First Team:
Bryan Faure (STJ)
Brent Quiñones (HIK)
Jamie Sobey (ISF)
Clark White (HAN)
Raphaël Dondon (HAV)

All-KBA Second Team:
Tim Walker (PJI)
Oscar Gustafsson (HIK)
Mangok Maker (ULT)
Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV)
Greg Gurley (HIK)

All-KBA Third Team:
Kagetaka Mabuchi (ULT)
Luka Pekovic (NVO)
Michail Papadatos (NVO)
Piotr Pawlak (PJI)
Leonardo Prince (HAV)

All-Defensive First Team:
Brent Quiñones (HIK)
Bryan Faure (STJ)
Greg Gurley (HIK)
Clark White (HAN)
Nikolaos Spyridonidis (HAV)

All-Defensive Second Team:
Raphaël Dondon (HAV)
Domen Novak (ISF)
Kagetaka Mabuchi (ULT)
Jamie Sobey (ISF)
Damjan Magdevski (HAN)

All-Defensive Third Team:
Karolis Vasylius (AZU)
Karlo Gabric (PJI)
Danny Anigbogu (NVO)
Holgeir Kjársson (NVO)
Oscar Pellegrini (STJ)

by **Kamijiro** » Wed May 24, 2023 5:57 pm

The lottery operates in the same fashion as the NBA. The six teams that missed the playoffs are given a chance at the top pick in the draft, weighted by their win-loss percentage, among other things. The teams that missed the playoffs this season are as follows, listed in order of record, worst to best.
1. Jardim Azul Dolphins (19-31) - 18.9% chance at first pick
2. Little Osaka Kaiju (20-30) - 18.9% chance at first pick
3. Isla Flores Flamingos (24-26) - 18.9% chance at first pick
4. Porto Jiro Suns (26-24) - 15.5% chance at first pick
5. Hanayuki Tenno (26-24) - 15.5% chance at first pick
6. St. Jerome Power (27-23) - 12.2% chance at first pick

The lottery results are as follows:
6th - St. Jerome Power
5th - Jardim Azul Dolphins
4th - Porto Jiro Suns
3rd - Little Osaka Kaiju
2nd - Isla Flores Flamingos
1st - Hanayuki Tenno

The Tenno are projected to select enigmatic point guard Vlado Zadrevec from Croatia with the first overall pick. Listed at 5'11", his lack of size has concerned some scouts. His strong suits include his speed and outside shooting, much needed for the Tenno, who are slated to lose either Devin Moore (PG) or Mamadi Diakite in the next free agency cycle.

by **Kamijiro** » Wed May 24, 2023 6:16 pm

The Kamijiroan Basketball Association draft is underway! The King Consort, Kaminari Paixão, will be making an appearance to announce the first ever draft picks in Kamijiro history. His Majesty has had his interest piqued by the league's development over the past season, and reportedly is interested in attending more games next season.

His Majesty steps up to the podium and reads the card with the Hanayuki Tenno's first overall selection, and more.
"The Hanayuki Tenno select, Vlado Zadrevec, from Croatia."
The next card is handed to him...

"The Isla Flores Flamingos select, Radek Grabowski, from Poland."
And the next card...

"The Little Osaka Kaiju select, Paul Taylor, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
You get the idea...

"The Porto Jiro Suns select, Nolan Owens, from Niagara University."

"The Jardim Azul Dolphins select, Ridmonds Rostovs, from Latvia."

"The St. Jerome Power select, James Tuasalamony, from the University of St. Jerome, Kamijiro."

"The Ulta'i Ali'i select, Yaguati Angulo, from Uruguay."

"The Havenstad Hawks select, Pero Stojanovski, from North Macedonia."

"The New Volendam Orange select, Jonathan Howard, from the University of Miami, Florida."

"The Hikarimachi Lightning select, Gino de Jong, from the New Volendam Institute of Technology."
---End of first round---
"The Jardim Azul Dolphins select, Park Sang-Chol, from North Korea."

"The Little Osaka Kaiju select, Jon Spigner, from St. John's University, New York."

"The Ulta'i Ali'i select, Fabijan Creek, from Australia."

"The Isla Flores Flamingos select, Robert Jabłoński, from Poland."

"The New Volendam Orange select, Michael Kitamura, from Leonardo Rafael da Silva High School, Kamijiro."

"The Havenstad Hawks select, Milos Pasajlic, from Serbia."

"The Porto Jiro Suns select, Nikola Rakovic, from Serbia."

"The Hanayuki Tenno select, Francesco Martinelli, from Italy."

"The St. Jerome Power select, Linas Songaila, from Lithuania."

"The Hikarimachi Lightning select, Estevon Alvarez, from Spain."

by **Kamijiro** » Wed May 24, 2023 6:37 pm

All Signings Worth $25+ Million Per Year:
The Kaiju pick up Stanley O'Connor, the former Jardim Azul Dolphin, who averaged 12.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game last season. His deal is a large, $41.93 million per year deal for the next four seasons. His team disappointed last season, and he seemed eager for a fresh start.

The Ali'i sign Raphaël Dondon, the former Havenstad Hawk. He was an All-Star last season and was nominated to an All-KBA team. He averaged 21.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. However, he is already 32 years of age, and as such he got a smaller deal than O'Connor, getting just $36.1 million per year for the next four seasons. The rich get richer?

The Lightning sign Assane Riviere, another former Jardim Azul Dolphin. He was ever-present in their starting lineup last season, scoring a healthy 14.7 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He reportedly will make $27.85 million per year. A huge bench signing for the Lightning.

by **Kamijiro** » Fri May 26, 2023 8:47 pm

With the first tip-off due in just minutes, we take a look at the largest moves and biggest storylines from the offseason.

Most Improved Teams
- Little Osaka Kaiju:

Gained: Stanley O'Connor, one of the best free agent signings of the off-season. Largely expected to improve upon their dead-last finish from last season.

Any reasons to worry: lack of development from Joachim Klein & Ben McMath, both of whom have experienced a sluggish start to pre-season play.

- New Volendam Orange:

Gained: Christopher Jackson via trade. Not a major trade, but should shore up some of their bench guard inconsistency.

Player development: Luka Pekovic looks fantastic so far. He's shooting a much higher clip in the pre-season, especially from long range. Ikechuckwu Makanjuola looks like an early Sixth Man of the Year contender.

Any reasons to worry: Danny Anigbogu appears to have taken a step back, especially in terms of his athleticism. May not be a major concern, but could grow into a problem if the pre-season reports from training camp hold true.

Way-Too-Early Champion Pick and Worst Team Pick
- Champions: Ulta'i Ali'i. Took a good season from last year and improved upon it by adding some talent in free agency, most notably Tomas Zemgulis. Zemgulis was an All-Star last year, and will be coming off the bench behind Mangok Maker, most likely.

- Worst Team: Jardim Azul Dolphins. They got screwed by the draft lottery and followed it up by losing their best players to free agency. They are the worst team in the league talent-wise by far and will be hoping to just keep their games close. If all goes well, their draftees will develop well and provide a solid base for their future. If everything falls apart, then this team could be one of the weakest teams for years to come.

Early Award Picks
- MVP: Luka Pekovic. Looks lethal from deep and has shown a massive improvement in his game.
- DPOY: Kagetaka Mabuchi. Developed on defense during last season and looks much smarter on that end of the floor.
- 6MOTY: Jung Kyu-Bong. In a prime spot to provide cover for Luka Pekovic off the bench and is a very good scorer off the bench.
- ROTY: Park Sang-Chol. Jardim Azul will provide plenty of opportunities for him to shine in his rookie season.
- Kamijiroan of the Year: Leonardo Prince. Likely to hold his title again after putting on a solid showing last year.

by **Kamijiro** » Fri May 26, 2023 10:09 pm

It's officially time for the All-Star Break! That means it's time for the players to kick back, relax, and have some fun at King Consort Kaminari Arena in St. Jerome.
Well, at least for some of the players. It's dunk contest time, three point shootout time or All-Star game time for some of them!

Without further ado, the Slam Dunk Contest!
The Participants: Mamadi Diakite, Luka Pekovic, Nikolaos Spyridonidis, Jung Yeong-Hwan*.
*Jung Yeong-Hwan won last season's Slam Dunk Contest.
The two players that score the most points in the first two rounds advance to the final round.

R1: Nikolaos Spyridonidis. 360 dunk using a pass off the side of the backboard. Judges: 45
R1: Jung Yeong-Hwan. 180 right at the rim. Judges: 12
R1: Mamadi Diakite. Dunk over Fabijan Creek (5'10") from 12 feet out. Judges: 43
R1: Luka Pekovic. Michael Jordan-esque dunk from the free throw line. Judges: 36

R2: Nikolaos Spyridonidis. Lobbed to self from three-point line. Judges: 24, total score 69.
R2: Jung Yeong-Hwan. 540 right at the rim. Judges: 32, total score 44.
R2: Mamadi Diakite. Lobbed to self from three-point line. Judges: 23, total score 66.
R2: Luka Pekovic. Dunk over Fabien Brunet (6'10") right at the rim. Judges: 35, total score 71.

Spyridonidis and Pekovic advance to final rounds.
R3: Luka Pekovic. Lobbed to self from half-court. Judges: 40
R3: Nikolaos Spyridonidis. Dunk over Fabijan Creek (5'10") from 12 feet out. Judges: 44

R4: Luka Pekovic. Lobbed to self from three-point line, jumped from nine feet out. Judges: 38, total score 78.
R4: Nikolaos Spyridonidis. 540 right at the rim. Judges: 32, total score 76.

Luka Pekovic is the Slam Dunk Contest Champion!

The next contest: the Three Point Shootout!
The participants: Raphaël Dondon, Oscar Gustafsson, Jia Hanlin, Michail Papadatos, Luka Pekovic, Brent Quiñones*, Nikolaos Spyridonidis, Filip Vranes.
*Quiñones won last season's Three Point Shootout.
The four players that score the most points in the first round advance to the second round.

1st shooter: Luka Pekovic. 23 points.
2nd shooter: Raphaël Dondon. 24 points.
3rd shooter: Michail Papadatos. 16 points.
4th shooter: Jia Hanlin. 15 points.
5th shooter: Filip Vranes. 18 points.
6th shooter: Oscar Gustafsson. 17 points.
7th shooter: Brent Quiñones. 27 points.
8th shooter: Nikolaos Spyridonidis. 15 points.

- End of Round One. Luka Pekovic, Raphaël Dondon, Filip Vranes and Brent Quiñones advance. -
The two players that score the most points in the second round advance to the second round.

1st shooter: Brent Quiñones. 19 points.
2nd shooter: Raphaël Dondon. 20 points.
3rd shooter: Luka Pekovic. 22 points.
4th shooter: Filip Vranes. 18 points.

- End of Round Two. Raphaël Dondon and Luka Pekovic advance. -

Pekovic: Perfect 5/5 from left corner. Perfect 5/5 from left wing. 4/5 from top of key. 4/5 from right wing. 3/5 from right corner. Made 4 money balls. 25 points.
Dondon: 2/5 from right corner. 4/5 from right wing. 4/5 from top of key. 3/5 from left wing. 5/5 from left corner. Made 5 money balls. 23 points.

Luka Pekovic is the Three Point Shootout Champion!

The next event: the All-Star Game!
The captains: Clark White and Luka Pekovic.
Team Clark: B. Faure, K. Mabuchi, B. McMath, W. Nishioka, S. O'Connor, L. Prince, J. Sobey, G. Suput, A. Tamulis, T. Walker, C. White, J. Yeong-Hwan.
Team Luka: M. Diene, K. Gabric, O. Gustafsson, D. Magdevski, M. Maker, D. Novak, M. Okoreafor, M. Papadatos, L. Pekovic, O. Pellegrini, B. Quiñones, N. Spyridonidis.

The starting lineups:
Team Clark: Bryan Faure, Wataru Nishioka, Stanley O'Connor, Tim Walker, Clark White.
Team Luka: Moustapha Diene, Domen Novak, Michail Papadatos, Luka Pekovic, Brent Quiñones.

First Quarter Results:
Team Luka 44, Team Clark 33. Moustapha Diene has 15 points to lead Team Luka and Bryan Faure has 7 points to lead Team Clark.

Result at Halftime:
Team Luka 74, Team Clark 59. Brent Quiñones has 20 points to lead Team Luka. Bryan Faure has 13 points to lead Team Clark. Spyridonidis picked up an injury and is being evaluated. Brent Quiñones is shooting a perfect 8/8 at the half.

Third Quarter Results:
Team Luka 91, Team Clark 99. Brent Quiñones has 22 points to lead Team Luka. Bryan Faure has 18 points to lead Team Clark. Team Clark outscored Team Luka by a score of 40-17 in the third quarter. Five members of Team Clark already have 10+ points.

Result at End of Fourth:
Team Luka 118, Team Clark 118. It all came down to Luka Pekovic to make a winning three, which he rimmed out. Team Luka mounted a huge comeback, but couldn't hold a late lead, as Team Clark scored six unanswered in the last two minutes to tie the game back up, with Wataru Nishioka making a basket with 20.1 seconds left in the game to force overtime.

Result after Overtime:
Team Luka 140, Team Clark 145. It was the Clark White show in overtime, as he scored 9 of his team's 27, including some clutch free throws to seal the deal. It was an unfortunate series of events for Team Luka, as they just couldn't get their shots to fall in the last couple of minutes. Luka Pekovic's three at the buzzer was mere consolation. This also prevents Luka Pekovic from sweeping the All-Star Weekend awards.

Clark White is the All-Star Game MVP!

The standings at the All-Star Break:
Jiro Island: 1. Hanayuki Tenno (22-13), 2. Little Osaka Kaiju (22-13), 3. Havenstad Hawks (17-18), 4. Porto Jiro Suns (16-18), 5. Ulta'i Ali'i (15-20).
Kami Island: 1. Hikarimachi Lightning (24-11), 2. St. Jerome Power (21-15), 3. New Volendam Orange (17-18), 4. Isla Flores Flamingos (15-20), 5. Jardim Azul Dolphins (6-29)

Award Races:
MVP: 1. Clark White (21.5p, 8.9r, 5.7a), 2. Brent Quiñones (24.1p, 6.0r, 2.1a), 3. Luka Pekovic (27.0p, 5.4r, 4.1a)
DPOY: 1. Clark White (1.5b, 1.4s), 2. Stanley O'Connor (1.1b, 1.2s), 3. Alain Delmas (1.4b, 1.0s)
6MOTY: 1. Yaguati Duenas (7.7p, 6.4r, 0.4a), 2. Jia Hanlin (6.3p, 2.3r, 0.7a), 3. Éder Abril (5.9p, 1.9r, 1.1a)
ROTY: 1. Vlado Zadravec (10.1p, 1.4r, 2.6a), 2. Park Sang-Chol (11.3p, 1.6r, 0.4a)
MIP: 1. Luka Pekovic (+8.3ppg, +0.9rpg, +0.9apg), 2. Domen Novak (+7.5ppg, +0.3rpg, +1.7apg), 3. Raúl Cabral (+5.9ppg, +3.6rpg, +0.6apg)
Kamijiroan of the Year: 1. Leonardo Prince (17.1p, 3.0r, 7.4a)

by **Kamijiro** » Sat May 27, 2023 6:36 pm

The end of the season just happened & it's time to prepare for the play-in tournament!

Before we go into the play-in picture, a look at the two teams eliminated from playoff contention, the Porto Jiro Suns (22-28) and the Jardim Azul Dolphins (10-40).
The Suns have every right to be disappointed in how their season ended, needing a bit of help from other teams to sneak into the fourth seed, but failing to get it.
As for the Dolphins, an awful season is finally over. They failed to win three games in a row at any point of the season. Hopefully, they can move forward from here.

Onto the play-in tournament. The top four seeds in each conference will square off for spots in their Island Finals.
Format: Winner of 1 seed vs. 2 seed gets home-court advantage for Island Finals. Winner of 3 seed vs. 4 seed plays loser of 1 seed vs. 2 seed for spot in Island Finals.
Jiro Island: 1. Hanayuki Tenno (33-17) vs. 2. Little Osaka Kaiju (29-21) | 3. Havenstad Hawks (24-26) vs. 4. Ulta'i Ali'i (23-27)
Kami Island: 1. Hikarimachi Lightning (35-15) vs. 2. St. Jerome Power (31-19) | 3. New Volendam Orange (24-26) vs. 4. Isla Flores Flamingos (19-31)

The play-in tournament will start soon!
As for the regular season leaders, here they are, listed with their totals and per games.

Points:
1. Brent Quiñones (1,249 points, 25.0 per game)
2. Clark White (1,068 points, 21.4 per game)
3. Nikolaos Spyridonidis (1,037 points, 20.7 per game)
4. Luka Pekovic (1,025 points, 27.0 per game)
5. Domen Novak (983 points, 19.7 per game)

Rebounds:
1. Moustapha Diene (546 rebounds, 11.1 per game)
2. Mangok Maker (485 rebounds, 9.7 per game)
3. Raúl Cabral (479 rebounds, 9.6 per game)
4. Stanley O'Connor (478 rebounds, 9.6 per game)
5. Nemanja Mijatovic (437 rebounds, 9.1 per game)

Assists:
1. Morakinyo Okereafor (443 assists, 8.7 per game)
2. Leonardo Prince (381 assists, 7.6 per game)
3. Uwe Otto (357 assists, 7.1 per game)
4. Tim Walker (331 assists, 6.6 per game)
5. Joachim Klein (323 assists, 6.5 per game)

Blocks:
1. Raúl Cabral (120 blocks, 2.4 per game)
2. Karolis Vasylius (104 blocks, 2.5 per game)
3. Nikolaos Spyridonidis (94 blocks, 1.9 per game)
4. Holgeir Kjársson (81 blocks, 1.6 per game)
5. Oscar Pellegrini (71 blocks, 1.5 per game)

Steals:
1. Domen Novak (97 steals, 1.9 per game)
2. Devin Moore (74 steals, 1.5 per game)
3. Brent Quiñones (71 steals, 1.4 per game)
4. Kagetaka Mabuchi (69 steals, 1.5 per game)
5. Leonardo Prince (68 steals, 1.4 per game)

Threes:
1. Brent Quiñones (176 threes, 3.5 per game)
2. Luka Pekovic (164 threes, 4.3 per game)
3. Filip Vranes (145 threes, 2.9 per game)
4. Clark White (144 threes, 2.9 per game)
5. Nikolaos Spyridonidis (142 threes, 2.8 per game)

by **Kamijiro** » Sat May 27, 2023 7:53 pm

Little Osaka Kaiju @ Hanayuki Tenno

Pre-game odds: Hanayuki -5.5
Injury report: Alain Delmas (LOS) is playing through patellar tendonitis. He was due to return soon, but has opted to play sooner for a game of this magnitude.

Little Osaka starting lineup:
PG: Jung Yeong-Hwan
SG: Joachim Klein
SF: Ben McMath
PF: Stanley O'Connor
C: Alain Delmas

Hanayuki starting lineup:
PG: Devin Moore
SG: Rogelio Palau
SF: Clark White
PF: Wataru Nishioka
C: Damjan Magdevski

End of first quarter: LOS 33 @ HAN 21
- First basket belongs to Stanley O'Connor, as he makes a free throw, putting the Kaiju up one to start.
- Clark White gets himself into foul trouble early, as he picks up two fouls within the first four minutes of the game.
- Hanayuki goes down early on, being down 16-8 after the first six minutes.
- Awful shooting from Wataru Nishioka, as he puts up just 1/6 shooting, including 0/2 from deep.
- Jung Yeong-Hwan leads all scorers with 8 points with two threes.

End of second quarter: LOS 55 @ HAN 42
- More horrible shooting continues for Hanayuki, with Nishioka still failing to find his range.
- The Tenno have amassed 15 turnovers as well, which is disastrously bad for a single half.
- Little Osaka haven't shot particularly well, but Hanayuki have shot even worse, especially from deep (2/13 in the first half).
- Stanley O'Connor leads all scorers with 11 points.

End of third quarter: LOS 83 @ HAN 65
- The Tenno now have 21 turnovers. They have literally turned over the ball nearly a quarter of the times they've had it.
- This is just an ugly game overall. The teams are shooting a combined 15/51 from three, and both teams are shooting under 43% from the field as a whole.
- The Kaiju don't even look like they deserve to win this game, the Tenno just look like they don't want to be here at all.
- Stanley O'Connor is still leading all scorers with 17, but Joachim Klein and Jung Yeong-Hwan both have 16 and Stjepan Jurica has 13 off the bench for the Kaiju.
- Meanwhile, Clark White has 15 to lead the Tenno.

End of game: LOS 114 @ HAN 97
- Stanley O'Connor had 14 points in the final quarter to lead the Kaiju to victory, ending with 31 points to lead all scorers. He had 12 rebounds to go with it.
- Jung Yeong-Hwan had 16 points and 13 assists for the Kaiju, leading the team in assists.
- As for the Tenno, they were led in scoring by number one overall pick Vlado Zadravec, as he put up 19 off the bench.
- The Tenno's Clark White had a near triple-double, scoring 18, grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing 7 assists.

The Kaiju advance and become the #1 seed in the Jiro Island Finals, claiming home court advantage.
The Tenno will play the winner of the ULT @ HAV matchup.

by **Kamijiro** » Sun May 28, 2023 10:25 am

St. Jerome Power @ Hikarimachi Lightning

Pre-game odds: Hikarimachi -10.5
Injury report: Neither team has any injuries to note heading into the game.

St. Jerome Power starting lineup:
PG: Filip Vranes
SG: Bryan Faure
SF: Art Stradnieks
PF: Arnoldas Tamulis
C: Oscar Pellegrini

Hikarimachi Lightning starting lineup:
PG: Morakinyo Okoreafor
SG: Oscar Gustafsson
SF: Brent Quiñones
PF: Marc Dahi
C: Assane Riviere

End of first quarter: STJ 28 @ HIK 34
- Arnoldas Tamulis makes the first basket, scoring a free throw. The Power go up one to begin the game.
- Four of the five Lightning starters commit shooting fouls within the first four minutes of the game. The Power are 5/5 at the free throw line.
- Bryan Faure might want to re-consider his three point shooting, as he is 0/5 from deep to start the game off.
- Brent Quiñones leads all scorers with 9 points.
- This game has started out much better than the Kaiju - Tenno game.

End of the second quarter: STJ 63 @ HIK 70
- The Lightning went up as many as 16 in this quarter, but the Power came back to pull the game to within a single possession on multiple occasions.
- The Power are giving up too many offensive rebounds, with the Lightning having an 11-2 advantage on the offensive glass.
- Oscar Gustafsson has 21 points at the halftime break. He has made five three pointers.
- Brent Quiñones has a +/- of +19 for the Lightning. The Power's Giuseppe Amato has a -18 +/-, and is just have a poor showing overall.
- The Power are shooting north of 50%, but the Lightning lead due to having more shots in general.

End of third quarter: STJ 92 @ HIK 106
- The Power were thoroughly outclassed in the quarter. They couldn't stop anything and weren't able to keep up in terms of scoring.
- The Lightning already have two players with double-doubles, Yaguati Duenas (10 pts, 11 reb) and Oscar Gustafsson (24 pts, 10 ast)
- Gustafsson leads all scorers with 24, and the Lightning have five players in double digits for scoring.
- The lone bright spots for the Power have been Charro Maldonaldo (10 pts, 2/4 from three, +10) and Oscar Pellegrini (9 pts, 5 reb, +7)
- Looks like the Lightning have all but secured home-court advantage for the Kami Island Finals.

End of game: STJ 112 @ HIK 125
- The game ends in a double-digit win for the Lightning. Gustafsson had 29 points to lead all scorers and also had 12 assists.
- Yaguati Duenas had 12 points and 15 rebounds (including 8 offensive rebounds) for the Lightning off the bench.
- Bryan Faure of the Power had a relatively quiet game by his standards, scoring 22 points on some pretty bad shooting splits.
- Charro Maldonado had 16 off the bench for the Power and was one of two Power players to have a positive +/-.

The Lightning advance and hold onto home-court advantage for the second season in a row.
The Power will play the winner of the ISF @ NVO matchup.

by **Kamijiro** » Tue May 30, 2023 11:51 am

Ulta'i Ali'i @ Havenstad Hawks

Pre-game odds: Ulta'i -5
Injury report: neither team has any major injuries to report.

Ulta'i Ali'i Starting Lineup:
PG: Kagetaka Mabuchi
SG: Bogdan Novakovic
SF: Raphaël Dondon
PF: Greg Gurley
C: Mangok Maker

Havenstad Hawks Starting Lineup:
PG: Uwe Otto
SG: Leonardo Prince
SF: Damir Rikic
PF: Nikolaos Spyridonidis
C: Giorgios Kamperidis

End of first quarter: ULT 21 @ HAV 17
- Greg Gurley makes the first basket on an offensive rebound tip-in. Ali'i are up two.
- Absolute stagnation to begin the game, as the teams have combined for 13 points total (ULT 7 @ HAV 6).
- Buzzer-beater made by Cade Quinn, who got a layup to go in right as the horn sounded to move the lead to four for the Ali'i.

End of second quarter: ULT 43 @ HAV 47
- Ugly quarter from the Ali'i, as they are outscored by eight in the second period.
- Kagetaka Mabuchi is the main offender, as he is 2/7 from the floor.
- Nikolaos Spyridonidis leads all scorers with 17 points and Raphaël Dondon has 12 to lead the Ali'i.
- Richard Jackson of the Hawks has eight points off the bench.

End of third quarter: ULT 70 @ HAV 74
- A great quarter from Damir Rikic, who is up to 10 points on the night for the Hawks. 6 of his 10 have been in this quarter and he also had 3 assists.
- Spyridonidis still leads all scorers with 19 and Gurley leads the Ali'i with 14.
- Maurice Nwankwoh has 10 points off the bench for the Hawks, and the Hawks have 27 bench points to the Ali'i 16.
- The Hawks also lead in every four-factor stat (eFG, TOV%, ORB%, and FT per FGA)

End of game: ULT 88 @ HAV 102
- The Ali'i fade to lose the match, despite the expectation of winning this one and pushing for the last spot in the playoffs.
- The Hawks can be rightfully proud of their work in this game, thoroughly dominating the fourth quarter.
- The Ali'i are stuck with their core of players for at least another season, as none of their players have expiring contracts.

The Hawks will play the Hanayuki Tenno for the final spot in the Jiro Island Finals.

by **Kamijiro** » Tue May 30, 2023 12:33 pm

Isla Flores Flamingos @ New Volendam Orange

Pre-game odds: Isla Flores -7.5
Injury report (NVO): Luka Pekovic is questionable with a strained calf. Ikechukwu Makanjuola is questionable with a strained quad.
Injury report (ISF): Nemanja Mijatovic is questionable with a sprained ankle.

Isla Flores Flamingos starting lineup:
* indicates playing through an injury.
PG: Jamie Sobey
SG: Akinari Motoki
SF: Domen Novak
PF: Edward Kitamura
C: Nemanja Mijatovic*

New Volendam Orange starting lineup:
* indicates playing through an injury.
PG: Ikechukwu Makanjuola*
SG: Michail Papadatos
SF: Luka Pekovic*
PF: Gino Purdom
C: Holgeir Kjársson

End of first quarter: ISF 22 @ NVO 32
- Gino Purdom scores the first basket, making a layup off of a smooth post move. Orange go up two.
- Luka Pekovic doesn't look like himself in the light of his injury, as his usual silky shooting is nowhere to be seen, starting off 0/4.
- The Flamingos need to cut down on turnovers, they've turned the ball over four times already. Their shooting is also sub-par.
- Gino Purdom has 10 points for the Orange, most of any player. Christopher Jackson has 7 off the bench for the Orange. Sobey has 7 for the Flamingos.

End of second quarter: ISF 47 @ NVO 58
- Domen Novak came alive in the second quarter and now leads all scorers with 13 for the Flamingos.
- However, the team-oriented approach from the Orange is working wonders. Ikechukwu Makanjuola and Gino Purdom both have 12.
- Luka Pekovic is still looking rusty, he's now 2/8 from the floor.
- In general, the Orange are being carried by their depth.
- The Orange are 12/12 at the free throw line. The Flamingos are 8/9.

End of third quarter: ISF 74 @ NVO 89
- The Orange went up as many as 25 in this quarter, but the Flamingos whittled it back down by the end.
- Luka Pekovic finally woke up a bit, and now leads all scorers with 19.
- Domen Novak is still leading the charge for the Flamingos, as he has 18. However, he doesn't have much help otherwise.
- It's looking like an easy win for the Orange, but anything is possible...

End of game: ISF 109 @ NVO 126
- The Flamingos start off the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run, cutting the lead to just three. (ISF 86 @ NVO 89)
- However, the Orange quickly find their footing again and re-open a nine point lead. (ISF 89 @ NVO 98)
- Akinari Motoki is shooting the Flamingos out of the game, as he's shot 0/5 this quarter. (ISF 92 @ NVO 103)
- The starters come in for the rest of the game at about the 6-minute mark. (ISF 94 @ NVO 103)
- It's turned into a back-and-forth between the Balkan forwards, with Novak up to 25 and Pekovic up to 31. (ISF 103 @ NVO 115)
- A dagger three from Luka Pekovic at the 1:05 mark puts him up to 37 for the game as well as putting the Flamingos in the rearview mirror. (ISF 107 @ NVO 123)

The Orange will play the Power for the final spot in the Kami Island Finals.

by **Kamijiro** » Wed May 31, 2023 10:52 am

Havenstad Hawks @ Hanayuki Tenno

Pre-game odds: Hanayuki -10.5
Injury report (HAV): The Hawks have no injuries to report.
Injury report (HAN): The Tenno have no injuries to report.

Havenstad Hawks starting lineup:
PG: Uwe Otto
SG: Leonardo Prince
SF: Damir Rikic
PF: Nikolaos Spyridonidis
C: Giorgios Kamperidis

Hanayuki Tenno starting lineup:
PG: Devin Moore
SG: Rogelio Palau
SF: Clark White
PF: Wataru Nishioka
C: Damjan Magdevski

Highlight play-by-play:
(1st Q, 12:00): Damjan Magdevski wins the jump ball to get us started.
(1st Q, 11:48): Clark White makes a three pointer, first basket of the game. (HAV 0 @ HAN 3)
(1st Q, 10:18): Uwe Otto scores the first points for the Hawks off a nice assist from Leonardo Prince. (HAV 2 @ HAN 3)
(1st Q, 5:59): Game tied up on a three from Leonardo Prince. (HAV 8 @ HAN 8)
(1st Q, 2:01): 13-2 run from the Tenno. Shot by Vlado Zadravec puts them up 11. (HAV 10 @ HAN 21)
End of first quarter: HAV 14 @ HAN 22 | Leonardo Prince leads all scorers with 9.
(2nd Q, 9:43): Vlado Zadravec dunks on Maurice Nwankwoh, and one! (HAV 16 @ HAN 27)
(2nd Q, 5:03): Richard Jackson makes a layup and cuts the Tenno lead to just five. (HAV 28 @ HAN 33)
(2nd Q, 3:56): Uwe Otto makes a three to push the Hawks run to 17-8. (HAV 33 @ HAN 35)
(2nd Q, 1:10): Damjan Magdevski already has 12 rebounds. By comparison, his career high is 15. (HAV 38 @ HAN 39)
(2nd Q, 0:00): Manu Gayozo makes a buzzer beating three pointer to tie the game up at half. (HAV 43 @ HAN 43)
Halftime: HAV 43 @ HAN 43 | Nishioka (HAN), Prince (HAV), Spyridonidis (HAV) all have 9 to lead all scorers.
(3rd Q, 11:28): Uwe Otto makes a mid-range jumper to give the Hawks their first lead of the game. (HAV 45 @ HAN 43)
(3rd Q, 7:14): Wataru Nishioka makes a three pointer to reclaim the lead for the Tenno. (HAV 51 @ HAN 52)
(3rd Q, 5:22): Ómar Sörensson dunks all over Clark White, plus the foul. He makes the free throw to tie the game. (HAV 54 @ HAN 54)
(3rd Q, 0:00): The Tenno end the quarter on an 8-1 run. (HAV 58 @ HAN 65)
End of third quarter: HAV 58 @ HAN 65 | Nishioka has 17 points. Clark White has 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 blocks.
(4th Q, 11:28): Damjan Magdevski makes a three to put himself at 10 points for the game. He now has a double-double. (HAV 58 @ HAN 68)
(4th Q, 8:53): The Tenno start the quarter on a 9-0 run to open their lead up to 16. (HAV 58 @ HAN 74)
(4th Q, 8:42): Clark White grabs his 10th rebound. He now has a double-double. (HAV 58 @ HAN 74)
(4th Q, 6:02): Damjan Magdevski ties his career high, grabbing rebound #15. (HAV 60 @ HAN 76)
(4th Q, 4:26): Damjan Magdevski fouls out after shoving Nikolaos Spyridonidis. The Tenno should be able to weather the storm regardless. (HAV 65 @ HAN 83)
(4th Q, 1:00): The backups come in. The game is basically over. (HAV 71 @ HAN 89)
End of game: HAV 71 @ HAN 89 | POTM: Clark White with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 blocks and a steal.

The Tenno advance to be the second seed in the Jiro Island Finals, where they will play the Kaiju.

by **Kamijiro** » Wed May 31, 2023 11:44 am

New Volendam Orange @ St. Jerome Power

Pre-game odds: St. Jerome -4.5
Injury report (NVO): Luka Pekovic will play through a strained calf.
Injury report (STJ): The Power have no injuries to report.

New Volendam Orange starting lineup:
PG: Ikechukwu Makanjuola
SG: Michail Papadatos
SF: Luka Pekovic
PF: Gino Purdom
C: Holgeir Kjársson

St. Jerome Power starting lineup:
PG: Filip Vranes
SG: Bryan Faure
SF: Art Stradnieks
PF: Arnoldas Tamulis
C: Oscar Pellegrini

Highlight play-by-play:
(1st Q, 12:00): Oscar Pellegrini wins the jump ball for the Power to get us underway.
(1st Q, 11:47): Ikechukwu Makanjuola makes a fastbreak three to score the first points of the game, following a turnover from Arnoldis Tamulis. (NVO 3 @ STJ 0)
(1st Q, 8:10): The Orange starting center Holgeir Kjársson picks up two quick fouls, is subbed out. (NVO 7 @ STJ 5)
(1st Q, 7:03): Filip Vranes ties the game up for the Power. (NVO 7 @ STJ 7)
(1st Q, 6:51): Star guard Bryan Faure picks up his second foul of the game, but will stay in. (NVO 7 @ STJ 7)
(1st Q, 6:31): The Power take their first lead of the game on a mid-range jumper from Art Stradnieks. (NVO 7 @ STJ 9)
End of first quarter: NVO 18 @ STJ 24 | Filip Vranes leads all scorers with 9 points.
(2nd Q, 7:57): A three from Michail Papadatos cuts the Power lead to just two. (NVO 27 @ STJ 29)
(2nd Q, 6:56): The Orange grab their first lead since 7-5 off of a middy from Christopher Jackson. (NVO 30 @ STJ 29)
(2nd Q, 4:32): A 17-7 run in this quarter from the Orange puts them up four now. Timeout by the Power. (NVO 34 @ STJ 31)
(2nd Q, 3:12): Gino Purdom blocks his third shot of the quarter, a big reason the Orange are on this run. (NVO 38 @ STJ 32)
(2nd Q, 2:32): Bryan Faure collects his 10th rebound. This probably doesn't offset his 2/12 shooting, though. (NVO 38 @ STJ 35)
(2nd Q, 2:26): Oscar Pellegrini makes a three to tie the game back up. (NVO 38 @ STJ 38)
(2nd Q, 2:08): Bryan Faure commits his third foul. He needs to be very careful not to make it four before halftime. (NVO 40 @ STJ 38)
Halftime: NVO 43 @ STJ 47 | Filip Vranes leads all scorers with 14 points.
(3rd Q, 8:46): A terrible sequence for the Orange, missing two free throws and the immediately conceding a three to Tamulis. (NVO 50 @ STJ 57)
(3rd Q, 6:13): The Orange can't stop turning the ball over. That's four this quarter alone. (NVO 54 @ STJ 61)
(3rd Q, 4:33): Luka Pekovic does not look like himself out there, missing an easy layup. (NVO 57 @ STJ 61)
(3rd Q, 4:04): A made layup from Bryan Faure gives him a double-double. 10 points, 12 rebounds. (NVO 57 @ STJ 63)
(3rd Q, 1:45): Michail Papadatos squeezes his way through the defense to make a layup, and one. (NVO 68 @ STJ 69)
(3rd Q, 0:01): Danny Anigbogu commits a stupid foul to give Anthony Contador a trip to the line. He makes both. (NVO 71 @ STJ 73)
End of third quarter: NVO 71 @ STJ 73 | Michail Papadatos leads all scorers with 17.
(4th Q, 9:26): A made three from Michail Papadatos gives the Orange the lead. (NVO 77 @ STJ 75)
(4th Q, 8:18): Foul called on Bryan Faure, his fourth. The Orange are already in the penalty. (NVO 80 @ STJ 79)
(4th Q, 7:19): Foul called on Oscar Pellegrini, his fifth. Ikechukwu Makanjuola made the basket, and one. (NVO 83 @ STJ 79)
(4th Q, 6:17): Arnoldas Tamulis dunks on Jung Kyu-Bong and gets the foul. He missed the free throw to tie. (NVO 85 @ STJ 84)
(4th Q, 5:21): Michail Papadatos scores a layup. This is the Orange's 10th straight offensive possession ending in a made basket. (NVO 90 @ STJ 86)
(4th Q, 3:45): The starters are back in for both teams, likely for the rest of the game. (NVO 94 @ STJ 91)
(4th Q, 2:12): Luka Pekovic picks a bad time to turn the ball over. Tamulis goes coast-to-coast and dunks it home to get the lead. (NVO 96 @ STJ 97)
(4th Q, 1:46): Gino Purdom comes up with a huge block to deny Pellegrini a lead-taking layup. (NVO 98 @ STJ 97)
(4th Q, 1:27): Pellegrini gets the better of Purdom this time, making a layup through contact and making the free throw. (NVO 98 @ STJ 100)
(4th Q, 1:05): Following a miss from the Orange, Tamulis makes a layup to make the lead a two-possession one. (NVO 98 @ STJ 102)
(4th Q, 0:36): Filip Vranes makes a layup to probably ice the game. (NVO 98 @ STJ 104)
(4th Q, 0:15): Arnoldas Tamulis rubs salt in the wound by making a three. (NVO 98 @ STJ 107)
End of game: NVO 98 @ STJ 107 | POTM: Filip Vranes with 22 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and a steal.

by **Kamijiro** » Wed May 31, 2023 1:18 pm

Hanayuki Tenno @ Little Osaka Kaiju

Pre-game odds: Little Osaka -2
Injury report (HAN): The Tenno have no injuries to report.
Injury report (LOS): The Kaiju have no injuries to report.

Hanayuki Tenno starting lineup:
PG: Devin Moore
SG: Rogelio Palau
SF: Clark White
PF: Wataru Nishioka
C: Damjan Magdevski

Little Osaka Kaiju starting lineup:
PG: Jung Yeong-Hwan
SG: Joachim Klein
SF: Ben McMath
PF: Stanley O'Connor
C: Alain Delmas

Highlight play-by-play:
(1st Q, 12:00): Damjan Magdevski wins the tip for the Tenno.
(1st Q, 11:17): Joachim Klein slams it home for the Kaiju. (HAN 0 @ LOS 2)
(1st Q, 11:13): Damjan Magdevski is fouled on a shot by Stanley O'Connor. He makes both free throws. (HAN 2 @ LOS 2)
(1st Q, 10:47): Stanley O'Connor commits his second foul very early on. Devin Moore makes both free throws. (HAN 4 @ LOS 5)
(1st Q, 9:04): The Kaiju commit their third turnover of the game in as many minutes, a big reason why the Tenno have the lead. (HAN 12 @ LOS 5)
(1st Q, 7:14): Stanley O'Connor commits his third foul. Bad news for the Kaiju. (HAN 19 @ LOS 11)
(1st Q, 6:18): Wataru Nishioka make a three, giving him 10 points for the game. The Tenno are up double-digits now. (HAN 22 @ LOS 11)
(1st Q, 3:22): It's getting ugly. The Tenno have doubled up the Kaiju again, the Kaiju also can't stop turning it over and fouling. (HAN 33 @ LOS 16)
(1st Q, 0:29): A four-point play for Dan Johnson and the Tenno sees them extend their lead to 21. (HAN 46 @ LOS 25)
(1st Q, 0:00): The Kaiju have turned the ball over eight times in just the first quarter. Not a recipe for success. (HAN 46 @ LOS 25)
End of first quarter: HAN 46 @ LOS 25 | Wataru Nishioka leads all scorers with 12.
(2nd Q, 9:14): A nice little 14-4 run for the Kaiju sees them close in a little bit. (HAN 50 @ LOS 39)
(2nd Q, 1:55): The Tenno are shooting their 19th and 20th free throws of the game. We aren't even to the half. (HAN 72 @ LOS 55)
(2nd Q, 0:00): A buzzer beater from Devin Moore sees the Tenno extend their lead to 19 at the halftime break. (HAN 76 @ LOS 57)
Halftime: HAN 76 @ LOS 57 | Wataru Nishioka leads all scorers with 18 points. The Tenno have shot 22 free throws now.
(3rd Q, 5:25): It's still a a blow-out. The Tenno just shot their 25th and 26th free throws of the game. (HAN 93 @ LOS 75)
(3rd Q, 1:40): The Kaiju just fouled on a three pointer. Nishioka will now attempt free throws 28, 29 and 30 for the Tenno. (HAN 108 @ LOS 89)
(3rd Q, 1:32): Damjan Magdevski grabs his 10th rebound, securing a double-double. (HAN 109 @ LOS 89)
End of third quarter: HAN 110 @ LOS 92 | Wataru Nishioka has 26 to lead all scorers. The Tenno are up to 34 free throws.
(4th Q, 8:56): Wataru Nishioka collects rebound #10, he has a double-double now as well. (HAN 112 @ LOS 95)
(4th Q, 7:02): Mangok Leek drains a three to cut the Tenno lead to just 10. (HAN 114 @ LOS 104)
End of game: HAN 127 @ LOS 115 | POTM: Clark White with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks and 4 steals. There were 58 total free throws attempted.
The Tenno lead the series, 1-0.
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St. Jerome Power @ Hikarimachi Lightning

Pre-game odds: Hikarimachi -11.5
Injury report (STJ): The Power have no injuries to report.
Injury report (HIK): The Lightning have no injuries to report.

St. Jerome Power starting lineup:
PG: Filip Vranes
SG: Bryan Faure
SF: Art Stradnieks
PF: Arnoldas Tamulis
C: Oscar Pellegrini

Hikarimachi Lightning starting lineup:
PG: Morakinyo Okoreafor
SG: Oscar Gustafsson
SF: Brent Quiñones
PF: Marc Dahi
C: Assane Riviere

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Oscar Pellegrini wins the jump ball for the Power.
(1Q, 11:29): Oscar Gustafsson is fouled on a three and makes two of the free throws to open up the scoring for the Lightning. (STJ 0 @ HIK 2)
(1Q, 11:25): However, Pellegrini immediately makes a three for the Power to give them the lead. (STJ 3 @ HIK 2)
(1Q, 9:45): Filip Vranes makes a three to open up an early lead for the Power. (STJ 11 @ HIK 4)
(1Q, 5:31): Pellegrini is doing his best James Harden impression, as he has already racked up six free throw attempts. (STJ 19 @ HIK 14)
(1Q, 3:26): Brent Quiñones makes a layup while being fouled to take the lead for the Lightning. (STJ 22 @ HIK 24)
(1Q, 2:43): Marc Dahi makes two free throws, extending the Lightning run to 25-13. (STJ 24 @ HIK 29)
(1Q, 1:56): Quiñones is fouled on a three pointer. He makes all three free throws to push their lead to double-digits. (STJ 26 @ HIK 37)
(1Q, 0:00): Pellegrini makes a buzzer-beater three to cut the Lightning lead to just eight. (STJ 33 @ HIK 41)
End of first quarter: STJ 33 @ HIK 41 | Both Pellegrini and Quiñones have 12 points to lead their respective teams.
(2Q, 10:52): Quiñones makes his first three of the game after missing his first three attempts. (STJ 35 @ HIK 44)
(2Q, 10:29): Nick Dennis is fouled on a three point shot, and one! He converts the four point play for the Lightning. (STJ 35 @ HIK 48)
(2Q, 8:06): This game is teetering towards being a blowout, as Hubert Bibang makes two free throws to put the Lightning up 19. (STJ 41 @ HIK 60)
(2Q, 3:56): The Power can't secure a rebound to save their necks right now, as the Lightning score more second chance points. (STJ 50 @ HIK 62)
Halftime: STJ 60 @ HIK 78 | Brent Quiñones has 28 points through the first half.
(3Q, 7:56): The game is getting out of hand now. The Lightning are up 25 after a midrange shot from Oscar Gustaffson. (STJ 68 @ HIK 93)
End of third quarter: STJ 92 @ HIK 118 | Quiñones leads all scorers with 38.
(4Q, 10:05): The crowd goes wild as Quiñones makes a three to push his total up to 41 points on the night. (STJ 94 @ HIK 121)
(4Q, 9:24): Brent Quiñones gets a standing ovation as he leaves the floor. He ends his night with 43 points. (STJ 96 @ HIK 123)
End of game: STJ 122 @ HIK 154 | POTM: Brent Quiñones with 43 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The Lightning lead the series, 1-0.

by **Kamijiro** » Thu Jun 01, 2023 7:42 pm

Hanayuki Tenno @ Little Osaka Kaiju

Pre-game odds: Hanayuki -0.5
Injury report (HAN): The Tenno have no injuries to report.
Injury report (LOS): The Kaiju have no injuries to report.

The Tenno starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Kaiju starting lineup is unchanged from last game.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Damjan Magdevski wins the jump ball to begin the game. Tenno ball.
(1Q, 10:38): Joachim Klein makes a mid-range shot to start the scoring for the Kaiju. (HAN 0 @ LOS 2)
(1Q, 9:29): Damjan Magdevski drills a three to get the first points on the board for the Tenno (HAN 3 @ LOS 2)
(1Q, 1:12): The Kaiju are fouling relentlessly again. They are also 0/6 from three to start the game. Not great. (HAN 16 @ LOS 9)
End of first quarter: HAN 18 @ LOS 11 | Damjan Magdevski leads all scorers with 7 points. He is 2/4 from the field, 1/2 from three and 2/2 from the charity stripe.
(2Q, 8:28): Ben McMath makes a jump shot and was fouled in the act. He missed the free throw, however. (HAN 23 @ LOS 21)
(2Q, 7:08): Both Wataru Nishioka and Damjan Magdevski have cracked 10 points now for the Tenno. 7 point run for the Tenno as well. (HAN 30 @ LOS 21)
(2Q, 3:36): Stanley O'Connor buries a three to bring the Tenno lead down to just five points. He has 9 points to lead the Kaiju. (HAN 39 @ LOS 34)
(2Q, 3:09): Wataru Nishioka commits his third personal foul of the half, he will likely sit for the rest of the period. (HAN 39 @ LOS 36)
(2Q, 0:06): Speaking of three fouls, Stanley O'Connor and Jung Yeong-Hwan have both committed three now. Two starters for the Kaiju in foul trouble. (HAN 47 @ LOS 36)
Halftime: HAN 47 @ LOS 36 | Damjan Magdevski leads all scorers with 15 points.
(3Q, 11:13): Vlado Zadravec made a layup, and one. Made the free throw and opens up a double-digit lead for the Tenno. (HAN 50 @ LOS 38)
(3Q, 4:24): Joachim Klein made a layup for the Kaiju, but the shot is immediately answered. The Kaiju can't string stops together. (HAN 60 @ LOS 50)
(3Q, 0:42): Wataru Nishioka commits his fifth foul. One more and he's done for the game. (HAN 69 @ LOS 61)
End of third quarter: HAN 71 @ LOS 63 | Stanley O'Connor leads all scorers with 18 points.
(4Q, 9:24): Ben McMath slams it home over Dimitris Galanis and gets the whistle! The ensuing free throw cuts the Tenno lead to six. (HAN 76 @ LOS 70)
(4Q, 6:26): Luka Osorio makes a mid-range shot to push the Tenno lead back to 10. (HAN 84 @ LOS 74)
(4Q, 5:06): Stanley O'Connor goes on a 6-0 run by himself to bring the game back to four. (HAN 84 @ LOS 80)
(4Q, 3:53): Alain Delmas makes a two-point jumper to cut the lead down to two! (HAN 86 @ LOS 84)
(4Q, 2:36): Stanley O'Connor ties the game up for the first time since 0-0! (HAN 88 @ LOS 88)
(4Q, 1:35): Jung Yeong-Hwan is fouled by Damjan Magdevski. The Kaiju are in the bonus as well. Jung makes them both. (HAN 88 @ LOS 90)
(4Q, 1:22): Devin Moore makes a layup off a sweet feed from Clark White to tie it back up. (HAN 90 @ LOS 90)
(4Q, 0:58): Clark White scores to give the Tenno the lead again. (HAN 92 @ LOS 90)
(4Q, 0:19): Stanley O'Connor buries a three to give the Kaiju the lead late on!!! (HAN 92 @ LOS 93)
(4Q, 0:11): Wataru Nishioka makes a mid-range jumper to re-gain the lead! (HAN 94 @ LOS 93)
(4Q, 0:05): Ben McMath misses the go-ahead basket. (HAN 94 @ LOS 93)
(4Q, 0:01): Damjan Magdevski goes 1/2 on the free throw line after the intentional foul. The Kaiju may have one last shot... (HAN 95 @ LOS 93)
(4Q, 0:00): Joachim Klein's shot is NO GOOD!!! A tip-in attempt at the buzzer is just off!!!
End of game: HAN 95 @ LOS 93 | POTM: Stanley O'Connor (LOS) with 29 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.
The Tenno lead the series, 2-0.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Jerome Power @ Hikarimachi Lightning

Pre-game odds: Hikarimachi -13.5
Injury report (STJ): The Power have no injuries to report.
Injury report (HIK): The Lightning have no injuries to report.

The Power starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Lightning starting lineup is unchanged from last game.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Assane Riviere wins the jump ball for the Lightning, we are underway in Hikarimachi.
(1Q, 10:25): Brent Quiñones scores the first bucket, of course. Who else would? (STJ 0 @ HIK 2)
(1Q, 10:14): Bryan Faure gets the points back immediately on the other end, plus a foul. He makes the free throw. (STJ 3 @ HIK 2)
(1Q, 8:15): After some early back-and-forth action, the Power are the ones moving into the lead early on. Filip Vranes makes a two. (STJ 9 @ HIK 4)
(1Q, 3:55): Brent Quiñones' hot streak from last game is nowhere to be seen now. He's missed all but one of his shots since making the first. (STJ 11 @ HIK 8)
(1Q, 2:47): Charro Maldonado makes a layup to push the Power lead to eight. (STJ 16 @ HIK 8)
(1Q, 1:06): The Lightning cannot end a defensive possession to save their lives. The Power have a 60% offensive rebound percentage. (STJ 22 @ HIK 16)
End of first quarter: STJ 22 @ HIK 16 | Bryan Faure leads all scorers with 9 points.
(2Q, 10:13): Leo Barlera drills a three to give the Power their first double-digit lead of the series. (STJ 29 @ HIK 18)
(2Q, 7:45): Filip Vranes makes a midrange jumper to extend the Power's 2nd quarter run to 15-5. Power up 16. (STJ 37 @ HIK 21)
(2Q, 3:33): Morakinyo Okoreafor scores a two, and the Power lead is cut to just 10. (STJ 40 @ HIK 30)
Halftime: STJ 46 @ HIK 34 | Bryan Faure leads all scorers with 15. He is shooting 7/10 from the floor. Filip Vranes is 5/5 with 11 points.
(3Q, 9:53): Morakinyo Okoreafor buries a three, and the Power lead is just single-digits for the first time since the start of the second quarter. (STJ 50 @ HIK 42)
(3Q, 9:06): Oscar Gustafsson hits one now, and the lead is just six. Bryan Faure is picking a bad time to go cold. (STJ 53 @ HIK 47)
(3Q, 6:56): Yukiyoshi Shigemasu makes one as well. The lead is just three... (STJ 57 @ HIK 54)
(3Q, 5:13): Arnoldas Tamulis picks a good time to make his first basket from the floor, hitting a three. (STJ 64 @ HIK 58)
(3Q, 3:02): Bryan Faure hits his first shot of the half and it's another three for the Power. (STJ 72 @ HIK 63)
End of third quarter: STJ 78 @ HIK 72 | Bryan Faure leads all scorers with 23 points. Brent Quiñones has more shots than points (20 & 16).
(4Q, 9:41): Giuseppe Amato makes a midrange jumper. However, every time the Power inch away, the Lightning scoot closer, or so it feels. (STJ 84 @ HIK 77)
(4Q, 5:41): After some back and forth, it's Bryan Faure going on a mini 4-0 run to put the Power back up 10. (STJ 93 @ HIK 83)
(4Q, 4:23): Oscar Pellegrini blocks his sixth shot of the game! He denies Riviere at the rim to preserve the eight-point advantage. (STJ 93 @ HIK 85)
(4Q, 3:45): Brent Quiñones scores from long range, cutting the lead to just five. The Power are definitely nervous now. (STJ 93 @ HIK 88)
(4Q, 3:01): Bryan Faure commits a foul and puts the Lightning in the bonus. Morakinyo Okoreafor makes both from the line. (STJ 93 @ HIK 90)
(4Q, 2:27): Brent Quiñones HITS THE GAME-TYING THREE! Faure turned the ball over and Quiñones made him pay. (STJ 93 @ HIK 93)
(4Q, 2:08): Marc Dahi (HIK) missed two free throws in a face-palm moment. The game is still tied. (STJ 93 @ HIK 93)
(4Q, 1:29): Pellegrini misses a go-ahead basket, but Faure grabs the offensive rebound. Still tied. (STJ 93 @ HIK 93)
(4Q, 1:19): Pellegrini misses again! He gets his own miss back. Still tied!!! (STJ 93 @ HIK 93)
(4Q, 1:03): Leo Barlera misses a three pointer, and there's no offensive rebound this time. Lightning ball. (STJ 93 @ HIK 93)
(4Q, 0:54): Okoreafor is fouled by Vranes. He goes one for two at the line, but the Lightning lead for the first time since 3-4. (STJ 93 @ HIK 94)
(4Q, 0:33): A scramble for a loose ball ends up with the Lightning in possession. Okoreafor is fouled again. He makes both. (STJ 93 @ HIK 96)
(4Q, 0:20): Pellegrini misses again! Brent Quiñones ends up with the rebound and he is immediately fouled by Faure, who has now fouled out. (STJ 93 @ HIK 96)
(4Q, 0:17): Brent Quiñones makes both free throws. Lightning up two possessions. (STJ 93 @ HIK 98)
(4Q, 0:11): The Power are bottling it truly. They miss again and foul Marc Dahi. He makes both free throws. Lightning up seven. (STJ 93 @ HIK 100)
End of game: STJ 93 @ HIK 100 | POTM: Oscar Gustafsson with 19 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds on 6/9 shooting.
What a disaster for the Power. They failed to score a single point after the 5:41 mark in the fourth quarter.
The Lightning lead the series, 2-0.

by **Kamijiro** » Fri Jun 02, 2023 8:14 pm

Little Osaka Kaiju @ Hanayuki Tenno
Pre-game odds: Hanayuki -4.5
Injury report (LOS): The Kaiju have no injuries to report
Injury report (HAN): The Tenno have no injuries to report

The Kaiju starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Tenno starting lineup is unchanged from last game.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Damjan Magdevski wins the jump ball, Tenno ball.
(1Q, 11:47): Rogelio Palau gets fouled by Jung Yeong-Hwan on a layup attempt. He shoots 1/2 at the line to open the scoring for the Tenno. (LOS 0 @ HAN 1)
(1Q, 10:58): Joachim Klein gets fouled on the other end by Damjan Magdevski. He makes 2/2 to get the scoring going for the Kaiju. (LOS 2 @ HAN 1)
(1Q, 8:38): Jung Yeong-Hwan gets absolutely baptized by Rogelio Palau! And the foul! (LOS 7 @ HAN 8)
(1Q, 7:46): The Tenno are in the penalty already. Wataru Nishioka at the free throw line. (LOS 7 @ HAN 11)
(1Q, 5:08): A nice little run from the Tenno puts them up by nine. (LOS 10 @ HAN 19)
(1Q, 4:18): Wataru Nishioka hits a three to put his team up ten. (LOS 12 @ HAN 22)
(1Q, 3:13): Every time the Kaiju pull the game closer, the Tenno push away again. A four point advantage is ten again. (LOS 16 @ HAN 26)
(1Q, 0:00): Dexter Taylor hits a buzzer-beater three to bring the Kaiju back to within ten. (LOS 19 @ HAN 29)
End of first quarter: LOS 19 @ HAN 29 | Clark White leads all scorers with 9 points. He also has 4 assists.
(2Q, 8:54): Ben McMath fouls Rogelio Palau, two shots coming. McMath has a team-worst -17 plus/minus rating for the Kaiju. (LOS 25 @ HAN 37)
(2Q, 6:56): Damjan Magdevski makes a three to give the Tenno their largest lead of the game so far. (LOS 27 @ HAN 40)
(2Q, 3:54): Stanley O'Connor comes alive. He now has 14 points and his mid-range bucket cuts the lead to six. (LOS 39 @ HAN 45)
(2Q, 2:04): The Kaiju keep tripping themselves up. They commit their 11th turnover of the half, which leads to fast points on the other end. (LOS 42 @ HAN 52)
Halftime: LOS 44 @ HAN 56 | O'Connor leads all scorers with 14 points. Clark White has 10 points and 9 assists.
(3Q, 11:31): Clark White now has a double-double after being credited with an assist off a dunk by Wataru Nishioka. (LOS 46 @ HAN 58)
(3Q, 7:02): Darko Nicevic makes a mid-range jumper, pushing the Tenno lead to 14 points. (LOS 55 @ HAN 69)
(3Q, 3:20): The Kaiju go on a 12-2 run to pull the game back a bit. (LOS 67 @ HAN 71)
(3Q, 2:46): Even when all the momentum is on the Kaiju side, they can't prevent a three from Damjan Magdevski. (LOS 67 @ HAN 74)
(3Q, 1:30): Stanley O'Connor commits his fifth foul. The Kaiju star will be on thin ice for the rest of the game. (LOS 73 @ HAN 80)
End of third quarter: LOS 75 @ HAN 82 | Wataru Nishioka and Stanley O'Connor lead all scorers with 16 points a piece.
(4Q, 11:45): Clark White makes a three to push the Tenno lead back up to ten points. (LOS 73 @ HAN 83)
(4Q, 8:31): Dimitris Galanis slams home a dunk right over top of Paolo Pietrini, who is called for a blocking foul. Free throw is good. (LOS 84 @ HAN 92)
(4Q, 6:49): Dexter Taylor buries a three to cut the lead down to three, the smallest it's been since 7-10. (LOS 89 @ HAN 92)
(4Q, 5:44): Paolo Pietrini dunks one home this time, cutting the Tenno lead down to just one. (LOS 91 @ HAN 92)
(4Q, 5:30): Now it's Stanley O'Connor's turn to hit a clutch three! The Kaiju lead for the first time since 1-0!!! (LOS 94 @ HAN 92)
(4Q, 4:22): A hard-nosed move to the basket by Damjan Magdevski sees him slam one home through contact, and one! (LOS 97 @ HAN 97)
(4Q, 3:43): Another midrange jumper from Clark White ties the game back up. (LOS 99 @ HAN 99)
(4Q, 3:27): The starters are back in for both teams now. It's crunch time. (LOS 99 @ HAN 99)
(4Q, 2:39): A barrage of turnovers by both teams is ended when Nishioka breaks away from the pack and slams home a dunk. (LOS 99 @ HAN 101)
(4Q, 2:17): Alain Delmas turns the ball over, and Clark White makes another midrange bucket to move the lead to four. (LOS 99 @ LOS 103)
(4Q, 1:23): Ben McMath commits a stupid foul and puts Rogelio Palau on the free throw line. He makes both. (LOS 99 @ LOS 105)
(4Q, 0:28): Rogelio Palau puts the finishing touches on the game by completing a three-point play. (LOS 99 @ LOS 108)
End of game: LOS 99 @ HAN 108 | POTM: Clark White with 19 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks and 2 steals.
Rogelio Palau had a +29 plus/minus score. Wataru Nishioka had a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds). Damjan Magdevski had a double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds).
The Tenno lead the series, 3-0.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hikarimachi Lightning @ Saint Jerome Power
Pre-game odds: Hikarimachi -4.5
Injury report (HIK): The Lightning have no injuries to report.
Injury report (STJ): The Power have no injuries to report.

The Lightning starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Power starting lineup is unchanged from last game.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Oscar Pellegrini wins the tip for the Power, and we are underway in Saint Jerome.
(1Q, 11:43): Art Stradnieks is fouled by Oscar Gustafsson on a shot. Two free throws, made both. (HIK 0 @ STJ 2)
(1Q, 11:31): Marc Dahi gets the two points back to open the scoring for the Lightning. (HIK 2 @ STJ 2)
(1Q, 9:06): Both teams have come out firing early on in this game. They are a combined 9/12 on field goals. (HIK 11 @ STJ 11)
(1Q, 7:19): Filip Vranes has 10 points already. He is 4/5 from the floor with 2 threes made. (HIK 16 @ STJ 16)
(1Q, 6:11): Oscar Pellegrini commits his third personal foul. He needs to be very careful for the rest of the half. (HIK 20 @ STJ 16)
(1Q, 4:11): Leo Barlera comes off the bench to hit a crucial three to prevent the Lightning from pulling too far ahead. (HIK 22 @ STJ 21)
(1Q, 3:12): The Lightning are in the bonus. Marc Dahi shoots 1/2 at the line. (HIK 23 @ STJ 21)
(1Q, 3:00): Brent Quiñones is doing his slow-start thing again. He dunks one home and is now 2/7 from the field and 0/3 from deep. (HIK 25 @ STJ 21)
(1Q, 2:55): A monster jam from Leo Barlera on top of Éder Abril causes an eruption from the home crowd. He completes the and one. (HIK 25 @ STJ 24)
(1Q, 2:09): Bryan Faure hits his first three of the game to tie the proceedings back up. (HIK 27 @ STJ 27)
(1Q, 1:11): Filip Vranes hits another three pointer, his third of the quarter. (HIK 30 @ STJ 30)
(1Q, 0:33): A very dumb foul from Marc Dahi puts Bryan Faure on the line for three shots. He goes 1/3, however. (HIK 32 @ STJ 31)
End of first quarter: HIK 32 @ STJ 31 | Filip Vranes leads all scorers with 13 points. He is 5/6 from the floor and has made three from deep.
(2Q, 11:51): The Power need to stop fouling. The Lightning are shooting free throws 14 and 15, both are made by Gustafsson. (HIK 34 @ STJ 31)
(2Q, 9:40): Speaking of not fouling, the Lightning can't stop fouling either. A game that promised so much is being turned into a foul fest. (HIK 38 @ STJ 35)
(2Q, 8:22): Filip Vranes is playing savior for the Power. He hits his FOURTH three of the half. (HIK 42 @ STJ 38)
(2Q, 6:55): Art Stradnieks makes a three. The Power have now made seven threes of eleven attempts as a team. (HIK 44 @ STJ 43)
(2Q, 6:32): The Power are absolutely on fire from deep. Another one made, this time by Arnoldas Tamulis (HIK 46 @ STJ 46)
(2Q, 4:45): Lightning's Marc Dahi scores a three pointer to move their advantage to six. (HIK 53 @ STJ 47)
(2Q, 3:48): Art Stradnieks scores a layup through contact by Jia Hanlin. He makes the free throw as well. (HIK 53 @ STJ 52)
(2Q, 3:11): Arnoldas Tamulis bricks an open fastbreak layup to take the lead. That'll be on Shaqtin' a Fool. (HIK 53 @ STJ 52)
(2Q, 3:02): Brent Quiñones knocks down his first three of the game - lead up to four in favor of the Lightning. (HIK 56 @ STJ 52)
(2Q, 2:03): Gino Francis (STJ) slams one home over Quiñones! Missed the free throw, but the lead back down to two. (HIK 58 @ STJ 56)
(2Q, 1:35): Rokas Lekavicius (STJ) dunks one on top of Assane Riviere, and it's another and-one opportunity. Made the free throw. (HIK 58 @ STJ 59)
Halftime: HIK 60 @ STJ 63 | Filip Vranes still leads all scorers, with 18 points. He's 4/4 from deep.
(3Q, 11:13): Another three buried by Art Stradnieks. The Power lead moves up to six! (HIK 62 @ STJ 68)
(3Q, 10:28): Giuseppe Amato's turn to hit a three. The Power have hit 10 of 14 of their three point attempts, 71.4%. (HIK 64 @ STJ 73)
(3Q, 9:02): Filip Vranes is on absolute fire tonight. He scores a layup through contact and makes the free throw. (HIK 69 @ STJ 78)
(3Q, 6:51): Filip Vranes hits his fifth three of the night. He had one blocked before, so he's now 5/6. (HIK 71 @ STJ 83)
(3Q, 6:13): And Filip scores again! His layup makes it a 14-point Power lead. (HIK 71 @ STJ 85)
(3Q, 2:30): Bryan Faure drains a long-range bucket, moving the lead back up to 14. (HIK 79 @ STJ 93)
(3Q, 1:18): Vranes is officially a man on fire. He hits his sixth three of the game! 6/7 now. (HIK 79 @ STJ 98)
(3Q, 0:51): Oscar Pellegrini scores a free throw to push the lead to twenty for the Power. (HIK 79 @ STJ 99)
(3Q, 0:29): Art Stradnieks makes a bucket, assisted by Bryan Faure. This gives Faure a double-double, 16 points, 10 assists. (HIK 79 @ STJ 101)
End of third quarter: HIK 81 @ STJ 103 | Filip Vranes leads all scorers with 34 points! He's 11/14 from the field, with 6 threes and 6 free throws.
(4Q, 11:16): Bryan Faure collects a rebound to give himself a triple-double! He has 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. (HIK 81 @ STJ 105)
(4Q, 8:18): Brent Quiñones is waking up now, he's hit threes on back-to-back trips down the floor. (HIK 92 @ STJ 110)
(4Q, 7:01): Quiñones is trying to give Power fans some PTSD, as he's hit another three, while the Power offense has sputtered to a stop. (HIK 97 @ STJ 112)
(4Q, 6:11): Charro Maldonado (STJ) relieves a worried crowd by completing a three-point play to push the lead back over 15. (HIK 101 @ STJ 117)
(4Q, 5:04): After a miss from Yaguati Duenas, Bryan Faure grabs the board and runs the floor. He hits a three to put the Power up 20. (HIK 103 @ STJ 123)
(4Q, 3:37): Filip Vranes hits a trey ball, his seventh of the game. He's up to 37 now. (HIK 108 @ STJ 127)
(4Q, 2:13): Vranes is subbed off to a standing ovation, much like the one Brent Quiñones got in Hikarimachi in game one. (HIK 113 @ STJ 131)
End of game: HIK 121 @ STJ 135 | POTM: Filip Vranes (39pts/6reb/5ast. 13/17 FG, 7/9 3P, 6/7 FT) & Bryan Faure (30pts/12reb/10ast)
A great game from the Power to swing a game in their favor. Can they keep it going in Game Four?
The Lightning lead the series, 2-1.

by **Kamijiro** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:44 pm

Little Osaka Kaiju @ Hanayuki Tenno
Pre-game odds: Hanayuki -4.5
Injury report (LOS): The Kaiju have no injuries to report.
Injury report (HAN): The Tenno have no injuries to report.

The Kaiju starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Tenno starting lineup is unchanged from last game.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Their backs are against the wall. The Kaiju need a win here. Damjan Magdevski wins the ball for the Tenno, and we are underway.
(1Q, 10:41): After a couple missed attempts by both teams, Wataru Nishioka breaks the initial deadlock with a midrange jumper. (LOS 0 @ HAN 2)
(1Q, 10:35): Alain Delmas immediately responds to open the scoring for the Kaiju. He hits a three off a nice outlet pass from Jung Yeong-Hwan. (LOS 3 @ HAN 2)
(1Q, 10:14): Delmas again scores, this time drawing a foul as well. Magdevski picks up his second foul in as many minutes. (LOS 6 @ HAN 2)
(1Q, 9:29): The Tenno gamble by leaving Magdevski in, and it burns them. He picks up his third foul. Stanley O'Connor to the line. (LOS 7 @ HAN 4)
(1Q, 6:45): O'Connor is having a stinker to open up the game. He has missed all five of his first field goal attempts. (LOS 9 @ HAN 11)
(1Q, 3:45): Both of these teams are atrocious on offense at the moment. The Kaiju can't shoot and the Tenno can't keep the ball. (LOS 16 @ HAN 18)
(1Q, 1:23): The Kaiju claim their first lead since 9-8 off a dunk by Stjepan Jurica. It's a narrow margin, but they'll take it. (LOS 23 @ HAN 22)
End of first quarter: LOS 23 @ HAN 22 | The teams are shooting a combined 17/42, including 4/14 from three. Ugly going so far.
(2Q, 10:55): Joachim Klein scores a layup to extend the Kaiju lead. The Tenno have turned it over on all three of their possessions this quarter. (LOS 27 @ HAN 22)
(2Q, 10:38): Make that all four of their possessions. Ben McMath steals the ball and lays it up on the other end. (LOS 29 @ HAN 22)
(2Q, 9:09): After a shaky start to the quarter, the Tenno have now made two threes in a row. Mamadi Diakite makes one from range. (LOS 33 @ HAN 28)
(2Q, 7:16): Shooting foul is whistled against the Kaiju. Devin Moore makes both free throws, the game is tied back up. (LOS 35 @ HAN 35)
(2Q, 6:53): Stanley O'Connor finally scores a field goal, a layup off a deft post spin that freed him up. He's one for seven now. (LOS 37 @ HAN 35)
(2Q, 6:04): O'Connor scores again, this time a three-pointer. Is he waking up? (LOS 40 @ HAN 35)
(2Q, 5:01): Jung Yeong-Hwan buries one from deep to push the Kaiju lead up to eight. (LOS 46 @ HAN 38)
(2Q, 4:19): Neither team can get a stop, nor can they stop fouling. Mangok Leek hits a layup, and one. (LOS 51 @ HAN 43)
(2Q, 3:20): Robert Vranjes, operating as Magdevski's backup, picks up his second foul. Both Tenno big men in foul trouble now. (LOS 55 @ HAN 47)
(2Q, 2:26): Speaking of foul trouble, Alain Delmas picks up his third foul. The Kaiju starting big man is headed to the bench. (LOS 55 @ HAN 49)
(2Q, 1:49): The Kaiju lead by double-digits! A made three from Mangok Leek has the Kaiju bench electrified. (LOS 60 @ HAN 49)
(2Q, 0:29): Tenno swingman Wataru Nishioka commits a foul. He sends Dexter Taylor to the charity stripe. He puts the Kaiju up 13. (LOS 65 @ HAN 52)
(2Q, 0:20): Nishioka gets it back in blood! He buries a three to cut into the deficit. (LOS 65 @ HAN 55)
Halftime: LOS 65 @ HAN 55 | Joachim Klein has a +/- of +16. Nishioka leads all scorers with 15 points. He has hit six of his seven field goal attempts.
(3Q, 10:54): Damjan Magdevski subs back in for the first time since the first quarter. (LOS 70 @ HAN 60)
(3Q, 10:13): Magdevski immediately makes his presence felt! He grabs an offensive rebound and assists Devin Moore, who scores an and-one. (LOS 70 @ HAN 65)
(3Q, 9:56): Magdevski at it again, this time dunking on Antonio Guerra. Guerra is whistled for a blocking foul, so Magdevski gets an and-one. (LOS 70 @ HAN 68)
(3Q, 7:10): Both offenses go cold. Neither team has scored since a basket by Magdevski at the 9:19 mark. (LOS 72 @ HAN 70)
(3Q, 5:36): Jurica is having a game to forget after starting so strong. He commits his sixth turnover. Still, neither team has scored. (LOS 72 @ HAN 70)
(3Q, 5:05): However, he atones for his last turnover by hitting a three, the first points for either team in over four minutes. (LOS 75 @ HAN 70)
(3Q, 4:37): Vlado Zadravec scores the first points for the Tenno in nearly five minutes. Ugly quarter from them since firing out of the break. (LOS 75 @ HAN 73)
(3Q, 4:10): And just like that, the Tenno have the lead for the first time since 22-21. Three pointer from Mamadi Diakite. (LOS 75 @ HAN 76)
(3Q, 3:09): The cold snaps for both offenses seem to be over. Neither team can get a stop now. (LOS 77 @ HAN 80)
(3Q, 2:06): Clark White makes his fourth and fifth free throws of the match. The Kaiju have had their wheels fall off. (LOS 77 @ HAN 84)
(3Q, 0:35): Just as suddenly as the offenses appeared, they vanished again. Neither team has scored since White's free throws. (LOS 77 @ HAN 84)
(3Q, 0:17): After three offensive rebounds, the Kaiju finally get one to fall in. Their first points in three minutes of play. (LOS 79 @ HAN 84)
(3Q, 0:00): Devin Moore buries a three at the horn to put the Kaiju on the brink of elimination. One more quarter of this and they are done. (LOS 79 @ HAN 87)
End of third quarter: LOS 79 @ HAN 87 | The Kaiju were outscored by 18 in that quarter, 14-32.
(4Q, 11:08): O'Connor will have nobody to blame but himself for this game if the Kaiju lose. He is 2/12 from the floor after a missed layup. (LOS 79 @ HAN 87)
(4Q, 10:49): Vlado Zadravec scores a midrange basket to put the Tenno up by double-digits. An embarrassing collapse from the Kaiju. (LOS 79 @ HAN 89)
(4Q, 10:05): Nishioka scores again, this time drawing a foul in the process. He missed the free throw, though. (LOS 80 @ HAN 93)
(4Q, 9:15): Dan Johnson hits a three. On the next possession, he goes and punches one home. (LOS 82 @ HAN 98)
(4Q, 8:46): Nishioka grabs a defensive rebound to bring his total up to 10. He has a double-double now. (LOS 82 @ HAN 98)
(4Q, 8:26): O'Connor scores his first points since the middle of the second quarter, hitting two free throws. (LOS 84 @ HAN 98)
(4Q, 7:23): Dan Johnson hits another three, this one's probably the dagger. (LOS 86 @ HAN 104)
(4Q, 5:30): Clark White pushes the lead up to 20 now for the Tenno. This has been the worst second-half performance I've ever seen. (LOS 90 @ HAN 110)
End of game: LOS 105 @ HAN 123 | POTM: W. Nishioka with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. The Kaiju were outscored by 28 in the second half.
The Tenno sweep the Kaiju, 4-0. The Tenno are the Jiro Island Champions!
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Hikarimachi Lightning @ St. Jerome Power
Pre-game odds: Hikarimachi -4.5
Injury report (HIK): The Lightning have no injuries to report.
Injury report (STJ): The Power have no injuries to report.

The Kaiju starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Tenno starting lineup is unchanged from last game.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Maybe this game will be better. Pellegrini wins the jump ball for the Power, and we are underway in Saint Jerome!
(1Q, 11:48): Arnoldas Tamulis is the first basket scorer, making a post fadeaway jumper. (HIK 0 @ STJ 2)
(1Q, 11:08): Oscar Pellegrini is out of the blocks fastest here, he's already up to four points. Fast paced action to start the game. (HIK 2 @ STJ 6)
(1Q, 10:05): Brent Quiñones starts out fast for once, he's made his first two attempts. (HIK 6 @ STJ 6)
(1Q, 6:04): An embarrassing moment for Giuseppe Amato as he strips the ball from Quiñones and is all alone, but misses the layup on the break. (HIK 12 @ STJ 9)
(1Q, 5:01): Quiñones gets stripped by Amato again, but this time the Power capitalize. Charro Maldonado scores a midrange jumper. (HIK 12 @ STJ 13)
(1Q, 1:57): This does not look like the same Power team that smacked the Lightning last time. They can't score at all. (HIK 18 @ STJ 14)
(1Q, 0:10): The player of the match from last time out, Filip Vranes, finally scores his first two points of the game. He's now 1/3. (HIK 19 @ STJ 18)
(1Q, 0:00): There he is again! This time he picked off a lazy pass, got all the way down court and made a layup at the horn. (HIK 19 @ STJ 20)
End of first quarter: HIK 19 @ STJ 20 | Another ugly first quarter in the Island Finals. Will either team shape up?
(2Q, 10:21): The Lightning start out the quarter on a 7-0 run. They now lead by six following a Jia Hanlin basket. (HIK 26 @ STJ 20)
(2Q, 8:45): Anthony Contador, the back-up guard for the Power, buries a three to cut the lead back down to three. (HIK 28 @ STJ 25)
(2Q, 8:10): Bryan Faure, who has been quiet all game, scores his first field goal. It took him five attempts. (HIK 31 @ STJ 27)
(2Q, 7:50): DISASTER STRIKES FOR THE LIGHTNING. STAR GUARD BRENT QUIÑONES HAS GONE DOWN INJURED. (HIK 33 @ STJ 27)
(2Q, 6:46): The Lightning can't stop fouling now, as they put Faure on the line. He cuts the lead down to two. (HIK 33 @ STJ 31)
(2Q, 6:32): Morakinyo Okoreafor misses again. He's now 1/9 from the floor. He's got all the lights on him due to the injury. (HIK 33 @ STJ 31)
(2Q, 5:26): Vranes hits a three, giving the Power the lead back. The Lightning have not scored since Quiñones' injury. (HIK 33 @ STJ 34)
(2Q, 3:21): Hanlin scores the Lightning's first basket in over four minutes. (HIK 35 @ STJ 36)
(2Q, 3:07): A nice reading of the play allows Hanlin to get a steal, which leads to an Oscar Gustafsson bucket. Advantage Lightning. (HIK 37 @ STJ 36)
(2Q, 2:06): The Lightning finally have their feet back under them. Fabio Sacco scores a layup this time. (HIK 40 @ STJ 36)
Halftime: HIK 46 @ STJ 42 | The Lightning are in a bad spot without Quiñones, but they've kept up so far without him. Can they keep going?
(3Q, 10:02): The Power still have not scored in this quarter. The Lightning are doing pretty well, though. (HIK 50 @ STJ 42)
(3Q, 9:38): Leo Barlera finally takes the lid off for the Power, scoring a post hook. (HIK 50 @ STJ 44)
(3Q, 8:13): Gustafsson hits a trey ball, extending the Lightning run to 12-4. They are now up double-digits. (HIK 58 @ STJ 46)
(3Q, 6:39): The 12-4 run is quickly offset by a barrage from the Power. The lead is back down to four. (HIK 60 @ STJ 56)
(3Q, 5:41): The run by the Power is now sitting at 15-4, they're only down one now. Filip Vranes with the bucket this time. (HIK 62 @ STJ 61)
(3Q, 2:13): If you go online and look up "shooting yourself in the foot," a picture of the Power show up. They have seven turnovers this quarter. (HIK 72 @ STJ 64)
End of third quarter: HIK 72 @ STJ 66 | Despite the crappy shooting from Okoreafor (9 PTS, 3/17 FG) the Lightning lead.
(4Q, 10:48): Even without Quiñones, the Lightning look more than capable of beating the Power, who can't seem to shoot at all. (HIK 75 @ STJ 68)
(4Q, 9:45): Yukiyoshi Shigematsu slams a thunderous dunk home over Pellegrini, who picks up his fourth foul. Free throw good. (HIK 80 @ STJ 68)
(4Q, 7:32): The boos are starting to rain down in St. Jerome, as the fans believe their team is not doing enough whatsoever. (HIK 84 @ STJ 73)
(4Q, 6:07): Giuseppe Amato is having a game to forget. He's 0/6 from the floor and has only scored one point. (HIK 86 @ STJ 76)
(4Q, 5:51): Another foul called on Pellegrini, who picks up his fifth. It's starting to get really ugly for the Power. (HIK 89 @ STJ 76)
(4Q, 5:02): Following a dunk by Marc Dahi which pushes the lead to 14, the Power fans are leaving en masse. (HIK 94 @ STJ 80)
(4Q, 2:24): Power are back in with a shout. Pellegrini goes 2/2 at the line to bring the lead back down to 10. (HIK 104 @ STJ 94)
(4Q, 1:35): Well, nevermind. They can't get a stop at all. Dahi slams another one home. (HIK 108 @ STJ 95)
End of game: HIK 110 @ STJ 100 | An absolutely shameful performance from the Power here. Nonetheless, the POTM is Arnoldas Tamulis (17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks)
The Lightning lead the series, 3-1.

by **Kamijiro** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:39 pm

St. Jerome Power @ Hikarimachi Lightning
Pre-game odds: Hikarimachi -2.5
Injury report (STJ): The Power have no injuries to report.
Injury report (HIK): Brent Quiñones is out with a strained hamstring.

The Power starting lineup is unchanged from last game.
The Lightning have made one change to their starting lineup: Yaguati Duenas for the injured Brent Quiñones.

Highlight play-by-play:
(1Q, 12:00): Pellegrini wins the jump-ball for the Power, and we are up and running in Hikarimachi.
(1Q, 11:41): Assane Riviere makes the first basket of the game, a powerful dunk off a slick feed from Yaguati Duenas. (STJ 0 @ HIK 2)
(1Q, 11:31): Bryan Faure answers instantly on the other end. (STJ 3 @ HIK 2)
(1Q, 9:02): Morakinyo Okoreafor looks much-improved from last game, as he hits a three ball. He's 2/2 from the floor now. (STJ 7 @ HIK 12)
(1Q, 8:01): Filip Vranes, however, does not look much-improved. He's 0/3 from deep to start the game. 2/6 overall. (STJ 11 @ HIK 15)
(1Q, 7:50): Okoreafor is at 10 points already. He's doing his best Brent Quiñones impression. (STJ 11 @ HIK 17)
(1Q, 5:14): Gino Francis slams on Jia Hanlin! And one! (STJ 16 @ HIK 21)
(1Q, 3:56): The game is now tied back up, as Anthony Contador completes a three-point play. (STJ 21 @ HIK 21)
(1Q, 3:47): Oscar Pellegrini makes a three ball, giving the Power a three point lead. (STJ 24 @ HIK 21)
(1Q, 1:38): All momentum dies for the Power as soon as their starters come back in. Hubert Bibang of the Lightning puts them back up two. (STJ 28 @ HIK 30)
End of first quarter: STJ 30 @ HIK 34 | Filip Vranes is 2/10 from the floor, actively shooting the Power in the foot. Okoreafor has 12 points.
(2Q, 9:44): The bench has been doing most of the lifting for the Power. This time, it's Francis hitting a three. (STJ 33 @ HIK 36)
(2Q, 8:38): A comedy of errors for the Power, as they miss five shots in a row. They got all the offensive rebounds, but failed to score a point. (STJ 33 @ HIK 36)
(2Q, 7:01): Filip Vranes misses his sixth shot in a row from deep. (STJ 38 @ HIK 42)
(2Q, 5:41): Arnoldas Tamulis hits a layup to take the lead for the Power. (STJ 43 @ HIK 42)
(2Q, 3:41): A 9-2 run for the Lightning has them up six. Okoreafor hits another three pointer. (STJ 45 @ HIK 51)
(2Q, 0:50): Marc Dahi makes a three-pointer to push the Lightning to a double-digit lead. (STJ 50 @ HIK 60)
Halftime: STJ 50 @ HIK 60 | A litany of errors for the Power has them up against the wall. One more half of this and they're done for.
(3Q, 8:03): No matter how many points the Power score, they can't get any stops on the other end. Fabio Sacco from deep. (STJ 58 @ HIK 69)
(3Q, 6:06): As soon as the bench comes in, the Power go on an 8-0 run. A three-pointer from Stradnieks brings them within three. (STJ 66 @ HIK 69)
(3Q, 4:37): And just like that, the Power lead! Gino Francis scores a layup. He has a team high +18 plus/minus rating. (STJ 72 @ HIK 71)
(3Q, 3:31): Faure hits a layup, and the Power seem unstoppable on offense now. (STJ 80 @ HIK 77)
(3Q, 3:07): Art Stradnieks is 6/6 from the field, including 3/3 from deep (he just made one). He's got 15 points, leading the Power. (STJ 83 @ HIK 79)
(3Q, 0:30): Charro Maldonado hits a game-typing layup after a small run from the Lightning game them the lead back. (STJ 87 @ HIK 87)
End of third quarter: STJ 87 @ HIK 87 | Faure and Vranes are a combined 7/23 from the field. Okoreafor has 22 to lead all scorers.
(4Q, 10:48): Arnoldas Tamulis scores a three-pointer, pushing the Power to a three-point lead. (STJ 92 @ HIK 89)
(4Q, 10:10): However, Okoreafor scores a layup on the other end through a foul. He converts the free throw. (STJ 92 @ HIK 92)
(4Q, 9:34): Art Stradnieks is still perfect shooting the ball, making a midrange shot. He's 7/7. (STJ 96 @ HIK 92)
(4Q, 7:43): For every shot Stradniek makes right now, Vranes misses one. He's 0/7 from deep. (STJ 97 @ HIK 96)
(4Q, 7:16): Marc Dahi slams one home to reclaim the lead for the Lightning. (STJ 97 @ HIK 98)
(4Q, 7:05): Amato makes a three to give the Power a two point lead. (STJ 100 @ HIK 98)
(4Q, 6:41): Stradnieks makes another mid-range jumper. He's 8/8 and has 19 points. (STJ 102 @ HIK 100)
(4Q, 6:08): He finally misses a shot, having one sent back by Gustafsson. (STJ 102 @ HIK 102)
(4Q, 5:33): Gino Francis gives himself a new playoff high with 10 points, making two crucial free throws. (STJ 104 @ HIK 102)
(4Q, 5:23): Better late than never, Vranes hits a three-pointer. (STJ 107 @ HIK 102)
(4Q, 4:30): A small run from the Power has them pulling away slightly. (STJ 110 @ HIK 104)
(4Q, 3:59): Fabio Sacco hits a clutch three to pull the Lightning back within three. (STJ 110 @ HIK 107)
(4Q, 3:04): Gustafsson slams a dunk home, and one! Foul called on Leo Barlera. (STJ 112 @ HIK 110)
(4Q, 2:33): Questionable rotations here from the Power, their two best players in this game (Stradnieks and Tamulis) are both on the bench. (STJ 114 @ HIK 110)
(4Q, 1:31): Rokas Lekavicius misses important free throws for the Power, leaving the Lightning in striking distance. (STJ 117 @ HIK 112)
(4Q, 1:16): Pellegrini gets dunked on again, this time by Duenas. Foul called, and one. Duenas misses the free throw! (STJ 117 @ HIK 114)
(4Q, 0:42): Duenas gets fouled again, he's on the line for two shots. The nerves are palpable on both sides. He makes both! (STJ 117 @ HIK 116)
(4Q, 0:20): Leo Barlera is fouled on a shot by Marc Dahi. He's on the line for two. He makes both as well. (STJ 119 @ HIK 116)
(4Q, 0:16): Fabio Sacco misses a layup, the offensive rebound is grabbed by Duenas. (STJ 119 @ HIK 116)
(4Q, 0:10): Okoreafor tries a layup as well, no good. Duenas with ANOTHER offensive rebound. (STJ 119 @ HIK 116)
(4Q, 0:05): Okoreafor tries a three this time... NO GOOD! Faure with the defensive rebound. He kicks it to Tamulis, who is fouled by Dahi. (STJ 119 @ HIK 116)
(4Q, 0:04): Tamulis splits the pair, so the Power are up four. (STJ 120 @ HIK 116)
(4Q, 0:02): Another three point attempt from Okoreafor is off the mark. That ends the game. (STJ 120 @ HIK 116)
End of game: STJ 120 @ HIK 116 | The Power live to see another game. POTM: A. Stradnieks with 19 points & 7 assists on 8/9 shooting.
The Lightning lead the series, 3-2.

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