The Final Night - 2011/12 JBL Season

Well, here it is, 9:55pm on April  26, 2012. All the NBA games are finished for the night and for the season. All that we can do now is wait for the overnight calibration. The FG% category is so close that I'm not going 'finalize' the year until it's complete.

This was a wild and crazy night. Hildy and I spent most of the night texting back and forth. Around 7pm I was pretty much admitting defeat. The Golden team was about as horrible as a team could be tonight. Again, the hot  category tonight was FG% and my guys threw up bricks all night long.

Wesley Mathews shot 4/18.
Luis Scola shot 0/7.
Goran Dragic shot 3/10.
Brandon Bass shot 2/8.

By 7pm my team was shooting 27% and I had been passed by French and Arctic in FG%. I was down to 46.1% in that category and things looked grim. More on FG% in a minute...

I had also fallen behind French in steals. Golden, which started the night at 1068, was down to 1029 and it looked like a real disaster had just occurred. Golden started the night up 10 steals on French but his guard heavy lineup mustered up 12 steals to pass me. Luckily, Mathews and Dragic (2) each had 4th quarter steals to push me 1 steal ahead of the Legends. The final tally in steals appears to be Golden 767 and French 766. This got Golden back to 1042.

The other interesting development was Golden's move in ATO.  Maui was missing 5 players on the final night (4 of them being guards) and Trev's ATO fell slightly from 1.507 to 1.505. Meanwhile, Golden's ATO was on the rise thanks to Goran Dragic's 13/3 line. By the time the late game was starting (Kings vs. Lakers) -- Maui and Golden were both at 1.505 with Maui still ahead.

The JBL title would be decided by the one and only player that Golden and French Lick had playing in the final 2 games of the night. The Warriors played the Spurs and the Kings played the Lakers. The only man game left was for Golden's Isaiah Thomas. When this game started - Golden needed some good ATO to get past Maui and also to have a hot shooting night from the 60th pick in the NBA draft. When the game started I was at 46.2% and French was also at 46.2%. French was slightly ahead based on the decimal points. The only way Golden could win would be to pass French in FG%.

The Lakers started a bunch of bench players and the Kings jumped out on them early. At the end of the 1st quarter it was 35-24 for the Kings. The problem was that Isaiah wasn't playing much and had only taken 2 shot. He did make both shots and was 2/2 with 4 assists. The 4 assists (0 turnovers) moved Golden ahead of Maui in ATO. With the move up in ATO Golden was now up to 1055 points. The problem was that French was at 1057. It looked like it was going to be a French Lick win by 2 points...

By halftime in the Kings/Lakers game, Isaiah's line looked exactly the same as the 1st quarter. He was still 2/2 for 4 points. He played a total of 9 minutes in the 1st half. Golden still trailed French Lick in FG%.

22 seconds into the 2nd half Isaiah missed a bad fade away attempt. He was now 2/3.

With 10:52 to go in the 3rd quarter Isaiah hit an 18 footer. He was now 3/4.

With 9:18 to go - Isaiah made a layup and was now 4/5. This basket moved Golden percentage points ahead of French in FG%.

As the quarter played on the Kings built a bigger lead. The score at the end of the quarter was 90-74. My hope was that the Kings would play Jimmer. I was chanting his name in my kitchen watching the game. But they didn't hear me. Isaiah was on the floor to start the 4th quarter.

I was hoping that maybe Isaiah would just be a passer. Don't shoot it I kept saying. I was literally talking to the TV. Sometimes yelling at it. With 10:26 to go in the 4th I watched Isaiah pull up for a 3 at the top of the arc. I rose from my chair saying "Noooooooo" but ended up saying "YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS" as the ball swished through the net. Isaiah for 3!! He was now 5/6 and I begged Keith Smart to take him out of the game.

With 7:13 to go in the game the Kings put in Jimmer and Isaiah went to bench. The score was 99-81. The lead was safe. The starters should rest. The only starter that remained in the game for the Kings was DeMarcus Cousins. He was working on a monster game - he finished with 23pts and 19rebs. And then - the unthinkable happened. Fucking Keith Smart put Isaiah back in the game for Cousins??? What was going on? What was I witnessing? Go check it out - http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=320426023&period=4 - with 2:25 to go in the 4th quarter, with the score now 109-90 - the Kings put Thomas back in the game.

My worst nightmare was about to happen. I couldn't watch anymore. Partly because I was too nervous to watch - but also because I had to finally give Ryan his spelling words for his big test tomorrow. I don't think I've ever felt so nervous giving 15 words to an 8 year old and trying to not think about the TV on in the other room. I hurried Ryan along with his practice quiz (he got 15/15 by the way) and walked back into the kitchen. The game was over. I saw Thomas walking off the court and the announcer said he finished with 11 points and 7 assists. I quickly thought to myself - that's exactly what he had when he left the game. I thought - please God - please tell me he didn't shoot. I went to the IPAD's Score App and checked the box score. Isaiah was still showing as 5/6 from the field. I didn't trust it. I went to the office and checked at YAHOO, ESPN, and NBA.com - they all showed 5/6.

So, right now, at 10:34pm and for the last 45 minutes or so - the Golden Showers have 1068 points and the French Lick Legends have 1044 points. Both teams shot 46.2% on the season. At the moment, the Showers are fractions ahead of the Legends in this category. It's not official until the overnight calibration is done and the stats are made official by the NBA.

So, we'll see what the morning brings. It will either be an 8th title for the Golden Showers or the 1st ever for the French Lick squad. The night will be remembered for bad shooting and what could have been. Both teams had guys go cold. Golden's players have been mentioned above but French also had Mike Conley (0/5) and Greivis Vasquez (3/14) shoot poorly. It was initially reported that Vasquez wasn't even supposed to play tonight. When it's all said and done it might have been 1 make or miss that was the difference.

This strike shortened JBL season has been a wild one. The JBL title wasn't decided until the 4th quarter of the final game of the season. It could be 1 make or 1 missed shot that was the difference. I can think of only 2 other seasons where it was this close. One was years ago when I was in the Caymans with Benny. I'm pretty sure we sat up really late on the last night watching just like Hildy and I did tonight. This is probably the closest JBL title race of all time when I think back though...

And in the end it was the player who is known as Mr. Irrelevant that determined the JBL champion. The 60th pick in the NBA draft. A 5'9 kid from Tacoma, Washington. He wasn't selected by any JBL team at Auction. He was signed by Golden for $1 dollar on February 18th. He replaced Chase Budinger on the roster. Thomas ended up playing 35 games for Golden and none of them was more important than tonight's. It's no secret that Isaiah Thomas will be back in Golden to start next season. He's earned that.

So for now...I'll sign off. Thanks to all JBL owners for another great season. We don't have a league without all of you. I'll wrap things up with my usual season in review in the coming days. To whoever reads the JBL Chronicles - thanks for reading. I'll let all the teams know where to send your $100 entry fee. To the money winners - congrats. And for now...I'll say good day, good night, and good season.

Well, it all comes down to the final night...

The challenge at predicting what's going to happen is not knowing who is actually going to be playing on the final night. If you look at the Golden roster it looks like I have 10 man games on Thursday. But in reality, we know that Wade is likely out; Ilyasova is out; Holiday is out; Duncan is out...so now I'm down to just potentially 6 man games. Will that be enough?

Let's check out the top 3 and where they can move.

Currently, Juan de Fuca is at 1012 points as they lost a big -13 points in ATO tonight to Chilliwack. So, let's see how many points Juan COULD get to tomorrow night...

3PT% - they are 1st and maxed out
ATO - could gain the 13pts back they lost tonight
BLK - done - no room to go up
FG% - Juan is 46.1 - French 46.1 - Arctic 46.2 - Golden 46.3 - so there is potential for movement here but they will need French, Arctic, and Golden to have really bad shooting nights
PTS - maxed out
STL -maxed out
REB - unless they can out-rebound Chwk by 80 rebounds - they are maxed out.

French Lick is currently at 1044.

3PT% - French is 36.4 and Golden is 36.8. With a really good and a really bad night - it's possible
ATO - French is 1st - maxed out
BLK - now 9 blocks behind Juan - unlikely?
FG% - French is 46.1 - Arctic 46.2 and Golden 46.3 - it's possible
PTS - not moving up
STL - 10 steals behind Golden - can Rondo, Teague, Lawson, Conley, Vasquez and others do it? Maybe.
REB - maxed out

Golden is still at 1068.

3PT% - maxed out
ATO - Golden at 1.499 and Maui at 1.507. Possible but not likely
BLK - 10 blocks behind Seoul - not happening
FG% - not moving up - barely hanging on
PTS-  not moving up
STL - 1st so far with French just 10 steals behind
REB - not moving anywhere

So - what the heck does it all mean?? I have no clue. It means Golden is in the lead and French still has a good chance. He needs a lot of steals from his Guard heavy lineup - totally possible. If French can hold firm in all other categories and pass Golden in steals - the title is his. Or, if French can catch Arctic and Golden in FG% - that's another way to make it happen.

For French, he has potentially 12 man games. The question marks for his team now appear to be Carmelo as the Knicks indicate they may rest him. Gooden could be done in Milwaukee. Will Bosh play for Miami? Orlando is locked in as the 6th seed in the East and will play Indy - so does Ryan Anderson get a night off? And will Rondo play for the Celtics or will they rest his back for the playoffs. These are the great unknowns...

Whatever happens it's been a fun season. I've enjoyed the title chase. The last month has been intense and I've followed the JBL ever so closely over the last little while. Very exciting to be in the hunt again with a chance to win. We'll see what happens. I'll begin preparing the 'Season in Review' once the season is over and post it for all to read....or delete from their inbox. Good night, good season, and Good luck....

4 Nights to Go...

OK, so I missed a few nights....

The title is still up for grabs and will be on Thursday's final night.
3 teams can still win the title and there are multiple categories that need to be watched regarding each team...

Golden (currently at 1068)
- still hanging around Maui in ATO (1.497 to 1.506) - unlikely to catch them unless CP3 is rested.
- clinging to a 0.2% FG% lead over Arctic and French
- just 3 steals ahead of French - big 26 point swing at stake there

Juan de Fuca (1025)
- ATO is close with Juan and the Wack (1.436 to 1.432) - Juan cannot afford to give up those 13 pts
- BLKS - Juan holds just a 5 block lead over French
- FG% - just 0.1% behind Arctic and French and just 0.1% ahead of Bangkok
- REBs - 87 rebounds behind the Wack

French Lick (1024)
- 3PT% - just % points ahead of the Wack; 0.1% ahead of Seoul; 0.2% ahead of Idaho and 0.3% ahead of Montreal. French is likely maxed out in this category unless Ryan Anderson and others get hot
- BLKS - 5 blocks behind Juan de Fuca
- FG% - just % points behind Arctic in FG% but only 0.1% ahead of Juan
- PTS - just 6 points back of Yuma - that's a big 20 pts in the standings for French
- STL - just 3 steals back of Golden - again, a 26 points swing

So - who can win it? All 3 teams can win it...
Who has the best shot? I have no clue. What makes it difficult is the guys on shut down alert. Who plays in the these final guys will be very tough to predict. All 3 teams have guys that may or may not play much over the final 3 nights.

I like French's chances because of the 2 categories he's so close in. Can he outscore Yuma and gain 20 points?? Maybe. Yes. Can he pass Golden in steals? Maybe. Yes. If he can do those 2 categories that should be enough for the win - provided he doesn't drop any points in other categories - which is no guarantee because of how close 3PT% is right now. There are no easy answers when it comes to figuring this one out. This title will be determined on the final night.

Golden will have to see if Wade returns...but I imagine he'll continue to rest. Duncan will surely be rested. Will Ilyasova play anymore now that Milwaukee was eliminated from playoff contention? If Houston is eliminated then does Dragic and Scola play? If PHX is eliminated will Gortat and Dudley play? I can pretty much make a case for my entire team being rested on the final night of the NBA season. Of course, I can say the same thing about all the other JBL teams and their players as well. Will Gooden play for French? Will Durant be rested? Will Cousins be suspended for a game? Will Bosh play? Will Rondo play? Will Carmelo get a rest? So many unknowns should make the last few nights very interesting...

Good luck boys...we'll all need it.

Montreal Responds...

1. What's it been like having a co-owner on board this year?

It has been great! David and I work together, so getting some advice and thoughts on trades/FA pickups takes just walking over to his desk and talking things through. 

2.  Break down the season for your Montreal squad...What did you like? What didn't you like?

I liked a lot... especially the FA pickups. I did not like the injuries... A lot of little injuries at the end that took away played games. I also liked the draft. I think that I did pretty good despite the initial skepticism.  

3. Any particular moves you wish you would have made? Any regrets?

Regret that I did not pull the trigger on some major trade after the all-star break. I was sitting in 7/8t place and in hindsight, it should have been done.  

4. What will you try to do differently next year after three seasons of 11th, 13th, and now 10th?

Dominate.  

5. Can the JBL front offices expect an expansion application for the 2012/13 season?

Up to David. I think that considering our work load, it makes sense to stay co-owners.  

6. Who do you think is going to win the title this year?

Golden 

7. With likely 2 keeper spots available for your team - who are your prime keeper candidates??

We are going to have to sit down together and decide, but I am biased towards getting our guard situation for next year figured out. 

8. Which 5 NBA players really surprised you in terms of their Fantasy value this season?

Well nobody on my squad! Guys like Batum, Gasol, they were drafted precisely because of an expectation they would perform. I am a little surprised with Goran Dragic. I paid a LOT of money for him as a FA early in the season, and he did not do ANYTHING. I tried to keep him on my squad, but I needed bodies with some early season injuries. So I guess I am surprised that he stabbed me in the neck early on in the season. 

 I was also surprised by Stiemsma, also by Nash and Vince Carter still having something. Lamar Odom's spectacular decline was also surprising. I knew he would not replicate the last season, but still! 

9. Is the Montreal squad developing any rivalries in the JBL? If so, who and why?

You can't develop rivalries when you're in last place constantly. 

7 Nights to Go...

It's becoming easier as the nights go on just how each of the top 3 teams can win the title...
It no longer requires a ouija board; a compass; or a rocket scientist diploma. It's almost crystal clear.

I could go through all the scenarios - and believe me - there really aren't that many left. But instead, I think we should let it play out and see what happens.

So, what's going on in the Association tonight?

How about another dominating performance from Avery Bradley?! 28 pts on 12/22 and 4 steals. I'm digging this kid's potential for next season when the Celts should have space at SG when they let Ray Allen walk this off season. I envision Ray-Ray in a Clippers jersey next season beside Chris Paul. I also envision Avery Bradley as the Celts starting 2 guard and the draft night sleeper everyone is talking about. Too bad I left this kid on my bench for the final period.

How about Joe Johnson with 30 pts? How about Josh Smith with another full line of 19pts, 12rebs, 3 stls, and 3 blks. Oh, Mr. Woo loves those 'stocks'. Josh is a top notch fantasy player. Definitely top 10 because he can contribute in every category (except for 3PT%).

Hey - the Bobcats have lost 19 in a row. Shocker. Gerald Henderson did have 32 points for the Kitty Cats tonight and could be on Maui's radar as a potential keeper. Mike Conley had 20 pts for the Grizz against the Cats tonight. French will be happy with his line.

New York, one of the hottest teams in the league, lost to Cleveland by 8 tonight??? What the ???
What changed? Amare. Amare came back. That's what changed. Carmelo, the recent dominant offensive force, turned in a 13 shot 12 point effort. Ugh. Steve Novak went 5/12 from downtown. This guy should always be on a JBL Fantasy team for those stats alone.

Dallas beat GS. Brandon Rush had 20 pts, 8 rebs and another 2 blocks. Rush might have taken over the title of 'best little man blocker'. This title belt is usually reserved for D-Wade but I seriously think Rush deserves consideration. Rush now has 56 blocks on the season. Wade has 63. But Rush plays almost 9 minutes less than Wade on a nightly basis. Amazing stuff. Another cheap guy to have on your JBL roster (Rush, not Wade). Klay Thompson continued his offensive assault with 26 points. His offense is getting as much notice as the lack of defense he plays. Apparently it's atrocious. So....he'll fit in nicely in Golden State. Vince Carter had 19 and 9 tonight and clearly Bangkok made the right call playing him over Howard this week.

The late games include Lakers v. Spurs and Thunder v. Kings.
Kobe is playing for the Lakers tonight - it could be his last game of the season.
Duncan is playing for Golden - he had a big first half.
The Thunder are up on the Kings (no surprise). Cousins is struggling tonight - but I hope he gets some blocks for Juan.

So...each night that passes I can now say - this is the last Friday night of the NBA season.

As I mentioned off the top - I can see how this all shakes down. 3 teams have a chance at a title. It's a very simple formula for each team to win. And it doesn't take much to make those things happen. So, for the next week, I'll be watching very, very closely. French can win his 1st and become just the 7th different Champion in 21 years. We've had 30+ owners in the league and so far - all the titles have been shared amongst just 6 guys. Juan de Fuca can win a 2nd title (his 1st coming back in 2000/01). Or Golden gets his 8th title and takes the title of Public Enemy #1 away from back-to-back-to-back defending champion Seoul.

And then - it will be time for summer fun. Lottery ball decorations. Determining a location for the 22nd Auction. Determining if there are any expansion applications. The June NBA draft comes along and more reading/researching begins. Ahhh, the circle of life that is the JBL.

8 Nights to Go...

I'm sitting here watching the Suns vs. Clippers game and I'm cheering for Channing Frye and Blake Griffin? What? Wait a second? Those guys are in Chilliwack! Why yes. They are. And they need to rebound their asses off because Juan is closing in on those Offs in the Rebounding department. Under 100 rebounds behind now and that would be a HUGE +15 points for the Yo Mamas. Come on Blake!!

Not many man games for teams tonight as it's a light NBA schedule. Yuma was able to pass French in PTS tonight and that has French at 1011 currently. As mentioned, this will go back and forth for the rest of the week. I hear Kobe is going to play one more game before the playoffs. That could be a key for Yuma to stay in the hunt with French in this category.

A week tonight I'll be watching ever so closely following every move of every player. It will be intense.

David West had a monster line tonight. 21pts, 14reb, and 7/1 ATO. Nice. He's a pretty damn good 12 and 6 guy this year.

Granger went off again tonight. He's really improved his game in over the last 15-20 games. Tuna couldn't give him away earlier this year and now he's on fire. He might be back on teams' radars for next season after his big finish.

Ilyasova had a last minute DNP tonight. I'm not sure that's good or bad actually. As the % categories go - maybe it's better he does sit out?

Pekovic was 23 and 9 tonight - but he's stuck on my bench. I thought Minny might shut him down so I went the safer route with Kevin Seraphin.

Ant Rand had 15 pts, 10 reb, and 3 blocks tonight. So much talent. So many chances. So many times he keeps coming up short.

The Pistons? They need a makeover. Ugly roster.

The Rockets have lost 6 in a row. They are now on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoffs. It's weird but Kyle Lowry returned 7 games ago. Correlation? Coincidence? The question this off season will be what to do with Dragic and Lowry. They can't keep them both. If Dragic lands a starting gig somewhere - look out! Courtney Lee and Chase Budinger are not a JBL roster right now. Shocking! Both have been very, very good down the stretch.

What am I watching closely?

I'm watching French's 3PT%. Can he move up any more in this category?

I'm watching Maui and Golden battle it out in ATO. I passed the Ribs for a bit tonight but once CP3 hits the floor I keep falling behind. Maybe the Clippers will clinch a certain playoff seed and then rest him? That's Golden's only hope.

I'm watching the battle of blocks between French and Juan. Currently, its 449-448 for Juan. As stated before, it benefits Golden the most if they tie in this category.

I'm watching FG% as Juan and French again are literally tied at 46.0%. They flip flop the 13 points all night long it seems. I am also watching Arctic's %'s as he is 45.9% and just 0.1% behind. If he could somehow, someway, pass one or both of those teams that would be awesome for Golden's chances.

I'm watching Juan slowly stalk Seoul in steals. It's gonna happen. Juan will pass him. That's 13 more points for Juan. And tonight, because of man games, I am now within 4 steals of French. I don't think I will catch him - but I'm keeping an eye on it.

I'm watching the Yuma/French PTS battle. I think French will win the battle but that doesn't stop me rooting for Brandon Jennings, JJ Barea, Randy Foye and Steve Nash tonight.

And I'm watching 2 rebound races as Juan is within 100 of the Wack and French is within a hundred of Arctic. Again, 15 points for each team on the line.

And I'm keeping an eye on the record setting squad in Brussels. Currently at 184 tonight. Wow.

Just another great night in the JBL.

9 Nights to Go...

Monster man games tonight as most teams were playing...

Some big games with playoff implications..Utah jumped into the 8th seed (I think) while PHX and HOU are just a half game back....

So - how did our contenders do tonight?

Juan held steady at 1025 and had a big night in terms of points and rebounds. 161 points and 70 rebounds. He passed French in blocks (+13) but dropped behind French in FG% (-13). Juan is just 1 block ahead of French and this category will come down to the last night I'm sure. Juan is just 0.1% behind French and just 0.1% in front of Arctic. Again, we'll have to watch this for the next week. Juan is just 3 steals behind Seoul and that would be a big +13 points for the Yo Mamas. You have to think they will get there with all the injuries in Seoul these days. And finally, Juan is just 111 rebounds behind the Wack. Can he catch him? Unlikely, but it's worth watching because that would be a monstrous +15 points.

French made a big move tonight gaining 33 points and moving up to 1031 overall. Thanks to a 39% effort from downtown tonight French was able to move past Montreal in 3PT%. French dropped 13 points to Juan in blocks and will be battling all week for those points. French also passed Yuma in scoring - although his lead is just 16 points. Another Kobe-less night in Yuma kept French ahead in this category. French also gained 13 points in FG% and is now just 0.1% behind Golden in this category and still only 0.1% ahead of Juan and 0.2% ahead of the Arctic. Close race in FG% for sure. And finally, French is only 92 rebounds behind the Arctic. This would be another HUGE 15 points for the French squad if he could pass Crikker. Overall, French had 173 pts, 55 rebs, 10 steals, shot 50/39 and had an ATO over 2.000. Great night again for this stacked lineup.

Golden held firm at 1055. No Wade and no Duncan tonight as they got the dreaded "DNP - old" beside their names. The other 10 guys were able to put up 183 points, 52 rebs, 11 steals, and shot 50% from the field and 54% from downtown. My downtown numbers were led by Jrue Holiday's 6/6 from deep. ATO remains close with Maui as the Ribs lead is just 1.496 to 1.492. That would obviously be a big +13 points for the Showers squad. That appears to be it though for upward movement opportunities.

Some of the nice lines of the night??

How about Drew Gooden? After being named to the top 20 keeper list he went out and dropped 21pts, 12rebs, and 6/1 ATO, with 2 steals. Again, a $1 dollar player (drafted by Golden originally too).

Four Showers' players went off for exactly 21 points each (Wesley Mathews, Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Bass and Jared Dudley). Well done boys.

Carmelo remains on fire with another huge game.

Bynum (31 and 9 on 12/14 shooting) and Pau Gasol (22pts, 11rebs, 11/0 ATO, and 3 blocks) were monsters tonight.

James Harden goes off for 40 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and shoots 12/17 FG, 5/8 3PT, and 11/11 FT. Nice. Again, he should with a the unanimous 6th man of the year vote.

A night after being named the #2 keeper - Serge Ibaka dropped a dud - 9/3/1. Oh well.

Position Battle Update:

4th place - Chwk 901 and Seoul 873 (Benny has more potential keepers and would great benefit from the higher placing)

8th place - Arctic 595 and Bangkok 571 (again, Arctic is loaded with keepers and grabbing 8th would give him 3 guys instead of just 2)

10th place - Montreal 465 - Maui 443 - MBB - 431.

That's all for tonight....