The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was one for the ages.
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament was also fantastic.
Next weekend the NBA playoffs begin (following the play-in games), which is always a fun time for me. And while the Association’s championship tourney is just heating up in mid-May the WNBA begins anew, highlighting a league that gets better and stronger every year.
After something of a hiatus, roundball had returned to the top of the heap among my sports passions, so – as you might have guessed – I’m in the midst of a love fest.
But while sharing the warmth, I’ve gotta blow some kisses the NBA G League’s way.
After a great regular season its postseason has been pretty darn fun, too, with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Delaware Blue Coats reaching the championship series.
Delaware – 20-12 in the regular season but losers of four consecutive games entering the playoffs – swept its way to the 2022-23 title. The Blue Coats opened with a 134-120 victory over RGV on Tuesday, getting 43 points from Jaden Springer and 35 more courtesy of NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion and a two-way player, Mac McClung.
In Game 2 on Thursday, McClung led the charge with 30 points in a 114-110 conquest, clinching the first title in franchise history.
Unlike the format used by the parent league, the G League playoffs are quick and dramatic. And when I say quick, I mean there are no second chances until you reach the Finals.
Twelve teams qualify for the playoffs – six from the Eastern Conference and six from the Western Conference, with the top two seeds from each earning first round byes.
This year, the Long Island Nets took top honors in the East with a 23-9 record, while the Stockton Kings were kings of the West at 25-7.
That was good enough for first-round passes, along with the conference’s second seeds, the Blue Coats (Eastern) and Memphis Hustle (Western).
But while the NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven format, that’s not the case in the G League. It’s a one-and-done affair right up until the championship series, which is best-of-three.
Rio Grande Valley – defending league champions – made it into the playoffs as a No. 6 seed in the West. Even though they had the same record (18-14) as the Santa Cruz Warriors and Mexico City Capitanes, they squeezed their way into the field via tiebreakers.
The Vipers opened with a wildly entertaining 124-122 victory over the South Bay Lakers, one that saw them go on a 5-0 run to tie the road game at 122-all and win it on Jalen Lecque’s bucket with 0.2 seconds remaining.
TyTy Washington Jr., on assignment from the parent club Houston Rockets, led the way with 30 points while two-way players Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins combined for 41 points.
They had to dig deep again for their second win in the playoffs, a 110-108 victory over Memphis. This time Washington Jr. hit a pair of free throws with five seconds left and the Hustle missed a 3-pointer in the waning moments to seal the deal.
RGV won their semifinal meeting with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, 110-105, taking an 86-85 lead in the fourth quarter and never trailing again.
The Blue Coats – affiliates of the Philadelphia 76ers – got to rest in the first round and then started their run to the finals with a 104-99 conquest of Capital City. Springer sparked the win with 24 points and McClung pumped in 20.
They were even more impressive in upsetting the Nets, 109-94.
Springer had 21 points and 16 rebounds in a contest that saw Delaware lead at every break.
I’ve made no secret about my affection for the G League, which has only grown now that I have a hometown team in the Birmingham Squadron. From the one free-throw rule to coach’s challenges to target score overtimes, it’s terrific, innovative professional basketball.
And while I’m perfectly happy with the NBA’s postseason structure, the “win or go home” aspect of its feeder league works just fine. The G League starts with a preseason tournament (the Showcase Cup) before hitting the reset button for a 32-game regular season slate, so a no-frills playoff makes perfect sense.
The only bad thing about it is that it leaves me wanting more – which is the highest compliment I can pay to a developmental league.