Vancouver Metro Basketball League

A’mare destroys G-States Anthony Tolliver. Got to be witnessed!

The 2010 NBA playoffs are just under a month away and the playoff races in both conferences are running tight. In the East the battle between the third and fourth place teams is going down to the wire, while on the low side of the standing the seeding from fifth to eighth looks as though it will yo-yo nightly over the next three weeks or so. Loads of teams scoreboard watching at this time of the year. This is basically the start of the playoffs for these teams. Got to love the drama and intensity. Teams like the Nets or Wizard, with nothing left to play for, can play spoiler for a team looking to move up in the top eight. No time to mess around at this time of the year. Teams have to take even the Nets seriously! That being said, let’s look at the dancers in the east.

#1 – Cleveland

Nobody is going to catch Bron and company. Six game lead with 11 games to go. Home court advantage throughout the playoffs for the Cavs.

#2 – Orlando

Like the Cavs, the Magic have the second seed on lock. It would take a complete meltdown over their next 11 games for them to drop.

#3 & #4 – Boston & Atlanta

This is where things are heating up. Both teams have 12 games remaining and both have 45 wins. Of Boston’s 12 remaining games, eight are at home including their next six games in a row where they’ll play host western teams Denver, Sacramento, San Antonio. Oklahoma City and Houston before finishing off the homestand with a clash with east leading Cleveland. The two other remaining home games for the Celtics are versus Washington and Milwaukee. If Boston can muster five wins of eight at home they’ll be satisfied because their road games remaining are in New York, Toronto, Milwaukee and Chicago. All very beatable teams for the Celtics who are equally as good on the road as they are at home.
Atlanta’s remaining 12 games are much better balanced then Boston’s, with six games at home and six on the road. The Hawks will host Orlando, Indiana, Lakers, Detriot, Toronto and Milwaukee and will travel to Philadelphia, Cleveland (twice), Charlotte, Detriot and Washington. A quick glance and it would seem like Atlanta will have an easier task then Boston but two road games in Cleveland and one in Charlotte will be very tough for the young Hawks. Keep in mind that Atlanta’s a game below .500 on the road at 17-18. The Hawks will need to win at least five of six at home and hope to take four of six on the road. Circle Wednesday April 14th on your calendar when the Atlanta travels to Cleveland for their final game of the season. Could very well determine whether the Hawks get third or fourth in the east come playoff time.

#5, #6, #7 & #8 – Milwaukee, Miami, Toronto, Charlotte and Chicago (sort of)

6.5 games separate ninth from fifth and just four separate fifth from eighth. To say it’s tight would be an understatement. Milwaukee has been on a tear since the all-star break and are looking pretty comfortable in the fifth spot. Miami and Toronto have been inconsistent all season long while Charlotte made some choice deals to make themselves into a playoff threat. Chicago has been the most inconsistent of the lot and though they have won two in a row, the Bulls have been terrible down the stretch and will have the toughest mountain to climb to get in.
Miami, which leads Toronto by one game and Charlotte by 1.5 games for the sixth spot, have played two more games then the Raptors and one more than Charlotte and have a difficult schedule remaining. Of the Heat’s 11 games left, seven are on the road where Miami has struggled. However, nine of their 11 games are versus non-playoff teams.
Toronto, with 13 games remaining, will have to step up their game if they want to keep themselves out of the dreaded eighth spot, because nobody wants the Cavs in the first round. They can control their own destiny with wins over playoff teams, Miami (road), Charlotte (road) and Boston (home). Not an easy task at all. They do play host to G-State, Chicago and New York, all of which are must wins for the Raps. On the road things won’t be so easy. The Raptors are a terrible road team to begin with, and with stops in Miami, Charlotte, Cleveland and Atlanta forthcoming you would think that they would have to win at least two of those games to stay afloat. Toss in stops in LA to face the Clippers, Philadelphia and Detriot, and it looks as though the Raps will have to win at least three or four games out of these remaining road games to keep in the race. Basically eight wins out of 13 should workout for them come playoff time.
Charlotte’s remaining schedule looks to be the most favorable out of all the teams in the eighth to fifth place race in the east. With 12 games left, eight are at home and nine are against non-playoff teams. In other words, they’re must wins. They do have Toronto, Milwaukee and Atlanta to face at home but their 25-8 record at home is the fourth best in the conference behind Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta. Like most teams in the east, the Bobcats are a mess when it comes to the road. They’ll have to pick up at least three of four wins on the road and with stops in Chicago, Houston, New Orleans and New Jersey, winning at three of these stops is very possible.
Now on to Chicago who really don’t deserve to be in this race but due to the east being well the east their still in, sort of. 12 games remain for the Bulls and after losing 10 in a row Chicago has pulled out of their funk and grabbed a couple of wins over their last two. Seven of their 12 games left are at home with three of these home games being against teams they’re chasing in Miami, Charlotte and Milwaukee. Chicago also has Cleveland, Phoenix and Boston coming to town which is never an easy game regardless if your on your homecourt. It’s going to be tough for the Bulls seeing as of today their 2.5 games behind Toronto, with Toronto having a game in hand. It will take nine to ten wins out of their next 12 to make it into the dance. Don’t count on that happening.

By Andrew ‘Soda’ Wadden

I’ve been hanging around the Agrodome over the last few days watching the best high school basketball teams in the province battle it out to determine who’s the best in BC. There’s been some very competitive and intense ball going down highlighted by some of the best ballers in the high school ranks. I’ve mainly been watching the championship side of the tourney, charting the best of the best while they fight it out for BC basketball supremacy. I’ll do my complete run down of the tourney after the finals tonight, however, here are a few of the stand-out players I’ve witnessed through the tourney that I see having solid careers in basketball after their prep days are through.

I’ll start with the players off the two teams in the finals, the Yale Lions and the White Rock Christian Warriors.

Marek Klassen PG – Yale
Score first point guard, or a “zero” guard as Bill ‘The Sports Guy’ Simmons likes to call them. Klassen has 88 total points through three games leading into tonight’s final. He’s a floor leader that demands the ball. Can dish if he has too, but looks to drive and is solid with both hands when he does. Could see some NCAA attention, but would prefer to see this kid stay home and play for UBC or SFU, as I think he could blossom in the CIS and may be buried on the bench in the states where guards are a dime a dozen.

Nakai Luyken SG – Yale
Nakai has a very nice overall game. He can score, pass and rebound. He loves to iso his defender and his teammates give him loads of space to do so. At 6′2″ he’s too undersized to play the two in the college ranks, but he could very easily slip in as a combo guard in the CIS. Has hops but needs to work on his jumper.

Eli Mara PG – WRCA
The end is now for this veteran of provincial final tourneys. Mara has played in the provincials every year since grade seven. That’s remarkable as a player and as a system. White Rock produces great players and Mara is just another great one coming out of there. He’ll go south to play college ball mainly due to the fact that he’s got the size to do so. At 6′5″, Eli is big enough to play the two but will play the one because he has the skill set and basketball IQ to do so. Needs to work on his court vision and decisions at times. Six turnovers against Van College in last night’s semis, add that to another six in the quarters versus Argyle. Maturity and playing with a team full of players as talented as Mara will help improve that side of his game. Possible Canadian National team member down the road.

Riley Barker Center – WRCA
Standing at 6′9″, Riley is one of the biggest player in this years tourney. He can score inside, rebound and has a knack for blocking shots. Seven swats in yesterdays semi-final win over Vancouver College. Barker has already committed to Portland University in Oregon. He’s listed at 230 pounds, but I would bet he’s closer to 215. He’ll need to work hard in the gym this summer to improve his strength because they grow them big down south. I think Barker will do well down the road but may struggle at first when he gets into Div One ball. Height and skill are everything when it comes to basketball and he possesses both of these traits. If he can work on his strength, he should be fine.

Christian Weisbrod SG – WRCA
Mr. Big Shot. Weisbrod has been solid for the Warriors throughout the week. His long jumper with under ten seconds on the clock last night versus Van College proved to be the game winner. I’m not 100% sure Weisbrod’s game will even make him into the CIS, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he lands some where playing in Canada West. Weisbrod can shoot the three and at 6′5″ would be a treat to most coaches in the CIS looking for a wing that can shoot.

Phil Scrubb Guard – Vancouver College
Love everything about this kids game and wish he had one more shot to win it all this year because he deserves it. Phil was the best player for VC in last years finals loss to St. George’s, while playing beside his highly touted brother Thomas. He’ll draw attention from NCAA schools but like Klassen, I see him being better suited in the CIS.

Jesse Jeffers PF – Argyle
50 points in the Pipers first round win over Sir Charles Tupper! Did I mention that two of those 50 were to win the game at the buzzer? Jeffers is Argyles go to man and they go to him often. Has the perfect game for the CIS. 6′6″ and athletic. Jesse will have a fabulous CIS career, hopefully staying close to home at either U VIC, TWU, UBC or SFU, where he belongs.

James Lum PG – Sir Charles Tupper
The best pure point guard in BC high school ranks. Lum runs the floor like no other in the tournament. Loves to distribute the ball and sees the floor very well. A lock as a top CIS point guard.

By Andrew ‘Soda’ Wadden

OK, so my NBA opinion and coverage has come to a screeching halt over the last little while. Sorry for not keeping these pages fresh and interesting as of late.  I promise that the slack shall be picked up and there will NBA analysis and opinion from myself at a more frequent pace. That being said, I would like to make up to you the reader with something that’s all together too funny to see. Fans of facials and thunder dunks, I present this to you….

Shawn Bradley doing what he did best….

Feature Game

Bullets (1-1) 86 – Team Serbia (0-2) 83

Led by a balanced attack that saw five players reach double-digit scoring, the Bullets pulled off their first win of the season with an 86-83 victory over Team Serbia.
Jumping on the Serbians early in the game, the Bullets got off on a 17-7 in the first ten minutes with forward Adam Rattray leading the charge. Serbia settled down and began to find a rhythm but couldn’t take over the lead in the first half. After 25 minutes the Bullets held a 42-37 edge, with the second half shaping up to be a good one.
The pace began to quicken at the start of the second with both teams trading baskets. Serbia, down 61-54 at the 15 minute mark of the half, begin to catch fire scoring on nine straight possessions, taking the lead at one point only to see the Bullets battle back. With the score 73-72 with under five minutes to play, Bullets forward Nick Vojic hits an and-one to give his squad a 76-72 lead, but Serbia would nail a three to cut the lead to one. The Bullets would then score four straight buckets, but a three and two from Serbia keep them close with under two minutes remaining. The Bullets used the clock to their advantage knowing that they still owned a two-possession lead, forcing Serbia to foul. Vojic would knock down one of two, giving the Bullets a five point lead. Serbia go down the floor quickly attacking the hoop. Igor Dutina, who was battling the flu throughout the game, knocks down one of two from the charity stripe, cutting the lead to four. Serbia would then get a turnover and go down the floor getting a deuce, to cut the Bullets lead to two. With the time ticking down, Serbia would once again have to foul to stop the clock.  Bullets stud Jamie Robinson calmly knocks down one of two, giving his team a three point lead with just seconds remaining. Serbia would inbound and chuck up a prayer but it was not to be. Team Serbia drop their second in a row while the Bullets earn the hard fought W.

Top Scorers

Bullets – Ben Lee & Adam Rattray (17)
Team Serbia – Vlado Ruzic (17)

Heart, Hustle & Soul (2-0) 84 – Remix (0-2) 80

H.H.S. get a scare but hold on with an impressive 84-80 win over a completely different looking Remix squad. Jason Birring (37 points) and Mark Tasic (29 points) led the charge as usual for H.H.S. who remain undefeated so far this season. Remix, a new team to the Metro League, debuted a couple of players that will be ones to watch throughout this season. New-comers Doug Plumb (24 points) and Reece Gavin (12 points) were keeping Remix in the game but it wasn’t enough as H.H.S. went to Birring and Tasic down the stretch to hold off a very improved Remix team.

Top Scorers
H.H.S. – Jason Birring (37)
Remix – Doug Plumb (24)

Other scores from Week Two

SWAT (2-0) 66 – Velvet Hoop (1-1) 50

Vancouver United (2-0) 67 – Sonic Boom (1-1) 51

Team Nike (1-1) defeated EA (0-2) in OT (score to follow)

Jason Birring (H.H.S.) – 33
Lonzell Webster (Sonic Boom) – 28
Jean-Marc Saldini (Remix) – 28
Mark Tasic (H.H.S.) – 25
Clint Lomax (SWAT) – 23
Anthony Lao (Nike) – 23
Hardeep Bassram (Van United) – 23
Hunter Jordan (Velvet Hoop) – 23
Yapo Alle-Ando (Sonic Boom) – 21
Igor Dutina (Team Serbia) – 20
Jamie Robinson (Bullets) – 20
Kerry Westmore (Van United) – 20

The fourth season of the Vancouver Metro League got underway this past Thursday with ten of the strongest teams on the West Coast. One of the teams missing from this year is three-time reigning Metro League champions, Canada One. C1 have run the table in the Metro League during it’s conception, but with them not in the league for this year- one thing is for certain. There will be a new champion this season.

Feature Game -

Heart, Hustle and Soul (1-0) 88 vs Team Serbia (0-1) 83

Week One’s feature game featured  Heart, Hustle and Soul vs a new-comers Team Serbia, in what could  be a preview of this seasons final.
H.H.S. won the regular season race in the Fall, going an impressive 11-0 before getting upset in the first round of the playoffs. Serbia, a team that is new to the league, but just by title. The Serbs feature many familiar faces including Igor Dutina -formerly with Sonic Boom, Mio Kovacevic & Srdjan Vujovic-formerly with Vancouver United and Neb Aleksic-formerly with SWAT. Dutina & Aleksic were both First-Team Metro League All-Stars in the Fall while Kovacevic made the Second-Team, proving that this team is stacked and this game would be tight. And it was.

Led by Jason Birring’s 33 points and Mark Tasic’s 25 points, H.H.S. pulled off an impressive 88-83 victory  over a very talented Serbian squad. After flip-flopping the lead seven times in the first half, the half ended with H.H.S. up 40-39. The second half, however,  proved to be  a much different story. Tasic and Birring kept up their torrid scoring pace helping  H.H.S. hold the lead from the start of the second half right to the buzzer. Birring was especially dynamic, driving to the hole, hitting threes and knocking down his trips to the charity stripe.  Dutina lead Serbia in scoring with 20 points but it was a balanced attack from Serbia that kept them in the game, with five Serbs scoring in double-figures. H.H.S. are now 12-0  since last season in regular season play. Serbia drops their debut in the Metro League, though don’t be surprised if this is their only loss of the year

Vancouver United (1-0) 76 vs Bullets (0-1) 73

Van United secured their first win of the year barely getting by the always tough Bullets, 76-73. Led by Hardeep Bassram’s 23 points, United staved off a feisty Bullets team that got 20 points from star Jamie Robinson and 16 from the always consistent Ben Lee. The Bullets held the lead at times through the first half but couldn’t contain Bassram in the second half, who scored 17 of his 23 in the final 25 minutes. Kerry Westmore dropped 20 for United as Ben Dove added 15 for the Bullets.

Sonic Boom (1-0) 81 – Nike (0-1) 71

Lonzell Webster was the difference as Sonic Boom’s dynamic point guard went off for 28 points backed by five three-pointers in Sonic Boom’s 81-71 win over the new and improved Nike team. Former Canada One stand-out Anthony Lao, whose now on Nike, did his best to keep his new squad in, putting down a team high 23 points including a couple of huge baseline dunks. Webster, however, was too hot to handle. Of Lonzell’s 14 points in the first half, 12 came from the land beyond.  Yapo Alle-Ando added 21 for Sonic Boom as Noah Levy contributed 15 for Nike in the loss.

SWAT (1-0) 86 – Remix (0-1) 68

A new-look SWAT squad cruised to their first win of the year 86-68 over new-comers, Remix. SWAT, who’s line-up has changed many times through the seasons, were led by a strong 23 points from Clint Lomax. Lomax was owning the lanes getting to the hoop with relative ease throughout the game. League president Mark Starkey also supplied 17  for the winners. For Remix, former Canada One member Jean-Marc Saldini had a great game leading all scorers with 28.

Velvet Hoop (1-0) 80 – EA (0-1) 53

Hunter Jordan put in a game high 23 while teammate Chris Horwood dropped 18 as Velvet Hoop picked up their first win of the season with a 80-53 win over EA. EA was led by Matt NG’s 13 points.