Category: 3rd Division

TDL Spring 2016 Playoff Preview (Semifinals)

(2) SPAGHETTI RAMEN vs (6) NYC GRITTY COMMITTEE

Comments Team Score Team Comments
Spaghetti Ramen is one of those teams that to look at them, you wouldn’t think they had won multiple franchise titles. Not until you play them do you realize how good they are. They are committed to initiating their attack on D with (F) Mark Hahn playing an insane Draymond Green meets Ron Artest style defense. Then the offense is carefully orchestrated by veteran SPR (G) Leuis Ng who can do it all. They play small ball, but they have a lot of versatile pieces that work together well. This is a veteran unit.
SPR
4-3

56-54
NGC
3-5		 Whenever NYC Gritty Committee can sneak into the playoffs, they become a threat to challenge for the title due to veteran savvy alone. This team is no exception. This iteration will have the benefit of the biggest player in the league (C) Victor Chia. If they get him going early, SPR may have to make adjustments they don’t like. Which will open things up for NGC (G) Mark Lee. One of the best scorers in the league this season, he has a tough match-up with Hahn, but if SPR needs to go to zone, Lee will have room to work.
Key Player: (F) Mark Hahn
Ng is a constant, but Hahn is a wild card on offense. The dominant defensive effort is always there, but if Hahn can get any kind of offense going, it’s a big release valve for Ng. When Hahn is scoring, SPR is very hard to beat, particularly when he can knock down a few 3FGs.
 Key Player: (F) Steve Chung
Chung is the third piece of NGC’s offensive attack, theoretically the shooter that spreads the D. Only his jumper has been erratic this season. But he’s streaky and can knock down multiple 3s at any point of the game. Likewise for NGC, if Chung gets hot, they’re almost unbeatable.

(1) GUARD ME MAYBE vs (4) NY DYNASTY

Comments Team Score Team Comments
Guard Me Maybe‘s three-pronged offensive attack has been D-3’s most potent this season with (G) Kento Kato able to create off the dribble, (G) Tommy Wong stretching defenses thin with his range, and (F) Jin Bae Kim‘s unstoppable slashing ability. Where they’ve had some weakness is on cohesion on D (not lack of effort). This is a young team, but if they play it right, they’re the favorite to win it all.
GMM
5-2

68-65
DYN
5-3		 In many ways, NY Dynasty is the polar opposite to GMM. They are a veteran team with a short roster and limited offense. Granted, their 1-2 punch of (G) Ren Hsieh and (C) Steve Song is about is good as it gets, but they’re not athletic, and not particularly young. This is a team that plays efficiently, limits possessions, and outsmarts opponents in crunch time. This is not an insurmountable match-up for them.
Key Player: (G) Tommy Wong
When Wong is hitting 3FGs, this is a damn near unstoppable offense. His range and quick trigger just opens up the attacking lanes for the very nimble Kato and Kim. Wong is very capable of taking over the game with his shooting.
 Key Player: (C) Steve Song
The versatile center for DYN can sometimes shy away from taking too many shots, but this may be self preservation as late in games, DYN has repeatedly gone to Song, and he has always answered. As much as Hsieh, he’s a late game closer.

TDL Spring 2016 Playoffs Results (1st Round)

(3) Skillshare 37
(6) NYC Gritty Committee 48
Thu (6/2) 7:00pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Mark Lee (NGC) 16 pts, 5 ast

RECAP: It didn’t help that Skillshare (G) Michael Hamane only made it for the 2nd half, SKL didn’t get off to the start they would have liked. But NYC Gritty’s defense deserves credit for forcing SKL into shots they didn’t necessarily want to take, which may have been cause for SKL (G) Elliot Curtis‘ uncharacteristically poor shooting (including 0-5 from the FT line). NGC’s physicality in the paint made easy points hard to find late in the game. SKL did an able job of containing NGC (G) Mark Lee for much of the game, but he when his team needed him most, he took over in the low-post.
(4) NY Dynasty 60
(5) Make BDL Great Again 48
Wed (6/2) 9:00pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Steve Song (DYN) 23 pts, 10 reb

RECAP: As they had for all the second half of the season, Make BDL Great Again put on yet another gutsy performance. NY Dynasty put (G) Felix Shen on face guard duty on BDL (G) Tran Truong all game, and it was effective, but BDL (G) Chris Chao stepped up with a huge 19 pts. On the other end, though, despite a monster defensive effort from (C) Dan Tak, BDL could not stop (G) Ren Hsieh and (C) Steve Song‘s two-pronged attack. Though Hsieh tired early in the 4th, his team regrouped down the stretch to find the right spots and make the right plays to close out this win and get DYN into the semis.

TDL Spring 2016 Playoff Preview (1st Round)

(3) SKILLSHARE vs (6) NYC GRITTY COMMITTEE

Comments Team Score Team Comments
Skillshare has almost all the pieces to make a deep playoff run: stand out guard play, size, and shooting. The only thing missing is a lot of exp playing together. They do have a full season under their belt now, but not in the playoffs. (G) Elliot Curtis and (G) Michael Hamane will lead the way from the backcourt. (F) Scott Sullivan and (C) Anthony Hull make this as tough a Top 4 as any in D-3.
SKL
4-3

65-62
NGC
2-5		 The tricky part about NYC Gritty Committee is that they are actually a very good team in the playoffs. They just tend to underachieve in the regular season. They too have stand out guard play, size, and shooting. Sometimes. If (F) Steve Chung is hitting from three, they can look unstoppable. (G) Mark Lee will bring the business every game, they’re isn’t a more aggressive scorer in D-3.
KEY PLAYER: (G) ELLIOT CURTIS
Curtis was 2nd in the league in scoring despite being a facilitator first for this team. That means that his shots are selective and efficient. There are lot of weapons on SKL but everything runs through Curtis.		 KEY PLAYER: (G) MARK LEE
The veteran Lee doesn’t have the same athleticism he used to, but it has made him a more patient scorer. He can do it from any spot on the floor: driving, in the post, and if he gets it going from 3, look out.

(4) NY DYNASTY vs (5) MAKE BDL GREAT AGAIN

Comments Team Score Team Comments
The NY Dynasty is a two-pronged attack led by (G) Ren Hsieh from the perimeter and (C) Steve Song in the paint. Hsieh led the league in scoring this season, but Song is no slouch as a playmaker from the pivot. They also have a number of role players who can pick it up offensively, too. But this is still a limited offense, they’re best when they’re focused on defense down the stretch of games.
DYN
4-3

55-48

 franchise_logo_BDL
BDL
3-4		 Somehow Make BDL Great Again has found ways to win just enough all season to get here. They have an indefatigable spirit, even if they aren’t exactly tireless. The offense runs through (G) Tran Truong, if he’s hot from three, they will have chances because he will let it fly all game. The D is anchored by former Wat Misaka winner (C) Dan Tak. Nobody goes harder on the defensive end.
KEY PLAYER: (G) REN HSIEH
Hsieh can create off the bounce and score inside and out, but at 38 yo, he can run out of gas at times. He’s best when his 3FGs are falling.		 thumb_Ren_Hsieh thumb_Dan_Tak KEY PLAYER: (C) DAN TAK
Tak was D-3’s top shot-blocker and 2nd leading rebounder. When he’s on, he can change the tenor of a game by shutting down the paint.

TDL Spring 2016 Week 7 Player Awards

3rd Division Player of the Week

(F) JIN BAE KIM (GUARD ME MAYBE)

20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 1 block
 Runner-up: Elliot Curtis (SKL) 24 points, 5 3FGs, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Wat Misaka Defensive Player of the Week

(C) DAN TAK (MAKE BDL GREAT AGAIN)

9 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocks
 Runner-up: Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 13 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block

The Sam Lo Hustle Award

(F) BILLY KATZ (DORIS FROM REGO PARK)

19 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block
 Runner-up: Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 20 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block

Spot Dessert Bar Most Outstanding Rookie

(F) BILLY KATZ (DORIS FROM REGO PARK)

19 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block
 Runner-up: Albert Hei (FRE) 9 points, 2 steals, 1 block

The High-5 Club

Thomas Chen (FRE) 6-4-1-1-1
Neil Dumadag (FRE) 15-10-1-2-1
Albert Hei (FRE) 9-3-2-2-1
Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 20-13-3-5-1
Dan Tak (BDL) 2-9-2-1-4

Week 7 League Leaders 

PTS: Elliot Curtis (SKL) 24, Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 20

3FG: Elliot Curtis (SKL) 5, [3 players] 3

REB: Victor Chia (NGC) 18, Billy Katz (DOR) 13, Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 13

AST: Steven Lee (DYN) 7, [3 players] 4

STL: Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 5, Steve Song (DYN) 5, Billy Katz (DOR) 4

BLK: Dan Tak (BDL) 4, Ren Hsieh (DYN) 2, Jovan Irving (GMM) 2

TDL Spring 2016 Week 7 Results

NY Freemasons (2-5) 46
Skillshare (4-3) 52
Thu (5/19) 6:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Elliot Curtis (SKL) 24 pts, 5 3FGs

RECAP: Skillshare jumped out to a 14-3 1st qtr lead and it seemed like they would roll over the NY Freemasons. Give FRE some credit though, with their playoff hopes on the line, they tightened up on defense and made this a game in the middle quarters, taking a 31-28 lead into the 4th quarter. But, in the final period, SKL got some clutch shooting from (G) Elliot Curtis and (F) Scott Sullivan to knock the Freemasons out of the post-season.
NY Dynasty (4-3) 51
NYC Gritty Committee (3-4) 43
Thu (5/19) 7:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Ren Hsieh (DYN) 14 pts, 6 reb

RECAP: Neither team would be completely eliminated from the playoffs depending on the results of other games, but better safe than sorry, a win was a guarantee. Dynasty got off to a strong start as NYC Gritty Committee’s soft zone left DYN open for threes and they made them early. In the 2nd half, however, Gritty tightened up on defense and started making some 3FGs of their own to climb back into this one. They got as close as two possessions but never closer. NGC, however, survives and gets in as 6th seed.
Guard Me Maybe (5-2) 45
Spaghetti Ramen (4-3) 41
Thu (5/19) 8:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Jin Bae Kim (GMM) 20 pts, 13 reb

RECAP: In the battle for outright 1st place, this one was kind of a letdown. Guard Me Maybe (G) Tommy Wong was unavailable, as was Spaghetti Ramen frontman (G) Leuis Ng. The result was a more defense-oriented battle dominated by GMM’s resident x-factor (F) Jin Bae Kim. His all-around line of 20 pts, 13 reb, 5 stl, 1 blk, is exactly why he makes this team so dangerous. Guard Me Maybe will enter the playoffs as the rightful no. 1 seed.
Doris From Rego Park (3-4) 35
Make BDL Great Again (3-4) 38
Thu (5/19) 9:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Tran Truong (BDL) 14 pts, 5 reb

RECAP: Their team name was kind of a joke, but Make BDL Great Again isn’t laughing anymore, now having clinched just their second playoff bid in franchise history. BDL scored 29 pts in the 1st half and then clung on for dear life as Doris From Rego Park switched to a pressing defense. It almost worked for Doris, who struggled with their offense all night, they got it to within a possession in the final seconds, but with a chance to tie it on a desperation heave, they never got a shot off. 

TDL Spring 2016 Week 6 Power Rankings

Rank Team Record Comments
1(+2) SPR 4-2 Spaghetti Ramen tends to get it all together come playoff time. They aren’t multi-time champions for no reason. This team hasn’t been the most consistent, but with former MVP (G) Leuis Ng at the helm, and (F) Mark Hahn anchoring the defense, they’re championship caliber again. They’ll play GMM tonight for the outright no. 1 seed. 
2(-1) GMM 4-2 After debuting at no. 1 last week, Guard Me Maybe had a poor showing with a full roster vs a desperate NGC trying to stay alive for the playoffs. But, this is still a team with a potent offensive back court, they just haven’t been consistent on defense. If they get that right, the title is within reach.
3(+1) SKL 3-3 Skillshare has all the pieces to make a title run with one of the league’s top PGs in (G) Elliot Curtis running the offense. (G) Michael Hamane, (F) Scott Sullivan and (C) Anthony Hull round out arguably the best top four in the league, the key is getting everyone on the same page and committed defensively.
4(-2) DOR 3-3 All of a sudden, Doris From Rego Park runs the risk of falling out of the playoffs should they lose to BDL in the season finale. Nobody in D-3 plays harder, but their last two losses haven’t been very encouraging. Both saw key players missing from the roster, so maybe this is just a matter of getting into the playoffs. At full strength, this is a team that can win it all if they get hot.
5(=) NGC 3-3 Since ordaining themselves the “worst team in the league,” NYC Gritty Committee has been on a tear, nearly securing a playoff spot with two straight wins. (G/F) Mark Lee has been unstoppable and (C) Victor Chia has been dominant in the paint. They control their own fate. A win and they’re in. If they lose, they can still make it, but will have to wait and see how BDL finishes. 
6(=) avi_TDL_D_02DYN 3-3 On the verge of mathematical elimination from the post-season, the NY Dynasty recovered from a 15-pt deficit to secure a playoff spot. (G) Ren Hsieh and (C) Steve Song make one of the best duos in D-3, but they’re at their best when everyone makes plays up and down the roster. This could be a dark horse contender.
7(+1) BDL 2-4 They started this season as a farewell tour, not really expecting too much, but all of a sudden Make BDL Great Again on the cusp of making it to the playoffs. A win tonight and they’re in. (G) Tran Truong is one of D-3’s most dangerous shooters. That’s really their primary attack, tough D anchored by (C) Dan Tak and getting open 3FGs in transition.
8(-1) FRE 2-4 Slim chance here for the NY Freemasons. They have to beat SKL, then hope BDL loses, and try to squeak in based on point differential. Which means, they’d have to beat SKL by a lot of points. Ironically, they beat the top two teams in the league, but that won’t help them here. 

TDL Spring 2016 Week 6 Player Awards

3rd Division Player of the Week

(G) REN HSIEH (NY DYNASTY)

27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
 Runner-up: (F) Mark Lee (DYN) 30 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Wat Misaka Defensive Player of the Week

(C) DAN TAK (MAKE BDL GREAT AGAIN)

16 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
 Runner-up: Mark Hahn (SPR) 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks

The Sam Lo Hustle Award

(F) BILLY KATZ (DORIS FROM REGO PARK)

20 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
 Runner-up: Dan Tak (BDL) 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Spot Dessert Bar Most Outstanding Rookie

(F) BILLY KATZ (DORIS FROM REGO PARK)

20 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
 Runner-up: Steve Song (DYN) 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

The High-5 Club

Mark Hahn (SPR) 13-9-5-2-2
Albert Hei (FRE) 18-9-1-1-1
Billy Katz (DOR) 20-16-5-3-2-2
Joey Lee (NGC) 8-4-1-4-1
Teddy Lo (SPR) 17-5-1-1-2
Chris Seerveld (DYN) 1-9-1-1-2
Dan Tak (BDL) 5-16-6-1-2

Week 6 League Leaders 

PTS: M. Lee (NGC) 30, R. Hsieh (DYN) 27, L. Ng (SPR) 27

3FG: Elliot Curtis (SKL) 6, [3 players] 4

REB: Billy Katz (DOR) 16, Dan Tak (BDL) 16, [3 players] 12

AST: A. Ng (FRE) 8, R. Hsieh (DYN) 6, D. Tak (BDL) 6

STL: Joey Lee (NGC) 4, [4 players] 3

BLK: [6 players] 2, [5 players] 1

TDL Spring 2016 Week 6 Results

Doris From Rego Park (3-3) 56
NY Dynasty (3-3) 57
Thu (5/12) 6:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Ren Hsieh (DYN) 27 pts, 6 ast

RECAP: Doris From Rego Park had to play this one without (G) David Weiss in the lineup, but it wasn’t exactly a handicap as (F) Billy Katz had it going all night. DOR dominated NY Dynasty in the 1st half, leading by as much as 15 pts. But, in the 3rd qtr, DYN made adjustments on both sides of the ball, and they started to change the tenor of the game. They would take the lead in the 4th. Despite a couple of tough late 3’s from Doris, DYN (G) Ren Hsieh and (C) Steve Song helped close it out by hitting 7-9 FTs in crunch time.
Make BDL Great Again (2-4) 57
NY Freemasons (2-4) 49
Thu (5/12) 7:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Jae Kim (BDL) 15 pts, 4 3FGs

RECAP: If you thought Make BDL Great Again was satisfied with their win over NGC, this one here would you make you think different. Despite 11 3FGs from the Freemasons, BDL was strong on defense, forcing FRE to settle for 30 3-pt attempts. It was a solid all-around effort but key 3FGs from (G) Jae Kim, along with great hustle on the boards from (G) Chris Chao and (C) Dan Tak, helped to put BDL in what seemed to be unlikely playoff position. BDL will control their own fate next week, a win and they’re in.
Guard Me Maybe (4-2) 42
NYC Gritty Committee (3-3) 57
Thu (5/12) 8:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Mark Lee (NGC) 30 pts, 4 reb

RECAP: There were moments when this game had a playoff intensity to it, players were hitting the deck hard, but playing through it. Overall, though, Guard Me Maybe, coming in ranked no. 1 in the power rankings, looked sluggish, and struggled to get back on defense. They also had no answer for NGC (G) Mark Lee in the paint, who scored a season-high 30 pts in the win.
Spaghetti Ramen (4-2) 67
Skillshare (3-3) 59
Thu (5/12) 9:45pm at MLK HS Boxscore
Player of the Game: Leuis Ng (SPR) 27 pts, 8 reb

RECAP: With key players out of the Skillshare lineup, Spaghetti Ramen was en route to to a blowout win. That is until an altercation forced SPR (G) Leuis Ng to be ejected from the game. (G) Elliot Curtis would lead his SKL team on a 2nd half run, but SPR (F) Mark Hahn‘s effort on defense was enough to hold them off.

TDL Spring 2016 Power Rankings

Rank Team Record Comments
1 (N/A) GMM 4-1 Guard Me Maybe may not be the best defensive team in the league, but they have enough firepower to make up for it, scoring a league best 62.8 ppg. (G) Kento Kato and (G) Tommy Wong are a formidable backcourt, and they have great hustle players up and down the roster, but the x-factor has been (F) Jin Bae Kim‘s all-around effective play.
2 (N/A) DOR 3-2 Despite their surprising blowout loss to GMM, Doris From Rego Park has looked like a contender in most games this season. They are the opposite of GMM in many ways. Not a high-scoring team, but they dig in on defense every possession. (G) David Weiss and rookie (F) Billy Katz both lead by example.
3 (N/A) SPR 3-2 This is a veteran team with multiple championships under their belt so no matter their record, Spaghetti Ramen is always a contender. Veteran (G) Leuis Ng will put his team in position to win games, and (F) Mark Hahn has been returning to Defensive MVP form with every game.
4 (N/A) SKL 3-2 Skillshare also comes with a very strong backcourt with (G) Elliot Curtis and (G) Michael Hamane leading the way. They’re also the league’s biggest team with (F) Scott Sullivan and (C) Anthony Hull in the front-court. At full strength, this team is as much a contender as any of the aforementioned. Their only losses have really only come in short-handed games.
5 (N/A) NGC 2-3 Similar to SPR, NYC Gritty Committee is a veteran team with plenty of pedigree and titles. As they’ve gotten older, they’ve just got off to slower starts. But now they’re starting to take shape. (G) Mark Lee is capable of 25 ppg and (C) Victor Chia is dominating the paint this season. Never a deep team, they tend to run out of gas late in games, but if they make the playoffs, this is again, another contender.
6 (N/A) DYN 2-3 Depth has been a major problem for the NY Dynasty as well. They may have given away two losses for lack of a bench. (G) Ren Hsieh is leading the league in scoring, but at 38 years old, that’s probably not a good sign. Rookie (C) Steve Song has been huge in his first season, fitting right in with DYN. They just need a little more help to get over the hump.
7 (N/A) FRE 2-3 The NY Freemasons are a mercurial team. They bring the defense in every game, but their offense is so erratic, they sometimes make you wonder if it’s the same team showing up every week. After inching toward a playoff spot, they were embarrassed by NGC last week, and knocked back to outsider status. They’ll practically have to win out to get in now.
8 (N/A) BDL 1-4 Truth be told, Make BDL Great Again probably already won their NBA Finals/Super Bowl/World Series already with that incredible comeback win over NGC. They’ll have to win out and hope for the best for a playoff spot, but for this team–easily the oldest in the league, with the most children–has done pretty well for itself this season, competing in every game.

TDL Spring 2016 Week 5 Player Awards

3rd Division Player of the Week

(G/F) MARK LEE (NGC)

28 points, 10-20 FGs, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

 Runner-up: (G) Leuis Ng (SPR) 18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
Wat Misaka Defensive Player of the Week

(F) MARK HAHN (SPR)

8 rebounds, 6 steals
 Runner-up: (G) Michael Hamane (SKL) 4 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block

 

The Sam Lo Hustle Award

(C) DAN TAK

12 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks
 Runner-up: (G) Eric Liu (SPR) 7 rebounds, 1 steal

 

Spot Dessert Bar Most Outstanding Rookie

(F) SCOTT SULLIVAN (SKL)

15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
 Runner-up: (G) Michael Hamane (SKL) 13 points, 5 assists, 5 steals