RECAP: It’s rare that a player from the losing team gets Player of the Game, but that’s how good NYC Gritty (G) Mark Lee was, scoring 32 of his team’s 45 points. But as good as he was individually, Spaghetti Ramen was the better team. SPR weathered the sudden runs NGC needed to stay in this game and force OT. They did it by working the ball and staying patient. Key late-game play-making from (G) Leuis Ng and tough in-traffic finishes from (F) Teddy Lo helped SPR advance back to the championship game to defend their title in what now has to be considered a commonplace team effort for this veteran squad.

RECAP: NY Dynasty had a game-plan for the much younger, deeper Guard Me Maybe side: slow it down, control the ball, and close in crunch time. They had ran it to a tee with a 34-26 lead going into the 4th, but GMM showed great resilience. (G) Kento Kato‘s big time shooting kept them in it all game, and (F) Jin Bae Kim turned it on in crunch time to make up the deficit, giving GMM the lead. DYN, carrying 3 players over 38 yo on the roster just ran out of gas. But even still, they made key stops in the final minute and had the last shot with a chance to win at the buzzer. (G) Ren Hsieh‘s well-contested scoop in the paint just rimmed out as GMM survives to play in their first title game.