TDL Summer 2016 Playoff Preview – First Round

2nd Division

(3) NYC GRITTY COMMITTEE vs (6) GUARD ME MAYBE

First Round – Tuesday (8/30) 9pm at Murry Bergtraum HS

Team Notes Team Score Team Team Notes
NYC Gritty Committee added (F) Brandon Sang to the roster this season to bolster their front-court. Which seemed to help (G) Steve Chung get more open looks. But last season’s MVP candidate (F) Mark Lee has been noticeably quiet. The truth is, this team hasn’t had any consistency in their lineup, with subs coming in and out. But they still have a core group from last season’s semifinals run. If they can get quick chemistry, they have the pedigree to win it all.
NGC
5-2

58-53
GMM
3-4		 Guard Me Maybe has been maybe the toughest team to gauge in D3 this season. They have great young speed in (G) Kento Kato and (F) Jin Bae Kim, along with veteran back up in (G) Tommy Wong, but they just haven’t been consistent. They did, however, get into the playoffs by winning 3 of their last 4 games. The only bad news is (F) Al Chen being designated out for the rest of the season with a flare up in his knee. He had otherwise been a huge mid-season add for GMM. 
Key Player: Steve Chung

This season, Chung has shot well and his #s are vastly improved. If’s also a huge difference for his team as his range helps spread the court for NGC’s bigs to get better looks, and to open driving lanes for teammate (F) Mark Lee. If he continues to shoot well, this is a real tough team to beat.
Pos: G/F
16.7 ppg
1.5 rpg
1.3 apg
 Pos: G/F
12.8 ppg
11 rpg
2.2 spg
 Key Player: Jin Bae Kim

Kim is the arguably the quickest, most athletic player in D2. He is versatile, plays with a great motor on both sides of the ball, and he is a nightmare to guard in transition. His weakness might be reading the D. At times he can get tunnel vision, but if he’s hitting his mid-range shot, he can dominate the game.

(4) MAGIKARPS vs (5) NY DYNASTY

First Round – Wednesday (8/30) 7pm at MLK HS

Team Notes Team Score Team Team Notes
In their first match-up, DYN took control of the game early and got the easy W. But, the Magikarps didn’t have (G) Angelo Green or (F) Henry Lam in the lineup. The two have been the team’s MVPs this season so obviously this will be a vastly different game. Green and Lam will give MGK the weapons to test DYN’s aging defense. MGK
3-4

52-54
DYN
3-4		 This is the rare lower seed getting a spread in their favor. That’s because the NY Dynasty made it look easy in their regular season match-up. But again, MGK didn’t have key players. But neither did DYN. Since (C) Len Kamdang has joined the roster, plus a resurgence from (F) Wilson Wang, DYN has been much stronger headed into playoffs.  
Key Player: Henry Lam

There might not be a stronger guy going to the hoop than Lam. He’s built like a mini-tank, has good speed in transition, and a big motor on the defensive end. He can dominate on both ends of the court and the Magikarps will need him to do so.

 Pos: F/C
21.5 ppg
11.8 rpg
1.8 bpg		 Pos: C
16 ppg
9.7 rpg
0.7 bpg
 Key Player: Len Kamdang

The veteran center is easily the league’s biggest player, but he’s also 40 years old. DYN has done a good job of using him in spurts, and the result has been a string of solid outings in which he has looked fit, and very capable of carrying his share of the load.