GRAY SKIES
GRAY SWEEPS RED, BLUE DOC HAS NO CURE FOR GRAY

EDISON (HP) Fourth place Gray team was unsure of their mere existence in the HBA playoffs coming into Sunday. Three hours later, Gray swept two series and earned a spot in the finals opposite White team. Gray beat Red 2-0 in the playoff qualifier, then amazingly swept first place Blue 3-0 in the semifinal played immediately after. Gray outscored their opponents 55 to 36 and led the league in playoff field goal percentage. Nobody predicted the underdog Gray team would even get to the semifinals, but in true Cinderella fashion Gray swept both series.

Damian Suarez, who overcame a drinking problem earlier in the season, stepped up in the playoffs.

Andy Ni, amid criticism all year for his passivity under pressure, came through in the clutch, leading all players in total scoring in the playoffs. Ni shot a remarkable 17-26 in his three games against Blue, and despite still being third on his team in HBAP per game, he was obviously the driving force behind Gray in both series. Improved play by both Rondeep Dutta and Damien Suarez also greatly helped Gray. Dutta, Suarez, and Ni are ranked third, fifth, and sixth in HBAP per game in the playoffs.

In the Gray-Red qualifier series, Chris Healey, despite the playoff-leading HBAP average, looked rusty and lethargic at times, giving up easy rebounds and failing to contest many Gray shots. Gray easily won 11-5 in the first game, and was ahead in the second when Healey ran off four straight points for Red. It looked like the series was headed towards an HBA-first elimination game, but Damien Suarez came through and scored the final two points to seal the deal in front of a shocked crowd. Healey, the undisputed most dominating player in the HBA, was eliminated from the playoff bracket.

Andy Ni showed no problems with his back as he drained nearly fifty percent of his shots in five playoff games.

Ni’s amazing shooting percentage came against a desperate Blue team that did everything they could to stop Gray, and could only shake their heads as shot after shot fell. The highlight of the series and culminating point for Gray’s sweep of Blue was a seemingly lucky alley-op from Ni to Dutta that all but put Blue away. Gray was clicking in all areas with almost all team members contributing. They will need to do the same next week in the finals against White, where they will again be the underdog. Will Gray be able to pull another rabbit out of their hat? Will the HBA see it’s first do-or-die elimination game? Gray versus White, best of seven, next week. (HP)

WHITE ROLLS
 INTO FINALS
DOUGLAS AND KALE INEFFECTIVE IN 
RETURN FOR ORANGE

EDISON (HP) White team, playing minus Jeremy Doodanauth and John Tso, swept Orange team to advance to the finals and will play surprise winner Gray. White picked up relatively unknown free agent Jason Fan, fresh off of basketball training camp in sunny Texas, whose efficient and spirited effort played a critical role in the series. Jeff Hsieh and Neeraj Patel, ranked second and fourth in playoff HBAP per game, respectively, both improved from their season averages in the absence of Doodanauth, who was reportedly in New York for a court appearance.

Jake Douglas found himself on the bench for the last game of the series after a dismal 4 for 36 shooting day.

White’s success can be partly attributed to the poor shooting effort (4 for 36) by Orange’s Jake Douglas, who returned after a four-week Sabbath from the league. White won a semi-close Game One, blew out Orange in Game Two, and survived a late scoring run by Orange’s Brian Kim to close the series out in overtime. White’s achievements were relatively low-key compared to the craziness that happened on the other side of the bracket: last-seed Gray beat first-seed Blue. Despite Gray’s incredible performance in the semifinals, White will still be favored in the best of seven finals series. Doodanauth and Tso will return for the finals, so both teams will look to be at full strength.

Orange will play Blue in the three game consolation series. Brian Kim will be absent, but will be replaced by Praveen Pamidimakkula, who will return from his adventures in Australian outback. (HP)