The lack of FO movement yesterday means that the G League will matter a lot more for the upper-echelon 905ers who can shoot the 3.
The 905 are off to a five-game road trip starting Sunday, and finished their home games for February. It’s also the last day to bid on a Black Heritage Month jersey, so auction online if you’re interested.
But let’s get back to basketball.
The 905 played two games against the mighty Maine Celtics, and remained competitive at certain points during clutch time (the last five minutes of the game when the score is within five), but ultimately came up short. Here’s a recap of how the 905 played in that time, the game’s most important and exciting period.
Game 1
A retired University of Toronto professor is famous for making an analogy to the Celtics’ logo to justify the natural order of human societies. Crustaceans naturally dominate, so it’s only normal for us to do that too … or so his logic goes.
If we’re living in a lobster’s world, Canadian Marial Shayok proved himself king. He had a great step back three in Christian Koloko‘s face. Dalano Banton tried to answer back, trying to prove that he too didn’t lack serotonin. But his mid-range version of what Shayok did behind the arc didn’t connect, even against a slower Luka Samanic. Shayok answered with another three. He had six points in clutch time, and finished the game with a game-high 27 points, making 5-for-9 of his three point shots.
Banton missed two threes and hit two free throws in clutch minutes. Defensively, he had a fly-by contest to the perimeter, where he let his momentum get the best of him; he went went flying out of the camera frame, out of defensive play. Who knows where Banton will go after this season, but it’s great for his development to get these clutch time reps in.
Reggie Perry showed some good 1-on-1 perimeter defense in the final minutes, but let a non-call get to his head and challenged an unsuccessful defensive foul call in clutch time. Progress is piecemeal, but if he can work on improving his kryptonite, he should be able to move on up.
Speaking of overcoming kryptonites, Pascal Siakam’s foundation partnered with Holland Bloorview in to set the Guinness World Record for most capes worn at a gathering. Siakam was a superhero to so many kids, and came to support his former team that helped him flourish into his All-Star player form today.
Game 2
The first game came down to the wire, but the Celtics maintained the lead for most of Game 2. They set the tone in the first half, and managed to hang onto a five and three-point lead, respectively, in the third and fourth quarter. But Samanic’s back-to-back threes, ultimately, killed any hope of a comeback.
Darryl Morsell had a strong take on the King of Lobsters (Shayok had 22, nine, and six on the second night) to bring the game within five. On the next offensive play, he orchestrated a beautiful transition offense after ripping down the board. He threw out a (kind of) dangerous kickout pass to Ryan Hawkins on the wing. Hawkins drew the double, and swung the ball to Jeff Dowtin for the corner three. It didn’t go down, but was a great shot nonetheless.
Hawkins, who’s lately been showing he’s not just a three-point shooter, made the and-1 bucket on a strong drive to put the 905 within three. Dowtin missed a three and short-range jumper, but both were the right shots within the flow of the offense.
Lastly, Dalano Banton threw a terrible pass to Reggie Perry with the shot clock winding down. In the previous game, Banton turned the ball over in the final 11 seconds with his team down one point. Like Dowtin, however, the more fringe NBA players get these reps in, the merrier.
The 905 face the Westchester Knicks this Sunday at 1pm. It can be streamed here. The Raptors play the Pistons at 3pm.
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