Sometimes the little projects contain the biggest
rewards. A 4-team mini NBA tournament provides a sterling example of that
Strat-O-Matic magic.
The tournament uses 4 teams in a round robin
format. A championship game occurs for the top two teams. The game rules
include no home court advantage and dynamic fatigue. The second round
games utilize the Strat-O-Matic board game, and that’s the beauty of a
project like this. You can mix or match the board and computer versions in
any desired manner.
The level of customization in Strat-O-Matic
always remains a major asset. You can pick and choose from any number of
teams, historical or contemporary. Plus, this tournament involves only 7
games. This is something that can come to completion in a short amount of
time.
Teams
2003 Cleveland, Milwaukee, New Orleans, and Utah.
First Round Game A
Utah Jazz 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 88
The Jazz hit their three buckets in the game, starting with a 7 to 0 run,
and never looked back. Kirilenko finishes as player of the game with 29
points and 12 rebounds. The rest of the Utah players produced lethargic
performances. The Cavs never had the lead in the game, couldn’t run the
break, or get any points in the paint. There really wasn’t much to their
game. LeBron James scores 23 points, albeit on a horrific 6 for 17 from
the floor. Frankly, this game looked more like “hot potato” than basketball
with both teams shooting under 40 percent.
First Round Game B
New Orleans Hornets 81, Milwaukee Bucks 94
Tied 65 to 65 at the end of the third quarter,
expectations for a fantastic finish went flying out the window as the Bucks
exploded with the fast break and outscored the Hornets by a 29 to 16 margin.
The Bucks had two terrific guns going this
game with Michael Redd (23 points, 8 rebounds) and Keith Van Horn (18
points, 7 rebounds). Despite playing only 25 minutes in the game, Van Horn
provided big-time impact for the Bucks when coming off the bench. The
Bucks also receive a good performance from Dan Gadzuric with 14 points and
11 rebounds. Baron Davis had 22 points for New Orleans on the strength of
his 10 for 28 from the field. Jamaal MaGloire produces 13 points but foul
trouble hampers his performance throughout the game. P.J. Brown added 13
rebounds in the losing cause. The Bucks outscore the Hornets by a 28 to 6
margin in fast break points. They also did more damage on the defensive
boards.
Second Round Notes
At 0-1, both Cleveland and New Orleans must win to stay alive in the
tournament. Both 1-0, Milwaukee and Utah can look forward to a critical
showdown in the third round.
Second Round Game A
Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Milwaukee Bucks 99
A big second quarter run of 12 straight points bumps the Cavs into an
insurmountable lead. Shooting 51 percent as a team, Cleveland scores 27 or
more points in every quarter. LeBron James had 22 points, 7 rebounds, and
7 assists. Carlos Boozer contributes a healthy 17 points and 12
rebounds. In all, six Cleveland players score in double figures. For the
Bucks, Michael Redd had 29 points but fouled out of the game midway through
the final quarter. This game was like “Foul Fest” for Milwaukee with 6
players receiving 4 fouls or more. The team had a total of 32 for the
game. The Bucks hitched their wagon to T.J. Ford in this game. He made it
through 19 minutes, accomplishing 4 points and 5 fouls.
Second Round Game B
Utah Jazz 89, New Orleans Hornets 70
The Hornets had a 1-point lead at the half but saw the Jazz score a hefty 37
points in the third quarter. The Jazz eventually built their lead up to 26
points midway in the fourth quarter. Andrei Kirilenko knocks in 22 points
and 7 rebounds. Carlos Arroyo adds 18 points in 26 minutes. Frankly, the
Jazz missed countless opportunities for building a bigger lead with their
pitiful 19 for 30 shooting at the charity stripe. The Hornets… Well, it was
ugly. Jamaal MaGloire couldn’t find the hoop, finishing with 4 points on a
1 for 8 night. Shammond Williams provided 15 points and 4 assists off the
bench.
Third Round Notes
Cleveland (1-1) advances to the next round of the tournament with a
victory. Milwaukee (1-1) moves on with a victory against Utah. The Jazz
(2-0), on the other hand, can end everything right here. The tournament
does not have a final if the Jazz have a perfect record. Still, the
tournament can move to a second round robin format should all three teams
finish with a 2-1 record.
Third Round Game A
New Orleans Hornets 104, Cleveland Cavaliers 84
The 0-2 Hornets put a major sting in the dreams of the Cavaliers with a
104-84 thumbing. Both teams finish with a 1-2 record for the preliminary
round, thus missing the tournament championship game. Baron Davis comes
alive with 42 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. Jamaal MaGloire adds 20
points and 10 rebounds. For Cleveland, LeBron James leads the team once
again with 22 points and 7 assists. Carlos Boozer turns in a rather quiet
11 points and 10 rebounds. This was an interesting game. The Cavs had the
advantage in fast break and inside scoring. The Hornets simply didn’t miss
from the outside in this contest.
Third Round Game B
Utah Jazz 100, Milwaukee Bucks 94 (OT)
This game was close at every twist and turn. Neither team had a lead
bigger than 4 points throughout the first 48 minutes. For the Jazz, Andrei
Kirilenko came through once again with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Matt
Harpring had an amazing 18 points and 8 boards. Greg Ostertag also did the
job with 9 rebounds. Basically, the Jazz gobbled up every miss by the
Bucks, and that proved the difference. For the Bucks, Michael Redd had 17
points on a dismal 7 for 24 effort. The Milwaukee supporting cast
performed superbly. Desmond Mason had 16 points and Tony Kukoc added 15
points. Redd took far too many shots in this game. That’s the story for
Milwaukee.
SCORING
SUMMARY 1 2 3 4 OT T
MILWAUKEE 18 27 20 25 5 95
UTAH 26 21 19 24 10 100
Final Tournament Notes
Andrei Kirilenko receives honors as tourney MVP, scoring 87 points in 3
games.
Final Standings
Utah 3-0
Milwaukee 1-2
Cleveland 1-2
New Orleans 1-2
