2012 Championship: Anything Is Possible

As the confetti fell after championship Sunday, a giddy Kevin Garnett hugged Steve Nash and screamed "All power is mine! I do the impossible! I'm gonna tear the roof off and eat all your babies! Argh argh argh!" Wiping a tear from his pale face, Nash, two time NBA MVP, was delirious from finally achieving his ultimate dream: a basketball championship. Collapsing to the ground, Nash kept saying in Canadian (translated), "Now I can move on from the Suns, I've given them my all and I can't wait to go to Miami. Or the Lakers. Or the Nets. Anywhere but Phoenix."

The rest of SlamNation can't say we didn't see this coming. The Fat Jubas won two division titles in a row, proved themselves as contenders, and was always in the mix for that elusive championship. Tearing apart the competition over the back half of the regular season, Jubas went 7-1 and then rode a seven game win streak all the way to the top. Their only challenge was last week in the conference finals, when they upset Squirtle Squad by a narrow margin. Now the Fat Jubas are the 2012 champs, and the second winners from the Silverhawks division.

Facing off against a young and hungry NJ All-Stars, the Jubas crushed Lebron and Co. by playing a better all around game. Despite LBJ's 28.5 PTS, 8.0 REB, 5.0 AST, and 1.5 STL, there just wasn't enough help for the "King." GM Eddie really needed his team to show up but they wilted a little under the pressure as Luol Deng, Paul George, and Ryan Anderson really came out flat. Isaiah Thomas, Luis Scola, and Jameer Nelson did their best but they weren't enough.

Heck, little J.J. Barea was the second best player for NJ All-Stars this week, as he had three double-doubles. In the end, Eddie's dream run was put to a fast halt as the game wasn't quite as close as the score indicated. This was pretty much a blow out. Still, a thrilling post-season run for a wild card team and owner Eddie has to be very proud of his first season in SlamNation.

Now for the accolades. As proven again and again, teams win games. And when your team features savvy veterans like Nash, Garnett, and Ray Allen, everyone else will step in line and play their role. For Nash, that meant lying down on the floor when his back hurt, excusing himself from one of this week's matchups. Good work Steve, thanks for those 11.3 PTS and 6.3 AST per. Ray Allen, he of the smooth stroke, beautiful soul, and star of low-budget commercials about juvenile diabetes basically took the entire week off, playing just once before resting his ankle.

Wait, did anybody play for Jubas? Oh yes, Kevin Garnett! KG, who has found the fountain of youth, ripped off a Finals stat line of 20.0 PTS, 10.8 REB, 1.3 STL, 1.0 BLK, 50.0 FG%, and 93.3 FT% over five games. He even inspired his Celtics' buddy Brandon Bass to 16.6 PTS and 8.6 REB of his own. The sweet shooting duo killed it this week, combining with Marcin Gortat to anchor the front line and pave the way to victory.

But they were not alone. Nicolas Batum tossed in 16.0 PTS, 5.7 REB, 1.3 STL/BLK, and 3.0 3PT for the week to cement his keeper status. Recent free agent addition Kevin Seraphin rejected 13 shots in his four games, single-handedly out blocking the NJ All-Stars. In addition, Gordon Hayward and DeMar DeRozan combined to go to the free throw line 12.3 times each outting, knocking down their freebies at a uber-efficient clip. This win was a true team effort, even as Nash and Allen cheered from the sidelines.

Overall, the Fat Jubas were just too much this season. While they may lack the (young) star power of some of the other teams in SlamNation, Eric-L has carefully assembled a roster that fits together perfectly. Remember that this championship was won with Brook Lopez basically out all year, and that as recently as the beginning of the 2011 season Jeff Green and Boris Diaw were keepers on this team. Yes, Jeff Green and Boris Diaw...

In addition, Eric-L has always drafted near the bottom -- starting with the #16 position in our first reset keeper year -- and over three seasons has truly built the Jubas to championship level. And it wasn't done through blockbuster trades either, unless you count this 2010 move for Beno Udrih or the 2012 deal for DeMar DeRozan. Impressive craftsmanship no?

I mean, this team didn't even have a 20.0+ points per game guy. The Jubas were led all season long in points by DeRozan (16.9 PTS), rebounds and blocks by Gortat (9.8 REB/1.5 BLK), assists by Nash (10.9 AST), Ray Allen's 2.3 3PT, and just two players averaging even 1.0+ STL per game. In fact, looking at the 2012 season stats, the only category Fat Jubas ranked in the top three in were FG% and FT%. However, they also had no real weaknesses -- except bottom two in STL -- and adjusted well to every matchup. What a winning blueprint!

We had this to say about Eric-L's team from their pre-season preview in 2010: "The veteran laden team is headed by Steven Nash, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. All three are past their primes (although Nash isn't slipping much) but will likely remain very effective players for at least another two seasons." It looks like the Jubas had everything go right just in time. Will they keep the veterans together for a championship defense, or will Nash, Garnett, and Allen ride off into the sunset? Only time will tell but for now, congrats to Eric-L for a truly outstanding season!

Post-script: Kevin Seraphin was seen leaving the building mid-celebration, escorted by security. Overheard was this farewell speech by GM Eric-L as they all walked out: "Thanks for all your hard work Kevin, we'll probably never see you this fantasy relevant again. Your monster April was awesome -- 15.7 PTS, 7.1 REB, 1.8 BLK, 52.5 FG% -- but there's no way you're gonna be worth more than you are now. Don't call us next year, the championship ring will be mailed to you. Thanks a lot bro!"

(Full Box Score)

2012 Toilet Bowl: Fear the Pogi

In a game that came right down to the wire, heavily favored MoRRie's Pogiboys won the 2012 Toilet Bowl and the right to draft Anthony Davis. Or you know, someone else, since GM Alvin isn't ready to tip his hand yet. Even though the Pogiboys were facing off against an injury riddled Sour Snails team, this Toilet Bowl was the closest one we've ever had.

As predicted last week, Trieu's team won REB/BLK while Alvin won the two percentage categories. That left 3PT, AST, ST, TO, and PTS up in the air. The Snails won by close margins in 3PT and STL, while getting slammed in AST and TO. Most importantly, they came 16 PTS shy of upsetting Pogiboys. Sixteen points!

A closer look at the matchup reveals that franchise power forward Kevin Love contributed zero points on April 11th, in a matchup against the Denver Nuggets that started with him getting knocked out of the action by a concussion. It's pretty likely Love would have scored at least sixteen points had he stuck around for the game. Already ailing from a team that had trouble staying healthy -- Grant Hill got a DNP this week and Wilson Chandler came back for a lackluster seven minutes -- Trieu put up a mighty fight but couldn't quite pull off an upset in the end.

As for Alvin's team, he must be ecstatic. Going from 5-14 a year ago to 8-4 this year and barely missing out on a playoff spot -- then winning the Toilet Bowl -- will set them up for years of success. And it's not like Alvin didn't earn it, as his franchise guy, Amare Stoudemire, was out for this matchup. Led by Brandon Jennings, the Pogiboys didn't have many huge individual scoring games but overall his lineup shot well, controlled their turnovers, and gutted out a big win. A guard rotation of Jennings, Devin Harris, Mike Conley, and Brandon Knight really stepped up to counter the Snails' swirling guards.

Next year Pogiboys fans will get to see Stoudemire, Roy Hibbert, and The Unibrow together on a front line that could be truly scary. (I mean, if Alvin wants to take Anthony Davis.) Congrats MoRRie's Pogiboys!

Conference Round Recap

What a semi-finals! Both games came down to Sunday, with hotly contested categories all around. Over in the Chamberlain Conference, the Fat Jubas upset Squirtle Squad by the smallest 3PT margin. The golden oldies used grit and grunts to lock up the REB category, hit all their free throws, and barely outscored the top ranked Squirtles.

For Brian, it really hurts that they keep getting upset in the playoffs with no Finals appearances to show for it. This time it was their FT%, a scintillating 61.25 FT% showing that doomed them. While big men Blake Griffin and Greg Monroe are excellent elsewhere, they combined to hit only 16/43 free throws, with Griffin shooting 23.8% from the charity stripe. Ouch.

Eric-L used a team effort from Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, Nicolas Batum, Marcin Gortat, and even a solid Gordon Hayward to seal the win. Most surprising of all, Kevin Seraphin (who?) might have been the hero as he pretty much averaged a double double all week. The Jubas are riding a six game winning streak and are looking to crush their way to a first SlamNation championship. Standing in their way will be a young upstart, making this a true old versus new matchup.

In the Russell Conference, it was a bloodbath between two teams who share good/bad blood. Cousins Evan and Eddie faced off and got their families involved in the trash talking but in the end, it was upstart Eddie who squeezed into the Finals. With both owners hawking their lineups all week, the record book will show that NJ All-Stars defeated the Chunky Monkeys by a mere five PTS, four STL, or 0.22 difference in FG%. Oh and the two teams also tied in 3PT.

Usually Evan's small ball team does well in particular matchups, but even with Chris Paul really picking pockets (13 STL), the Monkeys were outstolen by the All-Stars quick hands. That's pretty hard to do. I mean, both teams put up over 40+ STL. Looking closer at the stats, it seems like Andrea Bargnani's injury on Sunday could have been the difference maker, as it's hard to argue that Barg couldn't have contributed more than seven total points, and at least hit another three to break the deadlock.

For Eddie, flush with first season owner pride, his team isn't just going to be happy to be here. Sure they are a little wilted after many battles but they are focused on getting a huge upset -- and the 2012 crown. Ryan Anderson needs to return soon, DeAndre Jordan needs to be amnestied from his fat contract, and Jameer Nelson and J.J. Barea need to make up for the loss of Kyle Lowry. Well, unless Lowry comes back this week, which he could. Can LeBron James win a fantasy championship with rookie Isaiah Thomas as his second leading scorer? It sure looks like it's possible. Thomas is peaking at exactly the right time and is fast displacing Luol Deng as the Robin to LBJ's Batman. "I believe the children are our future / Teach them well and let them lead the way!"

Still, the Fat Jubas are the heavy favorite here and will likely win both percentages and TO, while NJ All-Stars has the edge in AST and STL. The question will be who can hit more 3PT and who can score more PTS. It's gonna be a fascinating championship week, best of luck to Eric-A and Eddie.

Over in the Toilet Bowl, things were close too as Funk Coalition threatened a big upset but lost by a handful of 3PT and STL despite playing a few more games. Tyreke Evans had a puncher's chance of sending Pogiboys packing but failed. Now Alvin will have Brandon Jennings leading the way for a shot at the number one overall draft pick in 2013.

His opponent in the Toilet Bowl finals is Trieu, who can't seem to be prevented from getting to any finals, even the losing sides'. This will be a Herculean task though because his entire bench is bascially not suiting up next week: Stephen Curry, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Grant Hill. The Snails barely upset LA Buffy, surviving by a few PTS and one last second 3PT that rimmed out. This time they'll need Kevin Love and crew to really step up to lock up a huge win.

Based on last week's stats, the matchup between Pogiboys and Sour Snails will be very close as they evenly matched in AST/STL, TO, and PTS. The Snails will win REB and BLK most likely, but likely lose both of the percentage categories as Alvin is great there. We hope the Toilet Bowl won't come down to injuries, and wish both teams the best.

PLAYOFFS - THE FINALS
#2 Fat Jubas (9-3)* vs #4 NJ All-Stars (8-4)

TOILET BOWL FINALS
#1 MoRRie's Pogiboys (8-4) vs #2 Sour Snails (4-8)

Preview RD2: 2012

What a first weekend of the playoffs, as we had a huge upset over in the Russell Conference. Somehow new coach Eddie took his team up against Thien's mighty The Horizon -- the top seed -- and won by Sunday fueled comeback. Strangely, both teams played only 25/26 games so extra games wasn't a factor. What did help was the outstanding shooting by the NJ All-Stars, who had a scorching 50.62 FG% and won FT% too. The Horizon tried to ride Dwayne Wade, Paul Pierce, Andrew Bynum, and John Wall to victory but they were ultimately unseated by Lebron James and his merry band of pranksters -- Paul George, Isaiah Thomas, Ryan Anderson, and Jose Calderon.

Everything else on the playoff front played out according to plan, as the other favored teams rolled to easy victories.

Over in the Toilet Bowl, defending champ Human Amoebas was eliminated by a lower seed, Funk Coalition, in a minor upset, but Eric-A was without the services of Derrick Rose so maybe it was no upset at all. Top seed MoRRie's Pogiboy sweated out a surprising week from Josh's So Buckets, who could have won if they game managed just a little better. Needing just a handful of 3PT, AST, or STL to win, So Buckets hit the games played limit on Saturday with some useful players ready to steal the win. Too bad, better luck next year!

PLAYOFFS
Chamberlain Conference
#1 Squirtle Squad (10-2)* vs #2 Fat Jubas (9-3)*

Russell Conference
#2 Chunky Monkeys (8-4)* vs #4 NJ All-Stars (8-4)

TOILET BOWL
Chamberlain Conference
#1 LA Buffy (5-7) vs #2 Sour Snails (4-8)

Russell Conference
#1 MoRRie's Pogiboys (8-4) vs #3 Funk Coalition (3-9)