Delta Force 53, Air Force 1 56

The funny part about writing game recaps each Wednesday night, is that after every game – win or loss – people feel like they have to come up and talk to me. Now I’m a pretty outgoing and friendly guy (if I do say so myself), and I wish I could say that they just want to make small talk and hear about things over at the magazine (www.dimemag.com), but really they have to come and basically give me a footnote to their performance.

“I better not see that in the write-up,” says one player, while another screams, “You better let everyone know about the refs.” Because let’s be honest – when you go 2-for-10 from the field, with six turnovers and your team loses, it’s definitely not your fault.

Anyways, coming down to the Lower East Side each week is a lot of fun. Not only do you get to see the players (and the fans), but more often than not you get to see some good basketball. For examples, tonight’s matchup between Air Force 1 and Delta Force.

On paper, this game looks like it would be quite boring. Both teams are 1-3, and for tonight’s game, Air Force 1 only suited up five guys. But whether it was Brandon Smith’s shoes – that looked like they came in contact with the secret of the ooze – or the fact that you knew he was gunning for 30, things turned out alright.

From the jump, it was the Brandon Smith Show starring Brandon Smith (who finished with 30 points). Knocking down his first three attempt of the game, followed by a foul beyond that arc that resulted in three free throws, Smith was off to a fast six. Add another three, and then a layup, and Air Force 1 was off to a 19-14 start after 10 minutes.

For Delta Force, their plan was simple: keep the pace up like they did in their comeback last week and score the ball. Early on, Gabe Urist was doing both, as he knocked down his first try from long range. Between him and Jose Carlson, no matter how good Air Force 1 was playing, they were still in it.

But then the inevitable happened: Air Force 1 got tired. Despite Chris Dowling smacking Kelvin Coffey’s shot so hard that he almost killed the trainer, and then following that play with an assist to Christian Grant-Fields to make it 23-13 with seven minutes to play in the half, Air Force 1 needed a break. And sure enough, cagey veteran David Jacoby took advantage leading his young team, cutting the lead by halftime to 26-22.

With 15 first half points, you knew where the rock was going in the second period. Like NBA Jam, Smith was on fire coming out the gates with another triple. But Urist answered right back, and he Coffey and Damian Bulluck – along with a nasty pass from Sammy Oh – lead the charge as Delta Force looked to make their move.

The majority of the half went back-and-forth, with the fouls getting harder as the intensity increased. Before you knew it, there was 1:50 left in the game, and the score was tied 51-51. Both teams trading buckets, the game was tied 53-53 with one minute to play. But when Coffey tried to make a move to the bucket, he drew a costly offensive foul. Not happy with the call, he got T’ed up.

Stepping to the line with a tie ball game and 9.8 seconds left was Smith to shoot the two freebies, knocking them both down. Taking the ball out of bounds on the opposite end of the floor, Delta Force surprisingly did not foul Air Force 1 until there was only 3.3 seconds left on the clock, sending Dowling to the line. Missing the first, but connecting on the second, Delta Force still had a chance. But after Air Force 1 fouled Coffey with their last remaining foul to give, Delta Force just couldn’t get it done.

Final score: Air Force 1 wins, 56-53.

Box Scores