Air Force 1 57, Uptempo 71

On the hottest day in the history of New York City, 350 Grand Street was the last place I wanted to be. Not because of the games that were about to ensue, but rather because of the heat. And it appeared at tip-off that many of the members of Air Force 1 and Uptempo felt the same way – by not showing up. But basketball is played 5-on-5, and at start time, both teams had a squad.

Starting for the first time in his purple uni was the team’s newest member, Bobbito Garcia. And while there were some mixed feelings surrounding his trade – as evidenced by the poll – he came out ready and excited to play.

Whenever you’re playing Uptempo, the key is stopping Scott Williams. And tonight was no different. Hitting two quick buckets followed by a deep three from Nick Blatchford, Air Force 1 was able to respond with back-to-back treys of their own from Ben Detrick and Brandon Smith. At the 15-minute mark, Air Force 1 led 10-9.

Always looking for a backup point guard with Paul Rivera’s sporadic attendance, Garcia is the perfect guy for the job. Controlling the tempo and dishing the rock, his play was a big reason that Air Force 1 held a slim lead. But then there’s Williams. And anytime he’s on the floor, he’s a threat to score.

Couple observations: 1) Don’t leave Blatchford open to shoot, no matter how far back he is. 2) Jason Burke is one the league’s best interior defenders, and should lead the NRF in blocks. 3) Inside-out only works if your teammates are knocking down threes. With five minutes left in the half, Uptempo led 24-19.

But then it happened. A Lucian Dickson bucket in the lane, a Burke floater, and Air Force 1’s run had them on top 27-24 with 2:30 left to play. Add a couple threes from Smith, and things were looking good. Heading into halftime, Air Force 1 led 34-31.

In the second half, you could tell that Uptempo and their five-man rotation was getting tired. (Not that Air Force 1 and their six guys were any better.) But they persevered. One great play was when Danny Milan threw a no-look pass to a cutting DJ Reason en route to the lay-up giving Uptempo the 37-34 lead. But Smith had other plans, knocking down a trey to re-tie the game.

Then things got scrappy. An and-one drive from Blatchford, followed by a pull-up three from Garcia, and we had ourselves a game. Trying to garner some Defensive Player of the Year votes, Burke was a few hot dogs and Natty Ice away from a block party. With 10 minutes left to play, Air Force 1 led 47-42.

But just when you thought they had nothing left, Williams would come up huge. One three-pointer to tie the game at 49, and the next to make it 52-49. To pour it on, the next possession Reason nailed one too. Before you knew it, Uptempo was up 61-51 with under three minutes to play, and there was no stopping ’em.

Final score: Uptempo wins, 71-57.

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