Generation 47, Dunk 58

Fast-paced basketball is what both these teams like to play. And with Dunk playing a three-guard lineup, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. Early on, things were ugly. Helter skelter, tons of three-point attempts and fastbreak lay-ups. As both teams played zone, everyone was trigger happy as soon as they got an open look. But after seven minutes, the score was tied 13-13. Perhaps it was the heat, but people looked out of sorts.

Couple observations in the early going: 1) Joe Branch can get his shot wherever, whenever on the court. 2) Rafael DaSilva was doing everything he could to beat his former squad. 3) Both teams really want to win this game. At the six-minute mark, Dunk had a narrow lead of 18-17.

But Generation wouldn’t go away. On one play, Tony Forte threw a perfect outlet pass to Curtis Pemberton for the lay-up. And on the next, they stopped a charging Dunk team taking it to the hoop. Nonetheless, you can tell that they got used to having a primary scorer in either DaSilva or Dan Solomito. Right before the half, a dribbling exhibition from Forte through traffic led to a lay-up, cutting Dunk’s lead to 20-19.

In the second half, our key matchup of J.J. McGowan vs. DaSilva came to fruition. But Jose Carlson and Ryan Kearney got in the mix as well. Back-and-forth, the guards did the heavy lifting as the bigs continued to miss shots. Behind Bang Takenouchi's great passing, and DaSilva’s big threes, Dunks lead was 33-25 with 15 minutes left to play.

But Branch warmed up, and Carlson continued to be a problem for Dunk’s defense. Before you knew it, the lead was cut in half. Enter Kearney. If clutch shots were a statistical category kept in the NRF, he’d probably lead the league. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if he walked around with a dagger on him in real life.

And then the defense got personal. Despite the heat and tiredness, it was all Mark Jackson shit out there. Pride was on the line. And when you needed a big shot, both teams were taking them, but Dunk was making them. After last week’s blowout, there was something different about this squad: teamwork. And you’d be surprised how far that goes. With five minutes left, the lead was 52-43 in favor of Dunk, and they were able to ride that out.

Final score: Dunk wins, 58-47.

	1	2		T
Generation	19	28	-	47
Dunk	20	38	-	58

Box Scores

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