Best... Hiring... Ever

A lot of people were getting antsy last off-season. Do you blame them? We didn't hire a head coach until late September and we didn't introduce him until October 7 – to the media 45 minutes before tip-off of the Rockets-Celtics game, and then during a first half timeout to the 6,300 fans in attendance.

One of the first question I received was, who? That's it? That's the whole big deal? I mean, who the heck is Chris Finch?

I just have one question for that person... Would you like to eat that foot in your mouth with ketchup... or mustard?

Let's go by the numbers (including this season):
Seasons as a head coach: 13
Post-Season Appearances: 12
Championships: 8
Coach of the Year Awards: 5
Career Regular Season Record: 415-194 (.681)

Not too shabby. The only real question is how long can we keep him here before an NBA team steals him away? I do believe Finch is going to be an NBA head coach for a long time. Once he makes it there, he'll never turn back. In the mean time he's got a pretty sweet deal. Another Championship, another Coach of the Year Award, and now a few weeks off before he heads to Great Britain the lead the British National Team into the European Qualifiers, starting with a tournament in Israel.

Coach, if you're reading this, while you're in Israel, I highly recommend you eat at a place called Yotvata Ba'ir. Best... dairy food... ever. Which is perfect for the best... hiring... ever.

A Long Time Coming

A title like this would be appropriate for a lot of people on the team or just for the team itself. Third-year Vipers Craig Winder and Stanley Asumnu or the Rio Grande Valley. Heck, it's the first professional championship for everyone on the team except for Ernest Scott and Rich Melzer.

 

This post, however, is dedicated to Mike Harris.

He had never won a Championship at any level and that's what he wanted more than anything in the world. When Harris earned his final GATORADE Call-Up, his first question to the Rockets was whether or not he could be assigned to the Vipers for the playoffs.

After all, Harris has been a big part of this team all year and he wanted to win a Championship.

I was chatting with Vipers Director of Player Development BJ Johnson, who also works with the Rockets, before the game, and I asked him why Harris hasn't been able to stick in the NBA for an extended period of time. He said it was because of his size. I immediately countered with Chuck Hayes, you know the Rockets 6-5 center? He said Hayes is there for his defense. Harris doesn't play that kind of defense, he's a scorer (ya know, if you could combine the two of them you'd really have something).

Then Johnson added Harris has a great attitude. If everyone had an attitude like him...

Harris can still make it in the NBA. I honestly believe he will make the Rockets out of Training Camp in October. Everyone wants or should want to have a guy like that on their team.

Harris is a true ambassador in the community and for the league. Here's a guy that wanted to go celebrate ever so badly with his teammates and the champagne in the locker room, but he wouldn't go until he had signed every autograph and done every interview.

I got a call from him around 12:30 or 12:45 a.m. He and the team were at Pepper's celebrating. I was still at the arena working. He was on me to come enjoy the day and celebrate. I was stunned to get that call, that he would even think of me with everything else going on.

Here's a guy who sat through ridiculous traffic with me to do interviews in Weslaco and Harlingen on TV, who doesn't mind if he gets phone calls at seemingly anytime.

Here's a guy who loves being here. in the NBA D-League, in the Rio Grande Valley.

Here's a guy who has already asked about coming down during the off-season from his home outside Houston to do youth clinics and camps.

Here's a guy who is willing to come down to have lunch at Pepper's with one lucky winner who buys Vipers season tickets (anyone who has already purchased for 2010-11 is automatically entered).

You will never find a nicer guy in the world than Mike Harris. Of all the guys who I am happy for, he's A Number One. MVP on and off the court. Congratulations.

Ever Been at a Loss for Words?

It's a proven fact that I can talk about any topic at any time for any length, no matter the situation. But when this game ended, I was nothing short of speechless.

You might remember back on February 22, I started my campaign for Craig Winder to be named NBA Development League Player of the Year (no such award actually exists). A lot of people called me crazy. They laughed at me.

Well... who's laughing now?

Craig certainly seems pretty happy after beating the buzzer to send the Vipers to their first NBADL Championship.

When the game ended, I had nothing left to say. What could I possibly say after something like that?

It was a perfect moment. That one every little kid dreams about growing up. Beat the buzzer to win a Championship.

In front of a record sellout crowd.

6,198.

Think about that for a moment. There were 6,300 people here for the Rockets-Celtics game! To think we almost passed that with Standing Room Only, despite having less seats is incredible.

You ever have a moment when you wondered if all of your efforts were worth it? Whether anyone cared or if it was all worth it? Someone told me recently (paraphrasing), "oh yeah, the Vipers are improving their fan base, but I still don't think the fans really know who the players are or what's going on." We've had some really good and loud crowds, but even a crowd of 4,700 leaves 1,000 empty seats in State Farm Arena.

Then we had this game. When everyone was standing and cheering and going crazy. When the fans started a DE-FENSE chant on their own. When the fans knew what was at stake and what to do. When the fans rushed the court. I couldn't speak. I could've cried I was so happy.

People do care and the support has been something I could have never imagined.

The other thing that floored me was how many people I had never met came up to me to congratulate me, shake my hand, high five, hug, whatever. People thanking me for my daily updates and text messages.

If ever there was a time I wasn't sure that what I did mattered or was worth it, this erased all of that.

Wow.

And that's really all I have left to say about that.

One Away

The Vipers just beat the Tulsa 66ers 124-107 in game one of the NBADL Finals. Now it just takes a home win either Tuesday or Thursday and the trophy belongs to Rio Grande Valley.

Of note:

Mike Harris had 10 points in 12 minutes in the first half but was limited by foul trouble (had three). Harris opened the third quarter by scoring eight-straight points in the opening two minutes to give the Vipers a 10-point lead, but picked up his fourth foul and sat our the rest of the quarter. The Vipers still outscore Tulsa 23-21 the rest of the quarter. Harris didn't come back in until the game was out of hand in the fourth when Rich Melzer picked up his fourth foul.

Speaking of Melzer, he had second-straight great game with seven points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block in 17:36.

Will Conroy picked up the second triple-double of the post-season (Iowa's Curtis Stinson had one in the first round) with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He actually hit the rebounding mark first and the assists last. It took Conroy seemingly forever to get assist #10. He had #9 early in the third but didn't get #10 until midway through the fourth. The 16 rebounds are more than Conroy has ever had in a regular season game (15, 2/20/10 vs. Maine). Did you know Conroy is ninth all-time in regular season rebounds (884)? Everyone thinks of him for assists and scoring, but he's got more than that. Conroy hit a half court shot to give the Vipers a 61-59 lead at halftime. It's only appropriate that Conroy has one of his best games at Tulsa, where his NBA Development League career started.

Julian Sensley had 19 of his 21 points in the first half.

5,453 in attendance at Tulsa, the largest crowd ever at a 66ers home game. Fans in the Rio Grande Valley: let's beat that. And wear red!

To the Finals!

After an incredible three game series win over the Austin Toros, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers are heading to the NBADL Finals to take on the Tulsa 66ers.

It should be another solid matchup. Yeah, Tulsa's the #8 seed. And you know what else? That barely snuck into the playoffs after struggling mightily down the stretch, in part because point guard Mustafa Shakur kept getting called up.

The 66ers are again without Shakur (although that could change in a hurry depending on what Oklahoma City decides to do).

Remember, the last time these teams faced off, and the Vipers swept Tulsa at State Farm Arena, the 66ers had a whopping two guards on their roster and Shakur basically had to play every second.

Tulsa has since made adjustments to deal without not only Shakur, but other NBA-assignees. Remember, the 66ers had three Thunder players on their roster in their Semifinals opening loss at home to the Iowa Energy, who set a new league record for regular season wins this year. They had ZERO while beating the Energy twice in a row in Iowa to advance to the finals.

Only three teams managed to be the Energy twice in a row in Iowa this year:

The Vipers were the first, Sioux Falls, who Tulsa eliminated in the first round, was second, and then the 66ers pulled it off this week.

So, ignore the seeding. Larry Owens is the best player you've never heard of and Cecil Brown is solid too. Wink Adams has capably taken over the point and former Christian Life Academy Star Latavious Williams, who is the first player to go from HS to the NBADL, has shined since Byron Mullens was recalled and more minutes have become available at the big positions. Moses Ehambe can shoot the three a little bit (as can Brown).

What could be really interesting is the game inside the game. Antonio Anderson spent two 10-day contracts with Oklahoma City. My question is, does Tulsa run the Thunder's offense like the Vipers do with the Rockets? If so, Anderson should have a little extra insight to offer during practice/film sessions.

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I keep saying it, but I really can't say it enough. Another huge thank you to the fans for coming out and supporting the team this week. The support has been incredible throughout this playoff run. Up to two home games left. Come on back and bring a friend. Let's red out the arena. Thank you!

The Litmus Test

I can think of a lot of reasons why last night's Game Two semifinals victory over Austin was awesome, but I think none compares to the big one.

Clutch the Bear – the Houston Rockets Hall of Fame Mascot – ripped off his Rockets uniform to show a VIPERS UNIFORM. My jaw dropped when that happened. It was kind of like seeing the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man walking down the streets of NYC, only with positive reverberations.

I said to NBA D-League President Dan Reed on the Farmers Insurance Halftime Report last night that such an event is the true litmus test of legitimacy for a league, and you know what? He agreed.

Was legitimacy the right word? Debatable, but the spirit is correct. Before it was really cool for us to have the NBA in the building, whether it was wearing their uniforms or having their mascots. Now it's really cool for them to get to be a part of the NBA D-League.

It also speaks to the close relationship between the Rockets and the Vipers. Everyone says it's about getting to the baseball model of single affiliations... and that's true on the court... but the great thing about the D-League is that it's not only about developing players and coaches, but front office staff too.

I don't know of many minor league baseball teams that have this kind of relationship with their parent club, and that includes those that are owned by the big league team and happen to be close by.

I really don't think you're going to see Mr. Met in Buffalo, for example, and if you do, what are the odds he puts on a Bisons jersey?

But we've developed that kind of relationship on the business side. This isn't just a basketball affiliation, it's about so much more.

My moment of zen yesterday was when the Rockets re-sent my press releases about Coach of the Year Chris Finch and MVP Mike Harris to their media (with me still listed as the media contact).

Plenty of team are interested in the single-affiliation for basketball, for for business? I'm not sure. It might help if the league brought more exposure to the front office staffs.

I asked Reed about this yesterday... maybe doing front office staff awards. Honors for hitting bench marks in various sales categories are nice, but I think individual awards are good too. Yes, as both Finch and Harris said, there are no individual awards, they are a reflection of those around them, but that's okay. The individual award brings attention to the whole team. Additionally, they look good on a resume and bring exposure to people who are trying to move up. Why do we work in the minors? To make the majors. So why just give exposure to players and coaches?

If we're going to be serious that we want this league to be a feeder to the NBA for staff, there need to be individual awards. There needs to be a broadcaster of the year, a communications executive of the year, a group sales executive of the year, a season tickets executive of the year, a corporate sales executive of the year and a team president of the year, at the very least.

Pretty much every minor league that I know of has such awards. They often include things like visiting hotel of the year, arena of the year... etc.

I also work for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings of United League Baseball. I was honored as both broadcaster and communications executive of the year after last season. I intend to work my rear end off to earn them again this season. How come I can't get a chance to compete for similar awards in the NBA D-League? What about my colleagues? There are some really good communications folks around the league (I didn't say PR people because I hate being called a PR guy. Call me an MR guy. My primary job is media relations). I might win, I might not. Either way, there should be something.

Same goes for broadcaster and ADB.

Or those other front office awards. Plenty of people would be competing for those awards both in this office and around the league.

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As for the awards that were handed out, Mike Harris was the no duh MVP. I imagine he got every vote. The funny thing is, he probably got most of those votes for his on court stats, rather than his off court leadership.

Did you know that after the Vipers lost the first game of the season in Austin, Harris held a players only meeting and basically told them this would not happen again? The Vipers won their next six games and never looked back.

Chris Finch earning Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year didn't surprise me either. In my opinion, he's the best of the upper echelon of coaches in the league, which includes Iowa's Nick Nurse and Austin's Quin Snyder. Finch had to deal with an ever-changing roster... 10 GATORADE Call-Ups, 5 NBA-Assignments and injuries up the wazoo. Yet he never panicked. Never made a move just to make a move. Always got the most out of what he had.

What's more is that Finch is also a heck of a nice guy and willing to do pretty much whatever you need. He's very accommodating to helping us on the business side succeed, and that has included changing practice times so we can have players/coaches at appearances, camps, clinics and media events.

Mike and Chris are two of the best people I've come across. They're good human beings and very deserving of every accolade.

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Sometimes the door swings both ways. My co-worker Shu Muthyala and I have to go speak at a Pharr Rotary Club lunch in a few minutes. Shu and I were there just a few months ago for Coach Finch's first Rotary Club appearance. They asked this morning if they could get someone to speak today, so the coaches asked us to go. Should be fun. =)

Post-Season Ejections

Antonio Anderson got ejected from the game a few minutes ago. Picked up his second technical.

My initial reaction is I have no problem with this, if Anderson indeed earned it. My opinion is rules need to be enforced the same in the post-season as in the regular season.

I've always hated the excuse that I sometimes hear about officials not wanting to affect the game by ejecting or T-ing up a significant player in a post-season game. Well, um, that's a load of malarkey. If the player earns a pair of technicals, or flagrant fouls or whatever... It's his fault... not the officials'.

So I have no problem with this... as long as he indeed earned it AND the rules are applied to all teams and players consistently throughout the post-season. Whether it's the NBA Development League's all-time leading scorer or a rookie in his first post-season... whether it's the quarterfinals, the semifinals or the championship.

It's Not All About Assignees

At 6:51 p.m. I received a press release about Byron Mullens and Mustafa Shakur getting re-assigned to the Tulsa 66ers. Talk about waiting until the last minute. Perhaps they were trying to catch Iowa napping? A little April surprise of their own?

Suddenly Tulsa was Oklahoma City again. Three NBA-assignees. Jeff Trepagnier was just 1-for-8 from the field and the Energy's starting point guard had six times as many rebounds as their starting center.

The game was played Tulsa.

If you didn't see the box, you'd probably think Tulsa won.

Yeah.... No.

Iowa's the #1 seed for a reason folks.

And just because players get sent down from the NBA doesn't mean they're the reason a team wins, especially when they don't.

Changing of the Guard

ADB pulled out a great stat the other day – the last three NBA Development League Championships were won by former Continental Basketball Association teams.

That is guaranteed to change this year. The four remaining teams (Rio Grande Valley, Austin, Iowa and Tulsa) are pure bread NBADL teams. But wait, there's more.

ADB was also quick to point out three of those teams have something in common.

My first guess was, rightish... Rio Grande Valley, Austin and Tulsa are all old Southwest Division teams (good thing Colorado's gone, otherwise they might've beat the tar out of all three teams and perhaps none of them would've made the playoffs thanks to the intra-division match-ups... well, maybe that's not true, but I still feel the sting of a 1-15 franchise record against Colorado, even if those were completely different Vipers teams).

I had the right teams, but not the point. What else do those three teams have in common? They're all single-affiliation teams.

The so-called hybrid system is the future of the NBA Development League, so this is really no surprise. The only team that doesn't use their single-affiliate effectively is LA. Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma City have done a great job of maximizing the value they get out of the Vipers, Toros and 66ers. In doing that, they get better players (perhaps because of better resources to scout players and know who's going to make noise in this league) which makes their teams better. They also assign players and for longer periods of time than other teams because they know what they're getting. The Vipers do what the Rockets do, so Joey Dorsey and Jermaine Taylor can develop down here. Remember, Aaron Brooks was only a Viper for two games. The Vipers had three parent clubs that year and the Rockets had no say over what Brooks was going to have to with the Vipers, so it was really just a way to get the man some playing time.

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Tulsa's no longer OKC JV. Mustafa Shakur and Byron Mullens have been recalled. That just leaves Kyle Weaver on assignment with the 66ers. I guess the Thunder want depth for the playoffs. OR this could just be for the last regular season game followed by a re-assignment before the Semifinals opener. I guess we'll have to wait and find out.

The Only Reason? Please...

The Vipers downed Reno 135-118 to reach the semifinals of the NBA Development League Playoffs tonight. To chants of M-V-P, Mike Harris did what it is he does best, scored 45 points with 13 rebounds while hitting 19-of-31 shots (and to think... he missed his first five shots...).

What Harris did was allow the Vipers to run the offense through him. He gave the Vipers a more physical presence inside who could attack Rod Benson and create contact as well. He gave them leadership and a cool head. Harris' contributions to this win cannot be underestimated.

But if you think he's the only reason the Vipers won this game... or that he shouldn't have been allowed to play in this game... then I have something to say to you.

The Vipers were 22-9 when Harris started and 25-9 with him over all. That means they were also 9-5 without him and 12-5 when he didn't start, period. It's not like the Vipers become an inept team without Harris.

Is he a key cog? Yes. But the Vipers won game one in Reno and almost won game two at home without Harris. Would they have won tonight without Harris? I have no idea. They certainly would have used a different game plan.

There's a reason Coach Finch has been to the playoffs now 12 times in 13 seasons. There's a reason he has seven championships and four Coach of the Year Awards. There's a reason he's the head coach of the British National Team... and it's not that he doesn't know how to adjust to different situations. In fact, I don't think I've ever been around a coach who's better at making adjustments than him.

However, I find the idea that Harris shouldn't be allowed to get assigned to the Vipers at this juncture and that he saved the team ridiculous.

Mike Harris is no savior, even if we sometimes build him up as one and, in fact, I think the assignment rules are too stringent. I think the Rockets should be allowed to re-assign Jermaine Taylor and the Thunder should be allowed to re-assign D.J. White to Tulsa, despite each already having three assignments under their belts.

First, to the Harris point. He was with the team all season with the exception of a few call-ups. It's like Alonzo Gee getting assigned from San Antonio to Austin for the playoffs. It just makes sense for them to be allowed to finish what they started.

Additionally, teams that understand how to use their minor league affiliates effectively also understand the value in having guys exposed to a winning atmosphere. And if nothing else, it's also a chance for more playing time, which players on assignment usually need. Harris hadn't played for the Rockets since April 4.

As for the assignments point... the whole point of having a minor league affiliate is to be able to use it to bring guys up and down for a wide variety of reasons. Down for seasoning, playing time, experience, getting used to a winning atmosphere... Up for injury replacement, an audition, or for depth... There should be no limit on total assignment and there should also be no cut-off date for assignment. The Rockets had to assign Harris today. Their last game of the regular season is Wednesday. If the Rockets didn't assign Harris before that game, they would not have been allowed to assign him.

I'm sure the reason for that is competitive balance, but keep in mind that NBA teams in the playoff run can still do assignments. So much for competitive balance, eh?

I think the NBA Development League's long-term goal is the baseball model. Well, baseball teams send young guys down for AAA playoffs (or AAA guys to AA, etc) all the time to expose them to a winning environment. Heck, sometimes they use the playoffs for rehab assignments. Remember, big league clubs don't have minor league affiliates for marketing or winning purposes. Those are nice bonuses... but the #1 goal of a minor league affiliate is to help the big league club win a championship. I don't mean to say they're not trying to win. That'd be ludicrous. Of course they are. You can't develop if you're not trying to win. And the Rockets have made it pretty darn clear they're committed to winning a championship in the Rio Grande Valley.

Still, it's not like they simply assigned Harris to help with that last goal. If all they wanted to do was bring a title to the RGV, they would've sent Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill down too. The fact of the matter is, they want Harris to get some more playing time before the season ends so he has something to build on going into the Summer League. If he gets a ring along the way, great.

But the simple idea that the Rockets should not have been allowed to assign Harris for this game flies in the face of the whole purpose of having an affiliated minor league.

Mayor Settles Milk Strike

A few years back, when they still delivered milk to your stoop everyday, there was a heated Mayoral race in New York City. The incumbent (Robert Wagner) was losing to the challenger. It didn't look good.

In the weeks leading up to Election Day, there was a major milk strike.

On Election Day, the headline of all the local papers? Mayor Settles Milk Strike.

Guess who won the Election.

It's known as an October surprise, despite the fact it was actually November.

Tonight, the Vipers spring an April surprise on the Reno Bighorns for the winner take all game 3 of the Quarterfinals... Mike Harris.

The NBADL MVP Candidate is averaging 27.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He shoots the lights out of the ball. He's a leader both on and off the court.

If ever there was a difference maker in a tightly-contested series, he's it.

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Rockets GM Daryl Morey took in the game with his son last night and boy was he vociferous. It was great to see.

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Harris... Morey... Anyone out there think the Rockets aren't committed to winning a Championship in the Rio Grande Valley?

Didn't think so.

Searching for a Handle on the Moment?

Me too.

On the one hand, the Vipers just experienced the most electric crowd in the history of Western Civilization (or at least Vipers Basketball). An incredible crowd of 4,206 cheering on the Vipers the whole way, but that fourth quarter was possibly the greatest experience I've been a part of. Everyone was standing and cheering during the Vipers' comeback. The chants of DE-FENSE reigned down and the fans helped Reno to miss critical free throws down the stretch. I think the building shook at one point.

On the other hand, the ending was a bit like Duke-Butler just one week ago. No cinderella story, but a raucous home crowd cheering on a team to a late comeback... but that team still came up short. True, Butler was never down by 19, but a comeback's a comeback. And while you felt good about the game, you were disappointed by the ending.

The foul situation was a major factor. Reno had only been called for three fouls when the Vipers got their last chance with 5.8 seconds left. When they fouled Will Conroy, it didn't result in free throws with a chance to tie the game. It meant suddenly only 1.5 seconds to try to tie it. Rod Benson did a great job of guarding the inbounds and the significantly smaller Conroy never had a chance to find anyone open. He lobbed it into a scrum of people. I almost think Mickell Gladness should've been the inbounder (he played 17 seconds tonight) to have a chance to see where to go with the ball, but would you really want to put that responsibility on his shoulders? No, you have to give it to the leader of the team who is also the best passer. In that situation, perhaps the best play would've been an outside inbounds to Ernest Scott, who would set a pick for Conroy to roll around, grab the ball and let it fly at the buzzer, but there probably wasn't enough time to execute that. Given the time left, an alley-oop might have been the best bet. Maybe that was the idea and Benson got a piece of the ball to prevent it from getting the proper trajectory towards the basket. I'm not sure. It doesn't matter. The outcome is the outcome.

So Game 3 it Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.

To everyone who came out Monday, thank you. It was incredible. Now come back Tuesday and bring a friend. Let's re-create the atmosphere and build upon it. Let's not let this dream season end so prematurely.

Talk About Disparity

Over the last four games of the season, Vipers opponents shot 42 more free throws (10.5 per game). The Vipers went 1-3 in the span, their worst stretch of the season.

Direct correlation? Maybe, but not necessarily.

Today, Reno went 36-for-53 from the line while the Vipers were 20-for-29. The Vipers won 110-94.

Deja Vu all over again?

On December 21 the Vipers experienced their biggest free throw differential of the regular season as they were out done in makes by 18 and attempts by 23. The opponent? Reno (23-for-31 while the Vipers were 5-for-8). The result? The Vipers won 103-95.

The Vipers now get two chances to close out the 2010 NBA Development League Quarterfinals at home, but they hope they'll only need one. The first chance? Monday, 8:00 p.m., State Farm Arena in front of a LIVE national audience on VERSUS.

The Vipers are 3-0 on VERSUS this season, including a record-breaking 109-76 win over... you guessed it... Reno... on February 6.

The Trophy is Here!

Come to the Game 1 Watch Party at Jackson's Saturday at 4 p.m. to see the Western Conference Championship Trophy in person and take pictures with it!

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All those worrying about maybe having to play the Tulsa Thunder...er...66ers in the Championship Series can breathe a little easier – D.J. White was just recalled. That was his third assignment. He is ineligible to be re-assigned. This assignment lasted one game.

Let the Assignments Begin

As accurately predicted by as, ADB would say, the Doctor, the Professor, the Prognosticator.... The NBA assignments have begun. The below are since the season ended.

Oklahoma City to Tulsa:
D.J. White
Kyle Weaver

San Antonio to Austin:
Alonzo Gee

Phoenix to Iowa:
Taylor Griffin

This doesn't necessarily mean there won't be more. Tulsa is maxed out. Byron Mullens and Mustafa Shakur were already there, so they now have four NBA-assigness out of their 12-man roster. Curtis Jerrells is already in Austin. If you're wondering why Malik Hairston or, *gasp* Garrett Temple haven't been assigned, it could be that the Toros/Spurs don't want to waive any of the current players the Austin roster to make space. You can only have 12 players at a time (including NBA-assignees), so when a single-affiliate sends down a third or fourth player, there has to be movement.

Of course, after losing Dwayne Jones to Phoenix and Eric Dawson to injury, the Toros acquired Cory Underwood and Emmanuel Jones. Serviceable players, sure, but no Hairston or Temple (and I really like Jones... he played for UTPA the year I was their broadcaster and I honestly believed he had the talent to compete in the NBA Development League). Maybe the Spurs want to hold onto some of their depth so they can use a deeper rotation while preparing/resting for the playoffs. Temple earned his first career start on Tuesday and scored 15 points. You could counter and say, well, then why did they assign Gee? Well, you can only have 12 active players, so you can only go so far on that bench. Gee wasn't seeing playing time. Honestly, it wouldn't be good for San Antonio to assign Hairston and Temple right now and player with, at most, 11 players.

It was a big move for Austin, though, to add some fire power to help counter Lester Hudson of Dakota. The Wizards are playing so well right now, but I think in a three-game series, depth comes into question, so I have to give the edge to the Toros, but I do think it will take three games.

I'm glad I didn't make playoff predictions. After Utah beat the tar out of Iowa last night, anything's possible. Iowa's lost a ton of players to the NBA recently. They did get Griffin, but that only helps so much. I do think they'll force a game three, but after that, who knows.

Sioux Falls' road just got a whole lot tougher now that they have to deal with the Thunder instead of the 66ers.

The only series involving NBA-assignees (yet)? Vipers-Bighorns.

Support the Western Conference Champions!

Pep-Rally Wednesday
5:30 p.m.
Pepper's at Uptown north parking lot (next to Vipers Pro-Shop)
BBQ and Bar
Vipers Players
Pictures
Autographs

Food Drive Benefiting the Food Bank RGV

BE THERE!

Watch Party Saturday
4:00 p.m.
Game One of the Playoffs @ Reno
Jackson's All-American Sports Grill
5712 N. 10th St. in McAllen
BE THERE!

Time for Practice

The Vipers open up the playoffs on Saturday in Reno. You know what that means? Five days of practice, including four at home, to get Rich Melzer and Terrel Harris integrated in the offensive and defensive schemes.

Regular Season Wrap

The Vipers finish up the regular season 34-16.

Among the notable accomplishments:

•13 more wins than either year one or year two
•Moved franchise record to above .500 (76-74)
•Winning record on the road for first time (13-11)
•Won more overtime games (three) than had been won in the first two years combined (two)
•20-4 home record, tied for the best in NBA Development League history (as is the 21-4 home record if you include Showcase games)
•Record 12 GATORADE Call-Ups
•Record six different players called up the NBA, not including NBA-assignees
•Western Conference Champions
•By my calculations, season attendance of 113,077, an average of 4,712 per game (both franchise records in NBA D-League highs this season)
•Three nationally televised home games (Vipers won all three)

I could go on for a while here...

I am disappointed about one thing, though. Will Conroy finished one steal short of tying the league's career record of 284, set by Fayetteville's Omar Cook a few years back.

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The Vipers used 19 different starting lineups this season. Tonight marked the fifth straight game they've gone with Conroy-Antonio Anderson-Stanley Asumnu-Ernest Scott-Julian Sensley. The Vipers are 2-3 with that lineup, only the second time all year the Vipers had a stretch of five games in which they didn't have a winning record.

It was also the first time the Vipers used the same lineup for five-straight games since games 13-through-17 (Conroy-Garrett Temple-Anderson-Sensley-Joey Dorsey).

Funny to think that lineup didn't even include Mike Harris, who was up with the Houston Rockets for his first of three GATORADE Call-Ups this season.

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The eight playoff teams are set in stone. Today's game between Reno and Tulsa is meaningful only in that it decides who finishes seventh and who finishes eighth, which, quite frankly, is meaningless. I doubt it will affect who Iowa, Rio Grande Valley and Austin choose for first round opponents.

The selection will take place sometime after the game. I'll let you know as soon as I know what the match-ups are.

I think there are a lot of different directions this could go. The only thing I am absolutely certain of is that #4 Sioux Falls will play #5 Dakota. The Wizards are red hot and, even-though they're short-handed right now, I doubt anyone's going to want to play them, meaning the Skyforce get stuck with their arch-rivals. I'll take Sioux Falls in three in that series.

That leaves Utah, Tulsa and Reno as the teams most likely to be chosen by the top 3.

Tulsa has struggled lately, but they got Mustafa Shakur back again and they could be loaded with NBA-assignees at the blink of an eye (Byron Mullens, Kyle Weaver and O.J. Mayo).

Utah has Kyle Kreuger now and has been playing really well over the last month. I could point out they've had a weak schedule most of the month, but then there was their last three games, when they beat the Vipers in overtime and split at Austin.

Reno's been red-hot, but beating up on bottom feeders, so are they really playing that well or are they just beating the teams they're supposed to beat? If nothing else, they still have the NBA Development League's all-time leading scorer, Desmon Farmer.

So who do you pick?

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The big surprise is that Maine missed the playoffs. They lost their final six games. They were 19-12 when they acquired Morris Almond and T.J. Cummings from Springfield. They went 8-11 the rest of the way. Or 8-5 and then just lost their final six. No matter how you slice it, they came up just short.

Still, a heck of a first year for the Red Claws. Were they as good as everyone thought in the early stages of the season? No. Were they as bad as they've looked recently? No. Still, to put together a year like they did is impressive. Over the last two years before this one, teams expanded to Erie, Reno,  Rio Grande Valley, Iowa, Utah and Fort Wayne. Only Erie was any good in their first year. Maine managed to do the same. They also sold out every game, which is quite an accomplishment. A tip of my cap to them.

As for Springfield, they finished with the lowest win total in league history (seven) and didn't win an official road game (despite beating the Vipers at State Farm Arena on March 1 in that so-called home game because it was a makeup). I'm still surprised just because they looked better than that the two times I saw them in person. After the first time I saw them (and the Vipers won), I immediately retracted my statement that they would never win again because I could see the ability there. Springfield only won two more games. I'm a little surprised about that, to tell you the truth.

It could be worse, Albuquerque lost 17 of their final 18 games, including their last ten. Not that they're Albuquerque anymore. With their season over, I guess they're now the New Mexico Thunderbirds (of Rio Rancho).

Bakersfield struggled at the end after Alade Aminu earned his GATORADE Call-Up. Still a great trade (gave up Blake Ahearn) and it really helped the Jam out as they played really well in the final month.

That's A Lot of Points

The Vipers may have just put the Colorado 14ers away. I don't think any NBA Development League team has ever been involved in back-to-back games with as many points scored as the Vipers were on Tuesday and Wednesday. 598 total points were scored, or three games' worth.

It's hard to average 145 points per game and go 0-2. It's also hard to set a franchise record for scoring (153 on Wednesday) and lose, but the Vipers set a league record for points allowed (165), so that explains that.

All things considered, it's pretty impressive that the Vipers managed to hang in such high scoring affairs and get within a last second shot of winning both games considering they were virtually playing with seven players.

It didn't help that the Vipers had three players foul out in each game. You could argue that's going to happen in an overtime game with a short rotation, but the Vipers sent Utah and Idaho to the line a combined 100 times, and they hit 86 of those shots.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why the Vipers went 0-2. It didn't help that they got beat on the boards by 10 on Tuesday and 18 Wednesday (perhaps leading to some of the fouls?). Luckily, the Vipers should have some help coming in between Terrel Harris and Rich Melzer to clean up the boards. Craig Winder's back too, which will provide a major defensive presence the Vipers sorely need.

Melzer can not only serve as a really good players, but a fountain of experience both in the NBA and at winning championships. He's got three rings to his name, including an NBA D-League Championship with the 2006 Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

It'll be interesting to see how this retooled team fairs against the red-hot Dakota Wizards this weekend at State Farm Arena.