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.