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.
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