Week 9 of Big3 Basketball took place in the great city of Seattle, Washington in front of a sold out crowd in the KeyArena. Numerous celebs and Seattle sports icons were in attendance such as BIG3 Co-founder, Ice Cube, local Hip-Hop legend, Sir Mix-a-Lot, NBA Hall of Famer, Bill Russell, Seattle Seahawks Cornerback, Richard Sherman and Safety, Kam Chancellor, and local Seattle athlete and current Minnesota Timberwolves guard, Jamal Crawford. Week 9 gave us a week of competitive and exhilarating basketball that also gave fans some form of emotional investment as they hoped to see Seattle Supersonics legends, Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis, advance their team to the first-ever BIG3 Championship game.
Game 1: Killer 3’s vs Ball Hogs
The first matchup of the day featured two teams that were already eliminated from playoff contention. However, that didn’t stop neither team from putting on a valiant effort as the rights to last place in the standings were on the line. Stephen Jackson had one of his best games of the season as he scored a game high 27 of his team’s 46 points, but it wasn’t enough to hold off reigning BIG3 Player of the Week, Xavier Silas, and the Ball Hogs as they would still end up with the 52 to 46 win. Both teams finish the season at 2-6 but the Ball Hogs avoid the last place spot due to the tie-breaker.
Game 2: Tri-State vs 3’s Company
It’s hard to see two teams led by HOF basketball players not qualify for the 4 team playoffs. Julius “Dr.J” Erving’s Tri-State team and Allen Iverson’s led 3’s Company went head to head in this competitive matchup of pride. Both teams just missed out on Playoff births this season and instead had to settle on the battle of 5th place in the standings. The game didn’t disappoint as 3’s Company duo of Al Thornton and Andre Owens combined for 40 points and 18 rebounds in their 51-48 win over the Tri-State. Both teams finish the season at 3-5 but 3’s Company get the 5th place slot via tie-breaker.
Game 3: 3 Headed Monsters vs Power
Now off to the games that actually mattered. The semi finals kicked off with a matchup between the Power and 3 Headed Monsters. 3 Headed Monsters head coach, Gary Payton, came out through the tunnel to a standing ovation from a fan base that appreciated his contributions from their now defunct NBA franchise, Seattle Supersonics. This was a back and forth battle that came down to the last shot as another former Seattle Supersonic great, Rashard Lewis, who finished with a game high 21 points, sealed the win with a game winning hook shot to give the 3 Headed Monsters a 50-46 victory and the first slot in next week’s BIG3 Championship game. Power finished the season with a record of 4-4 and the 3 Headed Monsters will head into the finals with a 6-2 record.
Game 4: Trilogy vs Ghost Ballers
Coming into this game, the Trilogy has been making this 3 on 3 Basketball thing look easy. After this game, that still remains the case. The Ghost Ballers came out swinging as they got off to a 25-17 lead. However, they were unable to sustain the league even after leading 32-23 in the second half. Trilogy would then go on a 15-0 run thanks to contributions of BIG3 number 1 overall pick, Rashad McCants, 19 pts and 10 rebs effort and Al Harrington’s 14 pts and 5 rebs. The Trilogy just dominated the action after their run and would go on to secure the second spot in next week’s Finals with a 50-39 win. The Ghost Ballers finish the season with a 4-4 record and 4th place in the league standings while Trilogy remains perfect with a record of 8-0.
Watch the BIG3 Finals LIVE this Saturday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada at 4:30 pm EST/1:30 pm PST on Fox 5.
