RotoWire – Jeff Edgerton

Jazz Gaming hurtled into the top echelon of the league after a red-hot start and they were a heartbeat away from reaching the finals of THE TIPOFF, powered by AT&T.Featuring an efficient offense and a surprisingly stalwart defense led by Splashy, who was anointed Player of the Week honors in Week 7, came into Tuesday looking to build on their impressive resume. A late tweet from the Hawks’ standout guard BP added some intrigue going into this series, as he reported via Twitter that he was playing with a ‘broken hand.’ Whether it’s a sprain or an actual break was unclear, but he played through the apparent ailment admirably. Ultimately, BP and the Hawks couldn’t seal the deal after a Game 1 win, and the Jazz completed a reverse sweep and rose to 8-1, setting up a huge match against the 8-1 Wizards on Wednesday.

Game 1 certainly did not disappoint, as the hotly-contested matchup had quite a few lead switches. The Jazz held a nine-point lead at the half, but the Hawks took a different defensive in the second half, choosing to double-team Slashy on multiple occasions since he was the Achilles heel for the Talon in the first half. Behind some sweet moves by BP, the Hawks hit the jackpot with a 22-9 third quarter, and they kept the lead until the end with a 70-61 win. Another interesting wrinkle in the defensive scheme was how the man-to-man was assigned. While BP stayed on Slashy for most of the game, the Jazz elected to match up Yeah I Compete with BP, a trend that continued into the second game. Although he turned the ball over six times, BP’s excellent ball distribution showed with 13 dimes to go along with 10 points. Kel delivered like he needed to with 21 points, and the Lee/Rai battle under the basket went decisively Lee’s way, as he put up 25 points, nine rebounds, four steals and four blocks. It wasn’t the best game for Splashy, as he only put up 13 and went 5-for-11 from the floor, but Yeah I Compete picked up the slack to lead the team with 17 points, three assists and three steals.

The Jazz bounced right back into form in Game 2 thanks to Lotty, who converted some pretty baskets and scored eight of the Jazz’s 20 points in the first frame. Splashy’s moves continued to impress, especially for a rookie. His ability to set up, hesitate and slip the seal is pure art when he’s dialed in, and he put that to good use in the second quarter. The Hawks’ full-court press held up the Jazz effectively, however, and they were able to close the gap to 36-35, in favor of the Jazz at halftime.

The first highlight of the third quarter was a negative double whammy for BP, who committed his fifth foul of the game and entered a cold ring on the same play. BP’s troubles opened the door for the Jazz, who stretched out a lead of 10 points as the third stanza neared its end.Mr Stylez drained a key three from the corner to cut the lead to seven, and that’s how things ended up heading into the fourth, with the Jazz holding a 51-44 lead. The final frame belonged to the Jazz, who propelled this series to a third game with relative ease. The Hawks’ defense crumbled under a massive barrage of points from Splashy and the rest of the squad, and when in transition, Splashy was able to find a target for wide-open baskets multiple times. Splashy put an exclamation point on the game with a three in the final few seconds, and the Jazz prevailed, 78-58. Splashy was lights out in Game 2, posting 35 points while going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Lotty contributed with 20 points, and Ria had a slightly better game with 11 points and 10 rebounds. BP was responsible for 11 of the Hawks’ 13 turnovers in the game, which proved to be the difference-maker in the contest. He scored 18 points while Kel led the team with 22 points and four steals.

Forcing a Game 3 was as much a testament to the Jazz as it was for the Hawks, as both teams had good reason to feel positive about their gameplay, especially for the Hawks, who weren’t expected to have much luck Tuesday. The first quarter of the third game was a fierce back-and-forth in the early going, and both defenses were pressing at least half-court throughout. While both teams traded threes back-and-forth in the first quarter, the Jazz began to pull away in that department, and at one point held a 10-point lead. The Hawks refused to lie down, and continued to press defensively and seek out high-percentage baskets to keep things competitive. They entered the locker room down by six, 34-28. The long-range told the tale of the tape in the first half, as both Lee and Rai combined for just two points and 10 rebounds through two quarters. The frontcourt action did open up a bit in the third quarter, but the backcourts were more successful in dropping dimes with the big men. The Hawks tried in vain to chip away at the lead, but the Jazz usually had the answer, whether it came from corner threes or run-outs in transition. To add insult to injury, Ria’s Glass Cleaner badge made him unmatchable in the rebound game as the third frame closed. The third frame ended with the Jazz up, 49-42. The fourth quarter started with a flurry of Jazz baskets, with an and-one slam from Ria after a dish from Splashy. The Jazz now tightened the clamps to complete a 9-0 run, silencing the Hawks and practically put the game out of reach, barring a bug run from the Hawks. The Jazz extended that run to 12-0 before the Hawks finally scored, and at 19 down with three minutes left, it looked increasingly clear that the Jazz would take the series. Hawks Talon let this game get away from them, and the Jazz solidified their place as one of the league’s top teams with a 75-53 win and a 2-1 series victory. Splashy led the Jazz with 23 points and eight assists, but it was Lord Beezus who provided a shot in the arm, as he showed up with 19 points and four rebounds. Both BP and Kel put up 21 points in a losing effort.

Jazz Gaming (8-1) will have a pivotal matchup against Wizards District Gaming on Wednesday. Hawks Talon GC (3-5) square off against Magic Gaming next week.