1:30 pm - (3) Suns vs (7) Celtics
The Suns (9-3) and the Celtics (7-6) will match up in the first semifinal on Sunday, as they look to play a more conventional basketball game this time around. When the two teams met back in Week 5, the Suns started the game with just five players, before an early injury to big man Kevin Howard forced him out of the final thirty minutes of the contest. The Celtics capitalized on the extra man advantage and rolled to an 88-66 win. In addition to only having four players, the Suns were also without leading scorers Ryan Kvasnicka and Jared Johnson. Kvasnicka, who was out with COVID for the team's matchup with the Celtics, is the odds-on favorite to win league-MVP, as he is averaging 25.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. Meanwhile Jared Johnson, who joined the team in Week 7, is averaging 22.8 points per game on 52% shooting. The two big questions are, can the undersized Celtics do anything to slow down the interior attack of the Suns? And how much will Celtics' star Billy Baptist be able to do against the likes of Phil Andrade, Kvasnicka, and Johnson? Baptist stole the show this past Sunday, scoring 34 points in a 63-60 win over the Bulls, before scoring 31 points in a 51-47 upset win over the Heat in the quarterfinals. Baptist is averaging 22.9 points per game, and also is the team's leading rebounder. While all eyes will be on him, the Celtics will need some other players to step up on both ends of the court if they want to hang with the bigger, more talented, and more experienced Suns in semifinal number one.
2:45 pm - (1) Spurs vs (4) Nets
The Spurs (12-0) and the Nets (9-3) will match up in the second semifinal, as the Nets get another shot at the top seeded Spurs, following a frustrating loss back in Week 6. In that contest, both teams entered the game with a 5-0 record, as the Nets were defeated 66-45 in a game that received a ton of pregame publicity. One key statistic from that game was the Nets being outshot 27-7 at the free throw line. The Nets will look to keep their emotions a bit more in check this Sunday, as they hope their two super stars - Martavias Laster and Sammie Hines - can help them keep pace with the defending champions. The Spurs meanwhile rolled over the ninth-seeded Knicks 89-73 in the quarterfinals, led by Dennis Koger's 33 points and 11 rebounds. Koger leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds per game, trailing only Latrell Tidwell, whose 11.1 rebounds per game leads the entire K1 League. Tidwell also averages 15.5 points per game, while teammate Tyree Mosley is averaging 13.7 points per game of his own. For the Nets, they recorded perhaps the most impressive win out of the eight games on Sunday, knocking off the fifth seeded Lakers 63-51 in their quarterfinal matchup. Martavias Laster had 25 points, and Sammie Hines had 21 points. Although the Nets went through a bit of a midseason slump, in part to the loss of center TJ Wicks, Laster (22.5 ppg) and Hines (13.3 ppg) have carried the team to a nine-win season. Don't miss another superstar-filled matchup on Sunday, as these two teams square off in semifinal number two.
4:00 pm - Championship Game
Scores from regular season matchups between the four semifinal teams:
* Nets 69, Celtics 53 - Week 3
* Spurs 61, Suns 50 - Week 3
* Celtics 88, Suns 66 - Week 5
* Spurs 66, Nets 45 - Week 6
* Suns 85, Nets 80 - Week 8
* Spurs 94, Celtics 57 - Week 11