The first part of the first round of the Summer 2025 playoffs got off to a roaring start. We had one of the best games I've seen in years and a whole bunch of other really-good contests. I know that I crow about it when we have days where there are a lot of one- and two-point games. For the most part, that wasn't the case on Sunday, but we had some passionate, well-played games. It was like in the NCAA Tournament. Two teams will battle it out in the first half and, at halftime, it's really tight and often tied up. Then, in the second half, one team will go on a little run and go up by six or seven and then just try to hang on for the rest of the game. There were a lot of games like that on Sunday. Indeed, the average score margin was just over seven points. We had a couple lopsided wins and a couple nail-biters decided at the buzzer. As Ice Cube would say, it was a good day.

 The aforementioned "best game" pitted two teams in the top Division--Team UGLY and Southern Arizona Military Basketball. It was absolutely crazy. Four lead changes in the final minute and a half. Somebody on one team hit all three free throws after being fouled on a three-pointer. (Mathematically, that is one of the rarest events in basketball. If someone is a 70% free-throw shooter, the odds of making three in a row is 34%. Not great.) So, down at the other end, somebody hits a three-pointer and-one. Then, more clutch free throws and a big three after an offensive rebound. THEN, both teams committed turnover bad passes in the final 10 seconds. It was wild. Southern Arizona Military Basketball won, 58-57. 

In other games, Los Toros edged The Wardens, 48-53; Ball Handlers slipped past Frosty Hesson, 58-55; Rim Reapers beat Just a Game, 46-40; and The Show squeaked past Peloteros, 63-59.

While compiling the team records for the Divisions, I came across that of The Boys. Osha McCants' first-year squad is 1-6, but in four of their last five games, they have lost by two, one, one, and three. Maybe they can break through in the playoffs. 

All right, now stay focused. The rest of the first-round games will be played this coming Sunday. We actually got most of them in this past Sunday, so we will have the remainder of the first-round games AND a handful of second-round games. 

Also, and this is important, the venue is having its floors resurfaced starting on Monday, August 11th. If we are blessed with a dry (relatively low humidity) week, the floors should be cured by Thursday or Friday and we can have the semifinal games on Sunday, the 17th. If the floors are not ready for the 17th, we will have no games on that day and the semis will be on the 24th. And, we won't know if there will be games on the 17th until probably Thursday of next week (if we're lucky). So, please pay attention. Thanks.