Slam shock Xplosion with 122-115 upset win in Pittsburgh
March 18, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Bellingham Slam News Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Consider it a little payback for the city of Pittsburgh. No, it wasn't the Super Bowl or even the same sport, but on Saturday night the Bellingham Slam earned a little sports redemption for Washington state as they shocked the heavily-favored Pittsburgh Xplosion, 122-115, in a second round American Basketball Association playoff game at the Petersen Events Center.
Caleb Gervin, a candidate for the ABA's Player of the Year award, followed up a 45-point first round performance last Sunday against Tacoma with a 34-point showing against the Xplosion on Saturday on a dazzling array of jumpers and contorted layups.
"I can't explain how happy I am right now," an exhausted Gervin said after the game. "But it was a real team effort. Everyone chipped in tonight to get us this win."
The two teams started off sluggish, a perfect combination of the Slam flying cross-country the day before, and the Xplosion having not played an actual game since their regular season finale on February 28. Once the Slam shook off the jet lag and clamped down on defense, they erased an eight point Pittsburgh advantage with 1:08 left in the first quarter, and turned it into an eight point lead of their own, at 60-52, going into halftime.
The second half began with a furious run by the Slam, as they outscored the Xplosion 22-10 in the first seven minutes of the third quarter to build a 23 point lead.
"I told the guys that they had to leave it all out on the court in the second half," explained Slam head coach Rob Ridnour. "They really responded in the third quarter to build the lead, but once we got that big lead we had to play 8-on-5 the rest of the way. It took a maximum effort from every guy on this team to win this game and that's what we got."
With a 85-62 lead with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter, the Xplosion finally removed the rust and begin chipping away at the lead, trimming the margin after three quarters to 14 at 97-83, and eventually tying the game at 109 with 3:45 left to play. But the Xplosion would never re-capture the lead, as they managed only one field goal for the rest of the game.
The key to the Slam's victory Saturday night was holding the Xplosion's trio of All-Stars and leading scorers - Armon Gilliam, Coleco Buie, and Janiero Spurlock - to only 23 combined points. Gilliam missed a jumper with 1:21 remaining that would have tied the game, and then after grabbing the rebound on a Slam missed shot on the next possession, had the ball stripped by Mike Parker who was able to convert the easy layup worth 3 points, as the ABA's 3-D rule was in effect following the backcourt turnover.
Bellingham received double-digit scoring performances from five players, with Gervin's 34 leading the way. Parker finished with 26 points in 11-for-17 shooting.
Pittsburgh was led in scoring by DeVaugh Halsel with 20 points.
With the victory, the Slam will now head to Rochester, New York for the ABA's "Great Eight" Championship Tournament. The tournament begins on Wednesday and the Slam will play the winner of the game between the San Jose Skyrockets and Los Angeles Aftershock being played in San Jose this weekend. The winner of Wednesday's game will then move on to the semifinals on Saturday night, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday night.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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American Basketball Association Stories from March 18, 2006
- Slam shock Xplosion with 122-115 upset win in Pittsburgh - Bellingham Slam
- Pittsburgh Xplosion lose 122-115 - Pittsburgh Xplosion
- Sound ready to make some noise in Rochester - Strong Island Sound
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