On 14 July 2016, the Bulls and Bama Tru Ballers returned to North Highland Assembly of God's Gymnasium to engage in their second battle of the NOSBL XVI Playoffs.  The Bulls entered the gym leading the series 1 - 0 following their first game victory of 69 - 64 on 11 July.  The Bama Tru Ballers reported on a mission to extend the series to a third and decisive game, but they fell short at the buzzer.

The starters for the Bulls were:  #22 James Dix, #45 Jimmy Foster, #3 Philip Whittington, #32 Lester Hood, and #33 Ian Trowers.

The starters for the Bama Tru Ballers were:  #00 Cleotis Brown, #13 Navarro Davis, #44 Christopher Watson, #3 Darrell Willis, and #96 David Hardge.

The game started with the Bama Tru Ballers winning the tip-off and eventually losing the ball out of bound.  The Bulls would gain possession and score two points.  The Bama Tru Ballers would follow with two points, as well.  The score would remain tied for the first five minutes of the game.  Both teams were trying to figure out an approach or how to make their approach happen, to gain an advantage.  Philip Whittington (#3) would give the Bulls their first lead with a 3-pointer followed by two free throws.  Then Ian Trowers used his athleticism to get a rebound and put it back for 2 points to give the Bulls 9 points.  Cleotis "No Limit Soldier" Brown (#00) would not allow the lead to stand as he scored on 4 points to raise the Bama Tru Ballers' score to six.  While attempting a 3-point shot, he was fouled, which allowed him to score three points - from the free throw line - to tie the score at 9.  The Bulls and Bama Tru Ballers would tie the score five more times before the end of the first half.  They would also change leads eight more times.  Cleotis Brown led the Bama Tru Ballers with 12 of the team's 21 points in the first half.  The Bulls had a better distribution of points with Philip Whittington (#3) leading the team with 9 points.  Though there was an impressive distribution of the basketball, from the Bulls, I could not help but notice a sense of something.  It caught my attention because I had seen it before.  The Bulls committed five team fouls and the Bama Tru Ballers committed three.  The Bulls were perfect from the free throw line - making 5 of 5.  The Bama Tru Ballers shot 40% from the free throw line.  The first half ended with the Bulls holding a slight lead of 23 - 21.

The second half was a carry over from the first half.  Both teams were jockeying for a significant edge, but neither one wanted to budge.  They were working the officials, as well.  Cleotis Brown continued to lead the Bama Tru Ballers with 14 second half points.  Seven of those points were scored from the free throw line.  Four other Tru Ballers would also score with two scoring 5 points and two scoring 3 points.  The Bama Tru Ballers outscored the Bulls 30 - 29 in the second half.  James Dix (#22) stepped up, BIG, to keep the Bulls in the game with 14 points (two shots from 3-point range).  Phillip Whittington muscled in 4 points and Lester Hood gave 5 points midway of the second half.  As the game began to wind down and leads began to fluctuate, that "sense of something" raised its ugly head and became clear when I watched the Bulls', Desi Johnson (#10), gather enough confidence to coach Lester Hood (a 4-time champion, future Hall of Famer, and most dominant/strategic player in the history of the league) on the sideline during a timeout.  From that point of the game, Johnson seemed to have appointed himself to be the strategic mind of the Bulls' bench/huddles.  That was amazing!!  As the "ridiculousness" was happening with the Bulls, the Bama Tru Ballers were moving closer to evening the series until Lester Hood resuscitated the Bulls with two consecutive 3-pointers.  The game came down to one possession.  The Bulls were up by one point (52 - 51) and the ball was in Cleotis "No Limit Soldier" Brown's hands.  With his confidence and skills, he could have attempted a long 3-pointer or made a move to the rim for a layup or midrange shot.  He chose the latter, but made a fraction-of-a-second decision to pass the ball to a teammate as time expired.  That ended the incredible run for the Bama Tru Ballers.  They gave us an exciting season and I look forward to them returning next season.  Congratulations to the Bulls as they advance to play the winner of the Celtics vs Heat series.

The scorers for the Bulls were:  #22 James Dix with 14 points, #32 Lester Hood with 13 points, #3 Philip Whittington with 13 points, #33 Ian Trowers with 4 points, #11 Bernard Jones with 3 points, #45 Jimmy Foster with 3 points, and #34 Leo Preyer with 2 points.

The scorers for the Bama Tru Ballers were:  #00 Cleotis Brown with 26 points, #44 Christopher Watson with 7 points, #8 Jeffery Lemon with 6 points, #3 Darrell Willis with 5 points, #13 Navarro Davis with 4 points, and #96 David Hardge with 3 points.

POSTSCRIPT:  When I hear Americans say to other Americans, "We want our country back!!" I always wonder what America do they want back.  There are many facets to the history of America.  When I question them, I never get a specific answer.  I am just left with a response that does not measure up to the intensity of the statement.  When I watched the Bulls play last night, it reminded me of that statement.  I wondered if some members of the Bulls were saying, "I want my Bulls back!!"  If that was the case, I would like to know which Bulls are you referring to?  I hope they figure that out before they enter the second round.