On Thursday, 23 June 2016, we got a very good preview of what to expect during the upcoming NOSBL XVI Playoffs when the Celtics played the Hawks and the Bama Tru Ballers played the Kingdom Ballers.  This has been the toughest season in the history of the National Old School Basketball League.  Historically, two teams have reigned superior in the league: The Celtics and the 76ers.  The Celtics have won seven national titles and the 76ers have won four.  We have also had teams that have always shared the bottom of the pool, but continued to return season-after-season.  This new pressure has put a strain on players' commitment and behaviors, but it has also given teams that were once at the bottom to feel the triumph of victory against teams that once approached them as a practice session.  The fans have been great!!!  We have finally gotten the opportunity to see a faithful group of fans and I am truly thankful.  The players and teams better come prepared for the playoffs.  Only the strong will survive.

On 23 June 2016, the Celtics were the home team against the NHA Hawks.  The Celtics are still leading the Eastern Division and the Hawks are bringing all reinforcement as they make their push for the playoffs.  Anytime the Hawks', Quentin Leonard, reports to play, you must expect an exciting game because he is guaranteed to draw attention as he escalates the Hawks' chances of winning.  The Celtics reported with a small team without Steve Woodson (their dominant center).  The trio of Tim Sanks, Jerel Jackson, and Steve Woodson have done an excellent job keeping the Celtics on top of the Eastern Division's standings.  The Hawks represent a very competitive Western Division.

The game started with the Celtics winning the jump ball and first possession.  The players did not waste any time flexing their muscles.  The Hawks' Frank Wilcox led the team with two of their six 3-pointers.  The Celtics responded with five 3-pointers, of their own, as Jerel Jackson (#24) led the team with three.  For any one of these teams to leave the gym victoriously, they would have to use every player and play to the end and that is exactly what happened.

The starters for the Celtics were:  #23 Tim Sanks, #24 Jerel Jackson, #1 Al Wilson, #8 Jerald Mahone, and #00 Ralph Mathews.  The starters for the Hawks were:  #21 Frank Wilcox, #24 Quentin Leonard, #0 Michael Smith, #11 Kenyatta Hardge, and #34 Ernest Adams.

As the first half progressed, it was clear that Tim Sanks and Jerel Jackson were not going to let the Hawks consider the Celtics to be playing shorthanded.  They combined for 34 of the team's 38 first half points.  The Hawks scored 32 first half points, led by Quentin Leonard (#24) with 13 points and (#0) Michael Smith with 7 points.  The Celtics', Tim Sanks (#23), scored 20 first half points and Jerel Jackson (#24) scored 14.  The teams were tied, once, at 23 points.  This was a highly contested game with the Hawks committing five team fouls and the Celtics committing four.  The Hawks' center, Roderick Williams (#25), got in early foul trouble and was scoreless in the first half. 

The second half left the teams with 20 minutes to get it done.  The Celtics started the second half with a 38 - 32 lead.  Frank Wilcox and Michael Smith dropped off the Hawks' scoring roster at a critical period of the game.  The second half is when the Celtics make every attempt to exploit your team's weaknesses, first, and target your strengths, second.  Though Al Wilson and Jerald Mahone disappeared from the Celtics scoring roster, they still had Tim Sanks, Jerel Jackson, and Ralph "Rabbit" Mathews to battle against the Hawks' Quentin Leonard, Kenyatta Hardge, Roderick Williams, and Yohance Thompson.  The Hawks started their second half run by taking a 44 - 42 lead following two consecutive 3-pointers and they maintained a comfortable lead until the Celtics made a run, of their own, to erase a 13 -point deficit to tie the score at 65.  The Celtics took a small lead before the teams tied the scores at 69.  The Hawks called two timeouts: the first at 1:09 and the second at 19.7 remaining in the game.  The Hawks managed to score and tied the game at 71 with less than seven seconds remaining in the game.  The Celtics had possession and passed the ball to the league's all-time assassin, Tim Sanks, who hit a routine "buzzer beater" jumper to lead the Celtics to a 73 - 71 victory. Game Over!!!

The scorers, for the Celtics, were:  #23 Tim Sanks with 37 points, #24 Jerel Jackson with 22 points, #00 Ralph Mathews with 9 points, #1 Al Wilson with 3 points, and #15 Christopher None with 2 points.

The scorers, for the Hawks, were:  #24 Quentin Leonard with 27 points, #11 Kenyatta Hardge with 13 points, #23 Yohance Thompson with 9 points, #0 Michael Smith with 7 points, #25 Roderick Williams with 7 points, #21 Frank Wilcox with 6 points, and #34 Ernest Adams with 2 points.