On 2 July 2016, the Bama Tru Ballers and Nets played their last game of the regular season. Now, it is time to bring it for the playoffs. Both of the teams, like all the rest, are hungry for a championship. For Keith LaFavor (#21), this is his primary goal. He wants the Nets to join the legendary teams and cement his position as an NOSBL Champion. The team is close to that opportunity as they entered the game as the #1 seed of the West with a 15 - 4 record. The Bama Tru Ballers are no slouch. Though they started late on the winning trail, they have won five of their last seven games. They walked into the gym with an 8 - 10 record.
The starters for the Bama Tru Ballers were: #3 Darrell Willis, #32 Toney Moses, #8 Jeffery Lemon, #23 Alphonzo Jukes, and #00 Cleotis Brown.
The starters for the Nets were: #21 Keith LaFavor, #32 Willie Walker, #9 Willie Filmore, #19 Santonio Howard, and #45 Lamont Shuford.
The officials for the game were Michael Taylor and Royzell Smith.
From the tip-off to the end of the first half, the Bama Tru Ballers wanted the Nets to know who they were playing against. They scored 24 points from beyond the arc from four players: Cleotis Brown (5), Toney Moses (1), Alphonzo Jukes (1), and Navarro Davis (1). The Nets had to do something to stay in the game and do it quickly. They were able to score 12 points, from the beyond the arc, from two players: Willie Walker (3) and Willie Filmore (1). The Nets requested their first timeout with 5:57 remaining in the first half. The Bama Tru Ballers were holding on to a 22 - 18 point lead. Following that timeout, the Nets 9 points, but the Bama Tru Ballers kept running and scoring to add-on another 18 points to end the first half 40 - 27. Cleotis "No Limit Soldier" Brown led the Bama Tru Ballers with 22 points. Willie Walker (#32) led the Nets with 13 and Lamont "No Answer For Me" Shuford added 10 points. Both teams played physical basketball as they committed 18 combined team fouls. The Bama Tru Ballers committed eight team fouls and the Nets committed 10.
The second half started with the Nets going on a 19 - 5 run to tie the score at 46. With 10:21 remaining in the game, the Nets had captured a 50 - 46 point lead. The Bama Tru Ballers truly did not have an answer for Willie Walker as he shot over the defense with jumpers; danced through the defense for layups; or building up points from the free throw line. Walker led the Nets with 16 second half points. If Walker was not scoring, Shuford was snatching rebounds and putting them back up for points or getting fouled. He scored 10 points in the second half. The Nets, as a team, did a wonderful job derailing Cleotis Brown. Brown was held to four second half points. Navarro Davis (#13) had to pick up the slack with 9 points. The scores were tied, again, at 57. With 3.5 seconds remaining in the game, the Nets were leading the Bama Tru Ballers 60 - 57 with the possession belonging to the Ballers. The ball was inbounded to Navarro Davis who launched a 3-point bank shot through three defenders to tie the score at 60 and forced the game into overtime. The Nets outscored the Bama Tru Ballers 33 - 24 in the second half.
Overtime was a thriller, as well. Willie Filmore scored on a 3-pointer to put the Nets up 63 - 60. The Bama Tru Ballers followed up with three free throws to tie the score at 63. Because both teams were in the bonus, any foul would send a player to the line. The Nets sent Bama to the free throw line and only one of two shots were made to give the Ballers a 1-point lead of 64 - 63. Shuford took over and was fouled on a 2-point basket. He made the free throw to put the Nets up 66 - 64 with 12.4 seconds remaining in overtime. David Hardge (#96) attempted to pass the ball in to Cleotis Brown, but Shuford sprinted between them to intercept the pass and dribbled half the distance of the court to score a layup and sealed the game and time with a 68 - 64 victory.
The Nets are now holding a 16 - 4 record and the Bama Tru Ballers drop to 8 - 11.
The scorers for the Bama Tru Ballers were: #00 Cleotis Brown with 26 points, #13 Navarro Davis with 18 points, #8 Jeffery Lemon with 5 points, #3 Darrell Willis with 4 points, #5 Alaster Anderson with 4 points, #32 Toney Moses with 3 points, #23 Alphonzo Jukes with 3 points, and #96 David Hardge with 1 point.
The scorers for the Nets were: #32 Willie Walker with 29 points, #45 Lamont Shuford with 25 points, #9 Willie Filmore with 8 points, #19 Santonio Howard with 3 points, #25 Trea Tells with 2 points, and #21 Keith LaFavor with 1 point.