On Monday, 11 July 2016, the NOSBL XVI Playoffs commenced at 7:00 PM between the Kingdom Ballers and NHA Hawks.  The Kingdom Ballers entered as the #2 seed with a 7 - 13 regular season record.  They hosted the NHA Hawks that ended the regular season with a 6 - 14 record.  Now, it is time to put everything together to raise your level of basketball because two losses will end your season.  As you can see, by their records, they have an equal chance of winning their series and the division.

The starters for the Kingdom Ballers were:  #11 Wason Davis, #24 Tony Campbell, #32 Shederal Hughes, #22 Antonio Harris, and #34 Willie Tennyson.

The starters for the NHA Hawks were:  #21 Frank Wilcox, #24 Quentin Leonard, #34 Ernest Adams, #0 Michael Smith, and #11 Kenyatta Hardge.

The officials were Ice Elliott and Royzell Smith.

Both teams met at center court with confidence and anticipation.  The game started with the Hawks receiving the first possession due to a Kingdom Ballers' violation.  The first score of the game came from the Kingdom Ballers' center, Willie Tennyson, who connected with a short turnaround jumper for two points.  The Hawks responded with two points and two free throws to take an early 4 - 2 lead and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game.  The Hawks, Quentin Leonard (#24), rejoined the team to score 11 first half points with Ernest Adams (#34) following with 9 points.  Three other Hawks would score four points or more.  The Hawks played like the former champions they are.  On the other hand, the Kingdom Ballers did what I had criticized them for during the regular season:  Failing to trust each other - from the bench to the floor.  As the historian of the league, I truly understand what the Kingdom Ballers are going through because this is the best collection of players this team has ever assembled.  The problem is that the captain does not trust his bench to provide viable support and the starters are not willing to give up their "hero" status to have each other's back.  The Kingdom Ballers have size, scorers, and the leagues all-time shot blocker (Willie Tennyson).  None of that matters because of the team's complete lack of trust.  All of that was on display during the first half as the Kingdom Ballers scored 18 points.  The Kingdom Ballers committed six team fouls and the Hawks committed five team fouls.  The first half ended with the Hawks holding a 35 - 18 point lead.

The second half presented us with consistency, from the Hawks, and spurts of teamwork - from the Kingdom Ballers.  The Hawks', Quentin Leonard, continued his scoring with 19 points and the rest of the team supported him with rebounds and assists.  They found a way to support him and each other.  The Kingdom Ballers turned things around, in the scoring department, but the lack of trust lingered as (#24) Tony Campbell scored 21 points and (#11) Wason Davis scored 11 points.  At 11:20 remaining in the game, the Kingdom Ballers reduced the deficit to eight points (34 - 42) and by 1:25 they got as close as seven points (53 - 60), but the unwillingness to include everybody would be their demise.  The Hawks would commit nine team fouls as they clawed to hold a lead.  The Kingdom Ballers committed 11 team fouls that produced 13 free throw points for the Hawks.  The Kingdom Ballers scored on three points.  The Kingdom Ballers outscored the Hawks 41 - 33 in the second half, but fell short 59 - 68 to trail the NHA Hawks 1 - 0 in the first round of the playoffs.  They will meet, again, on Saturday, 16 July 2016.

Game statistics, provided by Antonio Anthony, revealed that the Hawks out-rebounded the Kingdom Ballers 34 - 21.  Assists were low for both teams.  However, the Kingdom Ballers committed six turnovers versus 10 from the Hawks.

The scorers for the Hawks were:  #24 Quentin Leonard with 30 points, #0 Michael Smith with 10 points, #34 Ernest Adams with 9 points, #11 Kenyatta Hardge with 9 points, #23 Yohance Thompson with 6 points, and #25 Roderick Williams with 4 points.

The scorers for the Kingdom Ballers were:  #24 Tony Campbell with 22 points, #11 Wason Davis with 16 points, #34 Willie Tennyson with 8 points, #32 Shederal Hughes with 7 points, #22 Antonio Harris with 4 points, and #81 Christopher Mathis with 2 points.