Championship Matchup Emerges: Undefeated Trilogy And 3 Headed Monsters Advance To Finals

  • By BIG3
  • August 21, 2017
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SEATTLE, WA – August 21, 2017 — To a rousing, standing ovation from 8,583 fans, BIG3 brought professional basketball and NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton and All-Star Rashard Lewis back to Seattle, pulling out all the stops to deliver the best and hardest-fought competition of the BIG3 season. With pride and championship contention on the line for all 8 teams, fans of all ages who filled the sold-out arena were treated to aggressive, professional basketball, as well as entertainment by Seattle hip-hop star Sir Mix-a-Lot who performed hit songs “Posse on Broadway” and “Baby Got Back.” Seated courtside alongside BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube was NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, Seattle Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman, NBA star Jamal Crawford, and others.

In the most thrilling and competitive game of the day, the stakes for 3 Headed Monsters were at an all-time high with Seattle fans emotionally invested in hometown heroes Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis who advanced their team to the first-ever BIG3 championship finals. Down at the end of the first half 26-18, Power’s DeShawn Stevenson, Cuttino Mobley and Jerome Williams put forth everything they had to fight back with a team-combined 28 points in the second half. It wasn’t enough, though, even after Jerome ‘Junk Yard Dog’  Williams completed a huge slam-dunk to tie the game at 46.

Bringing the Seattle crowd to its feat, Lewis nailed a jumper to push his team to a 48-46 lead. On the next possession, Lewis sunk the game-winning shot, bringing the KeyArena crowd to a thunderous standing ovation. With a 50-46 win, 3 Headed Monsters advance to the Championship Finals with an impressive overall record of 7-2 on the season.

For the final game of the day, Trilogy (entering 8-0) took the court playing not only to advance to the BIG3 Finals in Vegas next weekend, but also to keep their perfect record intact. Ghost Ballers rose to the challenge early, though, behind heroic efforts from Ricky Davis and Ivan Johnson who brought the team to a 25-17 lead at halftime based in part on a huge 4-point shot from Davis early in the game that began to shift the momentum.

At the start of the 2nd half, Ghost Ballers continued to display dominant basketball as fans began to wonder if they were witnessing the fall of the BIG3’s best team. Midway through the half, though, energy shifted fast as Trilogy went on a 15-0 run kicked off by McCants’ 3 point shot (and 9 total points during the run). With Trilogy leading 49-37, McCants deflected and stole a Ghost Ballers’ pass. He quickly dished the ball off to James White who was wide open in the corner behind the 3 point line. In dramatic fashion, White launched the shot as thousands inside KeyArena watched the ball drop in, sealing the 50-37 victory, keeping Trilogy’s perfect season alive, and clinching a trip to Vegas for the first ever BIG3 Championship game.

Immediately after winning their games, 3 Headed Monsters and Trilogy were treated to a glimpse of the 2017 BIG3 Championship trophy, which was unveiled in Seattle for the first time.  The 24 karat gold trophy was crafted by S. R. BLACKINTON, makers of the Kentucky Derby trophy for over 40 consecutive years, and will be awarded to the first-ever BIG3 champions after the deciding game this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Yesterday’s BIG3 Week 9 playoff games in Seattle will air on Fox Sports 1 Monday Night Basketball tonight (Monday, August 21) at 5PM PST / 8PM EST.

Next week, BIG3 moves to Las Vegas, NV for the Championship Finals at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, August 26. The top two teams, Trilogy and 3 Headed Monsters will battle it out for the championship title with the 3rd ranked Power and 4th ranked Ghost Ballers competing for consolation ranking. The BIG3 Championship Finals will air live on FOX at 1:30PM PST / 4:30PM EST ahead of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor which takes place later that evening – making Las Vegas the center of the sports and entertainment world as it hosts both highly anticipated events on the same day.

 

GAME 1

Killer 3’s (46) vs. Ball Hogs (52)

Video Highlights | Final Game Stats

Coming off a valiant effort last week in the final regular season game falling just short against Kenyon Martin and Rashad McCants’ undefeated Trilogy, Killer 3’s took on the Ball Hogs for a battle to avoid being labeled the last placed team in the BIG3.

Despite Stephen Jackson’s huge game (27 of his team’s 46 points – including a 4 point shot – and 6 rebounds), Killer 3’s fell short of the Ball Hogs after Derrick Byars grabbed a loose ball, cleared it out past the 3 point line, and swished a game-winning 3-point shot to cap his 21-point night. Last week’s Player of the Week, Xavier Silas, contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds in addition to Seattle fan-favorite Brian Scalabrine’s 12 points.

Ball Hogs finished the season in 7th place while Killer 3’s ended at the bottom as the 8th place team.

 

GAME 2

Tri-State (48) vs. 3’s Company (51)

Video Highlights | Final Game Stats

Tri-State, after hoping to squeeze into the playoffs with a win in Los Angeles only to have their hopes dashed by a Ghost Ballers win in the final game of the day last week, faced off against Allen Iverson’s 3’s Company which limped into Seattle after being upset by Ghost Ballers in Los Angeles. Tri-State, coached by NBA Hall of Famer and all-time great Dr. J, was led by strong performances from Lee Nailon (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Mike James (17 points). However, it wasn’t enough to overcome dominant showings by 3’s Company’s Al Thornton (24 points, 7 boards) and Andre Owens (16 points, 11 rebounds)

With 3’s Company leading 49 to 48, Owens, who finished top-five in BIG3 points, rebounds, assists, and steals, attempted a fade away jumper that was rebounded by teammate Al Thornton who laid it up for the game-winning basket.

3’s Company finished as the 5th place team while Tri-State ended in 6th place.

 

GAME 3

3 Headed Monsters (50) vs. Power (46)

Video Highlights | Final Game Stats

The afternoon heated up for game 3 which featured the first championship contender matchup of the day. 3 Headed Monsters, led by Seattle favorites Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis, entered the playoffs as the 2-seed facing off against 3-seed Power. Rashard Lewis, who played 9 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, thrilled a sold out arena in Seattle by scoring 21 points and pulling in 9 rebounds in a hard-fought victory against the closely ranked Power. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf added 6 points and 9 rebounds to the victory.

Power kept the game close early, but fell behind 28 to 18 at the half. They continued to battle, eventually taking the lead behind Jerome Williams’ 8-point scoring flurry at the start of the 2nd half. The game remained neck-and-neck until home-crowd favorite Rashard Lewis took over the game, draining a jump shot to push his team ahead 48-46. In the final possession, Lewis attempted a three-point shot that was rebounded by Abdul-Rauf and dished back to Lewis who laid it in for the win, setting off the Seattle crowd into a frenzy.

Power’s Cuttino Mobley contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds while DeShawn Stevenson added 14 points and 6 rebounds. However, Power was eliminated from championship contention by 3 Headed Monsters, which moves on to the championship finals.

 

GAME 4

Trilogy (50) vs. Ghost Ballers (39)

Video Highlights | Final Game Stats

Trilogy entered the playoff week in Seattle as the 1-seed determined to preserve their undefeated season against the 4-seed Ghost Ballers. Stepping up to the challenge, Ghost Ballers began the game on a mission, keeping the game close and pulling ahead 25-17 as the 2nd half came to a close. As the 2nd half began, Ghost Ballers continued to lead, eventually reaching a 32-23 advantage. As the game progressed, Ghost Ballers began to lose energy just as Trilogy went on a 15-0 tear behind Rashad McCants 19 points and 10 rebounds and Al Harrington’s 14 points and 5 rebounds. Ghost Ballers’ Ricky Davis put up 15 points while Ivan Johnson contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Trilogy remains undefeated and advances to the BIG3’s first-ever championship game in Las Vegas to battle for the title and to finish the season with a completely unblemished record against Rashard Lewis’ 2nd place 3 Headed Monsters.

 

For more information and to sign up for news updates, visit www.BIG3.com.

 

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ABOUT BIG3: BIG3 (www.BIG3.com) is where basketball superstars play. The premier half-court, 3-on-3 basketball league, BIG3 features many of the greatest, most popular and skilled NBA players of all time, including Gary Payton, Kenyon Martin, Charles Oakley and more. Founded by producer, actor and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, the BIG3 combines highly competitive, physical, fast basketball and incredible fan experiences. Comprising of eight teams of five, the league tipped off its 10-week season at Barclays Center on June 25. The BIG3 Championship in Las Vegas airs live on FOX on August 26. Tickets are available at BIG3.com.

 

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