TAYLORSVILLE-The Rocky Mountain Revue is not the NBA Finals. No surprises there. But what is surprising is that the intensity level players are playing at in the Revue is fit for that stage.
Former Texas A&M guard Acie Law is one of those players taking it to that level.
Law bruised the Dallas Mavericks for 24 points, five assists and six rebounds and led his Hawks to a hotly contested 83-77 win over the team that finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record last year. “When I step between the lines and I’m competing, I want to win,” Law said. “It don’t matter if it’s called Pinochle or if you play with a ball. A win’s a win and I think I showed I got that kind of intensity.”
The person most responsible for helping Law elevate the level of his game was Dallas’ Jose Barea.
Barea, a player that’s seen time in both the NBA and NBADL, played harassing defense, and battled with Law stride for stride down the stretch as both teams seemed eager for the win.
“It’s good when you compete with another talented guy that’s not going to back down and make you compete to win ball games, Law said. “It makes it fun to watch.”
But it was Law that got the sweeter side of battle in the end.
Law constantly used his speed to blow past the smaller Barea to either get to the rack, pull up for wide open jumpers, or find his teammates open for layups especially late in the game.
With just two points separating Atlanta and Dallas late, Law drove the ball inside and made a spectacular no look pass to teammate Solomon Jones to seal the win for the Hawks.
Earlier in the game, with the shot clock winding down just before half time, Atlanta’s Devin Green lost his shoe. Shortly after picking it up and trying to put it on, Law threw a pass to him causing Green to throw his shoe to the floor, catch the pass and shoot all in one motion, which sparked a rise of laughter from the crowd and Mavericks’ bench.
–Tony Pizza
Don’t hate the player hate the game
OK. I get it. NBA players have game. And I am not talking about the one on the court, either.
Consider my experience at the Rocky Mountain Revue this past weekend. Going into the Revue I expected to see a lot of basketball junkies, maybe some families and a few women. Boy was I wrong. There were a lot of women. There was also a fair share of unaccompanied bombshells. As I witnessed the pairs and trios of women that flock into the Lifetime Activities Center I asked myself, “What would bring so many seemingly available women to the Revue?”
My first intuition was that I was the one to blame, after all, I have been confused with Billy Dee Williams more than once. But after I asked my little brother if that was the case, he assured me I was not the reason.
After coming to my senses I realized what was going on. These women were groupies and it was impossible to assume anything else. Based on the behavior of some players it became more and more clear.
After one player limped to the sideline with an injury, he was eventually ushered to the locker room with one of the trainers. As he walked with a half limp he “accidentally” collided with a fan. This fan just happened to be one of the prettiest girls at the Revue. Who am I kidding? This girl was flat out fine. The funny thing is, the player’s limp went away and he started flirting with her.
Later, another player who was not playing was in the crowd soliciting the help of a young boy. After asking for an autograph, Blake Hansen’s new duty was to retrieve the phone number of one of the ladies in the stands for this player. When he returned with the digits 911 scribbled on a piece of paper, the player laughed and promptly gave Hansen five dollars more than he was initially promised.
The politically correct thing to say here is, “This is an outrage.” However I am not going to say this, rather, I will say the opposite. Maybe I can just wish I were a pro basketball player too.
Mandeep Gill
Ty CobbShelden Williams pulls the a rebound away form Jamon Gordon and teammate Acie Law. The Hawks won their third straight summer league game on Monday night.
Ty CobbAcie Law turns a corner getting past Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Jose Juan Barea of the Mavericks. Law scored 24 points, including two key buckets down the stretch, to preserve the Hawks perfect Revue record.