By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
THE 2021 BIG 3 Final will feature a rematch of the 2017 title game and while Trilogy has a new cast of characters, Rashard Lewis and his 3 Headed Monsters look to avenge that loss from the league’s initial season.
The teams will vie for the Julius Erving championship trophy, 4:30pm Saturday, September 4 at the Atlantis resort’s Imperial Arena.
Lewis, who won the league’s MVP in 2017, was a member of 3 Headed Monsters in their last championship appearance when they lost 51–46 to Trilogy at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Trilogy finished that season with a perfect 10–0 record. The only team to remain fully intact since the league’s inception, 3 Headed Monsters, have advanced to the playoffs in every season of BIG3 basketball.
Lewis, who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat, said his team is locked into the chase to claim an elusive championship title.
“It’s serious. Everyone wants to win a championship,” he said. “We’ve been trying to win a championship since day one, lost to Trilogy in season one, tore my Achilles in season two, season three I didn’t feel like the same person, it was more mental for me coming off a major injury, but now we have another opportunity at it and you got to take advantage of the opportunity while it’s here because the league changes from year to year, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Coached by Hall of Famer Gary Payton, the roster is full of former NBA talent, including co-captain Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, along with a 13-year NBA vet and the BIG3’s leading rebounder, Reggie Evans.
“We got one more, he’s not satisfied yet,” Lewis said of Payton’s message to the team.
“He’s been jumping on us every game about playing defence. He wants to win a championship, he said he’s tired of getting to the playoffs every year, let’s make something happen this year.”
In the first semifinal, 3 Headed Monsters advanced with a 51-59 win over the defending champion Triplets and reigning league MVP Joe Johnson, on August 28 at the Imperial Arena.
Kevin Murphy finished with 29 points on 12-17 shooting from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds. Lewis scored 12.
“It’s amazing. You have no idea how happy we were to win that game because we know they’re a tough team with a great coach and an MVP in Joe Johnson,” Lewis said.
“We knew we had to come to play until we got to 50 points against that team in order to beat them. It’s just a good feeling to get back to the championship.”
In the second semifinal, the No.4 seed Trilogy advanced to the final with a 50-42 win over No.1 seed Tri-State. Jarrett
Jack scored a BIG3 single game record 35 points en route to the win. Jack leads a completely revamped Trilogy roster which features just one holdover from the 2017 title team, veteran forward James White.
Triplets and Tri-State will meet in the third place game on September 4 with tipoff slated for 4pm.
Off the court, 3 Headed Monsters are enjoying the amenities of the Atlantis resort and enjoying their downtime in The Bahamas.
“We’re very excited, this is my first year, my rookie year and we are playing for the championship, that’s a plus. It’s a great opportunity for us,” said rookie centre Mamadou N’Diaye.
“I did the jet skis, it was great, the water is beautiful, I’m ready to go because I’m planning to do even more jet skis, water slides, all those kinds of activities.
“I’m definitely going to play with the dolphins, go on the lazy river, all that kind of stuff,” he added.
Tickets for the final week of the competition will be available at the Atlantis Box Office or visit www.atlantisbig3.com
Spectators must adhere to Atlantis resort’s COVID-19 protocols (full vaccination or a valid negative rapid antigen test) to attend games.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID