The NBA D-League Finals continues with Game Two on Tuesday night in Rio Grande Valley. You can watch the game on VERSUS presented by Papa John's at 11:59 p.m. that night. A win on Tuesday for the Vipers gives them the NBA D-League title, while a win on the road for the 66ers forces a deciding Game Three on Thursday evening. Coming off of the heels of Rio Grande Valley's 124-107 win in Game One, here are some keys to victory for both of the teams heading into Tuesday night.
Tulsa 66ers
Get The Offense Inside
The 66ers' offense in Game One was forced to the perimeter, as they attempted 28 three-point shots. That angle worked well in the first half when they made five of their first ten, but once the shots stopped falling the Tulsa offense went into a standstill. Tulsa's main inside scorers during the season were assigned players, so on Tuesday they may look to get big men like Marcus Lewis and DeVon Hardin more involved on the offensive end. They combined for nine field-goal attempts in Game One. Latavious Williams had a big Game One and may look to assert his offense more after scoring most of his 13 points in Tulsa on dunks or free-throws.
Avoid A Slow Start
A sell-out crowd is expected in Rio Grande Valley for Tuesday, so the Vipers are likely to come out hot behind the support of their home fans. A bad start for Tulsa could take this game out of reach quickly, so the 66ers will need to avoid turnovers and easy baskets for the Vipers in the first quarter.
Better Shooting From The Guards
Despite both players scoring in double-figures, starting guards Deron Washington (3-11) and Wink Adams (5-16) shot a combined 8-27 in Game One. A more efficient offensive performance from either or both can do a lot to take pressure off of leading scorer Larry Owens. Owens showed that he can score on the Vipers in Game One, but he seemed to get less involved in the second half with Tulsa settling for shooting threes. The 66ers will also be leaning on reserve guard JaJuan Smith for some more selective offense after he took 10 three-pointers in 30 minutes of action in Game One.
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Keep Mike Harris On The Floor
Harris was limited to only 21 minutes in Game One due to foul trouble. A similiar outing caused the Vipers a game in the last series against Austin, so keeping him on the court will make the Vipers that much tougher to beat. After scoring 24 points in Game One despite the lack of time, imagine what kind of numbers he can put up with his usual amount of minutes?
Another Big Game From The "Other Guys"
The trio of GATORADE Call-Ups for Rio Grande Valley get most of the press, and Harris, Will Conroy, and Antonio Anderson all had strong performances in Game One. However a key to the Vipers' success this season has been that almost any player on the roster is capable of a big game, and we saw that in Game One with 21 points from Julian Sensley and 18 off the bench from Craig Winder, as well as a 4-5 three-point outing from Ernest Scott. Another big game from these guys or others like Jonathan Wallace and Rich Melzer will make the Vipers almost impossible for Tulsa to beat.
More Easy Baskets
The Vipers shot 54.9% in Game One, as playes like Harris, Anderson and Conroy were able to get out in transition off of Tulsa misses and get some easy baskets. It's been a formula that's worked all season for a Vipers team that has piled up the points. If they can do it one more time in Game Two then they might be holding the trophy after the final buzzer.
