Albirex cruise past struggling 89ers

Kimitake Sato again tormented the Sendai 89ers, scoring a game-high 24 points in the Niigata Albirex BB's 86-73 triumph over the hosts on Friday.

The veteran standout knocked down 6 of 8 3-point shots in the rematch as Niigata improved to 20-7, becoming the first bj-league team this season to get 20 wins. In the Thursday opener, he had 32 points, sank 5 of 10 3s and 8 of 9 shots from inside the arc.

The Albirex trailed 45-37 at halftime.

After intermission, coach Matt Garrison's squad outscored Sendai 49-28 to secure the victory.

Nile Murry added 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two blocks for Niigata. Yuichi Ikeda had 14 points and Taj Finger and Chris Holm each scored 12 points for the 89ers. Holm also grabbed 17 rebounds.

Takuya Komoda paced Sendai (8-15) with 23 points and shot 10-for-14 from 2-point range, while T.J. Cummings, back in the rotation after missing Thurday's contest due to an ankle sprain, scored 20 points and made 9 of 11 shots from the field. Hikaru Kusaka scored eight points and Sam Coleman had seven. Takehiko Shimura handed out six assists and Sam Willard pulled down 11 boards.

The three-game series concludes on Saturday.

Cinq Reves 92, Northern Happinets 81

In Tokyo, Dennis Carr scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Jonathan Jones had 19 points and 12 boards for the hosts in a series-opening win over Akita.

Rasheem Barrett contributed 16 points and three assists for Tokyo (10-15) and Cohey Aoki poured in 15 points, including 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. Akihito Inoue scored 13 points for the Cinq Reves.

Akita led 32-20 after the first quarter, but saw its scoring total drop to 18, 18 and 13 points over the final three quarters.

Marshall Brown had 26 points for the Happinets (13-8), Yuki Kikuchi added 15 and Dion Harris and Shigehiro Taguchi both scored 14.

Tokyo raked in 60 rebounds to Akita's 29. In addition, the Cinq Reves shot 38 free throws (33 makes), while the visitors were 7-for-12.

***

League leaders (through Thursday)

Scoring—1. Jonathan Jones, Tokyo, 21.0; 2. T.J. Cummings, Sendai, 20.8; 3. Draelon Burns, Yokohama, 20.7; 4. Michael Parker, Shimane, 20.0; 5. Dominique Keller, Gunma, 19.3.

Field-goal percentage—1. Dillion Sneed, Iwate, 63.2; 2. Gyno Pomare, Kyoto, 59.6; 3. Joe Werner, Chiba, 59.5; 4. Anthony Kent, Akita, 59.0; 5. Marcus Cousin, Kyoto, 59.0.

Rebounds—1. Chris Holm, Niigata, 13.3; 2. Reggie Warren, Fukuoka, 12.5; 3. Sam Willard, Sendai, 12.4; 4. Wendell White, Hamamatsu, 12.1; 5. Mike Bell, Osaka, 11.8.

Assists—1. Narito Namizato, Ryukyu, 6.1; 2. Kevin Galloway, Hamamatsu, 5.9; 3. Kensuke Tanaka, Chiba, 5.8; 4. Takehiko Shimura, Sendai, 5.6; 5. Draelon Burns, Yokohama, 4.8.

3-point percentage—1. Kazuhiro Shoji, Akita, 46.8; 2. Shinya Ogawa, Shiga, 45.7; 3. D'Andre Bell, Chiba, 44.4; 4. Masayuki Kabaya, Yokohama, 43.7; 5. Kimitake Sato, Niigata, 43.0.

Steals—1. Draelon Burns, Yokohama, 2.4; 2. Masato Tsukino, Iwate, 2.3; 3. Anthony McHenry, Ryukyu, 2.3; 4. Ira Brown, Toyama, 2.0; 5. D'Andre Bell, Chiba, 1.9.

Blocked shots—1. Jeral Davis, Shimane, 3.5; 2. Lawrence Blackledge, Iwate, 3.0; 3. Wayne Marshall, Shinshu, 2.0; 4. Thomas Fairley, Miyazaki, 1.9; 5. Paul Williams, Takamatsu, 1.7.

Free-throw percentage—1. Kohei Mitomo, Oita, 93.3; 2. Cohey Aoki, Tokyo, 93.2; 3. Marquin Chandler, Chiba, 91.1; 4. David Palmer, Kyoto, 89.9; 5. John Humphrey, Saitama, 87.5.

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Kurosaki quits as Albirex manager

Albirex Niigata said Monday manager Hisashi Kurosaki and head coach Takayuki Nishigaya will resign to take responsibility for the club's recent woes.

"I have to seriously accept the results of our team up until now, and that's why I have decided to step down," said Kurosaki, whose J. League first-division side is in 17th place with only nine points.

Kurosaki, 44, was promoted from head coach to manager in December 2009, but his team fell from ninth place to 14th in his first season at the helm. Despite the addition of former Japan striker Kisho Yano and forward Shoki Hirai this year, Albirex are still in a tailspin.

Albirex were embarrassed in a 6-1 drubbing by Jubilo Iwata at home on Saturday, leaving them with an unflattering record of 2-7 with three draws and just five points ahead of last-place Consadole Sapporo in the league standings.

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Albirex, Reds settle for 1-1 draw

Disappointment: Urawa Reds players react after a 1-1 draw against Albirex Niigata on Saturday in the J.League. KYODO

SAITAMA — Albirex Niigata prevented Urawa Reds from making up ground on the J.League's leading pack with a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

Reds went into the match at Saitama Stadium fourth in the table despite having taken only four points from their previous four games, and Marcio Richardes gave the home side hope of climbing higher with the opening goal in the 11th minute.

An equalizer from Albirex striker Bruno Lopes put the brakes on Urawa's charge before the first half was out, however, and with none of the top-three teams winning their games on Saturday, Reds were left to rue the missed opportunity.

"We played well in the first half, so to come away with this result feels like a bit of a waste," said Urawa defender Tomoaki Makino, who celebrated his 25th birthday the previous day. "We managed to create a lot of chances, but we just weren't able to finish them off, which is disappointing.

"All the fans were wishing me happy birthday as we came to the stadium, and I really wanted to give them a present to say thanks. I was looking to score and for the team to take all three points, but it wasn't to be and now the season goes on."

Albirex frustrated the hosts with a rigidly defensive outlook in the first half, but it could have been a different story after the break had the visitors managed to put away their chances after coming out of their shell in search of a winner.

"It was always going to be difficult to come here and take three points against a difficult team like Urawa, but that was the objective," said Albirex manager Hisashi Kurosaki, whose side began the day third from bottom. "We were looking to defend first of all and then link up with the attack, and although they scored first we were able to react well and get the equalizer.

"If we had been able to put away our chances, then we could have taken three points back to Niigata, but to get one point from a difficult place like this puts us in good stead for our next game."

Reds caused Albirex all sorts of problems down the wings in the game's early stages, and it was no surprise to see the opener coming from that supply line. Makino beat his man down the left to cut a cross low into the area, and Marcio found space to fire it past Masaaki Higashiguchi.

The home side lost right back Tadaaki Hirakawa to injury just three minutes later, however, and Albirex took advantage with an equalizer just before the half-hour mark. Urawa failed to clear a long throw, and Lopes pounced to send a curling ball into the far corner.

Marcio went close as Reds regained the upper hand for the remainder of the first half, but Albirex were a different proposition after the break, with Naoya Kikuchi missing the target after Lopes had put him clear with the goal at his mercy.

Yosuke Kashiwagi flashed a drive over the bar in response for Urawa, and Genki Haraguchi and Marcio also had chances as the home side began to turn the screw.

But Albirex always looked dangerous on the counter, and after Shoki Hirai fluffed an opportunity to snatch the winner, Urawa goalkeeper Nobuhiro Kato had to be at full stretch to tip a Kenji Koyano piledriver over the bar in the final minutes.

"We played really well in the first half, and we should have put the game to bed then," said Haraguchi. "They didn't give us much space, but when you play against a team like that you have to think of a way to break through."

Elsewhere in the J.League, leaders Vegalta Sendai drew 1-1 with Gamba Osaka, while Alex Brosque rescued a 1-1 draw for second-place Shimizu S-Pulse with a 96th-minute equalizer against Cerezo Osaka. Third-place Sanfrecce Hiroshima lost 3-1 to Yokohama F. Marinos despite scoring the opening goal.

FC Tokyo beat Consadole Sapporo 1-0 to keep the Hokkaido club rooted to the bottom, Jubilo Iwata heaped more misery on struggling Kashima Antlers with a 3-0 victory, and Sagan Tosu and Omiya Ardija played out a 1-1 draw.
Champions Kashiwa Reysol beat Kawasaki Frontale 2-0, and Keiji Tamada scored to give Nagoya Grampus a 1-0 win over Vissel Kobe.

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Albirex finish regular season with rout of Broncos

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — After a one-point triumph in the series opener, the Saitama Broncos reverted to form in a lopsided loss to the Niigata Albirex BB to close out their seventh consecutive non-winning season since the bj-league's inception in 2005.

It was a tight first quarter, but then momentum shifted dramatically as Niigata coach Matt Garrison's club began to dominate all facets of the contest.

Sharpshooter Shuhei Komatsu sparked the Albirex with 17 second-quarter points — his entire scoring load for the afternoon — and the visitors seized control of Sunday's game in the second half en route to a 95-54 whipping of the Broncos at Tokorozawa Municipal Gymnasium.

Niigata finished the regular season with a 28-24 record, and now prepares for its seventh straight trip the playoffs; Saitama, meanwhile, faces a likely offseason shakeup after a rocky 16-36 campaign (worst record in the 10-team Eastern Conference), including a 12-29 record under bench boss Natalie Nakase, who replaced Dean Murray in November.

"We seemed a little fatigued after yesterday's game," Nakase said.

She praised her players for their dedication and hard work throughout the season.

"I wouldn't want to go to battle with anybody but these 12 guys," the former UCLA guard said. "I'm so proud of them for their effort."

John "Helicopter" Humphrey was named Saitama's player of the year and received enthusiastic applause from the fans after the game.

"I'm honored to be selected as player of the year for the Broncos," he said after an 18-point performance.

Jayme Miller scored 14 points and grabbed six boards for Saitama, while Daiki Terashita contributed nine points. The Broncos shot 2-for-15 from 3-point range.

The Albirex, on the other hand, were 13-for-23 from beyond the arc, including Kimitake Sato's 4-for-7. Sato led Niigata with 19 points, Erron Maxey scored 15, hauled in 13 rebounds and collected four steals. Dwight Gordon and Yuichi Ikeda both had 10 points and bj-league rebounding king Chris Holm scored eight and pulled down 13 boards.

After taking a 47-32 lead into the locker room at halftime, Niigata ended any chance Saitama may have had for a big comeback, outscoring the hosts 20-8 in the third quarter.

It was 67-40 entering the final stanza.

By that point, the Albirex's inside-outside offensive attack and defensive intensity had given them an overwhelming advantage.

"You always want to end the regular season on a high note," said Maxey, a Providence product, "but the playoffs are a whole other animal."

Watching the action from the bench in the first quarter, Komatsu, who buried 7 of 10 3s against the Shiga Lakestars on April 22, put his mark on the game in a hurry in the second quarter.

Curling off screens to get open or taking straight-up jumpers, Komatsu buried 5 of 5 3s in the quarter. Blessed with a quick release and a smooth shooting stroke, Komatsu heated up in a hurry.

"That's what he does — he shoots 3s," Maxey said. "He's a great shooter, and when he knocks down two or three in a row, you know he's going to make the next three. So it's a matter of feeding him the ball if he's hot, and that's also playing simple basketball. If he's got the hot hand out there, keep going to him until he cools off."

Garrison said Komatsu's shooting display was impressive. He also credited his players for their defensive desire, which was an across-the-board performance.

Indeed, he said, the Albirex wanted to enter the postseason with a victory. Bouncing back from Saturday's defeat was the goal, and he kept the message simple beforehand.

"Defensively, it's strictly heart, intensity and urgency," Garrison said.

"We'll have to come out and fight today; that was really all we talked about," he reminded his players before the game.

Limiting Terashita's opportunities to penetrate in the lane and out-rebounding Saitama (49-38) led to fewer second-chance attempts for the Broncos were other keys to victory, said Garrison, a former Albirex player in his first season at the helm.

Big Bulls 97, Jets 82

In Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Thomas Kennedy had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Gordon Klaiber notched a double-double as the hosts finished their inaugural season with a series sweep.

Klaiber scored 20 points and hauled in 11 rebounds, while Jamal Boykin added 17 points, Shawn Malloy contributed 15 points and 13 boards and Atsushi Nogami poured in nine points for Iwate (19-33).

Jamel Staten paced Chiba (18-34) with 27 points, as well as contributing 12 boards and nine assists. Gaston Moliva had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Hiroki Sato finished with nine points.

"Chapter one of the Chiba Jets is in the books," Jets coach Eric Gardow said after the game.

"With us winning 18 games, I believe we over-achieved expectations in our first year as an expansion team compared to Okinawa's first year only winning 10 games," he added, referring to the Ryukyu Golden Kings' 10-34 campaign in 2007-08.

"The players all have earned valuable experiences that should propel them into key players next season with a strong commitment to their offseason.

"Every one of my Japanese players had their best performances of their career at some point this season in a Chiba Jets uniform and for that I am extremely thankful. . ."

B-Corsairs 63, 89ers 58

In Sendai, Yokohama completed its second straight sweep over the 89ers in as many weeks and picked up its ninth consecutive victory to close out the regular season.

MVP candidate Justin Burrell had 16 points and eight rebounds for the expansion B-Corsairs (31-21), Draelon Burns and Masayuki Kabaya each scored 13 points apiece and Yokohama converted 12 of 14 free throws. Burns dished out five assists.

The 89ers (25-27) shot a woeful 17-for-63 from the field, including 5-for-25 on 3-pointers.

Sendai's Dan Fitzgerald, who needed stitches in his head after hard contact a day earlier, scored a team-high 21 points, but was 3-for-10 on 3s. Teammate Johnny Dukes had 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and also turned the ball over six times. Takuya Komoda scored nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.

The 89ers made two spirited comebacks, but fell short in the end. Trailing 47-37, they closed it to 53-51 and 60-58 in the final 2:33.

"Losing isn't much fun, but the players showed a lot of character battling twice against a tough opponent," said Sendai coach Bob Pierce, who'll be the first bench boss in league history to guide three teams into the postseason. He previously coached the Shiga Lakestars, and most recently, the Akita Northern Happinets.

Sendai captain Takehiko Shimura, one of the league's better point guards, returned to the rotation after missing practiced this past week. He had sustained a head injury in the April 21 game against the Yokohama B-Corsairs in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

"He played limited minutes in the two games," Pierce noted, citing Shimura's 18- and 15-minute outings, "but now we should have him back full time for the playoffs, where everybody is now 0-0."

Golden Kings 75, Grouses 63

In Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Dillion Sneed, Naoto Kosuge and David Palmer each had 14-point outings as Ryukyu cruised past the hosts.

Palmer canned 3 of 4 3-point shots and Tsubasa Yonamine kept the high-power offense rolling, distributing the ball with precision passes (six assists).

Four-time title-winning big man Jeff Newton contributed 16 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Golden Kings (39-13), who repeated as the Western Conference regular-season champion.

Speedy guard Narito Namizato did a little bit of everything — six points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals — for the Kings.

For Toyama (25-27) Devin Searcy and Ira Brown had 13 points apiece, Larry Turner scored 10 and Masashi Joho nine.

The Grouses' poor free-throw shooting (11-for-21) was a key factor in the loss.

Rizing 77, Hannaryz 70

In Fukuoka, the one-two punch of Carlos Dixon and Kevin Palmer guided the hosts to a season-ending win over Kyoto.

Dixon was the Rizing's top scorer with 24 points and Palmer supplied 22. Jermaine Dearman had 10 points and macho forward Gary Hamilton raked in 17 rebounds and scored seven points as Fukuoka improved to 33-19.

Kyoto struggled from the perimeter, missing 14 of 16 3-point shots. Jermaine Boyette led the Hannaryz (34-18) with 18 points, Rick Rickert had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Taizo Kawabe scored 10.

Susanoo Magic 81, Shining Suns 54

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, scoring maestro Michael Parker had a team-high 18 points and three Shimane teammates also reached double figures in points in a win over the hosts.

Edward Yamamoto contributed 17 points, Jeral Davis produced an 11-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance and Micah Williams scored 11 for the Magic.

Shimane (28-24) sank 17 of 20 free throws and held a 51-38 edge in rebounds.

Dexter Lyons scored 20 points for Miyazaki (22-30), Lewis Witcher finished with 10 and Shinnosuke Oishi had nine. Taishiro Shimizu provided five assists for the second-year franchise.

Phoenix 90, Brave Warriors 72

In Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, the two-time defending champions' Big Three carried their club to a runaway victory.

Jermaine Dixon scored 29 points, Wayne Arnold had 22 points and six assists and Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 18 points and nine boards for Hamamatsu Higashimikawa (37-15). Atsuya Ota finished with seven points and nine rebounds.

Lee Roberts paced Shinshu with 24 points and 10 boards. Derek Raivio had 14 points and five assists for the Warriors, who completed their inaugural season with an 18-34 record.

Evessa 92, Lakestars 79

In Osaka, Masashi Obuchi had a game-high 17 points and Mike Bell contributed 16 points and 12 boards as the Evessa shellacked Shiga.

Wayne Marshall scored 15 points and Shota Konno had 14 for Osaka (35-17).

"We need to maintain the same focus and energy for the playoffs," Evessa coach Ryan Blackwell said.

Josh Peppers led Shiga (33-19) with 19 points, ex-Evessa forward Kazuya "J." Hatano had 13 points and Ray Nixon netted 11.

HeatDevils 106, Five Arrows 52

In Takamatsu, leading scorer Paul Butorac and guard Keishiro Tsutsumi sat out the season finale with injuries and the Five Arrows suffered their 25th straight loss.

Takamatsu (2-50) trailed 30-12 after one quarter and 55-21 entering the second half.

The Five Arrows had a horrible shooting afternoon: 0-for-15 on 3s, 20-for-67 from inside the arc and 12-for-22 at the charity stripe.

Nyika Williams was the high scorer for Takamatsu with 32 points and Masaaki Suzuki added 10.

T.J. Cummings led Oita (23-29) with 33 points and Matt Lottich scored 23. Wendell White added 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists and Naoto Takushi had 10 assists.

* * *

Playoff pairings for the conference first-round series and conference semifinals have been announced for the East and West.

In the East, third-place Akita plays host to sixth-place Sendai on May 5 and 6, while fourth-place Niigata takes on fifth-place Toyama on those days.

First-place Hamamatsu will face the lower-seeded winner May 12 and 13. Second-place Yokohama will square off against the higher-seeded advancing club on May 10 and 11.

In the West, third-place Kyoto meets sixth-place Shimane on May 5 and 6, while fourth-place Shiga faces fifth-place Fukuoka on the same dates.

Ryukyu gets a bye into the conference semis, and will meet the lower of the two advancing seeds, with Osaka waiting to meet the higher-seeded first-round playoff winner. Both series are set to hold games on May 12 and 13.

The Final Four is scheduled for May 19 and 20 at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum.

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Phoenix rout Albirex

Six Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix players scored in double figures as the hosts earned a 90-70 win over the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Friday night in the bj-league.

Wayne Arnold paced the Phoenix (17-10 overall, 3-0 since Lawrence Blackledge joined the squad). Blackledge, who began the season with the Osaka Evessa, had 12 points and six blocked shots for the two-time defending champions.

Floor leader Jermaine Dixon added 14 points, eight assists and three steals for Hamamatsu, while Shoji Nakanishi scored 13, Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 12 and Atsuya Ota had 10.

The Phoenix took a 44-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Niigata, which entered the game with a 2-0 record against Hamamatsu this season, fell to 16-11.

Nile Murry scored a team-high 20 points for the Albirex. Erron Maxey had an 18-point outing and Kimitake Sato contributed 11 points.

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Albirex beat Jets in series opener

All-Star center Chris Holm notched his 11th double-double of the season and Erron Maxey scored 19 points to lead the Niigata Albirex BB to a 93-80 win over the Chiba Jets on Friday night in the bj-league.

Nile Murry and Yuichi Ikeda scored 16 points apiece for the Albirex (11-8), who have won three straight games. Holm had 10 points and 19 rebounds. Hirotaka Kondo scored a season-high 12 points, Dwight Gordon added nine points and five assists and Shuhei Komatsu dished out six assists.

Niigata led 53-35 at halftime.

Ikeda, who leads the 19-team league in 3-point shooting accuracy at 51.5 percent (51-for-99), was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc at Funabashi Arena.

Maurice Hargrow led the Jets (10-11) with 25 points. Jamel Staten scored 18, Takaki Ishida added 12 points and Reina Itakura and Gaston Moliva had nine apiece for Chiba, a first-year franchise.

"We played really poor defense in the first half, allowing so many open shots and eight 3s," Jets coach Eric Gardow said.

Gardow said his team's rebounding effort wasn't good enough. Niigata outrebounded the hosts 52-41. Jamal Holden and Moliva combined for eight rebounds.

"I expect more out of Holden and Moliva," the coach added. "We need an inside presence in every game at both ends of the floor and we are not getting it from them and that has to change.

"We made a great run and cut it to 5 in the second half but could not finish."

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Lack of action makes it tough for Albirex BB

The Niigata Albirex BB will enter the postseason after a remarkably light schedule in recent weeks. So light in fact that it's easy to forget when the team actually played games in back-to-back weeks.

That occurred the final weekend of February and first weekend of March.

The Albirex (19-19), making preparations for this weekend's final regular-season series against the brilliant Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (39-5), had 12 of their final 16 games canceled due to the aftermath of March 11 earthquake, which caused three Eastern Conference foes - the Sendai 89ers, Saitama Broncos and Tokyo Apache - to end their seasons early.

It remains to be seen if Niigata coach Masaya Hirose's club will struggle to elevate its game due to an unnatural amount of free time and lack of competition in the latter stages of the season. But Hirose has had ample time to conduct practices and individual workouts to prepare his charges for the postseason, as well as make veteran post player George Leach, who joined the team after Saitama pulled the plug on its season, familiar with the team's playbook.

Leading scorer Julius Ashby (16.6 points per game), Yuichi Ikeda, among others, will need to play consistent, aggressive basketball to carry the team to the Final Four on May 21-22 at Ariake Colosseum.

The Albirex, idle since April 3, are 1-3 against the Phoenix in 2010-11.

The Eastern Conference's playoff picture is as follows: Hamamatsu is the top seed, while Niigata is No. 2. The No. 3 seed Akita Northern Happinets (17-31) will face the Albirex in the opening round, while the fourth spot belongs to the Toyama Grouses (12-30), who have the daunting task of facing the defending champion Phoenix in the playoffs. Both series are set for May 7-8.

In the Western Conference, the playoff picture won't be finalized until after the completion of Sunday's games. Here's a rundown on the top six Western teams before the weekend series begin:

* Ryukyu Golden Kings (32-16) * Osaka Evessa (31-17)

* Rizing Fukuoka (29-19)

* Shiga Lakestars (28-20)

* Kyoto Hannaryz (26-20)

* Shimane Susanoo Magic (24-24)

The top two West seeds will earn a bye until the Western Conference semifinals, while Nos. 3 and 4 will play host to the fifth- and sixth-place teams in series scheduled for either April 27-28, 29-30 or April 30-May 1, depending on which teams wind up as the third and fourth seeds.

If two teams finish with identical records, the league uses a cumulative point differential as the tiebreaker, meaning the difference in average points scored vs. points allowed weighs more heavily than a team's head-to-head record against a foe.

One thing is certain: The Evessa, the league's only team with multiple titles (three), wants to avoid having to play on the road in the opening round. So Osaka, two games ahead of Fukuoka in the standings, must avoid getting swept by the Rizing this weekend and face the possibility of statistics determining which team is the No. 2 seed. This season, the Evessa and Rizing are 2-2 against each other.

"Considering the injuries and the roster changes we've made this season, entering the postseason as a possible No. 1 or 2 seed is quite an accomplishment," Osaka forward Lynn Washington said. "(Coach) Ryan (Blackwell) has done a good job with trying to keep everyone focused during these trying times. Out of these next two games we have to win at least one to lock up the 2 seed. We want to play at home in the playoffs."

Asked to assess the team's current status a week before the playoffs start, Washington said: "The improvements we are making are for the sake of team chemistry. We are again dealing with a 'meshing process' with our team now. However, things are going smooth."

If the Evessa secure a top-two spot, they'll be off until May 7-8, when the West's playoff semifinals will be held.

Upcoming games: The rest of the final week of the regular season features the following matchup: Toyama vs. Akita, Kyoto vs. Shimane,

Miyazaki vs. Ryukyu and Takamatsu vs. Shiga.

Impressive play: Nobody believes Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is the same explosive scorer he was during his All-American days at Louisiana State, when, then still known as Chris Jackson, he garnered nationwide attention for scoring 30-plus points game after game with ease. But he still remains a steady offensive force for the Kyoto Hannaryz.

Now 42, Abdul-Rauf is scoring 15.1 ppg and still has near-automatic success at the free-throw line (80-for-90). In the Hannaryz's series-finale win over the Golden Kings last Sunday, the veteran guard had 17 points, five assists and four steals.

The former NBA standout has 12 20-point games this season, his second in Japan. He has 108 assists and 55 turnovers. Blessed with terrific shooting mechanics and a never-ending commitment to fitness, Abdul-Rauf defies the notion that a 40-something guard can't succeed at the pro level anymore.

Exhibit A: He is 212-for-421 on 2-point shots. What's more, he has knocked down 37 3-pointers to keep defenders honest.

This week, New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey highlighted Abdul-Rauf's solid play this season in his comprehensive column, featuring many tidbits that don't get published in print or online, that circulates among league insiders and subscribers.

Tough finish: The Oita HeatDevils lost their 11th straight game last Sunday, a two-point setback to Shimane, to close out the season. The HeatDevils went 16-32 under L.J. Hepp and his replacement, Tony Hanson, who began the season as the assistant coach. Matt Lottich scored a team-best 16.0 ppg. Damian Johnson averaged 15.9 and Kimitake Sato scored 11.1.

Around the league: The Japan Basketball Association's 42-man provisional roster for this summer's East Asian and Asian Championship tournaments was announced recently, and it didn't surprise most observers that only two bj-league players, Shimane guard Takumi Ishizaki and Hamamatsu center Atsuya Ota, were named to the roster.

Said one league insider, "They expand to 42 and still can't give (Shiga guard Masashi) Joho, (Tokyo guard) Cohey (Aoki) or J. (Saitama forward Kazuya Hatano) a chance?" ...

The Tokyo Apache are hosting a fundraising event on Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4 at Okubo Park in Shinjuku ward. All-Star guard Cohey Aoki, known for his sharpshooting skills, will lead the Apache Shooting Challenge, a 90-second drill in which participants take shots from various locations on the court. The drill helps individuals measure their shooting range and accuracy.

To participate in the event, individuals are asked to make a donation to help the team's disaster relief efforts, which will aid victims of the March 11 earthquake.

Apache players Darin Satoshi Maki, Takanori Goya, Reina Itakura, Tomoya "Chomo" Nakamura, Kensuke Tanaka and Minoru Kimura will also be on hand for the festivities. ...

Expansion talk: A league source passed along the following details via e-mail: "On April 19 the Kagoshima Pro-Basketball organization will officially become Kagoshima Pro-Basketball Inc. They almost joined the bj-league for 2011-12, but now looks like they are seriously trying for the next round of expansion." Stay tuned.

Do you have a story idea about the bj-league?

Send an e-mail to edward.odeven@japantimes.co.jp

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