The Cruise Gives Swarm Welcome To Detroit!
Sidney Howard | Monday | March 20, 2022 | 7:36pm
After being defeated 120 to 102 by the hosting Swarm on February 9th 2022, the Cruise were now back at home in their Motor City, hopefully to set things right.
The opening two minutes were empty. It felt oddly like an opening round between two knockout-artist boxers, where each knew the other had the ability to end the fight early. In pro basketball terms: it would be one team very quickly creating a reasonably insurmountable lead.
Finally, Cruise point guard Derrick Walton, Jr. broke the 00 - 00 truce by scoring a two. Then immediately following, Swarm's rookie point guard standout Jalen Crutcher answered and escalated the conflict by dropping a triple bomb. Careful about that insurmountable lead. Sure, a 3-2 one-point lead is nothing insurmountable, but again, The Swarm are known to be a good team that can hit faithfully from the perimeter. And the bombs from distance both distance the bombers from the bombed upon, while as well neutralizing the home team’s crowd— encouraging and giving confidence to the visiting team. So, six games and counting down to the playoffs, protecting the three-point line has to be on the Cruise's collective mind in their serious hunt for the second spot in the G League Eastern Conference.
The game continued at its slow pace for a quasi-uncomfortable length of time for fans wanting to see these teams mix it up. They began doing so. And by the first time out, the Cruise were trailing by four. The Cruise's game was steady, stable, and fundamentally sound. But would it be enough against the Swarm's flashy flexing of their athleticism by the likes of 6’ 10’ center/forward Kai Jones?
Indeed, one of the game keys for The Cruise winning is them shifting early into their fast-paced play. Former Wolverine standout point guard Derrick Walton, Jr. took over the game for the Cruise. He is the engine that drives their fast-paced run and gun game. And from both sides, this game did pick up. There was the Swarm's D.J. Carton's circus shot buried as he was flailing out of bounds, that was either brilliance or a reward for living right. On the divine reward tip Cruise’s 6’ 9” forward Jaylen Johnson launched a shot from distance that blindly felt its way into the basket after denting the rims with a few bounces. [My wife would call that “parallel parking by feel”.] Now it was the Cruise who were launching their aerial attack.
The Cruise’s sound defense, rebounding, and offensive efficiency had the Cruise up by 12 at the halfway mark, Derrick Walton, Jr. having contributed 13 over Jalen Crutcher's and Scottie Lewis's 10 points.
In the second half, the Cruise increased their lead by continuing the sound play that got them there. Judging who might win this game entailed the consideration that the Cruise are in the hunt for the #2 spot in the east, going into the playoffs in this game; while the Swarm were trying first to win a game—having not won a single game since handing The Cruise their 18- point thwacking back on the 9th of February. Since then, they’d won no more/no fewer games in this league than your reporter. Where the Swarm show great athleticism at times, most times the Cruise were cruising ahead with sound fundamental play seemingly according to plan.
And then in the third quarter, the Cruise reigned—raining down three-pointers with great vengeance and furious-enough anger on those Swarm who had, at this point, taken part in taking from the Cruise some degree of their own fate-control over securing that #2 spot. ...with that fateful aforementioned 2/9 win against them on their Greensboro court.
With under three minutes left in the third, the Swarm trailing the Cruise majorly went into the ol' Well, Why Don't You Bench Guys Go in and See What You Can Do Against Them? playbook, sending in a fresh new group to do what they could against the still cruising MC Cruise.
With barely 50 seconds left in this dominant quarter, Cruise guard #21 Shawndre Jones needle threading pass to forward Jaylen Johnson would have warranted due placement on some "Best Dimes" list. Though Johnson’s victory dance risked the cost of a one-point tech tax, the show of dominance might push the Swarm so much further into resignation, it would be worth the price of the ticket. …as was the 3rd quarter play by the cruising MC Cruiser well worth the ticket to witness the next-level talent in this show.
The Cruise opened the final quarter leading the Swarm 93 to 56, scores that didn't seem to belong in the same section on the plane. At every level, we have seen gaudy leads like this leach discipline from the team in the lead. What about the Cruise?
Q4: The attack on the Swarm continued. Dimes and 3-bombs picked up where they had left off. However, with six minutes left in the game, that Swarm athleticism returned. They went on a respectable run, closing in to within 30. We have seen it happen. With 3:11 left, The Swarm's McGriff got an and-one to cut the lead to just 26. The Swarm kept up their swarming. But then with only 30 seconds left in the contest, another one of those threes by Jalen Johnson put the final nail in the nail in the Swarm's figurative coffin. The Cruise win their 19th game, 125 to 84 against that Swarm that stung 'em earlier who now seems snakebit—mixed mascot metaphors notwithstanding.
The wrap-up…
The Cruise defended their house against The Greensboro Swarm in an impressive 125 to 84 reversal of G League fortunes. Nostalgically, the Cruise big men were the most prolific scorers in their Sunday afternoon rematch on March 20, 2022. Luka Garza led the starters with 22 points. Off the bench, Jaylen Johnson led the Cruise in scoring overall with 23 points. Offensively, it was a well-balanced effort with 6 of Cruise players scoring in double figures. If the ball had bounced just once better for the usually from-long sniper Deividas Sirvydis, it would have been seven in double figures. Garza and Cheick Diallo led the team in rebounds. Rebounds had been a major factor in the Cruise's victory. The ball well distributed, Derrick Walton, Jr. and s. Jones combined for 20 assists [respectively 11 and 9].
