Marcus Keene Delivered A Game-Winner In The Basketball Tournament

While the NBA is preparing to head to Orlando for its restart at Disney, The Basketball Tournament has already begun in Columbus, Ohio, as the 24-team tournament tipped off this weekend as a first glimpse at what bubble basketball will look like.

With the return of TBT brought us the return of the Elam Ending, last seen in this year’s All-Star Game, in which once they reach the first stoppage inside four minutes to play in the game, the game clock is turned off and it becomes a race to eight more points than the leading team has. On Sunday, the 22-seed Sideline Cancer took down 11-seed Team Hines in a thriller, in which Marcus Keene had a big game, including hitting the game-winner to give Sideline Cancer a 93-91 win in the race to 92.

What makes the Elam Ending work is how the stakes of each possession late in the game are heightened not by a dwindling clock but instead by a need to reach a certain score first. In blowouts, it can allow things to come to an end quickly, while in close games it allows runs and creates an intensity on both ends. In this instance, Keene comes off a (very) high pick and roll and is able to get the big that steps out on him off balance to clear space for a pull-up jumper to win it.

That shot moves Sideline Cancer on to the “Super 16” to face off with the 8-seed, Challenge ALS, later this week.

×