The summer is coming to a close, and that means it's time to say goodbye to another season of the BIG3 -- the professional 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube. Power defeated 3's Company, 51-43, on Friday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to win the championship in the league's second season.
Corey Maggette was named MVP of the championship game (he also won the regular-season MVP), scoring a game-high 27 points. Power coach Nancy Lieberman became the first female head coach to win a title in a professional men's sports league.
Things got a little testy between the two teams in the first half, as Maggette thought Dahntay Jones deliberately tried to trip him on a jump shot. Pushing and shoving ensued, which led to a big scrum with players rushing over from both benches.
Cooler heads prevailed, and Power went on a 16-6 run to close the half after the skirmish. A late 16-4 run from 3's Company made things close toward the end, but Power sealed the title on a Cuttino Mobley jumper. The highlight of the night, however, went to Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who made a pivotal and-one and then celebrated with the hottest dance move of the summer.
Before the title game, the 3-Headed Monsters defeated Tri-State, 52-49, in the third-place game on a game-winning 3-pointer from former NBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
After the conclusion of another BIG3 season, we'll have to wait to see which new players sign on next summer.