Air Force 1 63, Delta Force 42

More than ever before, there was some serious trash talking on the NRF site prior to this game. Whether it was because both these teams felt that they were better than their record was, or because of the various personalities involved, the only way to settled it was on the hardwood. And for Air Force 1, with the nucleus of their roster finally intact, the league would get to see just how good they are.

Early on, the only thing going on was defense, as Air Force 1 led 3-2 after four minutes of play. But there was one play, in which the rock travelled from Paul Rivera to Brandon Smith to Jason Burke to Chris Dowling that made you think, "Wow. These guys could be very good."

For Delta Force, the star early was Sureshot. Personally, I've always been a fan, but his biggest obstacle has been finding consistent minutes. With a shortened bench, he was able to stay on the floor at almost all times, allowing for him to find his groove. With five minutes to play, his three cut the lead to 19-17. But then it happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, Air Force 1 went on a little run before the half to make it 29-21. And funny enough, after Ben Detrick hit a jumper that was apparently so uncharacteristically his, the ref felt the need to come over and make sure that I saw it. (Note: I did.)

The second half can be summed up in one play. After Sureshot blocked Rivera's three-point attempt, PR came down the floor and asked, "Sureshot, you good?" Before he could even answer, he drilled a three in his eye. Next thing I know, the score is 44-24 at the 14-minute mark, and Air Force 1 has just gone on a 15-3 run. With Dowling serving up a nice crossover, and Burke doing work in the post, it didn't matter how many threes Damian Bulluck made, this game was over.

Final score: Air Force 1 wins, 63-45.

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