It was the OTE Finals, an event that certainly had the attention of basketball fans around the country. In the best of three series, it all came down to one last game. Team OTE had won Game 1 72-51 vs. Team Elite but Team Elite came right back with a strong 74-69 victory to force a winner-take-all Game 3. It was an incredible game for both teams, as it was a close affair throughout but in the end, Team Elite rallied to beat Team OTE 52-45 and secure the first Overtime Elite Championship.
Team OTE came out strong to take an early lead but Team Elite was able to turn the tables in the second quarter with their defense and eventually got their offense going as well. Team Elite was able to limit Team OTE to only seven points in the second quarter, as it allowed them to take a 27-25 lead heading into the break.
The defensive intensity continued though for Team Elite in the second half, while the eventual Finals MVP started to really get going offensively, scoring 13 points in the second half to help lead his team. In what was a defensive battle from both teams, Team Elite was able to clamp down in the final three quarters to secure Game 3 and the championship.
Team Elite was led by Ausar Thompson, who finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals, while Emmanuel Maldanado hit three 3-pointers for nine points, and Bryce Griggs chipped in eights points. Team OTE had a tremendous showing from their duo of Johned Walker (17 points) and Amen Thompson (13 points).
What an incredible season and an incredible ending. Congrats to all Overtime Elite teams for a special season that certainly will be remembered by many, and get ready for next season as it is clear the future of basketball has arrived.
Meet the game changers with Topps Chrome OTE basketball cards first available March 18th exclusively on shop.overtime.tv. You can also learn more from Topps at https://bit.ly/3MERXFc.
Score:
Team Elite: 9 – 18 – 8 – 17 : 52
Team OTE: 18 – 7 – 9 – 11 : 45
Full Boxscore: https://overtime.app.box.com/s/83hktq2apfekswqxq7joacwxams3o4mn
