CHARLOTTE (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - Think of the best game you've ever seen. In North Carolina where I live, the recent NCAA championship game may be the current one for many. But the NWBA Division 1 final between the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks and the New York Rolling Knicks, played the day before in Louisville, will rate at or near the top for all who witnessed it.

Because of travel commitments, I had to watch it unfold online and, while that was good, it in no way compares to being there live to take in all the small details that make an event like this epic.

The big detail that made this an instant classic is that the game played out like the heavyweight title fight that it was.

It was a really amazing game and it was fun to be part of that. One of the reasons, after all these years that I'm still playing basketball is for moments like these. David EngDavid Eng

While the NCAA final was exciting, it wasn't the greatest display of basketball. That cannot be said about the NWBA D1 game.

Regulation time would not be enough between two equals so they went to overtime – twice – before Dallas was able to hold off the Knicks for an 83-78 win, for their 15^th title in the past 21 seasons.  

"I would say the story was all about match ups," said Dallas point guard Jay Nelms.

"We are taking on what to me is like playing Michael Jordan. Pat (Anderson) is an unbelievable player and getting the chance to compete with that is not easy to put into words. Then you add one of the best USA players in (Steve) Serio and a force of nature in (David) Eng."

Drama was nothing new for the Mavericks. Last year was also a thriller, a 55-54 win over the Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks.

This one though, was as I said, epic. The hero of the game was unexpected.

Andreas Kraft, the rookie out of the University of Texas-Arlington and Austria, scored the first basket of the game and would go on to be selected its outstanding player, scoring 32 points, hitting 68% (13-19) of his shots from the field and 6 of 10 from the line.

Former Austria and University of Texas-Arlington player Andreas Kraft was also a key factor in Dallas's semifinal win over the Sacramento Rollin' Kings. Photo by Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

Kraft's opportunity came much in part that Colombian international Rodney Hawkins could not make the tournament trip. The balance of the Dallas attack did the rest.

"We knew that most of the switches would be to stop Bobbie (Nickleberry) and to jump myself as well as (Aaron) Gouge," explained Nelms. "If we could get them to switch at the right time we could find Kraft and let him play his game."

Three-time Paralympic gold medalist Pat Anderson led the New York Rolling Knicks to the final but not past Dallas. Photo by Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

Anderson would lead the Knicks and all scorers with 36 points with Canadian colleague Eng adding 23 and USA captain Serio 11. Last year's MVP Nickleberry scored 20 for Dallas with former USA guard Jason Nelms adding 14 and Rio Paralympian Aaron Gouge 11.

Kraft's 15 first half points were all vital in keeping the Mavericks close. The Knicks would go ahead by six points a half dozen times but Dallas never let the deficit grow beyond that. New York led 34-30 at the half.

Teammate Jay Nelms says Dallas big man Bobbie Nickleberry, the 2016 final MVP, has the softest hands in the game and deserves a national team look. Photo by Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

The second half belonged to Dallas. A Kraft free throw tied the game at 46 and the Mavs took their first lead since the early minutes on Danny Fik's shot to make it 48-46. Still, it would be tied after 40 minutes.

"We felt like we had control of the whole game," says Eng. "There was just a couple of mental mistakes here and there."

David Eng is one of three Canadian national team players competing in both the NWBA and CWBL championship tournaments. Photo by Steve Goldberg/SCS Media

The Knicks gained an edge in the first overtime but could not close it. Tied at 76 in the second OT, Gouge gave the Mavs a lead they would not relinquish. Eng cut the lead to 2 but Kraft hit three free throws to seal the game.

"I honestly can't tell you a difference," says Nelms. "Both teams played so hard and it was back and forth. Sometimes the ball falls in your favor and sometimes it doesn't. That day we got one more to fall in our favor then they did."

"I think we can all agree that a double OT game is great to compete in," adds Eng. "It was great to show people what wheelchair basketball is all about at the highest level."

In Canada, were you not entertained?

Meanwhile, in Montreal, the Gladiateurs de Laval proved they are the "Eh"-Team with an 80-71 win over the BC Royals.

The CWBL tournament began Friday and was guaranteed to have a new champion as the winner of the last three tournaments, the Bulldogs de Québec, had dissolved.

The retirement of 4-time tournament MVP Maxime Poulin and others were too much for the short-lived but very successful club.

Vincent Dallaire drives for Gladiateurs de Laval against the BC Royals in the CWBL championship game. Laval won 80-71. Photo courtesy of Wheelchair Basketball Canada.

The 2013 champions proved to be the best of the field which also included the Alberta Northern Lights, Calgary Grizzlies, Civa de Montréal, Saskatchewan Club '99, and Variety Village Rebels.

Three Canadian national team athletes did the double after playing in the NWBA tournament last week including Eng (Gladiateurs; NY Wheelchair Knicks), Bo Hedges (BC Royals; London Forest City Flyers-NWBA D2), and Chad Jassman (Calgary Grizzlies, Seattle Sonics-NWBA D1).

It was a big weekend for David Eng who was also named Wheelchair Basketball Canada's Male Athlete of the Year.

Eng made it a quadruple double off sorts, leading Laval to the win with a remarkable 30 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. He also had 4 steals. On the other sides was Hedges who led the Royals with 21 points and 6 assists. Canadian national women's team player Rosalie Lalonde, who won the NWBA collegiate title with the University of Alabama last month, added 16 points for Laval.

That's one in a row for Laval but with the third straight and fourth win in five NWBA tournaments in Louisville, it could be put forth that next year's event might be called the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks Spring Fling Basketball Invitational. Any seconds on that?

Steve Goldberg

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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