The first match was a rusty one, with most of the wins coming from the rebounding position. Tyler managed to find his touch for one game and ended up stealing the series at 4 wins to 2. Many times, though, a game where both competitors shots are off means more highlights, and this game was no exception. Alex had numerous impossible put backs, many of the no-look variety. Tyler was his usual dominant self, reaching far and wide for monster grabs and thunderous put back dunks. In the end, Tyler got the best of his foe but the 4-2 score doesn't really indicate how close the game got.
In the second game, while Alex was still getting in the groove, Tyler was hitting on all cylinders, cruising to a 4-1 series win. Tyler was almost error-proof, converting on every one of Alex's missed shots and also finding his sweet shooting touch. There was nothing Alex could do this time, he did not even play badly by any means, it was just too much Tyler in this contest.
In what would be the third and final match, Tyler was looking to shutout his nemesis while Alex was looking to get his first win and take it to a Championship match. In the beginning, it looked as if Alex was going to get his way, going up 2-0 in the series. Tyler must have lightened up on his opponent after the 4-1 win in the previous game because he was not playing with the same focus and intensity as his usual dominant self. Alex used Tyler's mental lapse to his advantage by going up in the series, but it didn't last long, as Tyler quickly found his focus and got back into the game. The champ pulled his best Miami Heat 06' impression by coming back from 2-0 to win the series 4-2 and thus finish the day undefeated.
While three straight wins solidifies Tyler's championship status, the losses are sure to hurt Alex's ranking. Once considered the unanimous #2 contender, Alex's #2 spot is definitely now vulnerable to another challenger. Jon Stein and Ken Macintosh should take heed.
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