We are the champions, my friends...

Wow!  As I write this I still don't think it's hit me yet.  It wasn't a pretty game last night, but we sealed the championship with a 65-59 win on the road.  I also want to say how great the opponent's crowd was.  They stayed after cheering for us and even played Queen's "We are the champions" over their sound system.  That might be normal hear in Holland, but I don't think you would see much of that back in the states.  It was refreshing to see.  I didn't shoot well, but that gave the opportunity for my teammates to step up and they sure did!  I'm proud of those guys.  It's been a grind all season, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing with them.  I've been on the losing side plenty of times during playoffs and it really is special being able to win the last game of the season.  As far as I understand, we also made history in Holland by going undefeated in playoffs - three sweeps, 10 straight wins.  There was also a loyal crowd of fans waiting for us when we got back home.  I admire their passion and loyalty to the club.  Thank you teammates, coaches, fans, Andrea for supporting me throughout, but most of all God for bringing this all together.

I don't know when I will write next.  I will let you all know more when I know more :)  Time will tell what God has in store for me.

Take care and God bless,
Mike

And then there was one

Uno mas!  Last night we won at home in front of a packed gym with a final of 74-64.  I looked at the box score and we were tied in every quarter except the second where we had a 10-point advantage.  We didn't play our best ball, but we stayed together when they made their runs and for the most part responded by getting a stop or executing on the offensive end.  I was blessed to have a good shooting night and finished with 16 points. 

I'll let you know how our next game goes tomorrow on the road.  It's going to be a battle and it's going to come down to who wants it more.

Take care and God bless,
Mike

Two more

Hello again,
I just wanted to send you all a quick update on game 2.  After a quick start and a decent lead on the road, our opponent would not give in.  By the fourth quarter they cut our lead to only one point, if I remember correctly.  We kept our composure and executed on both ends of the floor when it mattered the most to finish off with a 68-63 win.  I'm proud of the way we stayed together during their run as well.  We had a great fan base cheering throughout the whole game and making plenty of noise so that was amazing!

We are back home on Tuesday for game 3.  We need to come out with that same fire!

God bless,
Mike

One down

Hello fellow supporters,
I just wanted to give you an update on our progress thus far in the finals.  We won a nail-biter this past Wednesday.  We were down for most of the game, but managed three steals in the last minute to cut the deficit to two points.  After a crazy play with 20 seconds to go I was blessed to hit the the game-winning three pointer with about five seconds left.  The gym erupted - what a flood of emotions!  Game two of this best-of-seven series is on the road tomorrow.  We have to come out with intensity because they are a good team and they always play well at home.

I included a video of the last moments.  Otherwise if you are friends with me on facebook you can go to my wall and there is a different angle on there.  That is all for now.  Thanks for your support.

Take care and God bless,
Mike

Links to the games

Hello again,
Thanks to Arie, here are the links for watching our upcoming games.  We play Aris Leeuwarden for game 1 on Wednesday at home.

http://new.livestream.com/DBL/

 http://www.eredivisiebasketballleiden.nl/index.cfm?act=video.tonen&pagina=56

A few photos of Keukenhof

http://s1153.photobucket.com/user/mshock43/library/Keukenhof

Making the run

Hello everyone,
I figured I should write a post so you all know I'm alive and well.  I know it's been weeks since you have heard from me on here.  Nonetheless, playoffs have begun.  We ended up with the second seed for the playoffs.  Every game has been a physical one during this postseason.  Even though some of the scores may suggest it was an easy win, my body with tell you otherwise.  We won the best-of-five quarterfinals in three games and were off to the semifinals.  This round was a physical one as well.  The first game at home we won by about 20 points, but the other two games were closer battles.  On the road during the second game of the series we faced a challenge in front of a large crowd of about 4500.  Our opponent has one of the best arenas in the league and just about filled it for the game.  After a tough win there, we were up to the task of finishing off the series at home yesterday.  We started the game poorly down 0-13, but managed to have a one point lead at halftime.  The rest of the game was close and we ended up winning by four.  The fans were amazing last night and definitely created a home court advantage.  The other side of the bracket is battling it out still so we don't know who we play yet.  I don't care who we play - it's exciting to be in the finals and I'm looking forward to the challenge that's ahead.  I'll try to include the link to the upcoming games.  Here is the link to last night's game http://new.livestream.com/DBL/events/2086535.  I hope it works.  I also threw in a couple dunks for you :)

On another note, Ross, his wife, Carli, and I went to the famous Keukenhof flower garden here in Holland.  It is really an amazing place!  You have to check out pics on the internet of this place.  I included some pics to give you an idea.  It was only about 25 minutes from where we live so we had to check it out.

I hope all is well with you all and I'm glad to hear the snow is finally gone back in Wisconsin. :)

Oh and I forgot to mention...don't be afraid to comment on here if it works.

Take care and God bless,
Mike