SE Washington DC - With the playoffs looming in two weeks every game counts.  Rare Essence and the Sweat Mob have both been battling and fighting for a chance to be post season eligible.  With so much on the line you gotta figure that coaches and players will start to bring their A games into the gates.

The Rare Essence/Sweat Mob matchup promised to be hotter than fish grease.  We all knew the superstars would show up but what about the supporting cast?  Can Durant will the Sweat Mob into the postseason? Championship maybe?  Would the balanced attack of the Rare Essence team prove decisive? Good questions, very good questions indeed.

During this time of the season in the gates of the Barry Farms Coliseum it's high drama and incredibly scrappy play.  Every possession is contested and the fight for survival intense. Rare Essence and the Sweat Mob were fighting for their playoff lives.

The Lonnie Baxter/Kevin Durant point exchange closely resembled the Durant/P.Shiddy extraveganza but lacked the magic of the one on one intensity and flat out entertainment flair of crossover dribbles and step back jumpers. Neither Baxter or Durant took on one another. Both got theirs in the flow of the game.

 The commissioner Miles Rawls called the action and here's how the clash of the titans played out.

Lonnie Baxter had his power/finesse game going early and often as he dominated on the offensive end for Rare Essence and helped his team jump out to an early 25-7 lead at the 12:52 mark of the first half.  Baxter and Nat Burton played together like Stockon and Malone while James Lang (former Wizard) dominated the boards.   The Sweat Mob went the entire first half without an offensive rebound. 

Baxter racked up 17 points by the nine minute mark of the first half on coast to coast dunks, crazy spin moves, and three point shots.  Late game foul trouble slowed down Baxter but he still powered in 33 points for the game to pace his balanced Rare Essence team comprised of Burton and super smooth scorer Ricky Shields (Rutgers University).

Did I forget to mention that the Sweat Mob had a top predator in Kevin Durant?  The "Top Predator" Durant is so bad he's almost invisible. He's got weapons that can kill you from the inside, outside, left hand, right hand, under the basket it just doesn't matter.  The speed is what amazes me.  He runs like a Top Predator getting back on defense or getting out on fast breaks.

Of the first 31 points the Sweat Mob scored, the Top Predator had 27.  Durant hunts the prey, kills the prey, eats the prey, and serves the prey all in one night.  Durant led the Sweat Mob on a furious comeback that started at about the 10 minute mark of the first half.

Durant had 28 points as the Sweat Mob managed to pull to within nine at halftime.  The score was 48-39 Essence.

RE's Nat Burton scored the first basket of the second half but the Durant boys Tony and Kevin, Delonte Jones, Steve Harley, and Cliff Dixon walked the Essence team down to come within three points at the 15:15 mark of the second half and briefly took the lead on a Durant three pointer but couldn't open the gap.  Essence seized the lead back quickly on saavy veteran play from Burton and Shields.  They held on until the 1:58 mark of the second half when Sweat Mob's Cliff sunk a free throw that briefly tied the game at 88 apiece.

Ironically it was poor free throw shooting that cost the game for the Sweat Mob.  Cliff Dixon, a fabulous player, had a terrible night on the line.  Durant himself, fatigued from playing the entire game and spending an incredible amount of energy missed three straight free throw attempts with 1:23 left on the clock.  RE's Ricky Shields calmly converted his free throws in the waning moments of the game to seal the win for his team.  The final score was Rare Essence 94-91over the Sweat Mob.

RE's Lonnie Baxter said after the game, "I came out here to play, have fun and support Miles and it's good to get the win as well."

The Sweat Mob's Delonte Jones said, "We got down too early. We spent too much energy trying to come and fight our way back.  If we hadn't come with the same intensity when the game started we would have been alright."

Stay tuned as the Sweat Mob fights for their playoff lives. They had a chance to control their own destiny now it looks like they may need help.  Please ask Miles to untangle any complicated tie scenarios. 

Plays of the game:

6:33 mark of the first half - RE's Ricky Shields comes down on a fast break and throws a perfect bounce pass between his legs to a trailing Lonnie Baxter for tomahawk dunk.

18:07 mark of the second half - The Top Predator catches a 45 foot alley oop pass from Steve Harley above the rim and throws it down.

7:00 mark of the second half - Tony Durant throws down a flying left handed dunk.

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