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SBL commissioner apologizes to Mars for clock blunder

Super Basketball League (SBL) commissioner Wang Ren-da (王人達) held a press conference on Wednesday to apologize to the BCC Mars for the timekeeper's negligence in last weekend's game between the Mars and the Jeoutai Elephants that cost the Mars a potential victory.

The league has suspended the scorekeeper for the rest of the season in response to the incident, and agreed to purchase a new game clock to replace the existing one.

In the interest of maintaining the league's long-term viability, the Mars, which had threatened to withdraw from the remaining league competition in protest, accepted the apology in good faith and agreed to remain in the league, despite the fact that the controversial loss will remain in effect.

Wang also addressed the issue regarding the quality of the officiating in the league, and has agreed to request for two additional veteran referees from the Philippines to join the SBL in the postseason to improve the quality of officiating.

All playoff games will be officiated by a three-man crew instead of two under the current system.

The voting scheme for the weekly "Mister Hustle" award was changed from polling fans over the Internet to polling the members of the press in an effort to better reflect the contributions of a particular player, instead of award serving as a popularity contest.

This week's honor went to Yulon Dinos' "Mister Reserve" -- Hung Chi-chao (洪啟超). The veteran guard deserves much overdue praise for his work ethic in a ball club that is filled with top players.

Even though Hung does not have the size (187cm, 78kg) or the speed to match those that attract greater attention, he excels in his own game by sinking important free throws late in the game and by creating the key turnovers at critical moments.

Several of his game-high 18 points in the Dinos' three-point win over the Dacin Tigers came right after the Tigers had scored big buckets to remain within striking distance of the Dinos.

Dinos versus Sina Lions

As for this week's action on the floor, the showdown between the league's top two squads (Dinos and the Sina Lions) will take center stage tomorrow afternoon, where the Dinos look to end the Lions' 11-game winning skid to extend their lead over the Lions to 2-1/2 games.

Dinos guards must put pressure on the Lions' two big guns (Chou Jung-san [周俊三] and Luo Hsin-liang [羅興樑]) on the perimeters. The tandem accounts for over 40 percent of the Lions' total offense.

This is by far the most anticipated game of the weekend because a Lions victory would narrow the gap between the two teams at the top to merely a 1/2 game.

Elephants versus Tigers

Winner of two straight, the Elephants will face a tenacious Tigers club in Game 2 tomorrow night. The Tigers will be on a mission to avenge an embarrassing 29-point loss in their previous meeting. They will also try to cool off an Elephants attack led by sharp-shooter Yang Yu-ming (楊玉明).

The key to success for the Tigers will be how well they can move the ball inside.

Mars versus Bank of Taiwan

On Sunday, Game 1 will feature the high-scoring Mars against Bank of Taiwan. This contest has the making of a huge upset as the bankers have nothing-to-lose. The Mars, to their detriment, have a habit of playing down to their opponents' level.
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