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Monday June 4th, pre- pre-game

"Excellent job everyone."

Those three words sparked a sea of emotions among the fifteen players and assembled coaches of the Huntsville Mayors, mostly ranging from disbelief and confusion to aggressive annoyance and seething anger. Though nobody dared to speak up in response to the team owner and general manager Stefan Calico (Tabby Cat, Owner/GM, HNT) as he continued to address his team, this time in their physical presence and much more properly dressed in a business suit instead of just a towel.

"When you finished the regular season with a winning record, I was very proud. Locking in a playoff berth, even home court advantage for the first round of the post-season, that made me even happier. Despite what you may think about yourselves, throughout all the upheavals and changes that have been made, even the recent losses you've had to suffer and the situation that you now have to face, you all have done what few believed we could accomplish in a single season. While I would hope to attribute our success to the shared vision of the team, it is every one of you that carried each part of it out to the best of your abilities, and I sincerely want to thank you for trusting me as well as each other to support our unified cause.

"The outcome of today's game won't change my opinion of this team: you all love this sport, and I enjoy seeing you show that love on the court. And no matter what happens," the tabby paused to ensure that everyone was paying attention, "remember to thank your Tennessee neighbors for pushing you hard and providing strong competition. Those Minutemen won't know what hit them when the Southern Division takes over in Patriot Stadium."

Once again the cat paused, scanning his players and coaches while letting his carefully chosen words sink in before capping off his brief speech with: "Now get out there and remind everyone that nobody beats City Hall! Right!?!?"

A chorus of whoops and cheers followed the feline as he briskly walked amongst the players and coaches to share high-fives and paw-bumps before slipping out of the locker room. The only Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 was about to start, and for the second time in as many years the Moonshiners were involved. Last year the Pride had a bunny baller rooting them on from the sidelines, but Stefan would be surprised if he saw anyone from the old Mayors' squad showing up to be that sixth fur from the stands. And with how the past games in Explorer Stadium have all come down to the wire, he wasn't even convinced that kind of "support" would even help in the end.

One thing was crystal clear though: his plan was still on track. And the next phase would begin soon.

---

Monday June 4th, game-summary

#5 TEN @ #4 HNT: L Moonshiners 85, W Mayors 97 (HNT wins 4-3) PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bailey Brisbane (Catahoula Leopard Hound, G, HNT)

With 3 out of 4 matches in the Eastern Confernce ending in 4-0 sweeps, it was striking that the one series that didn't was going to a Game 7. But no one expected the Moonshiners to be as tenacious as they were.

While Tennessee lacked home field advantage, their previous crushing blow against the Mayors to take Game 6 showed everyone this club had every tool they needed for victory. Which was why the Mayors were so serious. In pre-game warmups and interviews, it was clear. Despite the cheering crowd, there was no way new head coach Howard Schnitthund (German Shepherd, HC, HNT) was going to underestimate his opponent. In a rocky first season that saw him taking over for the legendary Rolf Korber (Doberman, head choach, IDA), the young coach had managed to wrestle home field advantage from the most stacked division in the L. And no doubt he felt he needed every bit of help he could get.

The first half just served to remind him of that. In those 24 minutes, the teams were virtually locked up as the lead went back and forth again and again neither side getting more than a 3 point lead. The closeness of the match was almost ridiculous as it seemed every time John Stoat (Stoat, G, HNT) missed a long ball, Jamie Velasquez (Seagull, G/F, TEN) would miss one. And every time Bailey Brisbane (Catahoula Leopard Hound, G, HNT) sank a jump shot, Jeff Random (Pit Bull, G, TEN) would knock down his. The two sides were so closed matched that by halftime, the only reason the Moonshiners had a 1-point lead was because Stoat was handed a technical for arguing with an official over getting fouled on what he felt was a clean block.

The second half brought considerable change, though. Schnitthund reworked his game plan during halftime and later told reporters how much he redirected the team's focus for the final 24. Stepped up mid-range defense helped shut down Velasquez and Ryan Thatcher (American Beaver, G/F, TEN), while more attention to the extreme ends of the court put Brisbane and Hassan Kamal (Camel, C, HNT) on scoring streaks. Aragon Fisher (Otter, G, TEN) was given room to work, allowing the otter to open up his game. But fellow otter Paul Teronura (Otter, C, TEN) struggled under the long wingspan of Kamal, who kept using his lengthy arms to keep PT from getting clear shots. When the Mayors suddenly went on a 12-0 streak, the Moonshiners took a time-out then got a huge boost from an unlikely source. Barry Carpenter (Beaver, F, TEN), who has been off-and-on in this series, went on again and just exploded onto the court, using his combination of big frame, strong muscles, and quick webbed foot work to just work over Tyler Kiko (Goat, F, HNT). Vincent Wei (Dhole, F, HNT) stepped up to offer better defense, but neither aged veteran could match the youth or strength of one of Tennessee's favorite players. He slowed down the bleeding and ended the frame with his team just 4 back.

Schnitthund made a very Rolf Korber-like move in the fourth quarter, seeing how intensely Carpenter was fighting, and how poorly equipped his club was to handle the big beaver. In response, he told his team to let Carpenter score, and to concentrate their D entirely on the middle of the court. It was crushing to see Carpenter continue to tear the game apart, throwing down the biggest, most intense dunks of the game, at one point coming within a millisecond of receiving a technical for the way he held on to the rim with his webbed hands. But the Mayors just let him keep scoring as they cycled their players and guarded the midrange, keeping Velasquez and Thatcher unable to contribute. Eventually, the plan worked as the Moonshiners got comfortable leaning on Carpenter's play, giving him the ball every possession until the giant rodent was worn out and panting. And by then, the focus had been so clearly on one direction it seemed Tennessee hadn't noticed that Huntsville had quietly gotten jump shots to match every one of Carpenter's thundering dunks. In the last six minutes of play, the home team pulled away and never looked back, going on a 14-4 streak that lacked the intensity and flash of Tennessee, but took what was important-- a 12-point victory.

The crowd burst into cheers at the final buzzer that would send Huntsville into the Conference semi-finals. Despite receiving a fine for an earlier comment, Stoat made a point of hugging Velasquez after the game and reportedly apologized to her personally-- which immeiately makes me wonder if that really way Stoat at all. But it was good show of sportsmanship between two teams that took each other to the brink. Stoat explained it more colorfully in the post-game interviews. "The reason that buzzer sounds so f---ing annoying is that it's not telling you the game is over. It's just telling you, hey! New plan! Now you gotta fight those wankers in Williamsburg! Nice thing about that, now everyone on the court is your friend again."

And that's a swish.

--T.matt.L

---

Monday June 4th, post-game

tweet by Adrian McCormick (Badger, F, TAL) @MacAttack: very proud of my bro for his great play in the series winning game tonight in HNT and thanks to Mr. Calico for the great seats!

* * * * * * * * * *

Quovaedis "Reflex" Broyles (Siamese Cat, F, HNT) broke down in tears.

"Dude, why are you crying? Go kick some Minutemen tail!" said his buddy Huckens Storrs (Raccoon, F, TEN) as he patted the feline on the back, mostly to try and get the cat to release him from the hug he was giving. "I got my 14 playoffs games, go get your second 7 in."

The siamese gathered himself together and stepped back to regard his college teammate. "Sorry, bro. You guys are damn good. We'll do ya proud in Williamsburg."

The coon laughed and clasped Reflex's arm with his own, and he returned the gesture. Their friendship had been tested time and again this season, having signed to divisional rival teams located within two hours of each other. They hardly had much time to hang out between games, and on the court it was always business first, despite both of them being dumped into the deep reserves for stretches at a time.

Even though the cat lost his starting role from the first three games of the series and got deactivated for the final game of the series, Huck got limited minutes on the floor in every single game. The blowout in Game 3 soured Quovaedis' mood towards the procyon when he celebrated with his teammates, and especially after getting drenched in beer upon entering the court pre-game as well as upon leaving the court after the final buzzer. Huntsville's Game 4 double-digit win in the Still saw the shoe on the other footpaw, though Broyles had drunk enough of Stefan Calico's Kool-Aid that instead of relishing the victory with his team, he went over to the Moonshiner bench with Bailey Brisbane and Howard Schnitthund to respectfully shake paws with the opponents, including Storrs.

Despite what his GM had warned him about before the season began, even after being bathed in special Tennessee brew, Quovaedis learned over the course of this series that he and his college buddy were going to still remain friendly rivals for as long as they were both in this league, regardless of their contracts and salaries. Pushing each other to their limits, challenging them to play their hardest, would make them better players in the long run.

And better friends.

* * * * * * * * * *

That kind of friendship was shared between Paul Teronura and Mitch "Crazy Eights" Diego (Kangaroo, F, HNT) as they met on the court after the final buzzer went off and shared their own bro-hug. Once the embrace was released, the big mustelid got a playful jab in the arm while the shorter marsupial had his headfur fuzzled just as Aragon "Whiskers" Fisher came sauntering up to also give his regards to Crazy Eights.

"It was so awesome playing with you guys at the beginning of the season," remarked Mitch, "and so much fun competing against you the rest of the way."

"Don't let it get to your head, we let you guys win this one," joked PT as the other otter stuck his tongue out. "You know you've got friends waiting for you here if you get tired of the commute."

"Yeah!" piped in Fisher. "You tell the best Thrust stories. Big guy here doesn't have your flair for expressing things." Teronura just shrugged and smiled.

"Well, how 'bout we all have dinner somewhere 'fore I have to rejoin the team? My treat, may as well spend the extra playoff bonus I'll be getting on my friends," replied the kangaroo.

"Sorry, gotta pass. Boyfriend and I have some plans for tonight," said the giant otter as he excused himself to head to the sidelines and the awaiting media.

"I'll text ya after the post-game press conferences," said Whiskers. "Same place as usual?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Diego. "Unless you know another place with a good steamed sole?"

The otter's whiskers flexed mischievously as he grinned.

* * * * * * * * * *

There was no grin on Vincent Wei's snout, though. It was more like a smirk as he eyed Logan Scott (Okapi, G/F, TEN) approaching from the Tennessee bench after the final buzzer. The Moonshiner had fouled out late in the game after a defensive rotation got the taller canid to pretty much bowl over the unprepared and slightly shorter swingfur. "You're getting slow in your old age, Half-Stripe," barked Wei.

"Didn't think you still had it in you," remarked the okapi, "what with the leg and all."

Vincent snorted. "Forgot all the times I bowled you over in drills when you were just a rookie?"

Logan stuck his long tongue out at that remark. "The Demons are long gone. But I think you're still carrying around some."

"Not for much longer," noted the dhole, eliciting a quirk of the ungulate's brow. "Maybe," added V-Way as he extended a paw.

Half-Stripe shook it gingerly. "Best of luck against those Minutemonsters."

The canine nodded, the smirk still on his lips as he looked over his first "student". The Tucson coaching staff had asked him in his sophomore year to help the okapi develop a better defensive game down low. The lessons would've probably stuck if the Demons hadn't shipped Logan off mid-season to the Springfield Fusion.

At least the next pupil he was assigned eventually became much better than his slowly aging body was preventing him from being.

* * * * * * * * * *

That pupil, Tyler Kiko, was being interviewed by FSPN's courtside reporter about his contributions during the series. He had entered the league just after the Healey Davis (Cheetah, G/F, retired) era, a scrappy and scrawny player that had great fundamentals but was severely lacking in the defensive department. The Mayors had picked up Wei from the Demons and set the young enforcer upon the rookie immediately to hone his skills. By the time Kiko was re-signed by Huntsville, he had taken the dhole's starting position at power forward as the elder canid began to settle into a solid backup for the New Zealander, on the path which culminated in a chip... and a disastrous injury in the following pre-season that knocked Tyler out for the majority of the '09-'10 campaign.

"Having V-Way back in the lineup behind me again really brought back memories of our championship run," replied Kiko to the reporter's question about the depth of Huntsville's bench. "Though I've been playing second fiddle most of the season to the young felines and that cocky bird, the knees just don't give me as much pop as they used to, ya know. But Coach Schnitthund knew that we needed to put more pressure on Barry [Carpenter], so I got the nod and did what I could."

"You now have to face the Minutemen in Williamsburg, so is the same plan in place for taking on Lenny Hicks (Coydog, F, WIL)?" the reporter speculated.

"I think Lenny's made big improvements since leaving the Alphas, but the coaches want me to face him first and feel out the Minutemen's general strategy before they commit to a decision," answered the goat. "Other than the Mudpuppies, we're the only team that's beaten the league leaders more than once during the regular season, but even Coach was studying game tape with us well before every Minutemen game."

"Speaking of pickups from the Alphas, have you had any pranks played on you recently?"

The goat just chuckled. "Nah, Ray [Rodin (Rat, G/F, HNT)] is usually the victim. Better reactions."

* * * * * * * * * *

The prankster in question, Evan Ashton (Lion, F, HNT), hadn't had much inspiration to goof around off the court. After spending his first two years languishing on the bench in a position he really wasn't suited for, on a team that couldn't get a winning record by the end of either season, the flamboyant feline found himself potentially out of a job with no offers coming his way in the off-season. But when the Mayors actually traded away a powerful bigfur to lock him in on a five-year deal, he was just as stunned as most of the media was. But something about the new management and coaching staff in Huntsville struck a chord in the Kansas native, and having a semi-permanent starting role alongside one of the most outspoken superstars in the league encouraged the lion to buckle down and really work with his fellow teammates. With a solid bench performance in this series, he was looking forward to the next challenge against the number one team of the league.

Although the Big Cheese made it worthwhile to keep a few tricks up his sleeve...

"GODDAMMIT ASHTON WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY UNDERWEAR!?!?"

I could've sworn I got the right shade of pink to match his tail, thought the lion.