2007 Las Vegas AAU Tournaments – adidas Super 64 FinalBy: Aran_Smith

By Aran Smith
7/29/07

Behind the trio of Derrick Favors, Chris Singleton and Delwan Graham, the Atlanta Celtics were able to upset last years champs Pump and Run Elite (CA) 75-64 to take home the 2007 adidas Super 64 Championship.

The Celtics came in the underdog, but with a deeper bench they were able to win the battle of attrition as both teams were playing their third games of the day.

The Celtics beat Pump and Run to the punch building an early 10 point lead and holding on to it throughout the game. With 5 minutes to go, Pump and Run finally began to play with a sense of urgency hitting some shots to close the game to a single digit lead. But they were unable to get stops on the defensive end as Graham poured it on en route to a game high 20 points (9-14 shooting).

Pump and Run’s superstar Jrue Holiday was a no show contributing just 8 points on 2-10 shooting. He hit just 1-7 all on three point attempts before finally trying to drive late in the game. He’s a very patient player and takes what the defense gives him, but at one point he needed to take control as the star of the team, but he was unable to. Pump and Run’s twin forwards David and Travis Wear were neutralized by the Celtics tremendous forwards Favors and Singleton, both of which have NBA athleticism.

Favors is a tremendous shot blocker and his presence limited the penetration of Pump’s star guards Holiday and Jerime Anderson. Anderson shot the ball well from 3 finishing with 14 points, but it wasn’t enough to match the Celtics size and depth.

Larry Drew led Pump and Run in scoring with 15 points hitting a number of three pointers, but went cold from outside in the closing minutes.

The star of the game was Singleton who came up with the big plays when it counted with a number of key steals and rebounds. He’s a Stephen Jackson type of player with great versatility and athleticism. He set up teammates for shots as well as scoring on the break. Though he only had 11 points on 4-5 shooting, he deservedly won MVP with his great all around performance.