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The 2021–22 NBA G League season was the 21st season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The prior season, the league played a shortened season with 18 teams and all games were held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida, in similar to the 2020 NBA Bubble due to the ongoing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2] The 2021–22 season consisted of two phases: a Showcase Cup from November 5 to December 22, with all 30 teams participating before 28 of the league teams underwent a traditional regular season intended to span 36 games for each team from January 5 to April 2 before postseason. Untimely postponements, however, would lead to a varying level of games played before the end of the season, which meant roughly 31-35 games were played by each team.[3]
| 2021–22 NBA G League season | |
|---|---|
| League | NBA G League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | November 5, 2021 – April 2, 2022 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Shamorie Ponds |
| Picked by | Delaware Blue Coats |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Raptors 905 Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Season MVP | Trevelin Queen (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) |
| Finals champions | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Runners-up | Delaware Blue Coats |
| Finals MVP | Trevelin Queen (Rio Grande Valley) |
League changes
editThe NBA G League added one new team, had three teams relocate, and two teams rebrand for the 2021–22 season:
- The Capitanes de Ciudad de México were initially planned to start playing in the G League for the 2020–21 season, but pushed back their debut in the G League to the 2021–22 season due to the pandemic.[4] As the travel restrictions continued in the scheduling of the 2021–22 season, the Capitanes played during the Showcase Cup from November 5 to December 22 and were not able to play any home games in Mexico City.
- The Canton Charge relocated to Cleveland to play at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center and were re-branded as the Cleveland Charge.[5]
- The Detroit Pistons purchased and relocated the Northern Arizona Suns franchise to become the Motor City Cruise with home games in Detroit at Wayne State Arena.
- The New Orleans Pelicans relocated their franchise, previously playing as the Erie BayHawks, to Birmingham, Alabama, as the Birmingham Squadron following the renovation of Legacy Arena.[6]
- The Boston Celtics rebranded their affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, as the Maine Celtics.[7]
- The Denver Nuggets affiliated with the Grand Rapids Drive, which had previously been affiliated with the Pistons, and the Drive rebranded as the Grand Rapids Gold.[8][9]
- Divisions were abolished in place of having the top six teams of each conference make the postseason (the last season with divisions was the 2019–20 NBA G League season, as the 2020–21 season had the top eight of the eighteen teams make the playoffs).
Additionally, the Westchester Knicks temporarily relocated their home games from White Plains, New York, to Bridgeport, Connecticut, as their home arena, the Westchester County Center, was still being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site.[10] The Capitanes de Ciudad de México also set up their season in Fort Worth, Texas as a temporary home for this season in order to play in the G League this season without circumventing border restrictions at the time.
The league changed its season format to be played in two stages: a 14-game Showcase Cup and then an intended 36-game regular season with a playoff. All 30 teams played in the Showcase Cup that ended with the NBA G League Winter Showcase on the weekend of December 19 to 22. The regular season was then set to start on December 27, but was then pushed back to January 5.[11] The league standings reset for the start of the regular season for qualifying for the playoffs. The NBA G League Ignite and Capitanes de Ciudad de México will not participate in the regular season or playoffs, but will play a few exhibition games that do not count towards the other teams standings.[3]
Other changes
editThis season is the first for Wilson as the G League's official ball brand. On May 14, 2020, the NBA announced a multi-year partnership with Wilson as the manufacturer and supplier of G League game balls,[12] to succeed Spalding, which supplied the league since 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL).[13]
Winter Showcase
editStandings
editCentral
edit| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Wisconsin Herd (MIL) | 9 | 3 | .750 | — |
| 2 | x – Motor City Cruise (DET) | 8 | 4 | .667 | 1 |
| 3 | x – Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IND) | 8 | 4 | .667 | 1 |
| 4 | Cleveland Charge (CLE) | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 |
| 5 | Iowa Wolves (MIN) | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 |
| 6 | Grand Rapids Gold (DEN) | 5 | 6 | .455 | 3.5 |
| 7 | Windy City Bulls (CHI) | 2 | 7 | .222 | 5.5 |
| 8 | Sioux Falls Skyforce (MIA) | 1 | 9 | .100 | 7 |
East
edit| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Delaware Blue Coats (PHI) | 11 | 1 | .917 | — |
| 2 | x – Maine Celtics (BOS) | 10 | 2 | .833 | 1 |
| 3 | Capital City Go-Go (WAS) | 6 | 6 | .500 | 5 |
| 4 | Westchester Knicks (NYK) | 4 | 8 | .333 | 7 |
| 5 | Long Island Nets (BKN) | 4 | 8 | .333 | 7 |
| 6 | Raptors 905 (TOR) | 4 | 8 | .333 | 7 |
| 7 | College Park Skyhawks (ATL) | 3 | 9 | .250 | 8 |
South
edit| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Rio Grande Valley Vipers (HOU) | 9 | 3 | .750 | — |
| 2 | Birmingham Squadron (NO) | 7 | 5 | .583 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas Legends (DAL) | 7 | 5 | .583 | 2 |
| 4 | Austin Spurs (SAS) | 7 | 5 | .583 | 2 |
| 5 | Memphis Hustle (MEM) | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 |
| 6 | Lakeland Magic (ORL) | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4 |
| 7 | Capitanes de Ciudad de México | 4 | 8 | .333 | 5 |
| 8 | Greensboro Swarm (CHA) | 3 | 9 | .250 | 6 |
West
edit| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – South Bay Lakers (LAL) | 9 | 3 | .750 | — |
| 2 | x – Oklahoma City Blue (OKC) | 8 | 4 | .667 | 1 |
| 3 | Agua Caliente Clippers (LAC) | 7 | 5 | .583 | 2 |
| 4 | NBA G League Ignite | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 |
| 5 | Stockton Kings (SAC) | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3 |
| 6 | Santa Cruz Warriors (GSW) | 4 | 8 | .333 | 5 |
| 7 | Salt Lake City Stars (UTA) | 2 | 10 | .167 | 7 |
Showcase Cup
editFinal Results:[14]
| Quarterfinals Dec. 19 | Semifinals Dec. 21 | Showcase Cup Championship Dec. 22 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Delaware Blue Coats | 126 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants | 101 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Delaware Blue Coats | 122 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | South Bay Lakers | 108 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | South Bay Lakers | 119 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Wisconsin Herd | 112 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Delaware Blue Coats | 104 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Oklahoma City Blue | 96 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 113 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Oklahoma City Blue | 119 (OT) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Oklahoma City Blue | 99 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Motor City Cruise | 97 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Maine Celtics | 103 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Motor City Cruise | 116 | ||||||||||||
Statistics
edit| Category | Player | Team(s) | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Saben Lee | Motor City Cruise | 30.9 |
| Rebounds per game | Freddie Gillespie | Memphis Hustle | 12.5 |
| Assists per game | Ryan Arcidiacono | Maine Celtics | 7.8 |
| Steals per game | Shaquille Harrison | Delaware Blue Coats | 3.3 |
| Blocks per game | Freddie Gillespie | Memphis Hustle | 2.8 |
| Turnovers per game | Vernon Carey Jr. | Greensboro Swarm | 4.5 |
| Minutes per game | Tyler Hall | Westchester Knicks | 39.8 |
| Efficiency per game | Nathan Knight | Iowa Wolves | 36.6 |
| Double-doubles | Terry Taylor | Fort Wayne Mad Ants | 11 |
Regular season
editAs of April 2, 2022.
Eastern Conference
edit| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Raptors 905 (TOR) | 24 | 8 | .750 | — |
| 2 | x – Motor City Cruise (DET) | 22 | 10 | .688 | 2 |
| 3 | x – Delaware Blue Coats (PHI) | 22 | 10 | .688 | 2 |
| 4 | x – Capital City Go-Go (WAS) | 21 | 10 | .677 | 2.5 |
| 5 | x – College Park Skyhawks (ATL) | 20 | 13 | .606 | 4.5 |
| 6 | x – Long Island Nets (BKN) | 18 | 15 | .545 | 6.5 |
| 7 | e – Grand Rapids Gold (DEN) | 17 | 15 | .531 | 7 |
| 8 | e – Westchester Knicks (NYK) | 17 | 15 | .531 | 7 |
| 9 | e – Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IND) | 17 | 17 | .500 | 8 |
| 10 | e – Maine Celtics (BOS) | 16 | 16 | .500 | 8 |
| 11 | e – Windy City Bulls (CHI) | 15 | 19 | .441 | 10 |
| 12 | e – Lakeland Magic (ORL) | 11 | 21 | .344 | 13 |
| 13 | e – Greensboro Swarm (CHA) | 9 | 24 | .273 | 15.5 |
| 14 | e – Wisconsin Herd (MIL) | 8 | 24 | .250 | 16 |
| 15 | e – Cleveland Charge (CLE) | 6 | 26 | .188 | 18 |
Western Conference
edit| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Rio Grande Valley Vipers (HOU) | 24 | 10 | .706 | — |
| 2 | x – Agua Caliente Clippers (LAC) | 22 | 11 | .667 | 1.5 |
| 3 | x – South Bay Lakers (LAL) | 21 | 11 | .656 | 2 |
| 4 | x – Birmingham Squadron (NO) | 18 | 14 | .563 | 5 |
| 5 | x – Texas Legends (DAL) | 19 | 15 | .559 | 5 |
| 6 | x – Santa Cruz Warriors (GSW) | 15 | 17 | .469 | 8 |
| 7 | e – Iowa Wolves (MIN) | 15 | 17 | .469 | 8 |
| 8 | e – Stockton Kings (SAC) | 15 | 18 | .455 | 8.5 |
| 9 | e – Memphis Hustle (MEM) | 15 | 19 | .441 | 9 |
| 10 | e – Oklahoma City Blue (OKC) | 15 | 20 | .429 | 9.5 |
| 11 | e – Austin Spurs (SAS) | 13 | 19 | .406 | 10 |
| 12 | e – Sioux Falls Skyforce (MIA) | 14 | 21 | .400 | 10.5 |
| 13 | e – Salt Lake City Stars (UTA) | 9 | 23 | .281 | 14 |
Playoffs
edit- Quarterfinals: April 5 (one game)[15]
- Semifinals: April 7/8 (one game)
- Conference Finals: April 9 & 10 (one game)
- Finals: April 12 & April 14 (best-of-three)
For the fifth time in the best-of-three series era and for the first time since 2018, a team went undefeated in postseason play, as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers went 4–0 to win their fourth league title, defeating the Delaware Blue Coats in two games. The Vipers set a couple of records during the G League Finals, most notably in Game 1 when they scored 145 points in a 145–128 victory, which was the most points scored by a team in G League Finals history. Trevelin Queen scored 44 points, the second most scored in a Final; two triple-doubles were recorded by the Vipers: Daishen Nix scored 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists and Anthony Lamb scored 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was the first time a triple-double had been recorded in the League since 2013 and it was the first Finals game to feature two triple-doubles in the same game. Mfiondu Kabengele recorded eight blocks, a Finals record. The Blue Coats became the first team since the Santa Cruz Warriors (2013, 2014) to lose back-to-back G League Finals.[16][17][18][19][20]
| Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Finals Best-of-three | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Raptors 905 | 131* | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Capital City Go-Go | 126 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Capital City Go-Go | 131 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | College Park Skyhawks | 122 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Raptors 905 | 139 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Delaware Blue Coats | 143 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Delaware Blue Coats | 133 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Long Island Nets | 116 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Motor City Cruise | 116 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Delaware Blue Coats | 124 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Delaware Blue Coats | 128 | 114 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 145 | 131 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 120 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Texas Legends | 103 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Birmingham Squadron | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Texas Legends | 115 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | 125 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Agua Caliente Clippers | 114 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | South Bay Lakers | 134 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Santa Cruz Warriors | 123 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Agua Caliente Clippers | 112 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | South Bay Lakers | 110 | |||||||||||||||||||
Finals boxscore
editApril 12, 2022
9:00 p.m. ET |
| Delaware Blue Coats 128, Rio Grande Valley Vipers 145 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–35, 29–42, 32–36, 31–32 | ||
| Pts: Patrick McCaw 24 Rebs: Patrick McCaw 9 Asts: Shamorie Ponds 9 |
Pts: Trevelin Queen 44 Rebs: Mfiondu Kabengele 14 Asts: Daishen Nix 11 | |
Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Attendance: 4,186 Referees:
|
April 14, 2022
8:00 p.m. ET |
| Rio Grande Valley Vipers 131, Delaware Blue Coats 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 43–28, 26–29, 35–29, 27–28 | ||
| Pts: Mfiondu Kabengele 29 Rebs: Daishen Nix 11 Asts: Daishen Nix 8 |
Pts: Myles Powell 28 Rebs: Shaquille Harrison 12 Asts: Shaquille Harrison 9 | |
| Rio Grande Valley wins series, 2–0 | ||
Chase Fieldhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
Attendance: 2,619 Referees:
|
Statistics
edit| Category | Player | Team(s) | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Carsen Edwards | Salt Lake City Stars | 26.7 |
| Rebounds per game | Petr Cornelie | Grand Rapids Gold | 13.0 |
| Assists per game | Derrick Walton | Motor City Cruise | 9.5 |
| Steals per game | Gabe York | Fort Wayne Mad Ants | 3.3 |
| Blocks per game | Tacko Fall | Cleveland Charge | 2.7 |
| Turnovers per game | Craig Randall | Long Island Nets | 4.5 |
| Minutes per game | 40.8 | ||
| FG% | Tacko Fall | Cleveland Charge | 76.6% |
| FT% | Joe Chealey | Greensboro Swarm | 92.2% |
| 3FG% | Micah Potter | Sioux Falls Skyforce | 44.1% |
| Efficiency per game | Justin Tillman | College Park Skyhawks | 29.1 |
Awards
editPlayer of the Week
edit| Date | Player[21] |
|---|---|
| November 9–16 | Saben Lee[22] |
| November 16–23 | Charlie Brown Jr. |
| November 23–30 | Tacko Fall |
| November 30–December 7 | Luka Šamanić |
| December 7–14 | Paul Reed |
| January 4–11 | Craig Randall II |
| January 11–18 | Carlik Jones |
| January 18–25 | Daishen Nix |
| January 25–February 1 | Justin Tillman |
| February 1–8 | Saben Lee |
| February 8–15 | Chris Clemons |
| February 22–March 1 | Isaiah Thomas |
| March 1–March 8 | Nik Stauskas |
| March 8–March 15 | Justin Anderson |
| March 15–March 22 | Cat Barber |
| March 22–March 29 | Jerome Robinson |
| March 29–April 5 | Charles Bassey |
Player of the Month
edit| Date | Player[21] |
|---|---|
| November | Saben Lee |
| January | Mason Jones |
| February | Craig Randall II |
| March | Chris Clemons |
Winter Showcase
editMost Valuable Player
editAll-Showcase Team
editNotable occurrences
edit- On December 26, 2021, Deividas Sirvydis of the Motor City Cruise received a call-up by the Detroit Pistons, making him the 64th player to be called up that season and breaking the record of 63 call-ups in the 2014–15 season.[25]
References
edit- ^ "NBA G League To Begin Play at Disney In February". NBA G League. January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Back to the Bubble: G League Season Will Be Played at Disney". SI.com. January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "NBA G League Tips off 2021-22 Season on November 5 with Innovative New Format". OurSports Central. September 14, 2021.
- ^ "NBA G League Expands to Mexico City in Landmark Partnership with Capitanes". NBA.com. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ "NBA G League's Canton Charge moving to downtown Cleveland, starting with upcoming season". CantonRep.com. June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Birmingham Squadron selected as team name for New Orleans Pelicans G League affiliate". New Orleans Pelicans. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ "Maine Red Claws Renamed Maine Celtics". OurSports Central. May 24, 2021.
- ^ "Grand Rapids Drive Announce New Name And Logo". NBAGrandRapids.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 7, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ "Grand Rapids Drive rebrands as Gold, now affiliated with Denver Nuggets". www.detroitnews.com. July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Westchester Knicks Announce Home Games to be Played at Webster Bank Arena". OurSports Central. October 9, 2021.
- ^ "NBA G League Regular Season To Begin January 5, 2022". NBA G League. December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Wilson to become official game ball of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League". NBA.com (Press release). May 14, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ "National Basketball Development League Announces Inaugural". Bloomberg. Business Wire. November 15, 2001. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
The NBDL will use the Spalding NBA Infusion basketball, a new basketball that can be inflated with a Micro-Pump(TM) that is incorporated into the ball, as the league's official game ball, it was also announced today.
- ^ "AT&T Winter Showcase Schedule & Results". NBA G League. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "NBA G League Schedule".
- ^ @nbagleague (13 April 2022). "👑QUEEN WAS KING OF GAME 1👑Trevelin Queen is now the second highest scorer in NBA G League Finals history. He drop…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Vipers Cruise to West Semifinal Win over Texas Legends".
- ^ "NBA G League Playoffs: Conference Finals".
- ^ "Queen named NBA G-League Finals MVP as RGV Vipers win championship". 15 April 2022.
- ^ @nbagleague (13 April 2022). "🔥BREAKING RECORDS🔥Daishen Nix: 31PTS🔥12REB🔥11ASTAnthony Lamb: 10PTS🔥10REB🔥10ASTThe @RGVVipers are the first t…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "G League Awards & Honors By Season - 2021–22". RealGM. Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons guard Saben Lee earns G League Player of the Week". MLive. 16 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Jarron Cumberland Named MVP of G League Showcase Cup". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "NBA G League on Instagram: "These five put on a show under the Vegas lights. Introducing the #ATTWinterShowcase All-Showcase Team!"". December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "NBA G League News & Notes: January 4". OurSportsCentral. 4 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved January 21, 2022.