The much anticipated exhibition matchup between the renowned Goodman league (East coast) and Drew league (West coast) took place on Saturday night in Washington D.C. as San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal’s team, the Goodman league won 135 to 134 in a thrilling game led by two members of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma’s Kevin Durant scored 44 points for the Goodman league and hit the game winning free throws. Durant’s Thunder teammate James Harden had 29 points for the Drew league but missed the game winning shot to upset the East coast squad.
After the game, Neal gave praise to Durant for being one of the primary players to put the game together.
“When a guy like Kevin Durant does something, with the power he has in the NBAer he will continue to have, it kind of makes things easier,” said the San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal, who grew up in Aberdeen, Md., played collegiately at Towson and is a Goodman League regular.
“It’s kind of hard to have a game like this in the NBA if you don’t have influence. But a guy like Kevin Durant can just get on the phone and call anybody. That’s why this game is the way it is.”
For Neal, the opportunity to play in a game that featured multiple NBA players can only enhance his growth during this uncertain NBA lockout. The Goodman league will continue to keep providing locked out NBA players such as Neal a haven where they can go to continue to stay in shape and work on their game with good competition.
