Plato and Aristotle Combine Late in 4th Century BC Victory

Paris--The 4th century BC broke open a tight game and surged ahead late behind the play of Aristotle for a 73 to 63 victory over the 2nd century AD. The first half saw eight lead changes, as the two teams went back and forth answering each other shot for shot. Plutarch led the way for the 2nd century in the first half, where he scored 12 of his 17 points.

“I don’t always see eye to eye with coach, but he created a game plan that allowed me to really thrive early on,” said the biographer and moralist.

That game plan eventually ran out, however, as Plato began to shut down Plutarch in the second half.

“During the first half, I was blinded and overwhelmed by his deceptive moves. He really is very good off the dribble. Yet, after I figured out what lay behind his early success, I was able to more effectively thwart him,” said the philosopher.

Aristotle, the second leading scorer for the 4th Century behind Plato, was surprisingly quiet in the game until the latter part of the second half. Early on he seemed to have trouble getting into the offence as Plato was taking most of the shots. But he took control in the last seven minutes of the game, at one point scoring 11 straight for the 4th century.

“I just wanted to win the game so I could go back to the hotel and think,” said the Stagirite.

The death blow for the 2nd century came when Irenaeus of Lyons was ejected from the game for blowing up in the face of an official on what he thought was a bad call. The theologian and bishop commented after the game: “As far as I am concerned, that call was based on a delusion or perhaps some supposed secret knowledge of the rules, and not on any real reality.”

Diogenes the Cynic missed the game for the 4th Century BC after being bitten rather savagely in the leg by a dog on the street the night before. However, he should be available for the Elite Eight as he was heard protesting that his injury was of no real account.


Players of the Game

4th century BC: Plato – 13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals.
2nd century AD: Plutarch – 17 points, 8 rebounds.