| Glasgow Rocks | 86 |
| Guildford Heat | 75 |
It all starts on Saturday afternoon with the Eagles taking on the Raiders. To be followed by the Tigers against the Riders. It is going to be a very entertaining weekend with the Eagles coming in as obvious favourites.
Semi Final Line up - Tip Off Times Confirmed
3.30pm Newcastle Eagles v Airwaves Plymouth Raiders
6.00pm Everton Tigers v Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders
GAME 1: Newcastle Eagles (1) vs Plymouth Raiders (5)
League champions Newcastle Eagles face Airwaves Plymouth Raiders in the first semi-final of the BBL play-offs at the NIA in Birmingham on Saturday afternoon.
It will be the fourth time the two sides have met this season, with Eagles having taken the regular season series 2-1.
The first two meetings both came at Plymouth Pavilions, and it was Eagles who drew first blood as 28 points from BBL Most Valuable Player Trey Moore helped them to a 91-73 victory in October. Raiders levelled the series five weeks later with a thrilling 88-85 victory, with Kwbana Beckles pouring in 32 points for the hosts. However, it was Eagles who sealed the season series who sealed the series shortly before Christmas as Moore surpassed Beckles’ efforts with 33 points in an 83-77 win.
Raiders coach Gary Stronach has praise for an Eagles team who also won the BBL Trophy this season: “They’ve clearly been the best team night in, night out throughout the season, and I can’t say a lot more than that. Fab’s done a really excellent job, and they deserved to win the league. He’s started to get a lot out of the two rookies, Tafari Toney and Reggie Jackson. The old guard of Andrew Bridge, Trey Moore, Charles Smith, Lynard Stewart and Fab himself have performed really well throughout the season, and they’ve got real depth in all positions.
“We have to put a game plan together, and hope that they aren’t firing on all cylinders so that we can knock them out of their step. I can’t tie myself in knots worrying about them, because I have to concentrate on getting my team ready”.
Having seen his team defeat Raiders in last season’s third placed play-off, Eagles coach Fabulous Flournoy is excited to be facing the Raiders again, and believes both sides have special reason to want to progress to the championship game:
“I think ourselves and Plymouth have the most to prove because we both went out in the semis last season. Both Gary [Stronach] and I were sick to lose at that stage – literally in my case – and that will be in the back of our minds and we’ll want to put it right this year. They didn’t have a good showing in the Cup the final, and they’ll look to rectify that, so they probably have the biggest incentive to win.
“All three games against them this season were played before Christmas, and we’re both totally different teams since then. They’ve brought in a couple of players, but a lost a key man in Terrance Durham. Although we haven’t changed our roster, we have lost Lynard [Stewart], and we now have players who are key to us who weren’t then. Neither team will really know what to expect, so we need to concentrate on getting our own game right. We’ve got the whole week to prepare, and it’s a massive game for both teams”.
Game 2: Everton Tigers (2) vs DMU Leicester Riders (3)
Everton Tigers and Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders meet at the NIA in Birmingham on Saturday evening with a place in the BBL play-off final at stake.
Both sides have recorded their highest ever finish in the BBL Championship this season, with Tigers marking their second season in the competition with the runners-up spot while Riders have finished third to claim their best position in 34 years in the top flight.
While he is pleased with his own side’s success, Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto also recognises the job done by Riders’ Rob Paternostro: “I’ve said all season what a great job Rob has done. He’s assembled a really solid roster, and recruited the kind of player you need to if you don’t have the pick of the bunch. They don’t have any genuine stand out players. They’ve got a great team ethic and an unbelievable team chemistry. Even when we’ve beaten them handily a couple of time, they haven’t got down on themselves or on Rob. They are the best rebounding team in the league, and they’re always in games. That’s important when you’re at this stage of the season.”
Riders play-caller Paternostro is keen that his team do not take their foot off the gas after one of the most successful seasons in the club’s long history: “We’re excited to be here, and I don’t think many people thought that Leicester would be in the final four at the start of the season. There’s a lot of excitement from the fans and players, but we’re back in the business of winning games, and we’re looking to be the best we can at the weekend.”
Paternostro expects a tough game when his side meet Everton Tigers on Saturday: “When you get to this stage of the year, anyone you meet in the final four is going to be a good team. And Everton are certainly a good team. They are well coached and have a lot of weapons, so it’ll be difficult for us to stop them.”
The game will see Paternostro facing his former coach at Birmingham Bullets, Tony Garbelotto, and he’s looking forward to it: “Tony and I have been friends for a long time, so it’ll be strange to go up against a guy I played for and I talk to a lot.
Tigers won two of the three BBL Championship games between the teams, and also recorded a double in the BBL Trophy group stage. The opening game between the sides saw Tigers win 78-73 in overtime on the road in the October, and a month later they wrapped up the series with a 101-86 home victory. Tigers also won 89-75 at home in the Trophy and 98-77 in the midlands, but it was Riders who won the most recent encounter 77-74 in the midlands to avoid a regular season sweep.
Posted on 01 May, 2009
