The two teams with arguably the hottest brand of offensive basketball in the league will meet horns Sunday and again on Bank Holiday Monday for a ticket to the great action of the season.
London Lions and Cheshire Phoenix reached the last four play-offs capitalizing on their high-octane play and attacking execution to knock out the Newcastle Eagles and Caledonia Gladiators, respectively.
In addition to the head coaches: Lions’ Ryan Schmidt and Phoenix’s Ben Thomas, this will be their first taste of a semifinal game.
In build-up to this exciting series, the form is certainly in with London completing a sweep against Cheshire this season with three of those double-digit wins.
The past is the past, however, and the Phoenix are looking ahead as they look to eliminate the Lions and book their first visit to the O2 Arena.
Troubleshooting the final cup
Where they suffered one of their biggest losses in the cup final, Cheshire returned to Glasgow against Caledonia and eliminated them in the first round with two legs to spare.
Now they are preparing for their next challenge: putting all four league losses to London behind them.
On paper, that’s a tough question, but the game hasn’t been played on paper and if Phoenix is to bring down the mighty Lions roar, their defense will undoubtedly be key.
Offensively, Phoenix basketball plays a similar style to the cup and championship winners, but with a much deeper pool of players at their disposal, London has the advantage, so Ben Thomas’s team will have to play smart.
Averaging 81.9 points a game at an average of 45%, it’s solid numbers with Larry Austin Jr (15.9ppg), Marcus Evans (14.6) and Jameel Anderson (13.1) key factors for this success but it’s the defensive end Cheshire will need to excel to have the best chance. .
And all five players on the field will need to communicate, assist and work together on the defensive side to calm the firepower in London. As said, they must play smart.
On two legs against Caledonia, Cheshire did just that with just seven players taking turns. He limits the Gladiators’ second leg chances and shoots with confidence, going 10/27 from three-point range.
But what was vital to Phoenix’s 186-166 aggregate victory was their bravery in attacking the much larger Caledonian side and getting to the line, achieving an aggregate of 44/56 compared to their counterparts’ 23/43.
Cheshire got rid of the Glasgow side and effectively won the game on the foul streak – more of the same against London?
Do you feel the Lions play a final match at home?
It’s no secret that many people feel the London Lions are favorites to win the title, which will be played on May 14 in North Greenwich. But Cheshire certainly won’t be an easy ride for Ryan Schmidt’s side as they aim to complete their treble of the season.
The Lions refused to challenge Newcastle Eagles in the first round by playing to their strength. They pushed the ball to score easy amassing 35 points in transition and 86 on the inside along with a killer three-point shot with over 40% of their shots created from the corner.
Reaching 26/55 was generally due to great off-the-ball movement, well-timed screens that led to the open shot, to which Newcastle had no answer. And no team has had more three-pointers made more this season than the London Lions, who have made 348 in the BBL this season, at 36.3%, a percentage bested only by Leicester Raiders.
With the power of the stars London is showing on the ground, it has only been bolstered by the return of Sam Decker (17.1ppg), who returned from an ankle injury against the Eagles but played only limited minutes with coach Schmidt opting to save him for him. This round and perhaps the final itself, the Lions have got to get there.
The Champions undoubtedly possess the deeper squad, especially with Dekker and Tarek Philippe back in the squad, and will be looking to Tomislav Zubsic (12.3ppg) and Aaron Best (11.9ppg) to provide the spark for the Lions’ powerful attack alongside Josh Sharma (5.3rpg, 1.9bpg). To control things defensively.
main match
Guard combo battle:
player | Larry Austin Jr. Aaron Best
PPG | 15.9 | 11.9
RPG | 6.1 | 2.8
APG | 4.8 | 2.3
Two players with completely different playing styles but who will be the main characters on both sides of the legs.
Austin Jr. is one of the most impressive players in the league, with solid pace and expert ball control. One of the best games in the BBL is on the open ground and when slow and methodical play can dictate the offense and a passer is less appreciated.
On the other hand, Aaron Best is a combo guard who shoots first, the stats show but is one Lions player who can not only lead the offense but also box his own shot, shooting 43.9% from three-point land. Season, more than four launches per game.