When you win, everything seems fine. But you might forget how to act when you’re punched in the mouth, and with two of the best teams in the league going toe-to-toe this weekend, we’ll be glued to the action waiting to see who lands the decisive blow.
Bristol Flyers and Leicester Raiders each beat their opponents in the first round of the playoff. The Flyers built a huge cushion in the second half of Game 1 over the Manchester Giants, and hit a home run in the second leg. Meanwhile, the Riders held B. Braun’s Sheffield Sharks to 70 points per game and scored enough for two decent wins methodically, highlighting Leicester’s willingness.
The second round will be a different beast for both teams. Not much separated them this season as the Knights and Flyers finished with identical records near the top of the standings; They both ended up with two wins over each other. In fact, it was only points differential thanks to big wins at Morningside Arena that gave the Knights the second seed advantage in the BBL tournament.
What will distinguish them in this series? Let’s find out.
The battle of the boards
With 14.3 offensive rebounds per game, the Bristol Flyers lead the league in breaking boards on fouls. Malcolm Delbici is unstoppable – he finished second in the BBL this season in offensive glass, and led the category for his team. It resulted in 11.1 second chance points in the game – 13.3% of the team’s offense, the best percentage in the league.
But if there’s any team that might be able to slow that down, it’s Leicester Raiders. They were only mid-table in terms of limiting their opponents’ offensive rebounds, but led the league in defensive rebounds per game. It’s a team effort, with Mark Loving leading Leicester with 6.6 rebounds per game, but he’s one of six Knights to average more than 4 per game this year.
You can’t win anything with kids… right?
It can more or less be seen as a last dance for the Leicester riders. Patrick Whelan will join CEBL’s Niagara River Lions during the summer, while Captain Darren Nelson Henry Retires at the end of this season. We’ve seen this group together for several winning seasons, and they still have weapons that can go up on any given night: Mark Loving doesn’t feel like it? let’s go zach jackson; Carrington Love Off Rhythm? Kimbal Mackenzie will be ready; Darren Nelson Henry in ugly trouble? Aaron Menzies could do some damage. Are you still missing last year’s best man? Whelan could be the right guy. The Knights won the cup, championship, and playoffs in 2022, bringing home 10 of their best players — and that has to count for something.
Not if the pilots had anything to do with it. Only Corey Samuels, Malcolm Delpyci and Mike Miller have returned to Bristol from last year. They are a fine young core hoping to travel internationally next season and coach Andreas Capoulas has surrounded them with a selection of young talent, such as Jelani Watson-Gale, Brandon Mahan, Tevin Oleson, Thomas Bell III and VJ King. Leslie Smith adds some veteran experience as the only player over 30, which is partly why pundits didn’t have high hopes for Bristol to start the season, but it proved the doubters wrong.
major matches
On the ocean:
player | Mark Loving | King VJ
PPG | 15.9 | 18.2
RPG | 6.6 | 6.6
APG | 2.6 | 2.0
Marc Loving’s smooth, silky style has wreaked havoc on BBL teams all season. He has risen as the team’s top scorer (slightly ahead of Zack Jackson), and while the 6’8 forward isn’t always the most efficient, he’s always a danger, and opponents treat him as such. Love is a good passer, a good manager of the ball and can bounce really well, so if his goals aren’t scored he can help out in other ways and still have enough teammates to collect points.
If Bristol boss Andreas Capoulas can find a way to get VJ King – who’s been the fourth-highest scorer in the Championship this season – while keeping production coming from the likes of Jelani Watson-Gale, Thomas Bell III and Mike Miller, that’s great. A scary foursome to face.
Their shot selection and hit rate are eerily similar, with Loving being slightly more reliable of the three and the free throw line – he has the second best percentage in the league in this last category – but King hits the charity bar more often and still sits in the top 10 terms of efficiency.
off the bench:
player | Kimball McKenzie | Gilani Watson Gayle
PPG | 12.7 | 12.6
RPG | 1.8 | 3.2
APG | 3.8 | 3.3
Two of the best Brits in the league this year should be this pair off the bench.
Kimball McKenzie may have only started 14 games for the Leicester Raiders, but coach Rob Paternostro clearly considers him the most dangerous sixth man. Whether he starts or not, McKenzie hits the free throw line four times per game and leads the league in hits made at 90%. He’s also a dangerous long-distance shooter, hitting 41%, so when the likes of Mark Loving, Carrington Love, Patrick Whelan or Zach Jackson have the ball in their hands, don’t be surprised if Mackenzie is in the corner, as he’s hitting 57%.
According to BBL Stats, Jelani Watson-Gayle’s shooting percentage is directly related to the Bristol Flyers net worth rating. He hits over 41 percent from three-point territory, so expect Flyers coach Andreas Capolas to set up plays for him to open up on the perimeter. Of the 35 matches Watson-Gayle has played in, he has come off the bench for 31 of them – his spark plug attack, energy and strength in defense is the main reason Bristol have the highest score in BBL Championship history.
Big bang
player | Darren Nelson Henry | Malcolm Delpechy
PPG | 8.0 | 10.6
RPG | 5.9 | 6.6
APG | 1.7 | 1.1
For the past four years, Darren Nelson Henry has been the best big man in the BBL. His skill in the position is unappreciated, and this season he was the fourth most proficient scorer in the league of any player with over 200 field goal attempts. He’s not a player to ask for the ball and, quite frankly, Leicester Raiders have enough on the list that he can put the ball in the hoop, but his craft could surprise his opponent with some much-needed easy buckets against a well-defended Bristol Flyers side.
Nelson Henry and Aaron Menzies will be flattering on the other end, too. Melcolm Delpeche has been a fearsome force this season. The Flyers big guy doesn’t create his own shot with a range of footwork, but he sets up great screens for scoring guards and creates plenty of space while rolling to the rim for easy dunks and stops. Does most of the damage to attack glass, by smashing plates and returning to second chance points.
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