It has came down to the finals most mangers have predicted. 2 teams, Flyer Sonic and SaungHninPwint (SHP) and only (possibly) 1 ticket to SBBL. In this best of 3 its a "winner takes all" dream for both, taking a step to the fame and glory of being in the best league in Singapore. SBBL.com will analyse this matchup of 2 powerhouses and what it takes to win it all.
Flyer Sonic
1. Get the twin towers going
This is probably the easiest strategy to formulate if you are the Flyer Sonic Coach, get both Pei Jian Long (PJL) and Li An Wen (LAW) going offensively early. Everyone saw how the game turned out when PJL erupted for 41pts against Hoop Magical and LAW went a perfect 10-10 against Bobbleheads. Simply put, if the twin towers get hot, they're unstoppable. Not even newly acquired SHP monster C Racimir Opoka can stop them. Historically, both PJL and LAW scores alot against SHP with 17.0ppg and 21.7ppg respectively, which is good news for any Sonic fan. Giving the ball to the hot twin towers will also force SHP's defence to collapse freeing up Marcell Dobrovits and Ricaredo Potol for open baskets.
2. Keep SHP off the offensive glass
SHP is 2nd in the league in offensive rebounding(13.7, Sonic is 4th in league with 13.0 tied with juntion 9). Giving up that many offensive rebounds in the game will make this series a short one with Sonic having the short end of the straw. Not only does Sonic bigmen have the responsibility to rebound the ball, everyone on Sonic's team must rebound. The guards can stand a little closer to the free throw line so if there's a possible fast break opportunity they can make a run for it. The rest of the forwards and Cs will battle it out for the rebounds. They must not get pushed around or shy away from contact to prevent an easy Racimir Opoka(3.4 orpg) putback dunk
3. Cool down Liad Saglovic
Liad Saglovic (24.7ppg) is a natural scorer who's unafraid to shoot the ball. However, even when scoring well for the last 2 playoff games, 13 against Sugar Ray 17 against NEWBak Ku Teh Kings, he has been doing it extremely inefficiently (season 20 playoff shooting 12-41, 29.2 FG%). You probably cant expect this kind of percentage to last the entire final series but Flyer Sonic should attempt to prolong his shooting slump and frustrate Liad Saglovic to shoot contested spot up 3s. Flyer Sonic can start Ricaredo Potol on Liad Saglovic, then switch to Marcell Dobrovits once Saglovic starts to figure Potol out. Later on Potol can go back to Saglovic or even switch Jan Ulvestad over and let Saglovic burn himself out against 3 different defenders.
4. Reacting to SHP's offence
Unlike some teams SHP uses a whole lot of orthodox and unorthodox offensive schemes. One moment SHP can be pounding the ball inside, the next moment executing a run and gun or a "pass the ball and get out of the way" (isolation) to Mo Xiaochong. Don't be surprised if SHP's coach figures out ex NBA coach Phil Jackson's patented Triangle Offense and uses it in this matchup. Flyer Sonic players and coach cannot rely on the same defensive strategy that they used on SHP during the cup and the regular season. They must adapt, even possibly on the fly, against a new offensive strategy and stop the best scoring team in the league, definitely a difficult task.
5. Ricaredo Potol and bench players must be ready to play
This isn't the first time it was mentioned but all-star Ricaredo Potol has to be more aggressive and consistent in offence. With Władysław Smaruj out Potol cannot just rely on scoring by the PGs and bigmen and play defence all day long. He did play a good game against Bobbleheads(18pts, 9assists) but has more foul than points against Hoop Magical(2pts, 3 fouls, 1-8 shooting). Flyer Sonic needs him to put up his all-star stats for this important game. Also reserve C Ramón Lazcano, Li Po Chu, backup F Hamdan Ibn-Bashir must play their best in case of foul trouble to the starting 5.
Last edited by big_boss_will at 8/13/2012 11:19:18 AM