As Micheal Makiadi sat flat his hands stretched to full length in pure and profane frustration, with his back to the locker rooms as he processed his second technical that led to his ejection, the stakes for his wobbling Power were no longer in dispute.
The best response the National Basketball League has seen in the playoffs so far will conclude with the most dramatic collapse, or with a truly great escape.
There’s no middle ground, no hedging, no shades of gray any longer, not after an exceptional team performance defensively from KIU Titans in Game 4 on Wednesday night, forcing a Game 5.
All of the pressure is suddenly now shared much as KIU still bear the bigger burden.
Power who were brilliant in Game 2 and 3 are stumbling to the finish line after showing fissures old and new in their latest defeat — but that’s a story for another day.
Of course most of Power’s faults had a lot to do with KIU following their game plan religiously.
Defense
KIU Titans learnt the hard way that defense is paramount at this stage of the season after going down 2-1 in the series they led.
That was bound to change in Game 4. Right from tip-off, the strategy of the team chasing their maiden appearance at the playoff finals was to deny Power passage to the hoop, contest every shoot and make them work for each and every point.
Facing elimination, KIU Titans stormed out to a rock solid defense, later grew offensively and didn’t look back as they took down the five-time champions.
Power could only muster 4 points in the first quarter as the Titans countered with 14 during the opening 10 minutes of the game. Power was unable to rebound from the lacklustre start.
Patience
Power thrive in the quick transition end to end basketball. KIU played to Power’s strength in Game 2 and 3 and they were torn into threads.
They were not going to make the same mistake with elimination looming.
Titans moved the ball much better with a lot of patience to get the best shots for their especially from beyond the arc. Of course many did not fall despite being wide open but the idea was spot on.
In some incidents they may have gone overboard with a player opting to pass with a wide open lane in-front of them but it does not matter as they live another day.
From the edge of elimination to the brink of history.
