NBL Playoffs Finals:
City Oilers vs Power
Game 1: Friday, January 6
It probably sounds a little impertinent but not many (if any) expected a Power – Oilers National Basketball League playoff final.
Power faces City Oilers in the seven-game series starting on Friday night at Lugogo Indoor Stadium and one recurrent thought is that these heavy weights will score points.
Powers’ squad has always been explosive in transition, but beatable in the half-court. They are always able to get out and run and take shots before the defenses are set but if the semifinal series against KIU is anything to go by, they seem to have taken care of some half-court issues especially on the defensive end.
The five-time champions suffocated KIU Titans interior while getting runs on the offensive end through Joseph Ikong and Paul Odong who played at the point through the series and likely to point in the finals as well.
Oilers did not have much trouble with their first two playoff opponents mainly due to the opulence on offense led by the stellar play from Jimmy Enabu and that is something Ikong and company will have to deal with through the series.
“Over the years, we have built a lot of teamwork, team chemistry and I think we have gotten better together,” Enabu told NBS.
Power came from a game down to see off Titans in five-game semifinals last year and without doubt it was a significant and surprising upset.
The big question is whether they can turn in the same impressive performance against a side they have lost to 3-1 (twice) and 4-0 in the series they have met.
To coach Arnold Lando, Power can match City Oilers in every sense and the series will just come sown to execution.
“We are even in terms of position ability and strength, how either executes will be the determining factor,” Lando told Kawowo Sports. “We just have to play good defense and concentrate throughout the series,” he added.
