Around the Perimeter: Lightning one win away from fifth title
The Lightning, who escaped with an OT win Sunday in Game 2, can clinch the 2022 NBLC title on the road Wednesday. But a scrappy, undermanned K-W Titans squad will not make it easy.
Terry Thomas had a big Game 2 for the Lightning, pouring in 28 points with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. (Photo: Bruce Laing).
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STARTING FIVE
1. Pushing their luck. London Lightning head coach Doug Plumb has no problem saying his team got lucky in its 115-110 OT victory over the KW Titans in Game 2 of the NBL Canada Finals. London now leads the best-of-five series 2-0.
“Holy heck, we tried everything possible to lose that game at the end,” he said. “Hats off to those guys. They had eight bodies and put together a heck of a game. I feel a little bit lucky we got away with that one.”
Imagine what this series could have been if the Titans rolled into the Forest City healthy? But they are far from that, with injuries plucking major contributors from the roster.
The team is missing all-star forward Eric Ferguson (19.4 points/32.9 minutes per game); all-star point guard Chad Frazier (16.0 points/28 minutes per game); NBL Canada Rookie of the Year Shakwon Barrett (4.5 points/22.6 minutes per game); and Ron Artest III (5.8 points/16.0 minutes per game).
That leaves a thin roster to take on the league’s deepest, most-talented squad.
On Sunday, the Titans that remained available – especially the starters – clocked in an incredible number of minutes. Four players logged more than 40 minutes of floor time each: Jesse Jones, 51 minutes; Terrel Tate, 51 minutes; Darnell Landon, 49 minutes; and Joel Kindred, 45 minutes.
In the game, Titans starters averaged 45.2 minutes each, with the whole team averaging 33.1 minutes, as three bench players contributed 39 minutes. On the other hand, London starters averaged five fewer minutes of floor time (40.2 minutes), with the whole team averaging 29.4 minutes each thanks to four bench players contributing 64 total minutes.
Nevertheless, the Titans took the Lightning to OT.
“We have done this all season; we wear people down,” Plumb said. “I knew when the game went to overtime that they were going to run out of legs. As we headed into the fourth, I told the guys to stay the course, be emotionally resilient, huddle after every single play, get onto the next play, and make plays. Our guys did that.”
2. If I could turn(over) back time. The Lightning flipped the script when it came to the turnover battle.
In Game 1, London kept their opponents in the game thanks to 8 first-half turnovers resulting in 14 points for KW. The tally evened out by game’s end, with London turning the ball over 12 times resulting in 20 points and KW turning the ball over 13 times resulting in 18 points.
In Game 2, however, the Lightning dominated from the start, as the Titans had 7 turnovers in the first 4 minutes of play. It was downhill from there. The Titans ended up with 20 turnovers resulting in 24 points, while the Bolts only turned the ball over 8 times resulting in 9 points.
“Our guys were sound positionally. They weren’t really gambling. We were just in the right spots,” Plumb said. “It they don’t turn the ball over that many times, we don’t win. They beat us in rebounding (60-51). They shot the ball better than us (48.8% vs. 41.3%). They got to the free throw line more than we did (28-20). We were fortunate to win, for sure. But I am proud of how the guys toughed it out out there. That was beast mode.”
3. Walk the line. Speaking of free throws. While KW got to the line more, it was London who made them when they mattered. Yes, you heard me right. The team that shot the most free throws in the league (779) yet finished dead last in free throw percentage (70.2%) won Game 2 at the line.
In OT, 8 of London’s 12 points were scored at the charity stripe. Chris Jones was 5-6, Jordan Burns was 2-2, and Terry Thomas was 1-2. Jones led all scorers in OT with 5 points – all free throws. (Jermaine Haley was 2-2 from the floor, as he was responsible for the team’s only field goals in extras.)
KW missed four huge free throws in OT that kept them from having a chance in the final minute.
“We played well. A couple missed free throws too many, if not for those, we would have been on the other side,” Titans head coach Neil Foreman said. “This team played hard, played together, and we took it to the wire. Turnovers and missed free throws – that was the name of the game.”
4. That’s not how they drew it up, right? Yes, that clock management and decision-making at the end of regulation was as bad as you thought it was. Here’s what happened:
After KW drove the lane and tied the game 103-103, the Lightning bring the ball in with 18.9 seconds remaining in regulation. No timeout is called. Chris Jones walks it over halfcourt then camps 45 feet away from the hoop. With 7.5 remaining, he drives toward the hoop. Mareik Isom whiffs on a screen, then rolls to the top of the arc where he sits wide open. Too bad. Jones, head down, loses the handle on the ball, regains it, and then – what exactly would you call that – flung, heaved, perhaps chucked up and missed an off-balance, fall-away 3-pointer with no time left.
It was ugly. It’s the kind of mistake that can be pasted over when you are playing an overmatched, shorthanded opponent. But wow, that was bad.
(Photo: Bruce Laing).
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5. Ridin’ with the MVP. KW Titans standout Joel Kindred had a heck of a game, ending with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in 45 minutes of floor time. However, a constant rotation of Lightning defenders took their toll on the league MVP, as he was banged, bruised, and slow to get up after a knee to the hip in OT. But he’ll be ready for Game 3 in KW on Wednesday, his coach assured. “Joel will be fine – he doesn’t have a choice,” Foreman laughed. “It’s the Finals. He’ll be ready.”
Through two games, Kindred is averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists, including a 38-point performance in Sunday’s overtime thriller.
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LIGHTNING NOTES
The London Lightning will, most likely, end the season undefeated at home, 12-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in playoffs. … The Lightning franchise is now 2-0 in NBL Canada Finals games decided in overtime. Sure, this was only the league’s second-ever Finals game to head to OT. The first came in Game 4 of the 2018 NBL Canada Finals with London beating Halifax 122-114. … The Lightning had a triple double-double in Game 2: Terry Thomas (28 points, 10 rebounds), Chris Jones (17 points, 10 assists), and Cameron Forte (16 points, 11 rebounds). … The KW Titans have done an excellent job neutralizing London centre Amir Williams, who posted 14 points and 8 rebounds in Game 1 and only 4 points and 6 rebounds in Game 2. Williams also played only 20 minutes Sunday, after being injured for most of the third quarter in Game 1.
2022 NBLC Finals: London Lightning (1) vs. KW Titans (3) (London leads series 2-0):
Game 1 | Lightning 116 vs. KW Titans 91
Game 2 | Lightning 115 vs. KW Titans 11029
Game 3 | London Lightning at KW Titans | 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1
Game 4* | London Lightning at KW Titans | 7 p.m. Friday, June 3
Game 5* | KW Titans at London Lightning | 7 p.m. Monday, June 6
* If necessary
BEYOND MY BYLINE
Pickle ball is the Swiss Chalet of sports. Sure, it just doesn’t sound appetizing at all for most of your life until, bam, one day, all of a sudden, you are craving a Quarter Chicken Dinner and a bowl of, um, I guess we will call it dipping sauce – at 4 p.m. The game is basically ping-pong if you were shrunk down and forced to play standing on the table. Leave it to the Americans to take the active sport of tennis, remove most of the cardio and add in a lot more standing. Nevertheless, this Sports Illustrated story, Pickleball Is the Wild, Wild West’: Inside the Fight Over the Fastest-Growing Sport in America, is wild and fun. Give it a read over some dry chicken.
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