Playoff Game 4 Preview
April 26, 2018 - National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Moncton Magic News Release
Here are my thoughts leading into a HUGE game 4 tonight in the Atlantic Division Finals between the Moncton Magic and the Halifax Hurricanes. Halifax has a 2-1 lead in the Best-of-7 showdown. Join Scott Squires and I on the call from monctonmagic.ca at 7 pm Atlantic and check out the Periscope Pre-game Show at 6 PM Atlantic as well. That's only if you can't make it out in person, should be electric in the Coliseum tonight!
Is there something different about getting fouled by the Halifax Hurricanes than every other team in the league? - Apparently, the bumps and bruises that result from their physical play make converting at the line a real chore. Inexplicably during the regular season, the Moncton Magic shot 10% worse from the line against this squad than against the rest of the league, and that trend has continued in this series. Through three games, the Magic are shooting just 61.9% from the line. Halifax bailed them out by shooting under 60% there themselves in the game 3 Moncton win, but the home squad had better make them pay at the foul line tonight if they want to go back to Halifax 2-2.
Make the Hurricanes work for it early - I felt the Magic played with fire with Billy White at the outset of game 3. He's a guy you'd MUCH rather have taking 24-footers than going to work in the post, but Moncton gave him SO much room on the perimeter early that it was like shooting practice for a guy as skilled as White. He got two to go down and then got the look of a guy that was about to go off, as he added a sweet move down low and another bomb off the bounce against Jeremy Williams. After those 11 quick ones though, the combo of J-Will, Denzell Taylor and Juan Pattillo held him to just 10 the rest of the game with a combination of focused close-outs and determination down low. But they will make it easy for him early in game 4 at their own peril. MVP candidates like White will burn you given enough chances.
I LOVE J-Will's evil twin! - Jeremy Williams is one of the nicest dudes on this planet and though he plays as hard as anyone on the court, you rarely see outbursts the likes of what we saw in game 3. He and White exchanged pleasantries on more than one occasion as J-Will countered White's strong play with a trio of bombs from long range himself. He finished with 14 points and 5 boards to compliment a strong defensive performance, but his willingness to push back against Halifax's intense play and verbal commentary was almost more important, and emblematic of the Magic mind frame that keyed a 50-point swing between games 2 and 3 in this series.
The Legend, Ca-THREEST and the Man from Long Distance stepped up in place of the Sparkplug - In the absence of Al Stewart for game 3, the rest of the Magic backcourt knew they would have expanded roles, be that in the form of extended playing time or being asked to do things that aren't typically demanded of them. Luckily for Moncton fans, Anthony Anderson, Corey Allmond and Jason Calliste are more than capable. As AA said in our post-game interview after his Player of the Game, 18-point, 14-assist performance in game 2, they don't WANT Allmond or Calliste playmaking for themselves most of the time because they are SO good at knocking down jumpers, but they certainly have that in their bag. With Pattillo and AA rolling so well in the pick and roll Tuesday night, Calliste and Allmond didn't need to light it up, but they were a combined 7-12 from the field with only 2 turnovers in 62 backcourt minutes. They also bailed out their team on more than one occasion by making plays off the bounce against the shot clock. Speaking of plays off the bounce, AA was positively surgical in the half court, handing Pattillo easy look after easy look in a throwback performance from the Legend.
The Magic are NOT better without Al Stewart....however - "Two-times" looks to be a good bet to be back in the lineup for game 5 in Halifax and, despite the bounce-back performance without him, everyone will feel better when he's in uniform again. That being said, with the Magic being forced into different lineups with both he and Anthony Cox sidelined, it certainly gave the Hurricanes more to think about. Small lineups with Jeremy Williams at the 4-spot and/or with Calliste, AA and Allmond sharing the floor together with Terry Thomas briefly in foul trouble, were really effective in game 3. Spreading the floor with THAT much shooting, especially when T-Time was hot from long range like he was Tuesday, gave Anderson the space he needed to carve up Halifax with Pattillo in the screen/roll. That only gives Coach Joe Salerno more options and Halifax more to game-plan for going forward, particularly with Cox expected back for game 4 tonight.
Moncton needs 48-minutes of "Beast mode" Pattillo - When the big man decides to use his superior bounce, quickness and strength, even a guy as powerful as Rhamel Brown has problems handling him. As soft and pretty as that rainbow jumper of Juan's is, when he puts the ball on the floor and attacks the rim with abandon, there is no one on the floor for Halifax that has a prayer. When he settles for a fadeaway, he's falling right into Halifax's hands. Similarly, on the defensive end of the floor, when Pattillo is engaged and on ten, he's a menace. If Moncton gets 48 minutes of that Juan tonight, this series is tied going back to Halifax. As a side note, I have no word on the status of Brown after a scary fall that resulted in an injured wrist at the end of game 3, but everyone with the Magic is hoping to see him healthy and back out there tonight.
If Halifax hasn't made a run yet.....just wait - It doesn't matter how many points down and/or what quarter you're in, you can't sleep on this team. Guys like Mike Poole, Ta'Quan Zimmerman and Antoine Mason can be ice cold for three quarters, but if they see one go down in crunch time, it seems to flip their switch. Poole has been terrific AND consistent throughout all three games so far, but Zimmerman and Mason struggled Tuesday night. Still, they were key in a late 17-4 run that nearly erased a 17-point Moncton lead with just over 5 minutes remaining. These guys are tough-minded and confident no matter the situation and they feed on the intensity of playoff basketball.
The bench is about to become a bigger factor - Both teams went with 8-man rotations in game 3, but only one of them has the strength and versatility and health to expand on that going forward. The availability of Brown will obviously factor in here as well, but even with him, I expect coach Leslie to play 8 guys max, and that eighth man on Tuesday, Renaldo Dixon, only earned 6 minutes of time. The Magic meanwhile, when Stewart and Cox return, can counter with more rested 5-man lineups late against Halifax legs that have logged close to 40 minutes. Game 3 necessitated that many minutes out of AA, Pattillo and Terry Thomas, but as the series progresses, I anticipate some adjustments. Halifax meanwhile, will NEED White, Mason, Watson and others pushing that mark every night to stay in ball games and, in a long series, that will start to have an effect.
Expect Cliff Clinkscales to become more aggressive - Clinkscales is one of the smartest players around, and he knows better than anyone what his team needs on a night to night basis to compete. Through three games, he has a TOTAL of 9 points and 9 assists. He's long been that guy who steps up into the role his team needs him to fill and I'll be shocked if he doesn't come to the conclusion that he needs to better support his backcourt mates on the scoresheet to take some of the pressure off. I think he'll take that Anthony Anderson throwback performance in game three to heart and he'll look to play a vintage Clinkscales symphony for the Halifax fans tonight.
Home court advantage is real - I know to some fans it doesn't make sense. The court is the same size, the basket the same height off the ground, the rules don't change....but for SOME reason, the sport of basketball produces a higher percentage of home court wins than any other sport. Role players perform better at home, shots go down at a more efficient rate and defense improves measurably. The crowd is closer to the floor and the players feel the surge from the fans just that little bit more in that intimate setting. You could see it in game 2 in Halifax and game 3 in Moncton. Once the home team starts things rolling, they play more freely, shots go up with confidence while the visitors tighten up as every shot becomes a necessity to stop a run and quiet the noise. HINT, HINT MONCTON??!!
It's POSSIBLY the final Moncton Magic home game tonight people, but with that push from the Coliseum faithful TONIGHT, the guys also have a great shot to be back here on Sunday looking to clinch a trip to the NBLC Finals. Show your support by getting down to the Coliseum tonight or by joining Scott Squires and I on the call starting at 7 pm here on monctonmagic.ca
By David Tingley
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National Basketball League of Canada Stories from April 26, 2018
- 'Canes Take Game 4 in a Hard Fought Victory - Moncton Magic
- Lightning Win a Thriller in Game 5 - London Lightning
- Hurricanes Get Edge in Division Finals with Win in Moncton - Halifax Hurricanes
- Lightning Beat the Edge in Game 5 - St. John's Edge
- Playoff Game 4 Preview - Moncton Magic
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