Game Preview - Magic Travel to Halifax
Published on March 15, 2018 under National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada)
Moncton Magic News Release
The Moncton Magic and the Halifax Hurricanes come into Thursday night's matchup live from the Metro Centre starting at 7 PM Atlantic on monctonmagic.ca, ranked #6 and #3 respectfully in league scoring. But just imagine where they'd rank if they never had to play each other. The top two teams in the NBLC's Atlantic Division have met four previous times this season and have split the season series 2-2. On December 14th in Halifax, Moncton won their first meeting 111-106 in overtime, but with each subsequent matchup, the defensive intensity has ratcheted up, peaking in Feb 25th's 81-73 Halifax win that saw neither team break 36% from the field, 30% from three or 70% from the line. On the season, the 20-15 Magic average 94.5 ppg against the 22-11 division leaders, almost 12 points under their season average. Moncton head coach Joe Salerno thinks that the two newest members of the Magic and changing the emphasis on the offensive end may help open the flood gates against a stiff Halifax defense. "We definitely need to get more paint touches off the dribble," says Salerno, "forcing their defense to collapse more and then making the right read out of that. Focusing on our spacing and trying to spread them out and open up some driving lanes is something we need to be better at. I also think now with the addition of Juan (Pattillo) and playing Marvell (Waithe) some at the 4 spot, we need to try and play a little more inside out to try and free up shots for guys like Jason (Calliste), Corey (Allmond), and AA. With as good as Halifax has been in the half court defensively, we will also look to be more of a threat in transition."
One need look no further than the Magic's previous outing, a 135-105 dismantling of the Cape Breton Highlanders, for an example of what this offense can look like with that spacing and running game working as Coach Salerno intends. The trio he mentioned of Calliste, Allmond and Anthony Anderson combined to shoot 12-19 from three-point range while Terry Thomas relentlessly pushed the pace on kick-ahead passes and in the half-court, carving up the defense to the tune of 30 points. Shots won't come quite as easy Thursday night, but Salerno has preached a lot about being the tougher team coming into these matchups with the Hurricanes, and that has got to start with being persistent about attacking the Halifax defense off the dribble. If they're cut off the first five times, the Magic are going to have to let the Hurricanes know there will be a sixth and seventh attempt coming right along after it. Too often the Magic have settled for contested jumpers early in the clock or allowed the physical Halifax defenders to force them off their spots, resulting in contested shots late in possessions.
For his part, Hurricanes Coach Mike Leslie knows that the Magic haven't made life easy for them on the offensive end either. "These last two games have certainly been tough defensive battles," he commented from Halifax today. "Both teams have not given up anything easy and the games have a certain playoff atmosphere which is great. Execution is the key and then having players make adjustments to the types of things the opposition is trying to take away. That is the job of the players and coaching staff to make minor in-game adjustments to compensate for what the other team is doing well defensively to you." While low-scoring games such as these can be a struggle to watch at times, the competitiveness and intensity these two squads bring to the table without having things devolve into anything chippy or dirty, has made for a riveting show. "I think both teams have a high respect level for each other," observes Leslie, "which comes from having many veteran players from many years of battles in the league. We certainly respect Moncton and their success this season and our players respect the game and will play the game the right way."
"I think there is a mutual respect among our two ball clubs," Salerno agrees. "A lot of these guys have been playing against each other for the last few years, so they know each other fairly well. The games have been extremely competitive, so our guys know we will be in for a fight from the get go. I think that helps bring that mental edge a bit, and you see that edge transpire to the floor, for both teams, and right from the jump."
I asked both coaches about preparations for the fast-approaching playoffs and what their plan was as it pertains to shortening their benches or adding wrinkles in offensively or defensively to give teams they've already played multiple times some different looks. Both were predictably cagy, but let loose a little insight into their philosophy. "In playoff series, rotations can always change," says Salerno. "You have to be able to adjust from game to game. So much of our rotation will depend on who our opponent is during that series, and what matchups we like or dislike. If we find the combination of guys that is working well against a certain opponent, those guys will get the lion's share of the minutes. So I certainly wouldn't rule out changes when it comes to the playoffs, but I'm also comfortable with the rotation we have now." And as far as planning ahead for potential postseason opponents? "We've started this week on a few new things we would like to have ready to go come playoff time," Salerno continued. "Introducing these concepts now, hopefully will give us enough time over the next couple of weeks to get comfortable with them in practice, and be confident to go to them in games."
"Teams have seen your games versus each other as well as your games versus other teams in the league and become familiar with what you are running," commented Coach Leslie. "We would always have a few things we run regularly but do not show in many games to call upon if we want to use them. With regards to defensive rotations or schemes, it depends on matchups. You determine what you want to take away and what you will try and live with in defending certain teams or particular sets they run. Each team added personnel at the trade deadline and will now run different sets for those players so this is something we will try and focus on going forward." His focus for Thursday night will no doubt be on Marvell Waithe and the versatility that he's been bringing to the Magic offense since their last meeting. "Marvel is a top-10 scorer in our league this season, as well as a very good rebounder, said Leslie. "Adding a player of that calibre is great for any team. He stretches the floor for Moncton offensively and provides a tough matchup defensively against us. Juan (Pattillo) is also an excellent defender and rebounder as well as another scoring big down low for Moncton. It's obvious that they're filling spots with quality players to match our front court." Noteworthy for this matchup and going forward is the health of CJ Washington. He's missed the last two games with a knee injury and has had an MRI. Leslie expected to have more news about the severity of the injury before Thursday's game.
Waithe had an electric scoring performance in his first game with the Magic, coming up huge late in a 108-103 win over the London Lightning. Even when his shot was off against Cape Breton in his second outing however, he still gobbled up 7 boards and dished out 5 assists in under 20 minutes. It's readily apparent how easy a guy of his varied skill set is to play with and this game will be an important measuring stick for the Magic when it comes to how they can expect their offense to perform in a 7-game series with Halifax in the postseason. It's also important to string together positive performances on the road. Halifax went 2-for-2 last month in the Hub City and the Magic have to be motivated to prove they are going to be able to steal games in Halifax at playoff time. The win against the Highlanders moved them to 7-10 away from home this season and the potential to finish the season at .500 on the road is a real possibility with a victory on Thursday night.
After the Highlanders win, Coach Salerno gave his squad their first weekend off all season and he's liked what he's seen since their return to the court on Monday. He's discussed with the team how he considers this the start of their "second-season", emphasizing a "need to refocus and head into the playoffs on a high note." You don't get much higher than stealing wins in the Metro Centre from the Halifax Hurricanes and Thursday night's battle should be the game of the night. Yes, I'm including the first round of March Madness as well people! Leave that up on the TV, sure, but give it a mute for a couple of hours and listen to my man Vince Williams on the call live from monctonmagic.ca starting at 7 pm Atlantic. Enjoy everyone.
National Basketball League of Canada Stories from March 15, 2018
- Tight Match Ends with Halifax Win - Moncton Magic
- League-Leading Hurricanes Win at Home against Moncton Magic - Halifax Hurricanes
- Game Preview - Magic Travel to Halifax - Moncton Magic
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