Patriots Lose Game 1 of NBDL Finals
April 5, 2003 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release
Winning Game 1 of the 2003 NBDL Finals means two things to Mobile coach Sam Vincent. One, it means the Revelers have a shot at winning the NBDL title at home.
And two, it put him one step closer to a vacation in the Bahamas. The Revelers shot 50 percent from the field and took a 1-0 lead in the best of three series with a 92-82 win over the Fayetteville Patriots.
"This win means everything to me,'' Vincent said. "Hopefully, we can win this thing in front of our fans in Mobile and I can take a long vacation afterward."
The Revelers will try to send Vincent on vacation on Wednesday. The Revelers, who now hold homecourt advantage in the series, will host the Patriots at 7 p.m., Wednesday at the Mobile Civic Center. Mobile improved to 3-0 in the 2003 playoffs.
"This is a mature team,'' Mobile forward Cedric Henderson said. Henderson finished with 21 points, six assists and four steals. "Guys know how important this time of the year is and we've been able to meet the challenge that this time of year brings.
The Revelers have won their three playoff games by an average 10.7 points. Two of the Revelers three games have not even been close throughout.
Friday night was one of those games. The Revelers held the Patriots to 15 first-quarter points â a record low in the finals â as the Patriots shot 25 percent. Mobile, meanwhile, scored 27 points in the first quarter and increased its lead to 20 in the second quarter, 43-23, on an Isaac Fontaine layup.
The Patriots helped the Revelers grab a big first-half lead by committing 12 turnovers. Fayetteville guard Terrell McIntyre tried to bring back the Patriots. His back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the third quarter pulled the Patriots to within 11 at 68-57. McIntyre finished with a Finals record 29 points. He also added six assists and two steals.
But Shea Seals hit a three, Henderson scored on two layups and Fontaine hit a three to put the Revelers up 17. The Patriots got to within seven with 1:58 remaining in the game. The Revelers hit 7 of 10 free throws to clinch the win. The Revelers benefited from 36 points off 20 Patriot turnovers.
"Twenty turnovers is just way too much,'' Patriots coach Jeff Capel said. "A lot of our turnovers led to run outs and easy baskets for them. They capitalized on all errors and for that you've got to give them credit."
Jeff Aubry did grab a playoff-record 15 rebounds and added 15 points for his 13th career double-double. The Patriots played without league MVP and Rookie of the Year Devin Brown who was called up by the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
"It's a natural reaction for players to want to do more than usual when a player of Devin's caliber is no longer around,'' Capel said. "But that's not why we lost this game. We lost this game because we turned the ball over too much."
If the Patriots win on Wednesday, they would force a Game 3 at the Crown Coliseum on Friday. If they don't, Vincent, the Revelers and the Patriots are all headed on vacation.
NBA G League Stories from April 5, 2003
- Patriots Lose Game 1 of NBDL Finals - Fayetteville Patriots
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