Semifinal not the mismatch it may seem
Blackjacks looking to repeat July 17 upset and take the sting out of the Stingers again
A semifinal that pits a 13-1 team against a 4-10 team sounds a lot like a semifinal that pits a 1987 Pinto full of crash test dummies against a brick wall.
But there is more than meets the standings to Friday's showdown between the defending champion Edmonton Stingers and the second-to-last-place team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
It so happens that the 1 in Edmonton's 13-1 record came courtesy of Ottawa in a 79-74 upset July 17 at TD Place.
And it so happens the Blackjacks already have a taste for upset blood, having taken down third-place Hamilton (9-5) in last week's quarter-final.
And it so happens Ottawa just added a seven-foot, 270-pound ringer capable of causing all kinds of mayhem around the basket. Chad Posthumus had 23 points and 20 rebounds in Ottawa's win over Hamilton.
So, hold off on the funeral music, maybe, until these teams tip off and sort things out at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
“We've proven that they're beatable,” Blackjacks coach Charles Dubé-Brais said. “They're unbelievably good. We have a ton of respect for them, but they're beatable, which we've proven.”
They have, indeed. And it's that one game that adds an intriguing dimension to a statistically lopsided matchup. It's certainly gives Ottawa a sense of hope that they can be giant killers.
“I think it helps; you feel that you can do it,” Dubé-Brais said. “They're good at every position. They're well-built. They play the right way. They're intense. They're strong rebounding.
They have so many strengths that they could feel unbeatable if they hadn't had that loss against us. They've proven that they're human.”
Has Ottawa figured out a way to handcuff the hottest team in the league?
“We've created the blueprint, hopefully,” Dubé-Brais said. “We're trying to be the team that will play a good 40 minutes, like we did when they came to our place on July 17, and do what we did one more time.
“At the same time, I think (Edmonton) is on high alert because of that game.”
To hear the Stingers tell it, they aren't. They're on high alert because it's down to the final four for the league championship on their home court, not because they are out for revenge or because Ottawa is in their head.
At this point, they say that July 17 loss means a lot more to the Blackjacks than it does to the Stingers.
“Nothing; it's just another basketball game,” said threetime league most valuable player Xavier Moon of the Stingers, when asked about the psychological impact of facing the one team that beat them this year. “Whatever happened in the regular season doesn't matter. Playoffs are different. Everybody comes with a lot more intensity. We're not even looking back at that game, we're looking forward to Friday.
“We're ready, more ready than we've ever been.”
Stingers head coach Jermaine Small has made a point out of downplaying the vengeance angle and treating Ottawa like nobody special.
“Not to take anything away from (Ottawa) — they played well, but I think we beat ourselves that game. So our focus is to not beat ourselves Friday,” he said.
“I told our guys it's not a revenge game. It's obvious that this is the only team that beat us this year, but my whole theme this year is to focus on us. If we play our best basketball, if we defend like we did in that 35-4 quarter (against Fraser Valley), the only team that can beat us is us.”
If this was a best-of-seven, it's a virtual lock for Edmonton. But the one-and-done format lends itself to an upset, which adds to the intrigue.
“It puts people on an even playing field,” Dubé-Brais said. “Even if you have 13 wins, it doesn't really matter. When the ball is in the air, there are no more favourites or underdogs, it's just people playing a basketball game.
“It's going to be which team is able to perform better in those 40 minutes that will win it all. We're hoping to be that team.”
The Stingers will have a lot to deal with in their opening game. They had a bye into the semis, so they haven't played a game since a meaningless season-ender against Fraser Valley on Aug. 6. Now, as host team for the league championship tournament, they have to shake off the rust and play a do-or-die game they're expected to win easily against a scrappy underdog with nothing to lose.
That's a lot on the plate for a team that hasn't played a game that really mattered in weeks.
“Ottawa doesn't have any pressure on them, all of the pressure is on us,” Small said. “I told the guys, go out and have fun in front of the home crowd and see what we're made of.
“We've been building up to this moment for a long time. We're here to get it done.”