What it’s like when worlds collide – Bristol Flyers vs Manchester Giants preview

“Kinds make fights”, in response to an outdated boxing adage – the extra completely different the opponents, the extra entertaining the conflict. That’s what we’ll get in the first-round playoff match-up between the Bristol Flyers and the Manchester Giants.

Flyers silenced the haters

The Flyers shocked pundits’ early predictions by ending third on the BBL Championship desk, and did so with a high three defence that solely allowed 79.8 factors per recreation. 

They’ve energetic guards in Jelani Watson-Gayle, Brandon Mahan, Mike Miller and Tevin Olison, with the latter two having good measurement to decelerate opponents – together with the bodily London Lions gamers, who Bristol beat twice this season. In the meantime, forwards Thomas Bell III and Leslee Smith perceive the rotations of coach Andreas Kapoulas extremely properly. And if any perimeter gamers are overwhelmed to the rim, Malcolm Delpeche was eighth within the league in blocks per recreation this yr. 

No particular person stood out as a fantastic defensive rebounder, however they’re all powerful, and as a unit, the Flyers had been the second greatest rebounding staff within the league. So, in the event that they pressured groups into a tricky shot, they labored collectively to restrict second probability alternatives.

On offence, VJ King leads the staff to 83.1 factors per recreation, which was solely sixth within the league however they nonetheless outscored their opponents by 3.3 factors.

A big a part of their success was Delpeche’s offensive rebounding – he completed second within the league with 3.1 per recreation and a big proportion of his 10.6 factors per recreation got here from second probability factors, which the staff completed second within the BBL – solely trailing the Manchester Giants.

Giants of the statsheet

Talking of which, many followers had been excited to see Vince Macaulay again on the sidelines of a BBL staff, and he shortly went to work recruiting a few of the most fun expertise the league has seen in recent times.

If the teaching appointment wasn’t a telltale signal of how they might play, the signing of two-time MVP level guard Rahmon Fletcher was.

They led the league in subject purpose makes an attempt, subject purpose makes, three-point makes an attempt, second probability factors and factors per recreation. And the gamers benefitted: Fletcher was the highest help man, Tajh Inexperienced was the league’s main rebounder, no one averaged extra blocks than William Lee, and Dirk Williams made 122 threes – the following closest was Leicester’s Patrick Whelan with 79.

Manchester can rating with anybody. The one drawback? Defence. Regardless of boasting the very best factors common of any staff within the BBL, they solely outscored opponents by 0.2 per recreation. It’s such a slim margin that good defences ought to be capable to overcome the offensive barrage, particularly if a well-coached staff just like the Flyers can scout and put together a gameplan that shuts down the Giants’ most prolific weapons. 

If boxing isn’t your factor, then maybe a basketball analogy is perhaps extra acceptable: “offence wins video games, however defence wins championships”. The query will likely be: is Manchester’s offence sufficient to get previous the nice Bristol defence in these early levels of the playoff video games?

Ones to observe

Rahmon Fletcher, Manchester Giants
Place Level Guard
Peak 5’10
Age 33
MPG 34.8
PPG 14.7
RPG 2.4
APG 8.6

Rahmon Fletcher has led the league in assists for 5 straight seasons. That is the primary time, nevertheless, he’s completed so with the Manchester Giants. He’s main a model new group and the staff has confronted a litany of accidents.

Fletcher is one in all simply 5 gamers on the staff to have appeared in all 36 common season video games, and whereas he wasn’t the scoring choice he’s been up to now, there have been moments the place he stepped up with a few video games of 26 factors. 

He has so many offensive choices as teammates, together with the league’s second and third greatest scorers in Dirk Williams and Tajh Inexperienced, however Fletcher is the person that pushes the tempo to get straightforward scores and is artful sufficient within the halfcourt to create photographs for many who want him to take action.

Jelani Watson-Gayle, Bristol Flyers
Place Guard
Peak 6’1
Age 24
MPG 25.5
PPG 12.6
RPG 3.2
APG 3.3

A Brit has returned dwelling for the Bristol Flyers. Jelani Watson-Gayle has been big in his first season as knowledgeable since going to the USA for highschool and faculty basketball. There have been some up and down moments that you simply get with being a rookie, however he’s additionally had highs of 30 factors and has led Bristol to wins.

Watson-Gayle has primarily come off the bench. Thomas Bell III, VJ King and Mike Miller have been the beginning guards, however Watson-Gayle averaged the third most factors on the staff whereas going up towards second models.

He’s given the Flyers a depth that different groups don’t have – together with the Giants, who’ve leaned on their high three gamers closely – and his plus-minus of three.7 is second on the staff.

What they’re saying

It is perhaps a model new set-up for this yr’s Manchester Giants, however the staff nonetheless had excessive hopes to start the marketing campaign, as set by coach Vince Macaulay.

He stated: “Making the playoffs is all the time one in all your targets at the beginning of the season. I’m a veteran of the playoffs, however coming right here to a younger staff, placing collectively that’s by no means been collectively earlier than, it’s not all the time a assure. Making the playoffs is one thing to be proud about.

“This staff has proven fairly a little bit of fortitude with the accidents we’ve had. All of this examined us from a psychological standpoint, however we’ve by no means taken the smile off our face and all the time performed with pleasure and plenty of motion to entertain the followers. We see ourselves as entertainers and wish to be the very best scoring staff within the league, and now as we’re getting  wholesome for the playoffs, who is aware of?

“Going into this stage of the season, we may beat anyone. However we may additionally lose to anyone – that’s the place the thrill has been. Proper now, it’s win or go dwelling.”

Rahmon Fletcher is perhaps new to the staff, however he loves the historical past and the tradition of basketball in Manchester, an hopes to have the identical success he’s beforehand had.

He stated: “It’s a wealthy tradition of basketball right here… The tradition of basketball is rising and everybody’s excited.

“We wish to get the profitable and the trophies that Newcastle had, so bringing that have that I’ve – it’s a unique kind of landcaspe and model of basketball, it’s nonetheless the identical goalL everyone desires to win.”

“Now we have so many threats. Dirk is likely one of the greatest scorers, Tajh is likely one of the greatest scorers. Will is likely one of the greatest scorers, Ant is a workhorse that does all the pieces at a excessive stage. The unpredictability of this staff is one thing you’ve received to observe.”

Bristol are coming into the post-season off the again of their most profitable Championship marketing campaign to this point, securing their highest-ever end within the standings (third) and their most-ever wins in a single marketing campaign (25), which is a far cry away from the place some legends of the League predicted Andreas Kapoulas’ aspect would place this season.

It’s honest to say that these predictions had been seen and brought on board by the Flyers, as Mike Miller mentioned in dialog with the League lately.

“We put the image of that desk (preidcting Flyers would end final) as our group chat profile image, simply as a reminder every single day that no one is banking on us to do something this season. From day one it was our mission to show them flawed. 

“Now we have an underdog mentality, we had been picked final – backside of the barrel – and no one goes to present us our credit score or recognition except we end the job fully and produce a Championship to Bristol.”

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