Anyone got a broom?

BBL Playoff Final 12th May 2012
Newcastle Eagles 71 Leicester Riders 62

Newcastle Eagles completed their second BBL clean sweep by defeating Leicester Riders in a war of attrition at the NIA in Birmingham. The final was everything but the showpiece that was hoped for as defense dominated offense. The Eagles defense was mean, intense and brutal at times and the offense from both teams was just plain ugly for long periods of the game.

Three times champions already this campaign yet the Eagles stumbled out of the starting blocks and it was ex-Eagle and GB captain Drew Sullivan who carried the baton for the Riders in the first quarter with 8 of his side’s points as they lead by 21-12.

For the Riders, that was a good as it got.

The Eagles had a clear game plan. Shut down Rundles and the rest falls in to place. The much vaunted point guard hasn’t been used to seeing more fouls and turnovers than points on his statline since joining the BBL but he doesn’t have Joe Chapman and Fab Flournoy in his face every week.

A steady if unspectacular charge from the Eagles chipped away at the Leicester club’s lead but it was on defense where they held the Riders to a mere ten points in the second stanza that the game began to change. Parity was restored as they entered the locker room at 31-31. At this stage the stattos amongst us were checking the records for the lowest scoring playoff final and lowest ever team totals and yes we were on target to break a few!

The fans were treated to the most fluid period of the game following the break as the Eagles’ sleeping giants awoke from their slumber. Paul Gause pushed his injury woes to one side, rattling a few cages ( notably Rundles who picked up an early fourth foul), on his way to 10 3rd quarter points. Charles Smith contributed 8 and Joe Chapman 5 as the Eagles started the final period 56-49 to the good.

The Riders day began to unravel and they never looked like getting back into the game. Their free throw shooting was spectacularly bad at 30% making the Eagles look competent on a meagre 55%. The game ended symbolically as the great hopes for Leicester, Rundles and finally Hardy fouled out. The game ended 71-62 and yes they did break a few records. 71 equalled the lowest score for a winning side, 62 broke the previous record of 65 for a losing side and the combined score of 133 was the lowest too. The Eagles thrive on defense and they’ll wear that 62 as a badge of honour.

With a smile as wide as the Tyne, Charles Smith walked off with yet another Finals MVP. Although, it could so easily have gone to Fab Flournoy who was the catalyst for the Eagles victory, tormenting the Riders offense throughout and physically dominating his much younger opponents.

Ayron Hardy filled the stat boxes but with little support other than from Sullivan he again failed to turn the big game screw against the BBL heavyweights.

We’ve got post game interviews from both camps on this week’s BBL Podcast so don’t forget to listen through Soundcloud or subscribe through iTunes.

That’s the end of the road for the 2011/2012 season and it couldn’t have been a more memorable one for the Newcastle Eagles. BBL Cup Winners, BBL Trophy Winners, BBL Champions and BBL Playoff Winners. Top that with League MVP and Basketball Writers’ Player of the Year awards to Joe Chapman, Coach of the Year to Fab Flournoy and English Player of the Year to Andy Thomson. Throw in a successful trip to the Netherlands during the festive break, Joe’s remarkable return from injury and Fab fighting fit after his battle with pneumonia and we had pretty much the perfect season. How to top it? I hear Fab is working on that one already!