Something good, something bad
Let’s get this off right from the go – I am no basketball coach, referee, player… just a guy with a camera who sees a heck of lot of basketball in 365 days…
Last night in Loimaa – Men’s 1st Division semi-finals Game 5, so a deciding game between Bisons and ToPo. ToPo had edged the first two games and were closing in on the Final spot – but Bisons crept back into the series to level it 2-2 before Wednesday night. Playoff series always bring out some tension when the series stretches to 5 or 7 games, it is inevitable – but you need to keep it under control.
Face the facts, you don’t keep your cool – you’re off the game and definitely not helping your team to win the game. And when FOUR players from one team get either ejected from the game or get five fouls (so basically also ejected from the game) – and with a nine player roster.. you are running it thin.
Yes, sometimes you get unlucky with some calls and a player gets five fouls – but sometimes it is also the way which those fouls or ejections come that matter, at least to me.
The one ejection I was closest to and saw the situation the best – was the second one (not gonna name names here – as it really doesn’t matter and no need to raise them.)..
It was only moments after the first one, and I heard the ToPo bench yell to this player ‘Keep calm, keep your head calm…’ Surely you can’t guess what happens next?? I was sitting so that I had a straight line of sight to the ToPo player.. who from a distance decided that some sort of foul was coming.. but only after looking at the photos of the situation… did it look as bad as it did. I’ve said it before – playoff games should be aggressive and physical .. but there is a limit where it’s not basketball.. but more like MMA (comment which actually few players have made to me on DM’s after seeing the photos of the situation).
But yea – it really was a night where one team just .. for one reason or another did not keep their calm – and yes, I did talk to some members of that team after the game, just to get their views on it. Which is always great that players/coaches/referees feel like they can talk to me, it really educates me of the game and of the kind of persons playing the game. So – respect to the guys and girls who took time to talk to me after the game.
Always try to end the posts with a positive note and that is PLAYOFFS!!!
Just love this time – last night there was about 600 fans at the Bisons vs ToPo game and over a 1000 in Jyvaskylä for JBA home game.. and just the way (yes, I repeat myself) the fans and players are up for these games.. if only the whole season would be like this – this sport would be so different. But we are Finns – so showing emotions on the court or on the stands.. it takes a little bit more to us than it does for some other nationalities.
Also – how about Mr. Kokko – really lighting up the Men’s Divisioona this season – easy over 30 points in the game and not even playing that much in the last 10minutes, which might have been smart just to make sure there was not gonna be any injury.
Going to be great Final series for sure – and Bisons I would imagine are definitely looking to get back up to Korisliiga after only one season away, and JBA have talked about the plans to get their team to Korisliiga.. what else can you ask for!
In Korisliiga the Semi’s are starting in few days – but even if you haven’t watched any Men’s Divisioona … you should keep one eye on the Final series between Bisons and JBA!! And hopefully I will make it to some of those games as well…
