My 2 cents from Vilpas vs Seagulls game 02

Best comment of the night?

After the 40 minutes of game and Seagulls fans pretty having been pretty silent most through the game, and Vilpas fans singing/chanting all game long. Vilpas fans tried to get the Seagulls fans to the friendly back-and-forth chant… and probably the first thing you heard all night from Seagulls fans was as one fans shouted back to Salo fans :

‘We can’t hear you…’

Tuesday night under the lights in Salo

Game 02 in the best of 7 series where Seagulls had cantered to win in Game 01, and Vilpas needed to show that they can still make this more than a four game series. In the game also Vilpas fans had something to live up to after the first game – and there was interest to see how they would act on their home court, also Seagulls fans who had organised a fan bus to the game had also something to show as they had been called quiet and silent in the first game.

Again?

Start of game and seemed like Seagulls were ready to run away with the game, and that was reflected in the mood in Salohalli – very subdued and not feeling much like a playoff game in the opening ten minutes. Was this going to be just a repeat of game 01?

Pöljä runs for both teams!

Basketball is a game of runs!

In the second 10 of the game, Vilpas seemed to find some gear that no one knew they had, and raced into a very nice lead with some aggressive defence and hustle – which seemed to catch Seagulls off guard.

But – after the long break, Seagulls returned to their average (not yet even their best!) level and took the third quarter by what felt like 30-1 run.. but probably wasn’t quite that.

Last 10

In the last ten minutes you kept thinking, will this become a close playoff game or are we going to see it fizzle off into the spring sunset with a whimper…

Well – the game did NOT get close, from a neutral point of view – Seagulls just were too good, got too many easy baskets from under the basket. Where as Vilpas never really even got inside the three second area.

Well deserved win for the Seagulls – who with the evidence from the first two games, will sweep this series and head into the Korisliiga finals pretty much not having been challenged at all in the playoffs.. (but that is what Championship team do!)

Now – if you made it here, you want to hear about the interesting things 😉

Vilpas fans (Forza Vilpura) – so, after their Moscow Seagulls chant and game referees reaction to it in Helsinki. What was their reaction and energy during game 02 in Salo.

Now – whether you agree with their chants or not – you have to give it to them, in couple of days they did come up with some creative chants to try to get a reaction out of the traveling team and their fans. I mean – we really don’t have enough of these ‘silly/cheeky’ chants .. and yes, it is difficult to keep them silly, but not going over the top.

‘Ootte Euroliiga-jengi Temusta’ (free translation : You’re a Euroleague team ordered from Temu)

‘Seagulls fanit teitä on nolla’ (free translation : Seagulls fans, total number of you is zero)

‘Silmäs mua katsoi niin, kutsui Euroliiga haaveisiin ja meille loisti valot Moskovan’ (Free translation : Your eyes looked at me so, called me to Euroleague dreams and the lights of Moscow shined for us…’) This was sung to the tune of an old song ‘Moskovan valot’ by .. well many artists but first recorded in Finnish 1965 by Reijo Taipale.

Apart from these – I think the Vilpas fans felt they had a point to prove, and even before the tip-off – they did keep the atmosphere going .. apart from maybe not all the time in the opening 10 minutes. And if there was a battle between which set of fans kept more noise.. well – that did go 100-0 to Vilpas (in my ears at least)

More interesting bits? Why not!

As well as Seagulls are playing, one has to be worried that only SEVEN!! fouls were called on Seagulls (whatever fouls were called on the last quarter – they don’t count in this game!). As some players/coaches have commented to me in years gone by, you can not play a playoff game with out getting a big amount of fouls as you need to play aggressive which in term results in fouls. Can the team step up this part of their game in the Finals??

Referees – fans like to moan about these.. and last night after the game both sets of fans moaned about refs calling things wrong against their team – although with Seagulls and their 7 fouls, not sure much can be called there 😉 Now – I don’t go into that – as I am no referee .. but I do think that the refs did ‘lose the control of the game’ on the last quarter.. things just went a bit over board on the court and benches and both coaches..

Two down – two to go??

Series is 2-0 to Seagulls, and at the moment – you would be a very brave person to bet Vilpas to even get one win in the series. But – game always lasts 40 minutes and in two weeks I might look a right plonker when Vilpas have won the series 4-2!

Shout out to Shawn Hopkins!

Big shout out to Shawn Hopkins for a great chat before the game, it was nice to chat and talk all thing between heaven and earth, and who knows – maybe one day you can visit me on my self sustained farm in Lapland and have some carrots and potatoes … and maybe eggs or lamb?? Shawn definitely is one of the good guys in Finnish basketball – and it doesn’t hurt that he is a fellow Nutella enthusiast…. 😉