Korisliiga Playoffs: Are They Really Dull This Season?

Yes, it is subjective!

OK – it is true that you can’t just look at the series scores and make a sweeping statement that this seasons playoffs in Korisliiga (men / women ) are just a bit dull.

But are they?? Or is it just ‘fake news’?

View from behind the camera

Now, I really don’t care who wins games, all I am after is some thrillers with last second winning basket, plenty of emotions on the court and stands.

But this season – and yes, it might just be the way I am feeling, the playoffs really have not come alive for this photographer.

Story so far

Naisten Korisliiga :

Quarter Finals :

Torpan Pojat-BC Nokia : 3-1 (but in reality 3-0 as ToPo were missing 60% of their points in the shape of Carmen Tyson-Thomas in Game 01 – winning margins : 40 points, 18 points, 2 points, 5 points)

Tapiolan Honka–Tampereen Pyrintö : 3-0 (winning margins : 35 points, 9 points, 36 points)

Peli-Karhut-HBA : 3-0 (winning margins : 29 points, 22 points, 24 points)

Kouvottaret-EBT : 2-3 (winning margins : 10 points, 7 points, 24 points, 7 points, 2 points)

Semi-Finals :

Torpan Pojat-Tapiolan Honka : 3-0 (winning margins : 7 points, 26 points, 17 points)

Peli-Karhut-EBT : 3-0 (winning margins : 4 points, 17 points, 26 points)

Miesten Korisliiga :

Quarter Finals :

Helsinki Seagulls-Kouvot : 3-1 (winning margins : 25 points, 6 points, 37 points and 17 points)

Salon Vilpas-Korihait : 3-2 (winning margins : 3 points, 3 points, 1 point, 13 points and 7 points)

KarhuBasket-Tampereen Pyrintö : 3-0 (winning margins : 6 points, 5 points and 29 points)

KatajaBasket-Bisons : 3-0 (winning margins : 40 points, 18 points and 12 points)

Semi-Finals :

Helsinki Seagulls-Salon Vilpas : 4-0 (winning margins : 22 points, 13 points, 19 points and 14 points)

KarhuBasket-KatajaBasket : 3-0 (probably 4-0 when this goes out!) (winning margins : 14 points, 14 points, 8 points)

Two series to save them all

So far we’ve had ONE great series in both men’s and women’s Korisliiga playoffs.

In the women’s side it was the upset series of the season so far .. and it won’t be topped regardless of who wins the title in each Korisliiga.

3rd seed Kouvottaret and 6th seed EBT offered a 5 game series with thrills and spills and everything in between – and with the 6th seed EBT taking Game 05 by four points on the away court – it definitely is the game of the playoff season so far.

Just the stuff of dreams and what every neutral fans loves about the playoffs!

In the men’s side – it was probably the most intense series of the whole playoffs – and can’t see it being topped even in the finals (teams – do prove me wrong !!!!)

Vilpas and Korihait served a series where four out of the five games were still undecided few seconds before the buzzer – and as I’ve written about that series already, it was the ‘Fan Final’ of the season – as well as the biggest rivalry of the playoffs.

The other 10

The other ten series – there really hasn’t been much to write home about.

Seagulls have been doing ‘Seagulls things’ – which equals winning, and winning with what looks like such ease that you are not sure whether they are even playing at 100% yet.

KarhuBasket very much the same – going through the motions and apart from one game vs Pyrintö – not been troubled at all.

ToPo on the Women’s side – since Tyson-Thomas returned to the roster after her absence – the team has been the unstoppable steam roller that they have been all season.

Peli-Karhut – getting players back on the roster and starting to look like a team with 3-5 Finland Internationals on their roster … as the song goes ‘All I do is win….’

Only the Final series will be remembered

Having written all that – if the Finals will be 7 game thrillers – NO ONE !! will be talking about dull playoffs … all the series went 3-0 or 4-0 ..

In three years, no one will remember even who was in the playoffs – only the winners and Finals will be remembered.

So let’s say Taru Tuukkanen sinks a hook shot in Game 05 of the Women’s Final series with 39.59 on the clock and ToPo complete a comeback from 0-2 down in the series.

Or Rene Rougeau makes an And-1 play in the Game 7 in the mid-May heat in Kisahalli with 5 seconds to go – in front of the Karhu bench and away fans… then that is all that is remembered.

So there is still time to ‘save’ this seasons playoffs – and who knows, this post might age VERY badly if Kataja all of a sudden win four in a row and head to the Finals.