Niko Hellman – lots of talent on show
EBT vs HBA – first round playoffs !!
I visited both EBT and HBA earlier in the week and talked to both coaches on the ‘assumption’ that they will face each other in the playoffs.
And it has come to fruition- I will go more into detail about the pairing later, but here. In the video, in Finnish, the thoughts of Niko Hellman of EBT of their season and what type of playoff series will EBT vs HBA be.
Apart from both having three letters in their name…
NH : Sum of how your season has gone so far, with two games remaining in regular season?
Niko : Really well, we’ve improved from last season, when we were 6th in the regular season, and this season we have a guaranteed 4th seed into the playoffs. With almost the same roster we had last season, so the regular season has gone very well in my view.
NH : Two young teams going head to head in the opening round of playoffs, what kind of series are you expecting it to be?
Niko : I think it will be two teams that are pretty similar, we both play fast, we have possibly the most ball possessions in the league. Both teams play active defence, so that is one interesting factor to keep an eye on.
One team, so to say, has to succeed better than the other team – to have a chance to progressing from the tie onto the next round.
NH : Two teams with only Finnish players, how is that in your view?
Niko : I believe it is a rare occurrence in our league. I will say that in this series there will be a lot of young talented players on the court. Players who have only just started their journey as basketball players and can go on to achieve great things during their career.
NH : If you could say something to fans who are wondering why to go and see women’s Korisliiga playoffs next week – what would you say?
Niko : Just like in any sport, the teams are now at their best, the players are willing and ready to give their all. You need to win the series for your season to continue, that often gives the players a little extra boost that helps them give that 1% more in a game compared to the regular season.
