Helsinki Seagulls - Karhu
Finland - Korsiliiga, Playoffs, Final
In front of their fans, in the sixth match of the final series, the Helsinki Seagulls will have the opportunity to achieve the greatest success in their club history against Karhu - to win the first Finnish Korisliiga championship title.
The Seagulls are aware that this would be a crucial game for them; a possible defeat would lead them to game away at Kaohajoka, where the host Karhu, the current champion, would be a strong favorite.
However, everything that Helsinki has shown so far in the finals and during the season is more than enough for self-confidence before this match at home. In this final series, the Seagulls played exceptionally in their arena and won 84:64, then 85:79 in a match in which there also was no uncertainty.
In the previous away game, the Helsinki Seagulls already had a chance to settle the question of the fight for the title, but they were defeated in overtime 79:76. Karhu took advantage of the great experience of playing difficult matches, as well as the exceptional support of the fans at home... This time the situation will be different, and Helsinki obviously has a more pronounced attacking quality than the opponent.
In the five matches of the final seris so far, Karhu only managed to score over 80 points in the third match. On the other hand, the Seagulls have shown that they are capable of performing with an adequate defense against their biggest rival, even though they are not recognized as a defensively competent team.
At home against Karhu, Helsinki played three times this season – and won convincingly in each of those situations. In their match played on February 15, the Seagulls performed great attacking basketball (99:71). Essentially, it was also a key moment, when they sent a message to the basketball public in Finland, that they are realistic candidates for the championship title.
Jussi Laakso, the exceptional coach of the Seagulls, said that he is proud of the chance that his team could win the title in this match, in front of their fans. The previous defeat has already been forgotten, and he emphasized focus as the key moment for this match. His team must find new energy, but also shoot free throws at least at the level at which the Karhu players do.
On the other hand, Karhu has a shorter rotation and coach Janne Koskimies pointed out that recovery from accumulated fatigue is crucial for his team.
Karhu has lost as many as six matches in all competitions since the end of March, the form is not properly timed for the end of the season... It will be extremely difficult for the guests to stop the key players of the Seagulls, such as the playful Jeffrey Carroll, who is the attacking dominant figure of the final in both teams with 17.9 points on average.
Since the start of the season, the Seagulls have lost just nine games in all competitions and have a great chance to end it with single-digit defeats. They lost only once at home - in the first game of the season - back on October 18 last year.