Defeating Buffaloes away from home, Nha Trang Dolphins meet Saigon Heat at VBA Finals 2023
Talking about the performance and sublimation at this time of VBA 2023, no team can surpass the "youngest brother" Nha Trang Dolphins. Coach Predrag Lukic's team ended the Regular Season with 5 unbeaten matches.
Adding the Playoffs victory at home against the Buffaloes last weekend to take a 1-0 lead in the semi-finals, the Dolphins own the longest winning streak remaining in VBA 2023.
After Game 2 took place at Hoang Mai Stadium on the evening of September 12, this winning streak was extended again and this time helped the coastal city team make history.
Overcoming Hanoi Buffaloes away from home with a score of 82-67, Nha Trang Dolphins put an end to their opponent's season and entered the VBA Finals 2023 series.
This is the Dolphins' first finals series since the club was founded in 2020, creating a historic milestone for the youngest team in the tournament, and also owns one of the youngest squads in VBA 2023.
Four different Nha Trang Dolphins players reached the double-digit mark in points, led by Player of The Game Madarious Gibbs. The American defender scored 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and added 2 steals.
Robert Sampson did not have the feeling of throwing well from long range today with only 1-8 FG, but in return he brought a lot of points from cutting runs, scoring 16 points with 14 rebounds and 4 assists the whole match.
The Dolphins' quartet of internal soldiers played well in this match including Nguyen Phuc Vinh, Huynh Vinh Quang, Vo Huy Hoan and Son Minh Tam. Each person has over 5 points, led by Minh Tam's 11 points (3-7 3PT).
On the other side of the front line, Lenny Daniel played very hard in his second match for Hanoi Buffaloes at VBA. He continued to be the leader on the offensive front, scoring 25 points (9-15 FG, 60%) with 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block.
Behind Lenny is Udun Osakue with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists along with 4 steals and 3 blocks. Unfortunately, today was a day of uninspired play for Udun with only 6-19 FGs, accompanied by 5 turnovers.
Tam Dinh is the remaining prominent name with 9 points (3-5 3PT). However, he had a personal error problem and was not able to give his best.
In contrast to the joy of Nha Trang is the sadness of not only Hanoi Buffaloes but also Capital basketball in general at VBA 2023.
Both representatives from Hanoi, Buffaloes and Thang Long Warriors, were eliminated with a score of 0-2 in the Playoffs, by Saigon Heat and Nha Trang Dolphins, respectively.
This is the first time since 2019 that the VBA Finals series has no representative from the Capital.
After this match, Nha Trang Dolphins will have a few days to rest before the grand final series - VBA Finals 2023 officially kicks off on Sunday, September 17. Game 1 will take place at the CIS "pan of fire", home field of Saigon Heat.
