"Putting down the broom" with Thang Long Warriors, Saigon Heat returned to the fourth consecutive VBA Finals series
Starting with an attractive struggle from both teams, however, Game 2 of the semi-final series between Thang Long Warriors and Saigon Heat ended with a one-sided match.
Foreign soldier John Fields, who is the mainstay of the Capital team (averaging 24 points, 17.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game in the Regular Season) had to leave the field after only 8 minutes of play due to injury.
His teammates tried very hard, but the hole left by this striker was too big. Combined with the fact that the feeling of throwing from distance was quite bad (only 1-27 3PT for the whole match), the Warriors did not have any chance for a comeback.
The gap between the two teams widened to 20 points from the second half, reaching 33 points in the final half before Game 2 ended with a 97-76 victory for Saigon Heat.
Kentrell Barkley was voted Player of The Game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Hassan Thomas regained his scoring form with 21 PTS (7-14 FG), added 11 rebounds and 3 assists.
Du Minh An and Vo Kim Ban are two internal soldiers who reached double-digit points in points. What's special is that all 12 Heat players on the field in this match got points, including young talents like Nguyen Phan Hong Phuc, Nguyen Hoang Minh Tuan and Vo Duy Linh.
On the Thang Long Warriors side, Sameen Swint had 25 points (10-26 FG) with 7 rebounds and 2 assists before being disqualified with 2 technical fouls.
John Fields could only score 4 points in less than 8 minutes on the field, then he was forced to sit out the rest of the game due to injury. Justin Young added 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals. Dang Thai Hung led the internal soldiers with 16 points (8-11 FG).
This result helps "Mr. 30" complete a sweep of Thang Long Warriors with a score of 2-0, officially entering the grand final series - VBA Finals 2023.
This will be the Heat's fourth consecutive finals series. Previously in 2019, 2020 and 2022, they were crowned champions by defeating Cantho Catfish, Thang Long Warriors and Hanoi Buffaloes respectively.
Coach Matt Van Pelt's team will now wait for the winner of the remaining match between Hanoi Buffaloes and Nha Trang Dolphins. The score of this series is currently 1-0 in favor of the team from the coastal city.
