Rematch Hong Kong Eastern, Saigon Heat will solve the rebound problem?

From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - At noon this day (February 4), Saigon Heat Club immediately returned to practice even though it had only played less than 12 hours ago.

Coach Matt Van Pelt's teachers and students had a victory over Cooly Bangkok Tigers last night (February 3) with a score of 98-81, opening stage 3 - ABL Invitational 2023 smoothly.

Today at the new training ground arranged by the organizers, the players experienced recovery and relaxation exercises with fitness coach David Grice for nearly 30 minutes. The spirit, health and fitness of the whole team are at a good level, for which head coach Matt Van Pelt feels very grateful.

“Winning always brings a sense of satisfaction, but I am really grateful to see the players healthy and in good spirits,” said Saigon Heat captain.

"Yesterday's match did not go as planned by the coaching staff in the first half, which may have made the players more exhausted than expected."

Going deeper into the game plan against the Cooly Bangkok Tigers, the American coach said that the Saigon Heat players entered the game a bit slowly and let the opponent play well in the first half.

It was not until the 3rd and 4th rounds that his players really "played Saigon Heat's basketball", playing united in both attack and defense, plus the Bangkok Tigers lost two pillars because injury, the representative of Vietnam got the victory.

"It wasn't until the second half that things started to work out, a bit slower than I would have liked from the players, but nonetheless I'm very happy with the win. We can also put young internal soldiers on the field at the end of the game, "said Van Pelt.

After recovering with a fitness coach, the Saigon Heat players performed specialized exercises to prepare for their next opponent, Hong Kong Eastern. This is one of two teams that have defeated the Vietnamese representative at ABL this year.

“It will definitely be a heroic battle because both are very passionate teams. I know they will play a lot of collisions and tough disputes in the bottom area.

But on the side of Saigon Heat, we are also ready mentally and physically to play fair with the opponent," said coach Matt Van Pelt.

There is an advantage for the Heat that Hong Kong will have to play two matches in two days (something Saigon Heat had to experience in stage 1), the match takes place tonight.

Thus, a double advantage will come to Heat when Eastern's fitness will be somewhat affected, and the coaching staff of "Mr 30" can attend the match between Hong Kong and Singapore Slingers to make adjustments. on tactics.

But relying on the opponent will not be the key to winning, instead it will be the improvement from the representative of Vietnam itself. One of the aspects that made Saigon Heat inferior to Hong Kong Eastern in the previous encounter was the rebound dispute.

Due to the nature of the squad, no central striker is too tall, coach Matt Van Pelt's teachers and students will need a collective and wise effort to gain an advantage in the rebound battle with Eastern.

“We don't have a big striker, and we don't have a 2m08 or 2m11 bigman. Eastern does, Singapore Slingers and many other teams have it, so we need to be more united and smart.

Last time we were completely underdog when we lost 20 rebounds. This time the whole team will have to try harder, work together. Even the smallest defender on the field needs to struggle or do his job, box-out the opponent to support his teammates, "said the head coach of Saigon Heat.

Another highlight that helps the Saigon Heat players want to play more is to "repay the debt" from the defeat in stage 2.

“We used to lead them by 14 points and still let the opponent come back, losing the final with a difference of 7 points. This makes the team always feel that they can do better and not lose the victory again.

The players and coaching staff can't wait to get on the field, face Hong Kong Eastern and try to win. This will definitely be a good match and worth watching," said Saigon Heat head coach.

The competition between Saigon Heat and Hong Kong Eastern will take place at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, February 5 at MABA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fans in Vietnam can watch live TV through FPT Play. Vietnamese fans abroad can watch the match at ABL's official YouTube channel.

Photo: Viet Long - From Malaysia