BBL Cup: London Lions and Newcastle Eagles set for fierce final
The BBL Cup Final between London Lions and Newcastle Eagles and the Championship meeting between Leicester Riders and the Glasgow Rocks will be shown on Sky Sports Arena from 12.30pm on Sunday, and streamed on YouTube
Sunday 24 January 2021 13:23, UK
The BBL Cup is the first piece of silverware in the British Basketball League season, and as such, it is one of the most sought after benchmarks of the year.
It builds confidence, gives the winner bragging rights, and has a prestigious history dating back to 1987, before it became a BBL-only competition and shared its heritage with the National Cup.
But since 2003-04, when the BBL Cup became its own competition, no team has won it more than the Newcastle Eagles. This Sunday could mark the sixth time the Tyneside team towers the trophy above their heads.
"It's the first trophy of the year, so you want to put your name down. We want to win this one for the club and the fans," Eagles forward Darius Defoe told Sky Sports.
It must be an unusual feeling to want something for fans this season, with none allowed to attend the usually packed Birmingham Arena due to COVID-19 restrictions. Without the need of a location that could hold up 15,000 people, the BBL Cup will take place in Leicester this year - at the home of the Riders, even though they will not feature.
Newcastle's actual opponents for the game, the London Lions, do not care what building they play in. Even though visitors are not allowed, Lions head coach Vince Macaulay knows the capital's faithful fanbase will be behind the team.
"It's a title that we want," Macaulay said. "We know the fans are excited. It's on a great platform. The broadcast guys are doing a terrific job, so we know people will be watching."
The cup final will be live Sky Sports Arena, and streamed on Sky Sports YouTube at 3.30pm in a double header with the Championship meeting between Leicester Riders taking on the Glasgow Rocks.
Macaulay thinks it will mean more this year than most, after the WBBL Cup Final was postponed due to coronavirus, and the Lions' semi-final game was forfeited by the Manchester Giants due to contact tracing concerns.
"I think we have done a good job as a league in terms of the number of games we have had to postpone, it's been fairly minimal," he said.
"I know some people have been tearing their hair out, saying 'Is this the best way to keep people safe?'
"But I think it's clear how important it is to our fans. When you talk about mental health, the ability to watch the games is important for our mental health."
History on side
Macaulay will coach in the cup final for the third time - the first was when the franchise was based in Milton Keynes and won in 2008, and the most recent occasion was another win in 2018. While the Eagles might have a more storied history in the competition, there is arguably no better-constructed team in the BBL right now than the Lions.
Justin Robinson leads the charge for London. As the local boy done good, Robinson was playing European basketball successfully before being convinced by Macaulay to take a leap of faith back home. It paid off, as the Lions have become one of the most successful teams in the league since he joined.
Robinson said: "This is my third or fourth year. Each year it's been us and Leicester, or us and Newcastle. We have always been in the top three. So, when we come to those games, we have to make sure we are focused and engaged. It is a rivalry. You just know against Newcastle you have to come correct."
Top-loading talent
With success in recent years, London took the leap to compete in the Basketball Champions League in Europe and FIBA EuroCup this season, on top of BBL duties.
As such, it has loaded up on some of the best homegrown talent and impressive imports, including former NBA players DeAndre Liggins and Byron Mullens, as well as Kevin Ware - once, one of the most exciting college prospects in the USA before he suffered a gruesome injury.
Beyond the top names, there is great depth from Ed Lucas, Fahro Alihodzic, Dirk Williams, Joe Ikhinmwin, Chris Tawiah, Andre Lockhart and more.
This depth and versatility gives Macaulay confidence going into Sunday. He said: "If you want a physical battle, we will give it to you. If you want a shoot-out, we'll give it to you. So, we like where we are now, and even though we understand the strengths of the Newcastle Eagles, we believe that if we put our game on the floor, it will be hard to stop us."
The strength of the Eagles lies good management. Paul Blake took over in 1999 and since then the team has won the play-offs six times, the league seven times, the trophy seven times, and the cup five times. For years, the team was led by basketball legend and player-coach Fab Flournoy, who has now joined the Toronto Raptors.
That means it is Ian Macleod's first chance at a cup win in the head coach's spot (he was an assistant under Flournoy), but he proved he was up to the task last year when he led the team to the Trophy.
The roster is still a who's who of top BBL talent, led by two-time league MVP Rahmon Fletcher, a 32-year-old American who is still filling it up. Across championship and cup games this year, he is averaging 16 points, while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 42 per cent from three-point territory, all while dishing out nine assists.
If the team had any concerns about how many peak years they have left of Fletcher, signing Cortez Edwards should alleviate that. The guard showed out with the Worcester Wolves last year straight out of college, and was snapped up by the Eagles, where he has continued to impress, boasting a well-rounded, efficient game.
Drew Lasker is one of the most reliable British vets in the league. Evan Maxwell and Justin Gordon cause a lot of issues around the paint, but for Defoe, this cup final goes beyond comparing match-ups. It's personal. Defoe has played in Newcastle since 2008, but London games add something extra.
"I'm from London, and I know almost everyone on the Lions team from London," he said.
"I know the coach and how the team are. Me, being from London, I want to win this one, just to have one up on them. So, when I come back down to London, they can't tell me nothing."
Fans of the NBA might not be familiar with the BBL format, which presents the chance to win multiple competitions, but just because the cup comes first in the calendar year does not take away from how much it means to the teams and players.
Both sides have a hunger to win the cup and lay the foundation for a successful rest of the season, so you can expect an entertaining battle when the Eagles fly against this pride of Lions.
Watch the BBL Cup Final between London Lions and Newcastle Eagles and the Championship meeting between Leicester Riders and the Glasgow Rocks on Sky Sports Arena from 12.30pm on Sunday. Both matches will also be streamed live on the Sky Sports YouTube page.
