Champagne on ice
Too good. Oilers centre Landry Ndikumana (middle) has protected rims on both ends of the floor in the NBL best-of-seven series playoff final against KIU.
PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA
What you need to know:
- Basketball. Ahead of Game Four tonight in the 2017 NBL playoff final, there is an air of inevitability that City Oilers will win a fifth straight championship - something that has never been done before
KAMPALA.
There seems little doubt now that City Oilers captain Jimmy Enabu will be raising the 2017 National Basketball League trophy.
It is now just a question of when not if City Oilers will wrap up its fifth straight title, and by how many games.
That could happen as early as this evening should they win game four of their best-of-seven finals series against KIU Titans.
The latest indication came on Wednesday evening at the Lugogo MTN Arena after they took a 3-0 series lead following a 52-46 result.
“Both teams played terrible offense but we will take the win. We are in a situation where any team would want to be. We will fight even harder,” City Oilers coach Mandy Juruni remarked. Wednesday’s encounter was the lowest scoring game of the three played thus far with the Oilers having won the opening two games 74-72 and 76-72 respectively.
The game three result could also be attributed to good defense from both teams with Landry Ndikumana enhancing his reputation as a strong MVP finals candidate with seven points and 25 rebounds.
Jimmy Enabu and James Okello added 13 and 10 for the Oilers who led from start to finish.
“I thought we played good defense. We kept Sudi (Ulanga) on eight points and they had only one player in double figures,” added Juruni. The KIU guard averaged 20 points going into game three but was left frustrated with his side’s display that left them still trying to find the right balance.
“I felt like today we were very disorganized. There was nothing that was smooth, you were not getting the ball well, not hitting the ball well we were just too tense.
“We now have nothing to lose. We want to enjoy, have fun, we are playing for pride,” explained Ulanga.
There is also belief in the KIU camp that they have failed to raise their game rather than the Oilers being exceptional.
