2024-04-27 03:27:24

Playoffs Preview: First Round

2009.05.24 08:00


The bracket 2009

Round one, fight! The four games to start S.B.L. Playoffs will be held on May 31 at Shek Tong Tsui Sports Centre (map) starting from 18:10.

Game 1 @ 18:10: Dream Team (4-2 FO 3rd) vs Chung Sing (2-4 FL 6th)

Chung Sing won their first game of the season before they lost four straight, but they concluded the first six games with 54-28 rout and confirmed a 6th place entering playoffs. They will first meet another young and speeding team, the defending champion Dream Team, won completed overall 4-2 and was 3rd in the competitive FORCE Division.

Game 2 @ 19:20: M.I.B. (3-3 FL 3rd) vs G.T. Explorers (1-5 FO 6th)

M.I.B. and G.T. Explorers, two of the original four teams of the league, will finally meet again. Both teams have changed face much from their original and we will see how the teams end up this year. M.I.B. won in first round for the past two seasons both being the lower seeded team, while G.T. Explorers failed win a single game in 2008 and missed the playoffs. Kit Cheng, the new player this season for G.T. Explorers, led the team in rebounds and second in the league, will face in the first round playoffs the also improved M.I.B. with the third scoring leader of the league in Wai Keung lee.

Game 3 @ 20:30: SOUTHORN Tigers (3-3, FL 4th) vs Trojans (3-3, FO 5th)

Trojans lead an all-time 4-0 against Tigers but Trojans had a rough season in 2009 and will see if Tigers can finally take one from the men of troy. Both teams alternated the season with wins and losses and this become the only match-ups with two teams of a same 3-3 record entering playoffs . The winner will face GRIZZ, the top seeded team in FORCE Division.

Game 4 @ 21:40: H.F.C. (4-2, FO 4th) vs Challengers (2-4 FL 5th)

Coming off a victory over GRIZZ, another team fell lower in ranking in the four-way tie at the top of FORCE Division, Tabo Chak and H.F.C. will meet Challengers in the first round playoffs this season. After a sucessful season with Yuen Ki Chiu, Challengers missed the scoring leader this year but they would still try to challenge the Champion in 2007.

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2009 SBL Final Standings

FLIGHT
FORCE

Break-down of four-way tie

* Note: GRI & PHO were 2-1 and GRI beat PHO in matchup, while DRE & HFC were 1-2 and DRE beat HFC in matchup.