Najeal Young of CFV Beira is introduced before the game against City Oilers.
The grit and grind of the postseason is here and soon there will be a new champion in the Basketball Africa League.
After defending champions US Monastir failed to qualify for the postseason, eight teams will fight to earn the title of ‘King of the BAL’.
The top four teams from the Nile and Sahara conferences advanced to the playoffs – with the top seed from each conference playing the lowest seed from the opposing conference.
Action will begin on May 20 at 10 a.m. ET with Stade Malien faces the Cape Town Tigers in the opener, followed by Al Ahly vs. Rwanda Energy Group on Saturday. On May 21, AS Douanes will face CFV Beira before the ABC fighters and Petro de Luanda battle.
Here are some key storylines and players to watch out for in the playoffs.
Pure dominance
Petro de Luando heads into the playoffs as the team to beat. After losing in the 2022 Finals, they are a team looking to complete unfinished business.
With the help of Carlos Morais, who averaged 17.2 points per game, Petro went 5-0 in the Nile Conference to earn the top seed. They survived a scare to their undefeated season when Gerson Lukeny drained a putback tip-in at the buzzer to beat Al Ahly.
Extraordinary shot on the putback by Gerson Lukeny to win it at the buzzer is our @WilsonBasktball Play of the Game 🤩#TheBAL pic.twitter.com/VKDCKJvane
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 5, 2023
Defensively, the squad improved with the addition of Ater James Majok. The 2022 Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year averaged a team-high 1.6 blocks per game.
The team also held opponents to just 72.6 ppg and their aggressive defense earned them an average win margin of 20 ppg.
Petro looks to stay hot and ride their momentum to their second-straight finals appearance. But can an unforeseen challenger disrupt their smooth sailing?
Just squeaking by …
While one team clinched a playoff berth early in their campaign, a couple of clubs snuck into the playoffs during their final regular season games.
The Cape Town Tigers had high expectations for the season but stumbled to a 1-3 start. They defeated the City Oilers in their final conference game to secure their spot in the playoffs. Even without star players Zaire Wade, Josh Hall, and Evans Ganapamo, Cape Town rallied behind Samkelo Cele’s 28 points in the win.
It wasn’t just the Tigers that secured a must-needed win in the last game of the regular season. Stade Malien and AS Douanes were able to steal wins in the final fixture to move on to the postseason.
Stade Malien defeated the ABC Fighters by forcing 23 turnovers and shooting 46.2% overall. AS Douanes bested the defending champions thanks to a 28-point performance from Marcus Christopher Crawford.
Amadou Harouna of ABC Fighters celebrates during their game against US Monastir.
13 names to know in playoffs
There were loads of remarkable talent on display in the regular season. These players all have the potential to ignite their teams and lead them on a deep playoff run:
- Souleymane Berthe (Stade Malien): 20.4 ppg (No. 1 in BAL), 4.4 rpg
- Marcus Christopher Crawford (A.S. Douanes): 20 ppg, 5.8 rpg
- Amadou Harouna (ABC Fighters): 18.8 ppg, 5 rpg
- Stephen Konate (ABC Fighters): 12.6 ppg, 6 rpg
- Anunwa Omot (Al Ahly): 19.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg
- Will Perry (CFV Beira): 18.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 6.2 apg
- Evans Ganapamo (Cape Town Tigers): 15.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
- Michael Gbinije (Cape Town Tigers): 14.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg
- Joshua Hall (Cape Town Tigers): 12.7 ppg, 6 rpg
- Zaire Wade (Cape Town Tigers): 9.3 ppg, 4.8 apg
- Carlos Morais (Petro de Luanda): 17.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg
- Cleveland Joseph Thomas Jr. (R.E.G Rwanda): 16.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.6 apg
- Adonis Filer (R.E.G Rwanda): 16 ppg, 3.4 apg
Don’t sleep on these teams
Despite ending the season with a 3-2 team record and coming in 4th place in the Sahara Conference, the ABC Fighters could be a Cinderella team. Led by Liz Mills, the Fighters play aggressively on defense to force turnovers for easy transition opportunities. They also offer a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging 9 points or more per game.
The Cape Town Tigers have the star power needed to make a run in the postseason. The key for them will be their health. Three crucial pieces – Hall, Wade, and Ganapamo – have missed games with injuries. If the trio can enter the postseason reenergized, they could make some serious noise.
The race to the cup is on, and the chase will be action-packed. Don’t miss a second of the playoffs, and watch the 2023 BAL Playoffs on the NBA App and NBA.com.
