Three must-win games for Cheshire starts at Chavis-less Heat

If Cheshire Phoenix are to make the BBL Playoffs, then the next fortnight is going to need to involve a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck.

One Health Sharks Sheffield took complete advantage of a fragmented Marjon Plymouth Raiders at home on Wednesday night, meaning just one more defeat for Phoenix, regardless of any other result from any other team involved in this showdown to the finish line, would put an end to one of the most turbulent seasons ever for the Cheshire based franchise.

If the above scenario occurs, they would not be able to overtake neither Sheffield nor the other side capable of stealing a playoff spot from, London Lions, because of head-to-head results.

For Coach Matt Lloyd and his men, their side of the bargain, if they are to try and beat the odds, takes them to Surrey Sports Park on Friday night to face Surrey Heat for the second time in less than a week.

The big loss for Surrey was being without talismanic Chavis Holmes through a sprained ankle, but having already booked a playoff spot, coach Creon Raftopoulos revealed the chances are he will not make an appearance on Friday night: “We have to remind ourselves it was tough not having Chavis for those two games, he’s been our MVP for the season. Any time we go into a game without him, we’re going to always be a little bit on the back foot.

“Right now, he’s just started training again. If we are lucky, we may be able to get him in a suit for Sunday, we wouldn’t want to try it on Friday if we don’t have to. We’re still focused on trying to get a top 4 finish but more importantly is being fully fit come the first round of the play-offs. It’s light training, but one of those things where you ask the player how things are, if his body responds and see how he’s feeling before we push him into a game situation.”

The victory at home at the Northgate last weekend allowed a chink of light still to glimmer for Cheshire’s Lloyd: “It provided a massive boost to the guys they will respond positively to that win on Sunday. Making the playoffs can still be affected by what we do, but I think it’s down to the other teams around us; Sheffield have a tough run in and hopefully they will drop a couple of games and other teams can do us a favour.

“We have to go into the game on Friday level headed, but we can’t take too much from Sunday’s game. Yes, we won and we pushed them close when we went down there, but we have to take one game at a time,” said the Cheshire play caller.

Facing a full strength side in Cheshire, unlike the only previous meeting this season, away at Surrey Sports Park, there is a better gauge of what lies ahead for Creon Raftopoulos, so will Lloyd be sticking to the same game plan or keep the Heat on their toes?

“We have to change things up, I know Surrey will and we have to adapt also we have to prepare to face a tough team that will battle for the full 40 minutes.”

Cheshire captain Chez Marks, who alongside fellow team mate, Shawn Myers, made this week’s BBL Team of the Week, is determined for himself, and supporters, not to be leave for home on the first flights from Britain.

“Nobody wants to go home early, we want to get to those play-offs. No matter how you start your season, it is always the end. If we come out with the next three wins, we could end up being a snake in the grass.

“Making the playoffs despite what we’ve been through, not knowing as players where we were going to live, not knowing if we were going to have a team or not; it’d be like our own Cinderella story because we’ve come so far and stuck together, and the playoffs could be the icing on the cake as no-one expected us to come this far.

“Everyone has to adjust,” feels the top average points scorer in the BBL,”Surrey came out and started well. Travis Holmes is an outstanding player as well as big Frank; they are strong in every position but I’m sure that when we go to their house it’ll be a fight because they came on Sunday and we snook the game, so it’s going to be a lot different.

In contrast, for Coach Raftopoulos, it was a weekend to forget and a chance gone begging to grip on to third spot, two tough losses, the first almost against table-toppers Leicester Riders.

“For me, with the Leicester game, I feel it should have gone into overtime, but the refs can only call what they call on the night.

“That obviously has an effect on us when we go play the game on Sunday, both mentally and physically playing back-to-back games. We started slow against Cheshire, and maybe we gave ourselves a little bit too much to do. We were on the bad end of two tough technical fouls, which you look back and say it cost us seven points after we lose a game by four; a very much missed opportunity to push for that third spot.”

Whilst knowing now what Phoenix can do at maximum potential, it has given Raftopoulos the ability to pinpoint key areas; however, he is full of praise for the make up of the current Cheshire roster: “It helps us now, we know what to expect. The thing is when you look at that Cheshire starting five, that five can compete with any five in the league; in [Gabe] Haskins, you have a great point guard, the experience of Shawn Myers, who might not give you a full forty minutes but if used wisely is a good four or five man to have.

“[Alif] Bland is a good pick-up as well; I’m really excited about what he brings to a team, and Chez Marks and Jerome Gumbs are two guys that are capable of scoring in a variety of ways.”

• Surrey Heat host Cheshire Phoenix at Surrey Sports Park on Friday 22nd March, tip-off at 7:30pm – see surreyheat.com for further details.

(Image: psd-images.co.uk)