A Look Back at the 2019 Lightning-Titans Series
April 2019 saw the start of that year's NBL Canada playoffs, the road to deciding who would be the season champions. With expectation already behind the higher-seeded teams there is always the chance of a big upset, when an underdog team through nothing but grit and resolves shocked everyone by overshadowing their more favoured opponents.
That's what happened in the first round of the 2019 NBLC post season, when the London Lightning and KW Titans faced off in one of the most exciting and unpredictable playoff series in league history.
On paper it seemed like it would be straightforward. The Lightning, looking to defend their title and add a fifth trophy to their cabinet, finished the regular season like so, as leaders of the Central Division. Meanwhile the Titans, only in their third year as a franchise, had not been quite so convincing in the regular season and only managed to secure the last playoff spot just days before the post-season.
Yet there were some encouraging signs for KW: they had won three of their six regular season meetings with the Lightning and had players and a game plan to match up to London. Even so, the smart money was on the high-flying and dominant London to make short work of their first opponents in their attempt at a three-peat.
Game one at the Gardens on April 4th started out with a London lead, but led by Flenard Whitfield from close range the Titans kept it tight throughout the first half. When play resumed KW went from just keeping themselves in it to competing and, after thirteen lead changes, they dominated with their close-range offence in the final period.
Though they were helped out by London going cold on offence, the Titans turned heads in claiming the first game of the series. If they had luck on their side in game one, they didn't need to rely on it for game two. Sparked off the bench by Derek Hall and Ashton Smith, KW turned around a seven-point first half deficit to dominate once again from close range, particularly as the game came to an end. Despite Garrett Williamson and Xavier Moon giving all they had to prevent another London loss, the final score was 101-97 to KW.
The Titans had gone from fortunate to favourable and people were starting to pay attention what was happening in the series. They were now on the verge of an achievement not seen in the NBLC since 2014, when fourth-seeded Halifax Rainmen defeated Atlantic Division champions Saint John Mill Rats in the first round of the playoffs.
They now looked to complete the upset and sweep the Lightning on their home court. Game three began the same as the first two, with London going in front early on but despite an early attempt by the Titans to turn it around, the Lightning continued their upward trajectory and by the third quarter were leading by twenty points. London looked more like London in game three and gave themselves a lifeline in the series, winning 115-107, with AJ Gaines contributing a 24-point, 17-rebound double-double.
KW had lost the momentum going into game four but still had home court advantage and a prime opportunity to put the series to bed. When the next game got underway, London came out firing but saw their early 12-3 lead interrupted by a 14-2 run from the Titans, bringing an end to a high-scoring start with plenty more action still to unfold.
The game looked uncertain up until the third quarter, when the Lightning frontcourt overwhelmed KW and outscored the hosts by thirteen. This push kept London at a big enough distance throughout the final quarter which carried them to a second win of the series.
The Titans had missed a prime opportunity to end the series early, but not for a drop in form but London stepping up and pulling out all the stops, now knowing the game was theirs to lose. Performances in game four like those from Akeem Ellis, who posted 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Whitfield who had a game-high 25, showed there was still a lot that could come from the Titans.
This series had built to an expected conclusion, with few thinking it could have gone down to a decider or that it would be so close between the teams. Tied at two games apiece, London would play host to the decider on April 14th. Playing at home should have provided the Lightning an advantage in this winner-take-all match-up, but the Titans had already defied many expectations by forcing a decider and there was every reason to believe they could do it again. Going in, the final result of this game five was already going to be one of the most unpredictable of the entire season.
Buoyed by a perfect first quarter from Whitfield that Titans had built an eleven-point lead by the end of the opening quarter, an advantage they maintained in the following period with steady play in the field.
Unlike the Titans, London found it hard to find momentum in this must-win game; despite a late push from Gaines and Jaylen Babb-Harrison, they were unexpectedly outclassed on offence.
At the final buzzer the upset was complete: KW had won the game 109-93 and would be advancing to the semi-finals. This was possibly the biggest shock in NBLC playoffs history as the defending champions, the number one seeds in the Central Division, were eliminated from title contention by a less favoured team who had only sneaked into the post-season.
The Titans would then be eliminated in the next round four games to two by the St. John's Edge, who in turn were defeated by the Moncton Magic in the finals. Despite that, they had gone much further than anyone had ever expected to, reached their highest post-season position and created one of the most memorable moments in league history.
