What Can We Expect from the 2022 NBL Canada Finals

For the first time in three years there will be a new NBL Canada finals series and while awarding the trophy to a tenth victor will be sign of familiarity returning to the league, the 2022 finals will surely be unlike any other.

One reason being the two teams contesting the title will be coming in under very different circumstances. The London Lightning have been here five times before, winning four of them, whereas this will be the first finals appearance for the KW Titans. It's not just their historical track record that would seemingly tip favour in their direction, it's also their performance in the season up to this point.

They had the biggest win percentage in league history, went undefeated at home and made it to the finals without dropping a game. In that time these two teams met six times in the regular season, with London winning five times. It's statistics like this that make the Lightning the early favourites going in, as well as having home court advantage throughout the best-of-seven series.

It is not that straightforward: throughout the entirety of the 2022 season though the Titans have shown, in their current form, they are never to be underestimated. Already they have shown their ambition and determination in a dogged four-game series against the Sudbury Five to reach this point and, while they may not have had the best track record against the Lightning in 2022, three of their six meetings were decided by less than three points.

The Titans will also be able to call upon the services of the newly crowned MVP Joel Kindred, whose

have proved instrumental to their success and in getting the team this far. In addition they can also rely on Eric Ferguson, who averaged a near double-double; Ty Walker, the defensive player of year and one of the best shot blockers in the NBLC; as well as Jesse Jones and Davon Dillard, who have stepped it up in this late portion of the season.

Kindred is not the only one in the finals with an accolade though; London have on their roster Terry Thomas, both Sixth Man and Canadian of the Year, in addition to many more in a hugely talented roster.

Cameron Forte, who has been an indispensable team leader throughout the season, and Jermaine Haley, the high-powered newcomer whose high production on offence made him a deserving starter in almost no time at all. Also likely to make an impact in the finals for the Lightning are defensive big man Amir Williams as well as regular big contributors Chris Jones and Jordan Burns, who has made a lot of headway in just seven games for London so far.

While we will never know for sure how the finals will unfold until the first tip-off in London on Friday May 27th, what we can be sure to expect from these two teams is plenty more of the same high-octane basketball we've seen from them all season long.

Both teams bring plenty of firepower, deep benches packed with players of many different skillsets, all of which have been focused into game plans designed to best utilize all these powers. London and KW have played the best basketball in 2022 and either will be worthy winners once the fireworks settle in Ontario.