Host Alliance look to silence doubters in East final against River Lions
It’s a game that, on paper, shouldn’t be very close. But as we’ve seen time and time again, anything can happen in the CEBL playoffs.
The Montreal Alliance (6-14) host the Niagara River Lions (14-6) in the East final at Verdun Auditorium on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Broadcast coverage of the game is available on TSN and Next Level Sports & Entertainment, while you can live stream the contest on CEBL+, TSN+ and Courtside 1891.
Whoever emerges victorious will face the winner of the West final — featuring the Vancouver Bandits (14-6) and Calgary Surge (11-9) — in Sunday’s CEBL Championship Final.
The Alliance’s knowledge since before the season that they would be in this game as hosts has been commonly brought up as a reason for their season-long struggles. Perhaps it was difficult to produce full effort in a regular season largely devoid of stakes.
But Montreal always said it planned to peak at the right time.
Now, the Alliance enter the playoffs winners of their last two games, including a two-point victory over the Bandits.
The question will be whether home court and momentum are enough to overcome a strong River Lions side.
Niagara, meanwhile, took control of the East early in the season and never let up, but its season — and its perfect home record — nearly went up in smoke in Sunday’s East semi, when the Ottawa BlackJacks held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
But two-time Clutch Player of the Year Khalil Ahmad came to the rescue, scoring 13 straight points in Target Score Time including an alley-oop winner to punch his team’s ticket to Montreal and secure a much-desired date with the Alliance.
The gulf between Niagara and Montreal largely comes on the offensive end. While the River Lions were second in the league with 94.1 points per game, the Alliance sat dead last at 84.5 points per game.
For Montreal to succeed, then, it must rely on its defence, which was its biggest strength all season as the second-stingiest team overall — one spot better than Niagara.
One key for the will be limiting their league-high 17.1 turnovers per game and preventing the River Lions from running out in transition — especially against a defence featuring Ahmad, who recorded six swipes against Ottawa.
The River Lions won all three matchups against the Alliance during the regular season, but the final two were decided by a total of just eight points.
For most of the season, onlookers have scoffed at Montreal’s chances in this game. Now they have a chance to prove them all wrong.
Player spotlight
Jordan Bowden led the Alliance with 17.4 points per game this season, but it’s unclear how much he has to offer heading into the playoffs.
The 27-year-old American missed time down the stretch while playing in the NBA Summer League for the Atlanta Hawks and only returned for Montreal’s final game of the season.
Bowden made a positive impact in the contest, recording a team-high plus-16 mark, but he managed just four points on 1-for-7 shooting.
Now, he’ll have to deal with a pair of tough River Lions defenders in Ahmad and Omari Moore, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Bowden could prove to be a true X-factor in this East final.
Milestone watch
· Niagara’s Ahmad needs one three-pointer to reach 100 for his career, including playoffs
· Niagara’s Kimbal Mackenzie needs nine points to reach 500 for his career, including playoffs
· Niagara’s Nathan Cayo needs two steals to reach 50 for his career, including playoffs
· Montreal’s Devonte Bandoo needs seven assists to reach 100 for his career, including playoffs
· Montreal’s Guillaume Boucard needs two blocks to reach 50 for his career, including playoffs
- CEBL -
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
