Coach predicts 'tough series' in IBL Finals
Lightning open best-of-3 against Oregon on Saturday at Cal Lutheran
With the biggest collection of stars in the five-year history of the International Basketball League, you would think the Los Angeles Lightning would be a big favorite in the IBL Finals, which begin on Saturday night at Cal Lutheran. Not so, says second-year L.A. coach Ron Quarterman.
"I think it will be a tough series," said Quarterman of his team's best-of-3 pro basketball battle with the Oregon Waves, which opens with 7 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday at the Gilbert Sports Arena. "We've been up against younger guys all year, so this will be no different.
"We have a lot of players with different skill sets. We can go up-tempo or play in the halfcourt. We can also play defense.
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A third game will be played, if necessary, on Tuesday night at Cal Lutheran.
The Lightning have one of the best defensive averages (114.0) in the high-scoring IBL, which uses a 22-second shot clock. Los Angeles (16-4) has won eight of its last nine games and is 15-0 when scoring 116 or more points.
Lamond Murray, the No. 7 draft pick of the L.A. Clippers in 1994, leads the Lightning with a 24.2 scoring average and is one of six former NBA players on the squad. The 12-year NBA veteran was one of five Lightning players who made the IBL All-Star team. He was joined by Toby Bailey (18.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 7.5 apg), Fred Vinson (17.5 points, 73 3-pointers), ex-Utah Jazz standout Bryon Russell (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and point guard Darrick Martin (17.7 ppg, 7.3 apg), a 13-year NBA veteran.
Martin scored 22 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter of the American Conference final on July 2 in Seattle, leading the Lightning to a 132-121 win over the Bellingham (Wash.) Slam.
L.A.'s Juaquin Hawkins, a left-hander who played for the Houston Rockets, was an honorable mention all-star. The Lightning also benefited from the play of 7-foot center Adam Parada, who's averaging 18.4 points and 12.8 rebounds.
Oregon (15-7) has captured seven of its last eight and has six former Pac-10 players, including four from Oregon State. The Waves feature the IBL's tallest player in 7-2 Brad Kanis (12.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg) and one of the shortest in 5-6 Jeremiah Dominguez (21.2 ppg, 8.2 apg). Robert Day was eighth in IBL scoring at 24.7 while guard Lamar Hurd and 6-8 forward David Lucas turned in strong playoff performances.
All games can be heard on radio (KVTA 1520, KKZZ 1400) or on the internet at lalightning.net. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or by call 800-745-3000.
