SBL HERR PLAYOFFS - UMEÅ VS BORÅS 4:7
At the same time as Borås tries to sweep their way to the Finals, Umeå needs to win to force another game to stay alive. It comes down to both pride and prestige, Umeå is not satisfied with just being in the Semis for the first time in club's history. They want to keep pushing for new achievements, but Borås is a really good team.
I know the series would've looked way different hadn't center Will Butler went down after the xmas break with a season ending injury, Umeå might've avoided Borås until the Finals had they stayed healthy. But they didn't, and here we are Borås up 3-0.
In the first game, Gustav Hansson came out on fire and didn't miss a shot in the opening quarter. And the shots he makes, looks so tough, until you realize those are the type of shots he's been working on to get Umeå this far this season. And his brother Daniel has been really steady these playoffs, including the games against Borås. But even if they combine for 30-40 points, Borås is a much deeper team. They got a really nice 9 man rotation, and can throw a rested spark plug like Anton Cook at you off the bench, while Umeå relays so much on their starting 5, specially Guard Of the Year Gustav Hansson. That's been the difference if you ask me. That, and the passing ability from key player Ryan Logan.
Logan is a 6'7" Forward who played professionally in Spain, Germany, Luxemburg and Holland. He can have a 5 points and 13 assists game one night, and the next one you think you lock him up and he ends up with 3 points, 9 assists and 15 boards. He's very all around, but he can score too. In the first game of the series, he had 4 points but the other three he dropped 22, 26 and 20 in game 4. And one thing that I really liked about his game, is that he plays tough, don't complain at all, but he also plays fair. When someone went down, he was the first to check if he was ok, but once the ball is live again, he's all business. He's not the guy who would stomp on your chest while you're down, if that makes sense. But he will go after you all night.
Another player I really liked watching was Andreas Person. It feels like he's been around since always, which is not all lies since he's about to be tied for 3rd place in most seasons played in SBL Herr history, and might pass up Mikael Lindquist and Leslie Myrthil for all time leader. If there was a 6th Man award, he'd probably win it. He just comes in and plays steady and reliable basketball, few mistakes and makes key shots.
With the other semis sitting at 3-2 to Norrköping, we still don't know who Borås will go up against in the Finals, but either Jämtland or the Dolphins, I think Borås looks like a really strong team and Ryan Logan will be tough to match up against.
