Talk about an experience.
Last night, I drove nearly three hours from Saint John, N.B. to Summerside, Prince Edward Island, to watch Game 4 of the NBL Canada championship best-of-five series between the Summerside Storm and the London (Ont.) Lightning.
London was already up 2-1 in the series, so Game 4 would either mean a London victory or a Summerside stave-off-elimination matchup.
London, of course, was coached by Micheal Ray Richardson, the former Albany Patroons player and coach who would, with this year’s London crop, be coaching his eighth consecutive postseason team and seventh consecutive championship finals, a streak that stretched over three different leagues. Richardson already has four championship rings as a head coach – two in the CBA, one in the PBL, and one last year with the Lightning.
And midway through this year’s campaign, Richardson picked up a former player from one of his past coaching stints.
This guy.
Yep, it’s Marvin Phillips, who played for the Albany Patroons in the 2006-07 season. Phillips joined up with London midway through the season, he won two “Player of the Week” awards and really helped solidify that squad.
And now he has a chance to help Micheal Ray Richardson earn that fifth coaching ring.
I should tell you that the arena that Summerside plays in, Eastlink Arena at Consolidated Credit Union Place (man, that’s a mouthful) doesn’t have a bad seat in the entire building. And the fans came out to support their hometown Storm in droves. They brought noisemakers and horns and cowbells and tambourines to cheer the Storm and to heckle the Lightning. They could have drowned out an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo with their noise.
And the Storm took off quickly, garnering a 22-8 first quarter lead.
The thing is… I’ve seen this kind of lead before.
Back in the 2006-07 season, Albany hosted the Pittsburgh Xplosion (no, that’s not a typo). The Xplosion, coached by former NBA star Jaren Jackson, jumped out to an early 22-0 lead. That’s right, 22 to nothing. Go ask Tim Wilkin if you don’t believe me.
But point by point, basket by basket, the Patroons clawed their way back to a victory. Oh, and who was on the Xplosion at the time? Marvin Phillips. He would later be traded to the Patroons a few days later.
Halfway through the second quarter, I received a message from the Credit Union Place’s house photographer. “I hear you like photographing basketball games from the rafters,” he said to me.
Yeah. I do. But I didn’t think it would be possible on such short notice.
“I talked to the building manager. Come with me.”
And sure enough, the building manager walked me up to the catwalk that surrounded the Credit Union Place roof. And for a few minutes in the second quarter, I got some fantastic rooftop shots. Totally Scorpio, like Sgt. Lane in Flashpoint. Yep, that’s a Canadian TV show reference.
Meanwhile, the Lightning were clawing and grinding their way back into the game. Eventually the score was tied 42-42. And then, basket by basket, free throw by free throw, the Lightning pulled ahead.
And the closer the team was to victory…
The larger the stride in Micheal Ray Richardson’s step.
And in the end, when London won the game 87-80…
Richardson could now add a fifth championship ring to his trophy case. He beat five different head coaches in that timeframe – Chris Daleo, Derrick Rowland, Rod Baker, Pep Claros and now Joe Salerno – in claiming a ring for every finger on his hand.
As for Marvin Phillips? He won the NBL Playoff Most Valuable Player honors. Nearly a decade after wearing the gold and kelly green of the Albany Patroons, he now has some championship hardware for himself.
Congratulations to the Lightning, as well as to the Summerside Storm and their organization and fans. What a tremendous game and what a great capper to the NBL season.
Oh wait… I didn’t come out here for game 4 of the NBL playoffs.
I came out here for All-Star Weekend.
Which I’m going to enjoy… starting today, with the slam dunk and 3-point shooting competition.
And who’s entered in both events?
Some guy named Marvin Phillips.
Chuck The Writer 