BBL: Surrey Heat’s Julius Joseph reveals his tip for Finals day glory
The BBL 2012/13 season reaches its climax this Sunday when Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders face off with Newcastle Eagles in a bid for BBL Championship play-off glory.
Recovering from injury and his own teams narrow loss in the semi-final, Surrey Heat captain Julius Joseph exclusively told DYRT who he tips as the winner.
“To be honest I respect both teams. I’m not necessarily a fan of either but I think Newcastle will win, they are playing fantastic basketball at the moment, including when they beat my team in the semi-finals.”
Surprisingly though, while JJ thinks Newcastle will win, the BBL veteran believes it’s Leicester who have been the stronger side this season.
“Leicester have been the stronger team all season due to the fact that they having such a deep team.
“The coach can play 9 – 10 players easily on the roster and it makes the team competitive on a nightly basis.
“They play consistently with high intensity and that is how they achieved the league title.”
Summing up his thoughts on both teams, the ex-Great Britain player said: “Leicester Riders have truly dominated the season from start to finish. They have been the consistent force in the BBL this year.
“Newcastle Eagles have been the power house of BBL basketball over recent years.
“They have had a lot of injury problems which has affected their normal dominance this season, but now they are back to full fitness and have peaked at exactly the right time.”
Reflecting on his own season, JJ revealed he felt really disappointed to be edged out of the final.
“It was really disappointing to lose in the semi’s, we were so close to making it to Wembley, which is right on my doorstep.
“The final is sold out and it would have been amazing to play the Championship match in front an audience like that.”
“We have had a great season this year. At the beginning of the year, if my team would have said we would finished tied for 3rd in the league and playoff semi-finalist’s, no one would have believed us.
“We played a lot of great basketball this season, and we are one of the few teams in the league that has managed to beat every other team in the league.”
The sold out Wembley Arena final can be seen on Sky Sports 3, Sunday at 3pm
