Nairobi — Despite beating defending champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) home and away in the regular season, Nairobi City Thunder skipper Griffin Ligare says they will not take the dockers lightly when they face off in the final of the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Premier League this weekend.
KPA will host games one and two of the best-of-five final series at their Makande Gymnasium backyard in Mombasa, while top-seeded Thunder host games three, four and five in Nairobi if the final extends that way.
"That was the regular season and things have changed much since then," Ligare said, referring to their two previous victories over KPA.
He adds; "They have changed their style of play a lot and have also brought new personnel. It will not be the same and it will not be easy. We need to study a lot of their videos to know what they have changed or brought in new to be ready to play against them."
Thunder unbeaten this season
Thunder have been the league's poster boys this season, going through the entire season unbeaten. They swept the Equity Dumas 3-0 in the semis, being run close in game one and two but whitewashing the bankers in game three.
Ligare believes that the confidence picked from those three matches spur them on heading to the date against KPA.
"I would be lying if I said they didn't give us confidence. We were tried and tested to our limits and we always found solutions and as a team definitely that gives us a bit of confidence. Of course, games are different and KPA are a different opponent, but we go in there with a bit more confidence," noted Ligare.
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Thunder arrived in Mombasa Thursday, and have had two days to train and acclimatize and get used to the Makande Gym. Winning both games will put them on the verge of the title, as they will only need to win game three in Nairobi next weekend to claim the crown.
Basketball a game of tight margins
"We are not getting carried away because we know basketball is a game of tight margins and we need to be at our best from game one," a cautious Ligare stated.
KPA, who finished second in the regular season, will not come into the duel lying down and are seeking to show their intent as well.
They prevailed against Strathmore University with a 3-0 whitewash in the semis, and are also moving into the Thunder date with some touch of confidence.
Coached by national team tactician Cliff Owuor, KPA will look towards home-court advantage and ensure they avoid a sweep to take the game down to the wire.
