Saigon Heat escaped in game 1 of the VBA 2023 final

Besides the CIS home advantage, Saigon Heat is also rated higher than Nha Trang Dolphins in terms of strength and experience before kickoff. Representatives of Ho Chi Minh City are aiming for their fourth consecutive championship, while Dolhpins is in the final for the first time.

But Saigon Heat entered the match poorly. Coach Van Pelt's star team with excellent pitchers like Barkley, Du Minh An, Vo Kim Ban or Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh missed a series of scoring opportunities. On the contrary, the Dolphins' trio of foreign players - including Madarious Gibbs, Dominique Tham and Robert Sampson - are very effective in pressure situations. At the end of the first half, Saigon Heat was led 19-25. In the second half, the margin was sometimes widened to 34-45.

Amidst difficulties, Barkley proved Saigon Heat's key position at VBA this season. In the first half of the match, the American pitcher almost "carried" the team, helping Saigon Heat not be too far behind the Dolphins. It was not until the third round that the home pitchers gradually "warmed up". Minh An is more accurate with three-point shots. Phu Vinh and Hassan Thomas are also more effective in rebound and pressure situations. Thanks to that, Saigon Heat scored 32 points in the third quarter to lead the opponent 66-58, thereby creating an advantage entering the fourth quarter.

But the Dolphins still played resiliently, continuously chasing and at times came very close to winning, leading 78-76 with only 30 seconds left in the match. But with two accurate free throws, Barkley helped Saigon Heat equalize 78-78 to send this game into overtime, thereby keeping hope of victory for the home team alive.

The two teams continued to compete point by point in the first overtime period. With more than 1 minute left in the game, Thomas successfully threw a three-pointer to help Saigon Heat lead 86-83. But the CIS crowd was stunned when Tham, with a 3-point shot, equalized 86-86 with only two seconds left in the half, sending the game into the second overtime period.

In the next five minutes, the Dolphins persistently pursued Saigon Heat and successfully blocked Barkley. The American star himself was also exhausted from playing continuously from the beginning of the match. However, the remaining stars of the home team promptly shined to create a breakthrough. Phu Vinh played the best in this second overtime period, and was also the one to score the last free throw, sealing the 98-95 victory for Saigon Heat.

Including the whole match, Barkley played the best on the Saigon Heat side, scoring 33 points, having 7 assists and 21 rebounds. Phu Vinh and Thomas also impressed when each scored 22 points. Kim Ban was effective with 4 successful 3-point throws.

While Barkley was the only Saigon Heat player to play the entire match, all three foreign players of the Dolphins did not rest for a second. Tham was most impressive when scoring 24 points, 4 assists and 18 rebounds. Sampson scored 25 points, 2 assists and 20 rebounds, and Gibbs contributed 20 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds.

This victory helps Saigon Heat temporarily hold an advantage in the VBA 2023 final. Van Pelt and his team will be guests of Nha Trang Dolphins on September 21 and September 24 in the next two games, before returning to the CIS home field. Game 4 on September 28.