The Sudbury Five hit the court for their first ever NBL Canada playoff game on April 5, taking on the St. John's Edge.
The Five finished the regular season third in the Central Division, while the St.John's Edge sit second, both with a record of 21 wins and 19 season losses. With identical records the decision came to a head-to-head tiebreaker, with which the Edge won two of the three contests between the two teams this season.
In their inaugural season, the Five were named the league's best offensive with an average of 113.1 points per game, while the team's high-scoring offensive guard, Braylon Rayson, was named the league's top scorer, averaging 25.1 points per game.
In his second-year as a pro, Rayson of Dallas, TX, also set the record for the most three-pointers in a season this year, with 149.
No stranger to the limelight is Edge guard Dez Lee, starting in the team's 40 games this season, with an average of 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Joining him on the court is NBA Champion Glen 'Big Baby' Davis, who played 29 games in his first year with NBL Canada, averaging 16.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
The playoffs consist of three rounds, the Conference semi-finals, conference finals, and the league finals. Both the conference and league finals are a best of seven series, while the opening round of the playoffs is a best of five series.
The Five and Edge begin their first-round series with two games in St.John's before heading to Sudbury on April 10, for the first-ever NBL Canada playoff game in the Nickel City.
First-round playoff schedule:
- Game 1 | St. John’s | Friday, April 5 – 7:00 p.m. NDT, 6:00 p.m. EST
- Game 2 | St. John’s | Sunday, April 7 – 2:00 p.m. NDT, 1:00 p.m.EST
- Game 3 | Sudbury | Wednesday April 10 – 7:05 p.m. EST
- *Game 4 | Sudbury | Friday April 12 – 7:05 p.m. EST
- *Game 5 | St. John’s | Sunday, April 14 – 2:00 p.m. NDT, 1:00 p.m. EST
*If necessary
