Best of the West in Conference final clash

It had been a while for Isiah Osborne.

The man known affectionately by his Winnipeg Sea Bears teammates as the “Silent Assassin” had been quiet in more ways than one for a while.

After arriving in Winnipeg with some flair, eclipsing 20 points in three of his first four games and hitting two game-winners over that stretch, the Windsor, Ont., product had cooled off significantly in recent weeks.

Osborne reached double digits just once in the last eight games of the regular season while firing at a 32.8 per cent clip, and he was pushed down the pecking order once Xavier Moon jumped into the lineup.

So, it would be an understatement to suggest that Osborne needed the 19-point effort that he delivered in Thursday’s 99-88 victory over the Saskatoon Mamba in the Western Conference semifinal — the first playoff win in Sea Bears franchise history.

And in some ways, his team needed it more.

“It’s always nice to make some shots, but in a playoff game, that’s really important and gets me going, gets everyone else going, and I mean it’s just nice to see,” said Osborne.

The 6-5 guard simply needed to see a couple go through the hoop to bust his slump, and he did just that by splashing back-to-back three-pointers in the first quarter. Osborne connected on four triples in total on Thursday night and went seven-for-15 from the field in 37:14 of action.

It was a refreshing sight as Osborne appeared to be finding his rhythm for the first time in what felt like forever. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Sea Bears were without three mainstays in the lineup.

“I’ve been playing for a while now, so making shots, I’ve done it before, obviously, so seeing them go in, obviously, it’s nice,” said Osborne, who is averaging 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the regular season. “But can’t get too happy. You got to stay locked in, got to stay focused, and when stuff like that happens, ball comes, you just gotta be ready.”

Indeed, the Sea Bears will need Osborne to stay locked in when they face the top-seeded Vancouver Bandits in the Western Conference final in Langley, B.C. on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT).

The Bandits advanced to the Western Conference finals after defeating the No. 4 Edmonton Stingers 92-83 later on Thursday night and are a team that will require the Sea Bears to deliver another well-rounded performance with offensive contributions down the lineup.

Here are three pointers ahead of Saturday’s contest in a special road edition of Beyond the Arc.

First win feels

Needless to say, Thursday’s triumph was a monumental one for the Sea Bears.

The last three years’ squads were playoff-calibre teams that fizzled out when the lights were brightest.

It was evident that the feat meant a lot to players and coaches, regardless of how long they’ve been tied to the organization. Raimbault, who spent the last three summers as an assistant coach with the club before being promoted to head coach, delivered a candid thought after the game about what it meant to be a part of that achievement.

“It’s a huge honour. First and foremost, I’m just so proud of the guys and the coaches and the entire staff. There are so many people that went into the season. If I look back at where this whole thing started, there’s a lot of ups and downs and curves and things that are unexpected, and to be here for three summers with really talented teams and not come out with a playoff victory… I said it to the guys multiple times that if we win tonight, they get an opportunity to be a part of history,” Raimbault said.

“It’s something that will never happen again, and for me as a guy that’s been here as a part of the staff from the beginning, it means so much. But more than anything, I’m super grateful for the effort of the guys to stay focused on the task at hand. The way that they played exemplifies all the things that we’ve been talking about the entire season. So for it to come to fruition in the playoffs, it’s really, really special.”

Slaying demons

The Sea Bears will return to the building they were run out of six days ago and denied their bid for the top seed in the Western Conference.

A sobering 114-90 defeat against the Bandits in the regular-season finale followed a brutal day of travel. It was only the beginning of a whirlwind three-day stretch for the club, which later lost Teddy Allen after he was injured in an alleged assault at a downtown nightclub, and Emmanuel Akot and Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. to separate professional opportunities.

Now the team must rally to overcome a hurdle it’s struggled to clear this season. After beating up on an undermanned Bandits squad in their first meeting, the Sea Bears have lost three in a row to Vancouver in rather decisive fashion.

“You always got to bring that extra chip during the playoffs. So we’re gonna do that,” said Trey McGowens. “Obviously, we didn’t have the best situation going into the last game. So I mean, it just has us super optimistic and fired up for this game.”

Pick your poison

Heading on the road is only one part of the hill that the Sea Bears must climb on Saturday.

Take your pick at which Bandits player to focus on, but you might not feel good about who else that opens up.

Vancouver is loaded in their primary six players, and that begins with reigning MVP forward Mitch Creek, who has simply dominated in any game he’s played this summer.

“I mean, you look at their lineup; they’re definitely playing well. They’re playing well together,” said Raimbault. “Creek comes in there and just stabilizes everything. He’s the veteran presence. He obviously has the ability to impact the game inside, outside, on the defensive end, on the glass, by passing, making plays to create for other people.

“There’s no lack of talent on their side, and we know that we’re going to have to play our best game to be in the game.”

Then there are also capable scorers in Shamar Givance, Tevin Brown, standout Canadian Tyrese Samuel and Mychal Mulder, who gave the Bandits 29 points on a world-class 91 per cent efficiency from the field on Sunday. The Sea Bears have made their bread on the defensive end this season, and it will take another stout effort to slay this giant.

“I think just little mistakes here and there we messed up on,” said Osborne. “But I mean, they’re a good team, so I think if we key in on a couple of things, couple people, I think we’ll be good.”

winnipegfreepress.com/joshuafreysam