BBL Semi-Final Playoff

First Leg – Friday 02 May 2014 – Sheffield Sharks vs Worcester Wolves

Second Leg – Sunday 04 May 2014 – Worcester Wolves vs Sheffield Sharks

Worcester Wolves may have lost three of their five meetings with Play-Off semi-final opponents One Health Sharks Sheffield this season, but coach Paul James feels those experiences have prepared them for this weekend’s tie.

“I know that we need to play a very smart game and not get caught up in the emotion of it,” said James.

“On the three occasions we lost [to Sheffield] we did so playing as individuals. The two we won were much smarter performances and we played as a team. So these two games are all about team efforts and not individual battles.”

Wolves did the hard work in booking their final four spot in the first leg of their quarter-final against London Lions, meaning a narrow defeat in the second leg mattered little.

Sharks’ route was less straightforward however, as they won their first leg with Manchester Giants 63-60 on the road, before a home 78-78 tie saw them through on aggregate.

Sharks will host the first leg on Friday, (tip off 7.30pm), before the teams do it again at the University of Worcester Arena on Sunday, (tip off 6.30pm).

James was pleased with his team’s quarter-final showing but expects a different type of challenge this weekend.

James added: “The first leg we did very well and took what we were given, ultimately this was the difference. However it could be a total reverse against Sheffield.

“I think having the first leg [at home], you need to really make it count for something. What we need to make sure of is that we either win or are within touching distance come the second leg at University of Worcester Arena on Sunday.”

Sharks’ forward Mike Tuck commented: “They are just an all-round good team with a lot of weapons and it is all about limiting them. They have the league MVP in Zaire Taylor, Will Creekmore has been great for them, and Alex Owumi too. We have to make sure we limit those guys’ shots.”

Meanwhile Wolves’ forward Stefan Djukic gave his thoughts: “These semi-finals are going to be a hard battle as all four teams were chasing the title nearly the whole season making this season quite exciting and showing that anything can happen. But we’re going to Sheffield to get that win. We respect them, but we respect ourselves more.”