The Saskatchewan Rattlers play their final home game of the season Thursday (7:30 p.m., SaskTel Centre) against the Edmonton Stingers.
There’s urgency. There’s desperation.
There are four games left for the Saskatchewan Rattlers to somehow make the Canadian Elite Basketball League Western Conference playoffs, and time is running out.
The Rattlers — who suffered a fourth-quarter collapse and loss Sunday at home against the Calgary Surge after leading throughout most of the game — will play their final home game of the season Thursday (7:30 p.m., SaskTel Centre) against the Edmonton Stingers.
It’s a must-win situation for Saskatchewan (6-10), which is chasing the Winnipeg Sea Bears (7-8) for the final playoff spot in the West.
“Desperation, absolutely,” confirmed Rattlers first-year head coach Larry Abney, on loan from the NBA Los Angeles Clippers organization and its G League affiliate.
“I’m not sure mathematically (whether the Rattlers need to win out). I think somebody said we could possibly, with the Winnipeg situation, win three out of four (and still get in). But that won’t be our mindset. Our message to our guys will be that we have to win all four.”
On Sunday, the Rattlers once again ran out of steam in the fourth quarter, which has been much the case in the second half of the season where they have now dropped eight of their last nine games.
Saskatchewan has seen a complete overhaul of its roster after the mid-season departure of Americans Elijah Harkless (LA Clippers) and Bryson Williams (Orlando Magic) to the NBA Summer League, not to mention former NBA Toronto Raptor Jalen Harris, who has signed a lucrative contract to play overseas in China. Former starter Maurice Calloo got injured and was also released from the active roster.
Earlier, Grant Basile left to join Italy’s national team for a Olympic qualification tournament.
On Sunday, it was a completely new starting lineup than the Rattlers had through the first half of the season.
“It’s a situation where we’re obviously still trying to get everybody (together),” admitted Abney, whose team had a promising 5-2 start to the season before its mid-season slump plagued by injuries, roster changes and blown leads.
“We’ve still got a new team. Four games left and we’ve still got a new team. We’ve got four games to figure out whatever the problem is and right the ship.
“(All the change) is tough. However, it’s the job. It’s my job. It’s the guys on the floor, it’s their job. It’s all of our jobs to adjust to it and get the win.”
On Sunday, the Rattlers once again ran out of steam in the final quarter before 2,200 fans in the Snake Pit after leading 71-67 after three quarters.
The Rattlers gave up a 13-0 run in the final frame.
“Even after that run, we still had opportunities,” said Abney. “I don’t know if we quite believed that we had opportunities. We’ve been in a slump for so long that it’s like, ‘Oh god, this is happening again.’ It was kind of like the attitude and body language. It’s definitely something we’re going to address besides the Xs and Os.
“Our body language has to be better. We have to be ready to get the ball out there, score and push it. We did our best tonight when we ran with pace. We did our best in transition. And that whole fourth quarter, definitely the second half of that fourth quarter, we got no transition and it was hard to score.”
Calgary improved to 9-7, looking to lock up one of the flour playoff spots available in the West.
Teddy Allen had 28 points for Saskatchewan, hitting six of 17 three-point attempts.
Emmanuel Bandoumel — who has been thrust into a starting role after the departure of a number of starters mid-season — added 25 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Cody John had 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal for Saskatchewan, which led 49-44 at the half. Newcomer James Montgomery led the team with 10 rebounds to go with five points.
Saskatchewan actually led by as many as 12 — 46-34 — in the first half but watched that cushion evaporate as the second quarter played out.
“We’ve got to go after our 40s (40-minute games) with the urgency that it may be our last opportunity,” offered Abney. “Everybody knows what’s at stake. It’s basically a race between us and Winnipeg right now. We’ve got Edmonton next. It’s Edmonton, then Winnipeg. Game by game.”
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