Blue Coats advance to G League Finals, defeating Raptors 905

The Delaware Blue Coats are headed back to the G League Finals after defeating the Raptors 905, 143-139. This was a hard-fought victory and showcased just how deep this team is as they were without Jaden Springer and Charles Bassey. The one seed Raptors 905 have had a dominant season in the G League, being lead by Justin Champagnie and Dalano Banton – two guys that have spent some time with the Raptors at the NBA level.

The Coats called upon players such as Charlie Brown Jr., Aaron Henry, and Myles Powell to step up in the absence of some of their big name players. The Raptors 905 play similar to their big-league team – featuring positionless lineups and a lot of length. This led to the Blue Coats running some very unique lineups that saw Brown Jr. and Henry picking up some minutes at center.

Henry, in particular, impressed. He often gets the ‘3-and-D’ label but I think that’s selling his skillset short. He’s capable of driving to the rim and even has some playmaking ability. He finished this high-stakes game with an impressive line up 23 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, and three blocks. The Blue Coats needed him in this game, and he showed up and produced in a whooping 45 minutes of play.

Brown Jr., one of the two two-way players for the Sixers, has put together a great postseason stretch. He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block.

Powell in the meantime has solidified himself as one of the best (if not the best) sixth man in the G League. The Blue Coats call upon him nightly to come out and get buckets – and he always produces on all three levels of scoring. Powell again had an Embiid-esqe performance where he scored more points than minutes played. Powell finished with 34 points on 11-17 shooting.

Now the Blue Coats find themselves in a similar position to last season – heading to the G League Finals. This time they’ll have the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ G League affiliate, waiting for them.

Unlike the postseason thus far, the G League Finals will feature a mini-series to determine a new champion. The Coats and Vipers will compete in a best-of-three series, with Rio Grande holding home-court advantage. Game 1 tips off on Tuesday, April 12 at 9 p.m. EST – where you can watch on ESPN2.

Your only chance to see the Blue Coats in person for this Finals will come on April 14, where they’ll tip-off in Wilmington at 8 p.m.. This game will be televised on ESPNews. The final game, if necessary, will tip off on April 17 at 8 p.m. where it will be televised on ESPNU.