Exciting semi-finals of VBA 2024

The semi-finals of the 2024 Vietnam Basketball League (VBA) saw an overwhelming and somewhat surprising win of Can Tho Catfish against Hanoi Buffaloes with a score of 75-59. Meanwhile, Nha Trang Dolphins were unable to get an upset against the higher-ranked team, defending champions Saigon Heat.

The match between Nha Trang Dolphins and Saigon Heat

The semi-finals of VBA 2024 is played by the top four ranked teams in order namely Saigon Heat, Hanoi Buffaloes, Nha Trang Dolphins and Can Tho Catfish. First-ranked Saigon Heat met fourth-ranked Nha Trang Dolphins; second-ranked Hanoi Buffaloes played third-ranked Can Tho Catfish.

The first match of the semi-finals taking place on September 16, third-ranked Can Tho Catfish achieved a dominant victory over second-ranked Hanoi Buffaloes. During the group stage, Can Tho Catfish's squad was not highly rated because of their instable form, especially in the matches against teams of equal or even weaker standing such as Nha Trang Dolphins, Da Nang Dragons, Ho Chi Minh City Wings. Meanwhile, Hanoi Buffaloes played quite well, ending the group stage in 2nd place on the rankings and are aiming to overthrow the defending champions Saigon Heat.

The return of Yevgen Sakhniuk and the addition of young talent Le Hoang Quan prior to the semi-final match made a contribution to the win of Can Tho Catfish against Hanoi Buffaloes. These additions helped improve the attack and defense of Can Tho Catfish in comparison with their performances in the group stage. In all four quarters, Can Tho Catfish consistently showed their dominance through sharp offensive plays of the foreign duo Yevgen Sakhniuk and Dakota Zinser; the teams maintained a safe lead over their opponents throughout the match. On the other hand, the key attacking players of Hanoi Buffaloes such as Hassan Thomas and Ruot Monyyong didn’t perform relatively well in their attempts to score. Finally, Can Tho Catfish with a more impressive performance had an overwhelming 75-59 victory against Hanoi Buffaloes. This win gives Can Tho Catfish a temporary 1-0 lead over their opponent in the playoff round. The two sides face each other again on September 18. 

Earlier, in the match between defending champions Saigon Heat and current runners-up Nha Trang Dolphins on September 15, the higher-rated team, Saigon Heat, narrowly won with a score of 84-82. This loss has diminished Nha Trang Dolphins' chances of reaching the finals. In their 4 clashes last season, Nha Trang Dolphins only won 1 and conceded 3 losses to Saigon Heat. Saigon Heat are considered the favorite to win this season. If they make it to the finals and win the tournament, Saigon Heat will make history as the team winning 5 consecutive seasons.

An Nhien
Translated by H.N