The San Francisco de Macorís Indians will receive the visit of the Santo Domingo Lions this Friday at 8:00 p.m. at the Mario Ortega roof, for the opening of the 2022 Final Series of the National Basketball League (LNB).
The Indians will have the home advantage in the series to the best of seven games, since if necessary four of them will be played in Franco-Macorisano territory.
That privilege is thanks to the fact that they had the best record both in the Regular Series (8-6) and in the Elimination Phase (4-1), totaling 12 victories in the first two stages of the tournament. As the number one seed in the semifinals, they dispatched the Soles de Santo Domingo Este 3-1.
On their side, the Lions finished third in the regular season (8-6), but climbed to second in the tie (3-2). Their 11 successes allowed them to be above the Titans of the National District facing the semifinals, eliminating the light blue team in four games.
The Lions are the current champions of the LNB and will be looking for their fourth title, after winning in 2011, 2016 and 2021. On their side, the Indios were monarchs in 2013 and 2019. The confrontation between the two will be the first in finals of the first division circuit.
In the three clashes this year between the Indians and the Lions, the Franco-Macorisans were victorious in two of them. They dominated the duel on June 8 at Mario Ortega 84-66 and the match on July 14 at Club Mauricio Báez 93-89. The felines were victorious 88-85 during the June 24 action in Villa Juana.
Each team will be well represented in the battle for the crown. While the Indians have Juan Miguel Suero, Adonis Henríquez, Kavell Bigby-Williams, among others, the Lions have Juan Guerrero, Eddy Polanco, Eulis Báez and Marquis Wright among their standouts.
The second match will be held next Monday, August 1st at 8:00 pm at the Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto, where the Reds will be playing their home games in the final.
