LNB
Standings
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2005 LNB
Stats Leaders |
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Points
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Diaz Delfines 20.2
Sucre Karinas 19.5
Walker Tibur. 18.4
Farias Pescad. 17.6
Montero Lanc. 17.3 |
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Rebounds
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Haiti Cuba 9.8
Kvietek Karinas 7.8
Bracho Macizos 7.5
Sucre Karinas 7.3
Vallenilla Lance. 6.7 |
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Assists
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Cedeno Duros 4.7
Lorthridge Lanc. 3.7
Farias Pescad. 3.6
Zerpa Karinas 3.2
Vazquez Karinas 3.2 |
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Guerreros celebrating
LNB 2005 championship (Photo: eud.com) |
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Guerreros de
Caracas 2005 |
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Espinoza |
Barrios |
Ramirez |
Morris |
Brito |
LNB
Finals 2005: Guerreros de Caracas win first LNB title over Buchones
(4-2) with victory 82-70 - Dec. 12, 2005
Guerreros de Caracas became the champions of Liga Nacional de Baloncesto
2005 after another dramatic and difficult victory over Buchones de
Cabimas in Game 6 of the Finals, which ended 82-70 at Cocodrilos Sports
Park of Caracas, D.C, ending a four-year streak of championships that
their neighbors, the mighty Delfines de Miranda, had been able to
achieve.
Alejandro Barrios, named MVP of the Finals, played a spectacular
fourth quarter to lead the locals to their first ever title as a
franchise in this league, by scoring 12 of his 16 points in the last 10
minutes, to support top scorer Johnell Smith. Buchones had played an
impecable match till that part, but started loosing too many balls,
letting the warriors gain a 10-plus advantage that they would never
loose again.
Guerreros managed to be ahead in the scoreboard since the very
beginning, thanks to Smith's production, which found support in Carlos
Morris and Kervis Ramirez, giving Caracas a much more collective effort
when compared to Cabimas's isolated way of approaching the rival's
basket. Thus, Nestor Salazar's team was able to finish ahead 27-15 after
the initial period and 44-37 at half time.
Along came the third partial and that was when Buchones attempted a
comeback and played their best basketball. Gustavo Garcia's players were
stubborn and didn't wanna go down without a fight. Erick Herrera and
Amber Marin led their partners to a close 52-50, but after Salazar's
pledge for timeout, everything changed. Kervis Ramirez, playing for the
injured Jean Carlos Espinoza, was able to the same kind of work from the
long distance to help Guerreros gain a comfortable lead again, finishing
that third quarter with a margin of 57-51.
Then, in the last 10 minutes, Barrios woke up to become Smith's partner
in crime and establish Guerreros as the champions of a very special
edition of Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, considered a success due to the
balanced action in every conference and the development of new franchise
and rookie players, in a league that privileged the local talents over
the hiring of imported players.
SCORING
GUE:
Johnell Smith 32 points,
Alejandro Barrios 16 points, Kervis Ramirez 10 points, Hernan Salcedo 10 points,
Carlos Morris 8 points,
Cesar Silva 4 points,
Rosmel Blanco 2 points.
BUCH:
Jose Yovera 17 points,
Jose Vargas 10 points,
Erick Herrera 10 points,
Amber Marin 9 points,
Nelson Carabali 9 points,
David Cedeno 7 points,
Michel Flores 3 points,
Leonardo Cappare 3 points, Jhon Romero 2 points.
Gregory
Vallenilla named Most Valuable Player of LNB 2005
The
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto's technical comission revealed the names of
the players that were awared in the different offensive and defensive
cathegories, after their performance in the league's regular round and
the support they meant to their respective teams.
Gregory Vallenilla (Lanceros de Monagas) was named Most Valuable
Player of LNB 2005 after averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds per game
in 24 outings, with a 66% average on two-point shots and 33% in
three-pointers. He was the key factor for his team's success in the East
Conference, in which they ended a first place with a 18-6 balance.
Rene Farias, from Pescadores de Sucre, was awarded as Rookie of
the Year after a brilliant season that led his team to the quarter
finals round. He netted 18 points per match and gave 3 assists per game,
with only 19 years old.
Alexander Vargas, from Karinas de Anzoategui, got the Comeback
Player of the Year trophy, with 13 points per game, 62% from the
two-point range and a totsal of 25 balls recovered.
Jose Martinez, from Macizos de Guayana, won the Most Improved Player
of the Year prize with 13 points per game, 36 assists and 39 balls
recovered in 23 matches.
Gustavo Garcia, of Buchones de Cabimas, was elected as Head Coach of
the Year after taking an expansion franchise and leading it to the
first place in the West Conference, with a global record of 16-8. He's
currently one game shy of reaching the Finals and eliminating the
current four-time LNB champion, Delfines de Miranda.
Daniel Centeno , of Pescadores de Cumana, won the Special Mention.
The All-Star team of the Year was configured with the following
players:
Point Guard:
Carlos Cedeno (Duros de Lara)
Shooting Guard:
Johnell Smith (Guerreros de Caracas)
Small Forward:
Victor David Diaz (Delfines de Miranda)
Power Forward:
Gregory Vallenilla (Lanceros de Monagas)
Center:
Joan Luis Haiti (Cuba)
