Basketball: Finch keeps focus on finish line

Sheffield Sharks took a decisive stride towards becoming the undisputed champions of England over the past week, not that anyone will be expecting their coach, Chris Finch, to be encouraging the celebrations just yet.

Downbeat is as hyped as Finch is likely to get in such situations: "I just tell the players we haven't won anything yet, but are only in a position where we could lose it all."

The Sharks have led from the front since 30 November but the defending champions Chester Jets and Brighton Bears had enough games in hand to catch them. That changed last weekend when the Bears lost to both Scottish Rocks and Chester, while the Jets lost at Birmingham Bullets.

The Sharks' 82-67 win over Birmingham at Ponds Forge on Thursday maintained their unbeaten home record and put them five wins ahead of Chester and Brighton, who now have only three and four games in hand respectively.

Finch said: "I'm still not entirely happy how we react to being on the road. But the younger players are settling in now and our experienced players are setting the standards that we want them to play to."

There is plenty of experience to back BBL rookie Americans Rob Yanders and Jerry Williams and second year import Lynard Stewart. Iain McKinney, 29, Michael Payne, 33, Peter Scantlebury, 39, Justin Phoenix, 29 and Nate Reinking, 29, have won 14 national titles between them while McKinney, Payne and Scantlebury have 174 England caps.

This season Finch need not worry about Sheffield's fallibility in sudden death play-offs, as the title will go to the to winners of the 40-game BBL Championship.

"Hopefully it will go to the team that shows consistency," said Finch. And so far that's the Sharks.

While the Sharks have the weekend off, the Bears, again without Randy Duck and Emiko Etete, are at home to Towers tomorrow, while the Jets travel to bottom-of-the-table Leicester Riders.