London Lions' coach Vince Macaulay was disappointed but still positive following his side's BBL Championship Play-off defeat against Newcastle Eagles, on Sunday.
"Firstly I thought it was an excellent occasion and looked brilliant on TV" he said.
"Both teams put in a tremendous amount of blood and sweat into it. It wasn't the prettiest of games, which was probably to our detriment and we just didn't get going offensively."
With Justin Robinson missing, the Lions hit a season-low 66 points as they went down to a two point loss, and Macaulay admitted that his side's lack of offence cost them dearly: "If at any point in the season you'd have told me that we'd only concede 68 points in a final and not win, I wouldn't have believed it. We saved out lowest scoring performance for the final game of the season and that's obviously disappointing.
"It's not an excuse but we really missed Justin Robinson. His leadership and game control are excellent and any team would miss not having him on the court. But we missed 50 shots and had 17 turnovers. It's very hard to win games like that. After all those threes we've had this season we needed just one more. But that's basketball, you have days when the ball just won't drop through the hoop. I thought a key moment was when Jordan Spencer came out in the fourth quarter and Cortez Edwards got three straight offensive rebounds. In a low-scoring game, small margins can be crucial."
Macaulay remained enthusiastic despite the Lions collecting a third set of runners-up medals this season: "I said to the guys that with just a tiny bit more luck we could have won three trophies this season, but as a club we've made massive strides.
"It's the strangest season I've ever been involved in. The pandemic has affected everyone, but for our club it has been a incredible learning curve and we will see the benefit next season. If you'd told me a year ago that you could watch the whole season from your sofa, not just in the BBL but in Division One and the WBBL as well, I'd have thought you were mad.
"But I'm proud that we've been able to provide basketball for people to keep watching. I've enjoyed it because we've been able to keep going, but while we've had to make adjustments such as wiping the ball, for people who've missed being at games we've been able to ensure they still have basketball. I hope they return to the arenas but also keep watching other games and take the chance to learn more about the game.
"And I'd like to thank the Lions fans who've supported us from their homes. Hopefully we'll be able to welcome them back to the Copper Box next season and win some silverware."
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