2020 VBA season
# 2020 VBA season

The 2020 VBA season was the fifth season of the Vietnam Basketball Association. The season was scheduled to start in May but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The regular season began on 15 October 2020 and ended on 20 November. The playoffs semi-finals began on 24 November 2020 and ended on 28 November 2020. The Finals began on 2 December 2020 and ended on 8 December 2020 with the Saigon Heat defeating the Thang Long Warriors after 4 games.

## Teams

### Venues and locations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all games will be played in a bubble in Ho Chi Minh City. A stadium, nicknamed the VBA Arena, was constructed in Studio S4 on the campus of ZoOm Media.

### Personnel and sponsorship

| Team | Head coach | Kit manufacturer |
| - | - | - |
| Cantho Catfish | Jordan Collins | Actee |
| Danang Dragons | Phan Thanh Cảnh | Actee |
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Eric Weissling | Actee |
| Hochiminh City Wings | Gediminas Meiliunas | Actee |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Ryan Marchand | Actee |
| Saigon Heat | Kevin Yurkus | Hemero |
| Thang Long Warriors | Predrag Lukic | Actee |

### Heritage players

The following is the list of Vietnamese heritage players, which had played for their respective teams at least once. Each team can register 1 heritage player. Flags indicate the citizenship/s the player holds.

| Club | Heritage | Former Heritage |
| - | - | - |
| Cantho Catfish | Tam Dinh | |
| Danang Dragons | Richard Nguyen | Chris Dierker |
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Sang Dinh | |
| Hochiminh City Wings | Vincent Nguyen | |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Khoa Tran | |
| Saigon Heat | Christian Juzang | |
| Thang Long Warriors | Justin Young | |

### Imports

The following is the list of imports, which had played for their respective teams at least once. Each team can register 1 import. Flags indicate the citizenship/s the player holds.

| Club | Import | Former Imports |
| - | - | - |
| Cantho Catfish | Leon Hampton | |
| Danang Dragon | Tyrell Williams | Darrell Miller |
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Mike Bell | |
| Hochiminh City Wings | Raheem Watts | |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Lamontray Harris | |
| Saigon Heat | Joshua Keyes | |
| Thang Long Warriors | Robert Crawford | |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced with | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Hochiminh City Wings | Predrag Lukic | Contract expired | 18 September 2019 | Pre-season | Gediminas Meiliunas | 20 January 2020 |
| Saigon Heat | David Singleton | Contract expired | 18 September 2019 | Pre-season | Kevin Yurkus | 11 June 2020 |
| Thang Long Warriors | Matt Juranek | Contract expired | 18 September 2019 | Pre-season | Predrag Lukic | 7 January 2020 |

## Regular season

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | GB | Qualification | SGH | TLW | HNB | CTC | DND | NTD | HCM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Saigon Heat | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1037 | 815 | +222 | .833 | — | Advance to Playoffs | — | 62–79 | 81–62 | 102–60 | 93–60 | 88–64 | 85–68 |
| 2 | Thang Long Warriors | 12 | 8 | 4 | 905 | 832 | +73 | .667 | 2 | Advance to Playoffs | 78–76 | — | 60–73 | 81–87 | 74–84 | 63–62 | 67–64 |
| 3 | Hanoi Buffaloes | 12 | 6 | 6 | 934 | 933 | +1 | .500 | 4 | Advance to Playoffs | 71–97 | 52–79 | — | 97–86 | 72–79 | 81–62 | 72–62 |
| 4 | Cantho Catfish | 12 | 6 | 6 | 926 | 996 | −70 | .500 | 4 | Advance to Playoffs | 62–92 | 61–79 | 84–81 | — | 90–98 | 70–58 | 81–83 |
| 5 | Danang Dragons | 12 | 5 | 7 | 962 | 1030 | −68 | .417 | 5 | | 78–92 | 82–76 (OT) | 99–104 (OT) | 73–78 | — | 87–94 (OT) | 89–81 |
| 6 | Nha Trang Dolphins | 12 | 4 | 8 | 835 | 917 | −82 | .333 | 6 | | 59–90 | 63–80 | 79–77 | 68–80 | 86–56 | — | 77–67 |
| 7 | Hochiminh City Wings | 12 | 3 | 9 | 882 | 958 | −76 | .250 | 7 | | 74–79 | 66–89 | 65–92 | 84–87 | 90–77 | 78–63 | — |

## Playoffs

### Bracket

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 Saigon Heat | 1 Saigon Heat | 1 Saigon Heat | 1 Saigon Heat | 77 | 93 |
| 4 Cantho Catfish | 4 Cantho Catfish | 4 Cantho Catfish | 4 Cantho Catfish | 67 | 80 | | | | | | |
| 4 Cantho Catfish | 4 Cantho Catfish | 4 Cantho Catfish | 4 Cantho Catfish | 67 | 80 | 1 Saigon Heat | 1 Saigon Heat | 59 | 70 | 65 | 73 |
| | | | | | | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 55 | 74 | 53 | 54 |
| 2 Thang Long Warriors | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 82 | 92 | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 2 Thang Long Warriors | 55 | 74 | 53 | 54 |
| 3 Hanoi Buffaloes | 3 Hanoi Buffaloes | 3 Hanoi Buffaloes | 3 Hanoi Buffaloes | 78 | 76 | | | | | | |

### Semifinals

    Note: All times are ICT (UTC+7) as listed by the VBA. All games were played at the VBA Arena in Ho Chi Minh City.

**(1) Saigon Heat vs. (4) Cantho Catfish**

* 24 November 7:00pm
* Box score

Saigon Heat 77, Cantho Catfish 67 :

| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 16–14, 21–16, 18–28 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Joshua Keyes 20 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 18 Asts: Joshua Keyes 7 | Pts: Dinh, Hampton 19 each Rebs: Leon Hampton 24 Asts: Leon Hampton 4 |
| Saigon lead series, 1–0 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Le Duc Anh, Francisco Olivar, Harry Santos
* 26 November 7:00pm
* Box score

Cantho Catfish 80, Saigon Heat 93 :

| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 13–20, 24–23, 14–24 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Tam Dinh 32 Rebs: Leon Hampton 15 Asts: Le Hieu Thanh 6 | Pts: Joshua Keyes 29 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 22 Asts: Christian Juzang 9 |
| Saigon wins series, 2–0 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Dong Hyeon-lee, Le Duc Anh, Francisco Oivar

**(2) Thang Long Warriors vs. (3) Hanoi Buffaloes**

* 25 November 7:00pm
* Box score

Thang Long Warriors 82, Hanoi Buffaloes 78 :

| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 23–19, 25–17, 15–24 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Robert Crawford 29 Rebs: Justin Young 12 Asts: Justin Young 7 | Pts: Mike Bell 21 Rebs: Mike Bell 26 Asts: Bell, Dinh 4 each |
| Thang Long lead series, 1–0 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Harry Santos, Khiem Nguyen Hoang, Dong Hyeon-lee
* 27 November 7:00pm
* Box score

Hanoi Buffaloes 76, Thang Long Warriors 92 :

| Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 13–23, 25–29, 19–20 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Mike Bell 24 Rebs: Mike Bell 24 Asts: Bell, Tien Cong 5 each | Pts: Robert Crawford 31 Rebs: Justin Young 20 Asts: Justin Young 9 |
| Thang Long wins series, 2–0 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Harry Santos, Le Truong Giang, Dong Hyeon-lee

### Finals

    Note: All times are ICT (UTC+7) as listed by the VBA. All games were played at the VBA Arena in Ho Chi Minh City.

**(1) Saigon Heat vs. (2) Thang Long Warriors**

* 2 December 7:00pm
* Box score

Saigon Heat 59, Thang Long Warriors 55 :

| Scoring by quarter: 23–12, 12–13, 13–18, 11–12 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Christian Juzang 21 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 25 Asts: Minh An, Phu Vinh 3 each | Pts: Dang Thai Hung 19 Rebs: Justin Young 13 Asts: Justin Young 6 |
| Saigon lead series, 1–0 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Francisco Olivar, Le Truong Giang, Harry Santos
* 4 December 7:00pm
* Box score

Saigon Heat 70, Thang Long Warriors 74 :

| Scoring by quarter: 21–13, 20–21, 11–21, 18–19 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Christian Juzang 30 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 15 Asts: Joshua Keyes 4 | Pts: Robert Crawford 28 Rebs: Robert Crawford 13 Asts: Justin Young 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Dong Hyeon-lee, Le Truong Giang, Harry Santos
* 6 December 7:00pm
* Box score

Thang Long Warriors 53, Saigon Heat 65 :

| Scoring by quarter: 11–15, 13–14, 13–19, 16–17 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Dang Thai Hung 18 Rebs: Robert Crawford 12 Asts: Justin Young 4 | Pts: Johua Keyes 20 Rebs: Johua Keyes 21 Asts: Christian Juzang 5 |
| Saigon lead series, 2–1 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Harry Santos, Le Duc Anh, Francisco Olivar
* 8 December 7:00pm
* Box score

Thang Long Warriors 54, Saigon Heat 73 :

| Scoring by quarter: 10–23, 19–8, 11–20, 14–22 |||
| - | - | - |
| Pts: Crawford, Van Hung 14 each Rebs: Robert Crawford 10 Asts: Nguyen Phu Hoang 5 | Pts: Vo Kim Ban 31 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 22 Asts: Christian Juzang 8 |
| Saigon wins series, 3–1 |||

* VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City Referees: Francisco Olivar, Le Truong Giang, Harry Santos

## Statistics

### Individual statistic leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
| - | - | - | - |
| Points per game | Robert Crawford | Thang Long Warriors | 26.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Leon Hampton | Cantho Catfish | 22.2 |
| Assists per game | Christian Juzang | Saigon Heat | 5.8 |
| Steals per game | Khoa Tran | Nha Trang Dolphins | 3.0 |
| Blocks per game | Leon Hampton | Cantho Catfish | 3.9 |
| Turnovers per game | Le Hieu Thanh | Cantho Catfish | 5.8 |
| Fouls per game | Nguyen Van Hung | Danang Dragons | 4.0 |
| Minutes per game | Tam Dinh | Cantho Catfish | 38.9 |
| FG% | Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh | Saigon Heat | 56.3 |
| 3FG% | Le Quang | Saigon Heat | 52.9 |

### Team statistic leaders

| Category | Team | Statistic |
| - | - | - |
| Points per game | Hanoi Buffaloes | 77.0 |
| Rebounds per game | Saigon Heat | 42.7 |
| Assists per game | Hanoi Buffaloes | 17.0 |
| Steals per game | Two teams | 9.5 |
| Blocks per game | Cantho Catfish | 4.5 |
| Turnovers per game | Hanoi Buffaloes | 18.5 |
| FG% | Thang Long Warriors | 38.6% |
| FT% | Saigon Heat | 74.4% |
| 3FG% | Hanoi Buffaloes | 30.0% |

## Awards

### Yearly awards

* Moment of the Year: Phạm Quang Minh
* Handle of the Year: Christian Juzang (Saigon Heat)
* Assist of the Year: Sang Dinh (Hanoi Buffaloes)
* Buzzer Beater of the Year: Võ Huy Hoàn (Hochiminh City Wings)
* Block of the Year: Joshua Keyes (Saigon Heat)
* Dunk of the Year: Raheem Watts (Hochiminh City Wings)
* Favorite Player of the Year: Christian Juzang (Saigon Heat)
* Rookie of the Year: Lê Quang (Saigon Heat)
* Most Improved Player of the Year: Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn (Danang Dragons)
* Sportsmanship of the Year: Mike Bell (Hanoi Buffaloes)
* Sixth Man of the Year: Nguyễn Tiến Dương (Hanoi Buffaloes)
* Defensive Player of the Year: Leon Hampton (Cantho Catfish)
* Local Player of the Year: Lê Ngọc Tú (Hochiminh City Wings)
* Heritage Player of the Year: Christian Juzang (Saigon Heat)
* Coach of the Year: Kevin Yurkus (Saigon Heat)
* Most Valuable Player of the Year: Robert Crawford (Thang Long Warriors)

### MVP of the Week

| For week ending | Player | Team | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - |
| 28 October 2020 | Leon Hampton (1/1) | Cantho Catfish | 1 |
| 11 November 2020 | Joshua Keyes (1/1) | Saigon Heat | 2 |
| 18 November 2020 | Christian Juzang (1/1) | Saigon Heat | 3 |
