The Fukushima Firebonds' season-ending loss on Sunday closed one chapter in the team's history. But of greater significance was the foundation the first-year franchise built over the past eight months.
This is where you start: The Firebonds have a determined, capable young head coach in Hiroki Fujita, a versatile, talented roster, a rabid fan base and, you can't forget, the collective experience of fighting for (and earning) a playoff spot on the final weekend of the regular season.
"A good thing for us is our ability to fight through adversity," Fujita said after the Firebonds' 95-71 Game 2 loss to the Iwate Big Bulls in their bj-league Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday. "We had to go through a lot with the import players' injuries, but we fought through them. Nobody counted us in for where we at today, and we lost to a very, very good team in Iwate.