BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Kuwait Club and Manama have the golden opportunity to formalize their entry to the WASL-Gulf Final as the Semis continue this week.

Both squads surely do not want to waste that, for a win would not only set up what should be a thrilling best-of-3 titular battle beginning May 9 but would also allow them to punch early tickets on the way to the WASL Final 8.

For a quick reminder, the two finalists plus the third-placer from both the Gulf and West Asia leagues will make it to the highly-anticipated cagefest in June.

Action starts on Monday night, with Manama (1-0) looking to finish off Al Hilal in their own stomping grounds at the Khalifa Sport City in Bahrain.

The following night will then see Kuwait Club (1-0) try to end Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai in the latter's home floor at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall.

Will character spell the difference anew?

Manama took Game 1 on the road last Monday by way of an 82-78 decision and they crew did it similar to their past games: pulling the rug from under their foes.

Coach Pantelis Gavriel's charges clawed back from as much as 15 points down, with Ahmed Haji sending the game into overtime before calmly knocking down both of his charities in the final 5.4 seconds to complete the fightback.

Haji's steadiness preserved the work Lamont Jones, Mohammed Hamooda, and Mosti Rashed put in to pull themselves back into the game that stunned their Saudi Arabian counterparts, who were among the early Semi-Finalists.

The Bahraini side has been character exemplified in this Final Phase. It could be recalled that they came back from a 0-1 series deficit against the more celebrated Kazma, sweeping the last two games on the way to meeting Hilal.

So, Monday's win was their third in a row -- already the second-longest active win streak in the Gulf. And they're out to stretch it to four, given what's at stake.

But it's not lost on Manama that accomplishing as much is easier said than done, for they're anticipating no less than a retaliation from Al Hilal.

Mo Alsuwailem and Co. got beaten in their home floor -- for the first time ever this season -- and they're surely looking to wreak vengeance in Manama.

Undefeated all the way?

Kuwait Club kept their record pristine after dealing a depleted Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai an 87-71 beatdown in their series curtain-raiser last Tuesday.

The team of Coach Peter Schomers, for the unitiated, was the very first team to reach the Semi-Finals after sweeping all of their six games in the Group Phase, eventually becoming the lone team in the entire league to head into the Final Phase unbeaten.

Some wondered if they could stay perfect come playoff time but whatever doubts were out there got quashed quickly following that 17-point victory, where Cody Lalanne and the Hasan Bros. Hamad and Mohammad led the way.

That win also proved yet again why they're the best offensive and defensive team, and they're certainly looking to prove it again to sweep their way to the Final.

But they're aware, too, that being the top team in the league comes with great pressure and a bigger target on their backs, for every squad they face are  keen on earning the distinction of being the first to take them down.

And Shabab Al Ahli would want to be that team, especially with their season on the line. Their campaign has become rocky since starting out with four consecutive wins, and taking Game 2 at home would be huge for them, no doubt.

Winning would mean so much for a team that's still missing Qais Omar Alshabebi due to an injury, and so it would be interesting to see their adjustments especially in giving others touches to give Nick Minnerath badly-needed support.

FIBA