NBL Playoffs are here
The NBL regular season came down to the wire, with the final game of the season impacting the final standings. We were left with six teams, with Tasmania, Illawarra, Sydney and New Zealand kicking off the finals with the inaugural play ins, to fight to join Melbourne and Perth, who earned the top two spots.
New Zealand needed a strong second half of the season to secure a finals spot, and after losing Anthony Lamb for the season, turned to Parker Jackson- Cartwright, and Will Mcdowell-White. With questions on Mcdowell-White’s availability against Sydney, the Breakers may need to find a way to win without him.
Sydney were second last a few weeks ago, but have since been able to find a little bit of form, and after dismantling an under-strength SEM team in their final game of the season, the reigning back to back champions may have just found their form at the right time of the season.
Illawarra have become a brand new team since interim now turned head coach Justin Tatum took over the Hawks half way through the season. Under Tatum, the Hawks have a top 4 offence, and a top 2 defense, so are a real under the radar contender.
The JackJumpers have spent majority of the season around the top 3 of the league, and their stats show that they are a real contender for the championship. The best offense in the league has been boosted by the defensive play of Will Magney, who has transformed the Tassie defense into top 3 in the league.
Perth used a players meeting at the beginning of the season as a catalyst for a strong season, and Bryce Cotton credits the meeting for turning around his slow start to the season, and helped him finish with his 4th Andrew Gaze MVP award. With Alex Sarr coming off the bench, the Wildcats have strong depth, and are destined to make noise this finals series.
Melbourne finished the regular season with the best record in the league, and will have home court advantage throughout, which having sold out majority of their home games, will be a big boost for the team that many had as favourites before the season. With the talent of Chris Goulding and Luke Travers and the leadership of Delly and Coach of the Year Dean Vickerman, it’s hard to see many being able to stop Melbourne United.