There’s one round in the NBL regular season to go, technically there’s still eight teams in the playoff hunt and there’s no shortage of drama in store over the final four days to see who makes it, and who steps up to give their team a chance at glory.
The whole situation couldn’t be more exciting or more delicately poised heading into the last round of NBL23.
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FIXTURES: All the big games as playoffs race goes down to the wire
While the Sydney Kings have locked in top spot and the regular season championship, second spot is still to be decided. It’s the New Zealand Breakers’ for the taking should they beat both bottom teams on the road.
The Cairns Taipans can’t afford to give up hope, though, of still holding second should the Breakers have a slip up.
That’s where it gets really interesting with the Tasmania JackJumpers, Perth Wildcats, South East Melbourne Phoenix, Melbourne United fighting over fourth, fifth and sixth.
The JackJumpers are just about locked in at 15-12 with a road clash to Illawarra to come. The Wildcats are 14-12 and need at least one win at home to the top two teams currently, Sydney and Cairns.
The Phoenix are in a horrible position at 15-13 meaning their season is now done and they can do nothing but sit back and watch the action unfold, with destiny out of their hands.
Then there’s Melbourne and Adelaide who need near miracles, but also play one another on Sunday. United are 14-13 and the 36ers 12-14.
What Melbourne needs to do will largely depend on what happens with the Wildcats. Should Perth lose one or both of their games, it’s likely just a win for United could get them in. However, if the Wildcats win both then the only hope for Melbourne is to beat Adelaide by 41 points to supplant the Phoenix.
Then it’s even more of a prayer needed for the Sixers. They need to beat Sydney at home and Melbourne away, and do so by huge margins and hope that the Wildcats lose both their games.
The Round 18 action begins on Thursday night with the bottom placed Illawarra Hawks hosting the New Zealand Breakers.
Then there’s a double-header on Friday with the Adelaide 36ers hosting the Sydney Kings and then the Perth Wildcats at home to the Cairns Taipans. Those two games could determine second spot and set up what Sunday’s match ups will mean.
There’s two more matches on Saturday with the Illawarra Hawks at home to the Tasmania JackJumpers and then the Brisbane Bullets hosting the New Zealand Breakers.
The regular season finishes on Sunday firstly with Melbourne United’s return to John Cain Arena to play the Adelaide 36ers and the Perth Wildcats take on the Sydney Kings.
KINGS COULD USE AWARDS SNUB AS ADDED MOTIVATION
There was just about a universal surprise reaction when Sydney Kings defensive master Justin Simon was not nominated for this season’s Damian Martin Trophy, and even the man with his name on the award finds it difficult to comprehend.
When the Kings were putting together their roster for a championship defence this season, they wanted a defensively minded three man import.
They found former NBL Best Defensive Player Simon and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s played an important role in the Kings locking away top spot heading into the last round where they face the old Doomsday Double in Adelaide on Friday and Perth on Sunday.
Simon has been a handy offensive presence, but it’s at the defensive end where he’s made his mark getting the job on the opposition’s best perimeter threat. His quick hands and ability to force steals and turnovers, and then push the pace in transition has been brilliant.
However, it appears his rival coaches and captains might not agree. Despite being seen by many as the standout choice to win a second Best Defensive Player award, he isn’t one of the three candidates for it.
The fact that the awards have already been voted on with more than two weeks of the season remaining is a whole other story, but to not have Simon as one of the three leading candidates has baffled many.
The three candidates for the award are Adelaide’s Antonius Cleveland, New Zealand’s Dererk Pardon and Melbourne’s Shea Ili. You can’t argue Cleveland and Pardon deserve it, and Ili could very well be the league’s best defender.
However, he’s only played 14 games this season out of Melbourne’s 27 and he’s not expected to play on Sunday with on-going concussion protocols.
When the man the trophy is named after and six-time NBL Best Defensive Player Damian Martin himself is surprised, that’s saying plenty.
“Surely he (Simon) was No. 4 when it comes to the votes, he had to have been right up there and in consideration,” Martin said on SEN.
“And on a 3-2-1 basis, maybe some of the captains or coaches just thought everyone else would vote for him so they voted for someone else instead who they thought was very good.
“I’m not sure if that was the case, but it was a genuine surprise that he wasn’t a finalist because I actually think Justin Simon has been the best defensive player in the league.
“But maybe a lot of the people just felt the Kings keep winning everything, they’re a great defensive unit collective and he might not be the best, but might not be the standout like some of the other nominees.”
Martin is also baffled that the awards are all decided upon with more than two weeks of the regular season left.
“The other thing is it should not be voted on until the end of the regular season,” Martin added.
“With technology these days, I do believe that we have the ability to call the coaches and captains who do the votes, and have time to get the votes through after the last game of the season.”
REJUVENATED BREAKERS BIG MAN HIGHLIGHTS THEIR RIDE
New Zealand Breakers centre Rob Loe had every right to wonder if he would ever get back to being a key role player on an NBL team with the way his minutes virtually diminished to zero last season.
Clearly then coach Dan Shamir didn’t see Loe as part of his plans, but with Mody Maor taking over the main seat after being the assistant has done the world of good for Loe. He is the perfect illustration of why the Breakers are on track for a top two finish.
Loe has been a strong contributor to the Breakers, and for a stint in Cairns, since joining for the 2016/17 season on the back of his college career at Saint Louis and beginning his professional career in Greece and Belgium.
However, the last two years with COVID took its toll and by last season, he almost completely fell out of the rotation with Shamir as coach. Dealing with living in another country away from his young family, and barely playing must have been tough.
You wouldn’t have known it by watching Loe though. He remained the ultimately supportive teammate and kept himself ready for any opportunities. His new coach Maor has put that faith back in him this season.
He has proven the perfect back up centre option to Dererk Pardon and has played crucial roles, and minutes, and none more so than Saturday’s crucial home win against Melbourne United.
With New Zealand having only scored 12 points in the game’s first 12 minutes, he figured out how to work in the pick-and-roll with Will McDowell-White to score four consecutive buckets. He then hit two massive threes to help ice the win.
There was nobody happier for him than his coach to see him not only playing a key role, but Maor marvelled at his professionalism and the way he fought through the tough times to remain the ultimate team man.
For Loe himself, he never questioned whether he still wanted to play in the NBL and could still contribute strongly. He’s rightfully proud of the way he conducted himself and now is focused on helping the Breakers make a run for the championship.
“I’m really happy with how things have turned out. When Mody was building this team he talked to me about playing like myself again and being myself, and contributing any way that I can,” Loe said.
“I’m happy with the group that Mody’s built, there’s a lot of guys on this team who are great players and great people, and we build each other up on the bench or on the court.
“We’re our own biggest fans so I’m really enjoying it this year and hopefully we make a good run for it. I think we’re the best team in the league top to bottom. When we are firing on offence and on defence, the world’s our oyster.”
FOCUSED CLARK READY FOR KINGS REUNION
Ian Clark won a championship with the Sydney Kings a season ago so he knows that whether it’s his former teammates or his ex-coach, there is going to be plenty said on Friday night but all he’s worried about his trying to keep the Adelaide 36ers’ slim playoff hopes alive.
Clark turned out to be the ideal final piece to a championship puzzle for the Kings last season bringing his NBA experience where he also won a ring at the Golden State Warriors.
The 36ers were hoping he could do something similar for them when he was the eventual replacement for Craig Randall II. It doesn’t quite appear that the 36ers are going to reach the playoffs to give him that chance, but Clark has settled in nicely nonetheless.
Adelaide did keep its incredibly remote playoff hopes alive by snapping a five-game losing streak with a win in Cairns on Monday night.
It will still take a near miracle to make it with the Sixers needing huge wins at home to Sydney on Friday and away to Melbourne on Sunday, and then hoping the Perth Wildcats lose to the Taipans and Kings at The Jungle.
First things first and Clark will play against his old Kings teammates this Friday night in front of what likely will be another record crowd at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Clark doesn’t want to hype up the occasion too much, but is looking forward to it.
“It’s just another game, I’m not going to try and hype it up,” Clark said.
“We’re going in with the same mindset and want to build off this win but obviously it’s going to be fun going against the No. 1 seed. It’s our last home game too so I’m looking forward to seeing our fans sell out again.
“It’s going to be a big game, a fun game but for me it’s going to be good to see those guys. At the same time, they know how I am an that I love to compete, and it’s going to be fun to compete against them whoever’s out on the floor.”
Clark expects to hear plenty from old teammate DJ Vasiljevic and coach Chase Buford especially on Friday night.
“Me and DJ are close, we talk here and there but at the same time I know what he’s going to bring,” Clark added.
“He’s going to come and compete as well so just being able to match his energy as well as X (Xavier Cooks) and all of those guys, and then there’s Chase.
“He’s going to be coaching and talking as well, I know his energy on the sidelines. It’s going to be good to see them but they know between those lines it’s business and I’ll be trying to get my team that win.”
WOUNDED TAIPANS STILL TRYING TO END PERTH HOODOO
The Cairns Taipans hopes of a top two finish shrunk significantly with a loss at home to the Adelaide 36ers on Monday and with the continued absence of Keanu Pinder, but a drought breaking win in Perth over the Wildcats on Friday would be a nice way to enter their playoff run.
Monday night’s loss at home for the Taipans to the Sixers made second position decidedly unlikely coming into the last round.
The Snakes do remain second with a 17-10 record, but with the New Zealand Breakers having a vastly significant percentage and with two games to go at 16-10, destiny’s no long in the hands of Cairns.
For the Taipans, getting that time in between the regular season and a semi-final series would have been crucial not only to allow Keanu Pinder time to overcome his eye injury, but others to freshen up.
Tahjere McCall is banged up and played through the pain on Monday night while hobbled after taking a hard fall to his hip on Saturday night.
Then there’s the likes of DJ Hogg, Shannon Scott, Bul Kuol and Sam Waardenburg who have been playing huge minutes and could have used the chance to freshen up ahead of their playoff push.
However, it now looks like the Taipans won’t get that chance for a week off and they will be forced into a play-in game to fight their way into a semi-final match up unless Brisbane or Illawarra, or both, can upset the Breakers this week.
Starting with Pinder, he fractured his orbital bone last Wednesday against the South East Melbourne Phoenix having just returned from an ankle injury. He has largely been bedridden since and there’s a genuine chance he won’t play again this season.
“To not now potentially play the best part of the season, I think that’s more disappointing for him than anything else,” coach Adam Forde said.
“The good thing is he’s getting better. The swelling’s gone down and it’s just now the sensitivity to light. It’s progressing in the right direction and now that the swelling’s gone down, he can see some more specialists and we’ll get a better indication of what his timeline’s like.”
Going into Friday night’s game in Perth, it’s a fascinating situation too for Forde and the Taipans. He still has never beaten the Wildcats as an NBL head coach, but the Snakes won’t know until Saturday if a win or loss out west will actually have any impact on them finishing second or not.
“That’s the only two results where we’ve had our butts handed to us. Everything else has been relatively close and come down to the last few possessions,” Forde added.
“We’ve won close ones, lost close ones and had a couple of nice big wins, but the two Perth results are the ones they really blew out quite easily.
“It’s a good test obviously going into post-season because they’re going to be hungry obviously to secure a good position on the ladder. I’d love to go in and get that win, but we’ve got to get through the next couple of days and then obviously prepare for them.”
HAWKS VETERAN PUTTING THE TEAM FIRST RIGHT TO THE END
Tim Coenraad has been a remarkable servant of the Illawarra Hawks and deserves to be right up there with the great of the club. He knows the end is near on his 14-year NBL career, but all he’s worried about his putting the team first.
In the rich history of the Illawarra Hawks as the last remaining NBL foundation club, only Glen Saville and Mat Campbell have played more games than Coenraad. He deserves to be considered right up there as one of the club’s great servants.
Coming out of a strong college career at Nova Southeastern in Davie, Florida, Coenraad joined the Hawks for his rookie season in 2009 and has never looked back, taking part in two Grand Final series’ and winning a club MVP award along the way.
His career has gone alongside Perth Wildcats captain Jesse Wagstaff in so many ways. They were both rookies in that 2009/10 season, they were the top two in Rookie of the Year voting that season and battled one another in the Grand Final.
The Wildcats have become quite the nemesis for Coenraad and the Hawks too. If it wasn’t for the six championships Wagstaff has been part of, there’s every chance Coenraad would at least have one ring to go with what Campbell and Saville were part of in 2001.
While that championship has eluded him, it shouldn’t take away from the remarkable servant to the Hawks Coenraad has been. He’s now played 372 games since that rookie season started 14 years ago.
He has thought his career was over a couple of times already, but he has been there ready for a call up whether under Brian Goorjian or this season, Jacob Jackomas. Not only has he remained a strong performer on the floor and a standout three-point shooter, but quite the leader.
Coenraad will never be confused with that loud, brash and demonstrative leader, but what he does is genuinely care for his teammates and team, and in his own way, offers his support, guidance, insights and experience on everyone at the Hawks.
He will be a natural to move into a coaching role when his career ends, which likely will be after these last two home games for the Hawks this week starting on Thursday night against the New Zealand Breakers and then Saturday against the Tasmania JackJumpers.
Nobody has embraced the Hawks culture and Wollongong community quite like Coenraad. To be going out a one club player and with his home to remain in the Illawarra with his family beyond his playing days, he has a lot to be proud of.
While acknowledging this week is likely his last in the NBL, he’s still solely focused on his teammates.
“I just want to finish the right way. I just want us to keep competing and as long as we compete, and the effort is there I’ll be proud of the fellas,” Coenraad said.
“In this situation they all could be my last ones and to be honest with you, these two probably will be. I just want to go out there and be a good influence on the bench, try to give guys some good advice and I’ve never been one to do it out in front of the group.
“I’ve never had that kind of character, but I try to help them with their game and try to teach them from mistakes I’ve made and try to stop them repeating the same ones, and making them better basketball players.
“That will be my role moving forward and no matter what role I have on the court, I’ll try to do it to the best of my ability but it’s more about just making sure these younger guys take away good habits and don’t dig themselves holes by taking control of things that they can control.”
