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Cairns Taipans vs Perth Wildcats |
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2016/17 NBL semi-finals, Game 1, 17 February 2017 |
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| Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, QLD | ||
| Cairns Taipans | Perth Wildcats | |
| 69 | SCORE | 91 |
| 21 | Q1 | 31 |
| 16 | Q2 | 17 |
| 20 | Q3 | 22 |
| 12 | Q4 | 21 |
The Perth Wildcats have picked up a crucial road win by 22 points in their NBL semi-final series against the Cairns Taipans, with a chance to book their place in the grand final at home on Monday.
Cairns Taipans 69
Perth Wildcats 91
The Cairns Taipans shocked everyone by claiming a semi-final home court advantage and now they will look to make the most of it against the Perth Wildcats. Join The Roar for live scoores and coverage of Game 1 from 7:30pm (AEDT).
Cairns might have the home advantage for the finals, but the pressure starts now for the club who many expected to end up with the wooden spoon in 2017.
Perth are the defending premiers and haven’t missed a semi-final series in 31 years, which is a staggering effort. While their form has been up and down all season, they finished strong, with a few wins, and the Taipans will be right up against it.
Aaron Fearne’s men will be confident though. They came up with a pair of wins in the final round of competition against minor premiers the Adelaide 36ers and have been tough to beat at home all season.
There are no two ways around just how defensively orientated this match – and series for that matter – will be. It’s the two best defensive records in the league squaring off and their season series has been no different – gritty, close games that have been decided in the final moments.
While that series was split down the middle, the Taipans will be confident. Their defence has been fantastic and they have been particularly difficult to beat on their home floor.
The offensive side of things has been controlled by Travis Trice, who has put up plenty of points, while Nate Jawai is a force to be reckoned with. The combination on display from those two, with veteran Mark Worthington getting involved, has been fantastic to watch.
On the other side, the experienced Damian Martin has been leading the Wildcats charge. The difference when he has been out injured has been staggering.
While they had to beat Melbourne United in the final game of the season to qualify for the playoffs, which they did in less-than-impressive circumstances, their form over the last month and a half has generally been solid.
The addition of Bryce Cotton has given their offence a new sense of purpose, with the new import taking out the league scoring title, while Casey Prather started to rediscover his touch in the final game of the regular season.
If the Wildcats can choke the Taipans’ vulnerable offence and then execute a run-and-gun offence, a victory looks like a sure bet, however the Cairns offence has improved plenty.
Prediction
The Taipans will use the momentum of their last round victories to get on the board first here. I’m not comfortable saying that’s going to springboard them to a series victory, but in a low-scoring match they should pick up the win.
Taipans by 4.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the first match in this semi-final series from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde