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Sixers loom large on seek and destroy NBL mission

Illawarra Hawks Coach Rob Beveridge has the absolute belief of his playing group. (Illawarra Hawks)
Expert
2nd March, 2018
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Few men can provide greater insight into the upcoming NBL playoffs than Illawarra Hawks coach Rob Beveridge. While he acknowledges Melbourne United deserve favouritism, he sees something in the Adelaide 36ers – who his team eliminated 12 months ago – that looks unstoppable.

The NBL finals get underway this Saturday night with both semi-final series’ tipping off, with Melbourne United and the Adelaide 36ers hosting the New Zealand Breakers and Perth Wildcats respectively.

Both series are set up in with plenty of intrigue with Melbourne and Adelaide having now shared the past three regular season championships with nothing yet to show for it. But coming into this finals series, Melbourne finished on top at 20-8 and having won 14 of their last 16 matches.

Then there’s Adelaide who finished second at 18-10 having won 10 of the last 12 games so both head into the playoffs in imposing and impressive form.

But both also have the knowledge they have come up short in recent times with Melbourne having never won a playoff game since their club rebrand, including losing in the semi-finals in two games to New Zealand two years ago.

The Sixers also finished on top last year but lost to Illawarra in the semi-finals so while they are in great form entering the playoffs, they have plenty of past disappointments to overcome.

It’s the opposite case with the Wildcats and Breakers. The two teams have dominated the league in recent times combining to win the past eight championships, four apiece, so you can’t discount them – but they are hardly in impressive form entering the finals.

The Breakers finished fourth at 15-13 having lost their past four games and winning only six of 18 after their nine-game early season winning streak.

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Going into the finals on a 6-12 record is hardly impressive, but New Zealand is a team with experience who knows how to win and more importantly enjoy playing against Melbourne with winning on the road holding no fears.

Alex Pledger Breakers

(AAP Image/David Rowland)

Then you have the Wildcats. Like New Zealand, they haven’t been in great form only winning one of their last four matches and six of their last 15. They have gone 6-9 heading into the finals, but they have won the past two championships and you just can’t discount them.

On form alone, with Melbourne having gone 14-2 they should be too good for a New Zealand team on a 6-12 run. Adelaide too having gone 10-2 should be in too good a form for a Perth team having gone 6-9. But playoff experience counts for a lot and favouritism means little once the action gets underway.

While all those things in regards to recent form are true, Beveridge can’t help but think that two weeks in between the regular season finishing and the playoffs starting due to the FIBA break could halt any momentum.

He feels that could be Adelaide’s only hurdle because it could have freshened up the more seasoned Perth bodies especially captain Damian Martin, while for New Zealand and Melbourne, they also had their own injury concerns it should help while also playing its part on stopping momentum.

“Also with having this long break, it can really affect momentum. It could actually take the momentum away from your team so that’s another thing to factor in,” Beveridge said.

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“Then you have guys like Penney who tweaked his calf so an extra ten days has given him more time and the same with Goulding who tweaked his ankle against us.

“It will help Damo too so the break will help some of these teams with older players where Adelaide was in hot form on a seek and destroy mission every game, but now they might have lost momentum. It might help the older, more experienced guys who just know how to win.”

Beveridge is one man fully aware of what’s possible and never more so than because of what happened 12 months ago. Many expected the 36ers to waltz past Beveridge’s Hawks in the semi-finals after claiming the regular season championship.

Rob Beveridge clashes with ref.

(Illawarra Hawks)

But Illawarra was able to win Game 2 at home to force the Game 3 back in Adelaide and with all the pressure on the 36ers, the Hawks turned it on and delivered a superb performance to end up making an unlikely grand final appearance.

So Beveridge is fully aware that nothing is guaranteed in the finals but he also believes the hurt felt by 36ers from that last season will be used as added motivation for coach Joey Wright’s team.

They are largely a similar group too with only a change in imports with Josh Childress, Shannon Shorter and Ramone Moore replacing Jerome Randle, Terrance Ferguson and Eric Jacobsen.

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The combination of the pain of their exit last season and their confident way of playing and believing in themselves led by Wright flowing down to Nathan Sobey, Mitch Creek and company has Beveridge feeling Adelaide loom as a team who might be stopped in the championship hunt.

While Beveridge led his Hawks to beating the 36ers in last year’s semi-finals, it was three losses late in the season his team suffered at their hands by a combined 65 points that has him thinking they could go all the way.

“They were the No. 1 team last year and I think they went in against us thinking that they had this right to make it through to the grand final. We just had one of those games where everything went right that night and everything went bad for them,” Beveridge said.

“They aren’t going to underestimate anybody and they have this look in their eye, and assertiveness about them. It’s a real seek and destroy mentality and that comes from the leadership of Joey as a coach.

“Obviously by having Childress in there too that gives them a more experienced group. I think they are going to be hurting from last year’s loss and I wouldn’t be surprised if Joey didn’t show the players that game against us as motivation to show what can go wrong.”

NBL semi-final fixtures
Series 1 – Melbourne United v New Zealand Breakers

Game 1: Hisense Arena – Saturday March 3, 5.30pm
Game 2: Spark Arena – Monday March 5, 5.30pm
Game 3 (if required): Hisense Arena – Sunday March 11

Series 2 – Adelaide 36ers v Perth Wildcats
Game 1: Titanium Security Arena – Saturday March 3, 7.30pm
Game 2: Perth Arena – Friday March 9, 9.30pm
Game 3 (if required): Titanium Security Arena – Sunday March 11

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