Super Kings: Sydney break 17-year NBL title drought

Following a long 17-year wait, the Kings are NBL champions for the fourth time after a hard-fought 97-88 Game 3 grand final victory over the tenacious Tasmania JackJumpers.

Sydney had a host of stars, but it was championship-winning Golden State Warriors guard Ian Clark who stepped up when it mattered in the fourth with the Kings trailing by three points heading into the final frame.

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Clark dropped three triples down the stretch to finish with 22 points and help the Kings create history.

Swingman Xavier Cooks capped off a career-best NBL season with another brilliant performance.

Cooks finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to prove once again that he is destined for the NBA.

Kings big man Jarell Martin was also outstanding with 22 points and 16 rebounds.

For all Sydney’s success, of course the script writers factored in a 1997 NBA Finals Michael Jordan-like flu game for the NBL’s fairytale boys – Tasmania.

As if the Kings’ talent and depth isn’t enough, a flu bug floored the JackJumpers pre-game.

Multiple coaches and players were affected, with Fabijan Krslovic and Jack McVeigh both ruled out.

Despite this significant setback, Tasmania surged out of the blocks to silence the bumper Sydney crowd.

JackJumpers star guards Josh Adams and Josh Magette had the ball on a string in the first half. Adams was particularly potent with 13 points, including three of five from range, to help Tasmania lead by one point at halftime.

Tasmania continued in the second half, with the boys from the Apple Isle taking a three-point lead into the final quarter.

JackJumpers star Adams finished with a game high 27 points, but it wasn’t enough as Sydney surged in the fourth on the back of Clark to etch the Kings in the record books.

Coach Chase Buford becomes just the third coach in NBL history to be undefeated through two finals series in his debut year.

The only other coaches that have done that were Phil Smyth with Adelaide in 1998 and Al Westover with the Tigers in 2006.

If the Kings win this series, assistant coach Fleur McIntyre will be the first female to win a NBL Championship ring.

COOKS DESTINED FOR NBA

Cooks was the deserving winner of the Larry Sengstock as the grand final series MVP.

Kings legend and 2019 MVP Andrew Bogut presented Cooks with his trophy.

The Ballarat-born is one of the NBL’s best two-way players and a walking stat line every time he takes the court.

Cooks received high praise from championship-winning Kings guard Brad Rosen during the game.

“Xavier is the Dennis Rodman of the NBL – he is an absolute beast,” Rosen said in commentary for ABC Radio. “He hustles and he doesn’t stop, and he does it every night.”

ROTH LEAVING?

The hoops rumour mill went into overdrive pre-game with talk Tasmania coach Scott Roth could leave the JackJumpers at season’s end for Japan.

Roth, the NBL’s coach of the year, has done a remarkable job to lead Tassie to a grand final series in the franchise’s maiden season.

The Cleveland native has instilled a confidence and a toughness in the Tasmania players, and they’ve repaid him in spades.

It’s understood Roth is on a modest contract at the JackJumpers, and the lure of bigger money in Japan could be enough to secure his signature overseas.

NBL ON THE BIG STAGE

16,149 fans packed Qudos Bank Arena to help the Kings record the biggest NBL finals crowd in history and the largest attendance since NBA star LaMelo Ball played in the Harbour City in 2019.

The Kings opened every section of Qudos for the first time since the famous “LaMelo game” between the Kings and the Hawks when there was an NBL record crowd of 17,514.

The monster attendance ensured Sydney topped the previous biggest finals crowd of 15,064 in 1996 when the Melbourne Tigers played local rivals the South East Melbourne Magic in Melbourne.

Sydney

Matt Logue is an award-winning sports journalist and author who brings more than 20 years’ experience to NCA NewsWire. Starting out in regional newspapers in Dubbo and Bathurst, he moved to Sydney in 2006 and s… Read more

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