Kings one win away from the title after Vasiljevic hits a three for the ages

By Matt McQuade

Result: Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings 90 Tasmania JackJumpers 86

Stats that matter: Kings 53.2% FG; Kings 46 points in the paint; Kings 17 assists; Rebound count Kings 41 JackJumpers 35

Kings MVP: Easy to give it to Dejan Vasiljevic for his clutch three and a brilliant night overall. But Xavier Cooks was extraordinary again and the favourite now for NBL Finals MVP.

Turning Point: A 14-0 run from the Kings to start the second quarter when the crowd was really up and about.

The game was over when: Dejan Vasiljevic knocked down one of the biggest shots in the 33-season history of the purple and gold.

Trending in the right direction: Shaun Bruce was sensational off the bench at both ends of the floor and a leader amongst men this afternoon.

One game away.

Bring out your brooms.

In one of the greatest Grand Final games in NBL history, a clutch three-point basket from Dejan Vasiljevic gave the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings a 90-86 win over the Tasmania JackJumpers on Sunday afternoon at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart.

The victory gives the purple and gold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Grand Final series with the opportunity to end it with a sweep at Qudos Bank Arena this Wednesday night.

“It was a heck of a ballgame,” Head Coach Chase Buford said.

“Down the stretch, they (Tasmania) hit some unbelievable shots; credit it to them, they were up for the challenge.

“They made some big plays and Josh Adams was a monster tonight.

“It was a good atmosphere, our guys relished it and it was a fun game to play in.”

Sydney led by four points with 31 seconds remaining on the back of two free throws from DJ before JackJumpers import guard Josh Adams (36 points) buried an insane triple from the right wing; the same kind of shot he made against Melbourne in game three of the semis.

The sell-out crowd of 4,738 went nuts, the noise was deafening, and Sydney had possession for a potential final shot with the weight of an entire state ranged against them.

The Kings needed a hero. And the awesome Vasiljevic (20 points, five rebounds) answered the call with the biggest shot of his young career, an ice-cold three-point bomb with less than ten seconds remaining that broke the hearts of every Tasmanian and put the Kings within one win of their fourth NBL championship.

“The coaches trusted me, X (Xavier Cooks) told me before the game that you’re the guy that has to step up this game,” Dejan said.

“I don’t shy away from moments like this.

“I’m going to enjoy this with my teammates and we’re going to try and close this out in Game Three.”

Sydney’s victory – remarkably, their 12^th straight on the road, extending their NBL single season record and just one away from the all-time NBL record (all seasons) of 13 held by the defunct Canberra Cannons  – was hard-won, to say the least.

Tasmania threw absolutely everything at the Kings, highlighted by an extraordinary first period when the JackJumpers hit seven of their first eight shots and rode the wave of emotion generated by hugely passionate JackJumper fans to lead 27-17 after one, their biggest lead at the end of the first quarter all season.

The Kings looked in trouble; Chase Buford’s technical foul midway through the period a pointer to the frustration he was feeling as a physical Tasmanian squad unsettled his troops.

But Sydney fans needn’t have worried, because as this remarkable group of men has shown time and again, nothing fazes them and they are as resilient as they come.

Ignoring the crowd noise as they headed out to court after the first break, the Kings launched a devastating flurry to open the second quarter that, in retrospect, was the key moment in the game – with the exception of course being Vasiljevic’s three, which was under the circumstances one of the biggest shots ever made in the history of this proud franchise.

The magnificent Xavier Cooks (20 points, 10 rebounds, eighth straight double-double) started it with a relentless drive to the rack for two, Vasiljevic had five straight points capped by a triple and within just over 90 seconds, Sydney had blasted out of the blocks in the second period with a 7-0 run and Tasmanian coach Scott Roth called for time.

But the stoppage mattered little to the Kings, who kept the run going. Unsung hero Tom Vodanovich buried a triple to tie it at 27 and Sydney’s run reached 14 straight when Ian Clark (nine points, six assists) knocked in another three-point bomb.

But the crowd upped their level and the JackJumpers responded through the unlikely personage of one Jarrad Weeks, who scored all 11 of his points in a brilliant second quarter performance to give the home team a 48-44 advantage at the half.

A pulsating ballgame went to yet another level in a third period that resembled a heavyweight title fight, with both teams landing haymakers on one another.

For Tasmania, it was the irrepressible Adams and some incredible shot-making. For Sydney, it was the mighty Jarell Martin (20 points, 10 rebounds). He was a perfect four of four in the quarter and finished the third period with 18 points on seven of seven from the field.

The big man was simply unstoppable, benefiting from the Kings finally going to him more frequently, in contrast to Game One where Coach Buford admitted his team did a poor job getting Jarell the rock.

And another unsung hero for the purple and gold was one Shaun Bruce (three points, seven assists), who had three dimes in the third quarter, all of them spectacular.

Brucey found Martin for a triple, hit Makur Maker (six points) with a gorgeous alley-oop feed for the power jam, and then dimed up DJ with another on-the-money pass for the score.

Still, Tasmania refused to yield, and led at the final change 70-68 with history on their side - no team in the past 31 Grand Final games had won after being behind at quarter time, halftime and three-quarter time.

Of course, this Sydney team has made a lot of history of their own this season, and although Josh Magette (10 points, four rebounds, five assists) made a 30-foot triple to open the scoring in the final period, sending MyState Bank into a frenzy, the Kings never blinked, and they continued to answer every JackJumper challenge with one of their own.

Cooks and Martin were not to be denied, pounding Tasmania in the low post. At one point, Xavier had eight straight points of his own, refusing to let the JackJumpers off the hook, and his lay-up with under three minutes left gave the Kings an 83-78 advantage.

However, Tasmania wasn’t done, with Adams immense, and his five straight points capped by an audacious triple tied the game at 83 and the roof just about came off the building.

Many teams would have folded under that kind of pressure, but not Chase Buford’s Kings, who were extraordinary down the stretch.

With the noise at an incredible level, Clark swished a jumper and Vasiljevic knocked down a pair of free throws, setting the scene for an ending which will be talked about for a very long time and automatically becomes a part of Sydney Kings lore.

Sydney shot the ball at an efficient 53% from the field, were 7 of 21 from three-point range and 17 of 21 from the free throw line in their incredible victory. They had 46 points in the paint and outrebounded the JackJumpers 41 to 35.

So, one challenge remaining.

A chance to win a fourth championship.

The Kings now return to Qudos Bank Arena for what they hope will be a closeout Game Three of the Grand Final series on Wednesday 11 May, optimistic that league MVP Jaylen Adams will be able to take his place in the line-up. Tickets are on sale for the third game of the Championship Series and available via Ticketek.

PACK THE Q.

#WETHEKINGS

BRYDENS LAWYERS SYDNEY KINGS 90 (Martin 20, Cooks 20, Vasiljevic 20)
TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 86 (Adams 36, Weeks 11, McVeigh 10, Magette 10) at MyState Bank Arena, Hobart.

BOXSCORE