Magnificent Kings win Fourth NBL Championship in front of record crowd

By Matt McQuade

 

Result: Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings 97 Tasmania JackJumpers 88

Stats that matter: Kings 49.3% FG; Kings 26 assists; Rebound count Kings 49 JackJumpers 36; Kings 40 points in the paint

Kings MVP: No surprise – Xavier Cooks was both the game and Grand Final series MVP for his stunning performance.

Turning Point: Ian Clark’s three late in the first half gave him the boost he needed and his second half proved to be an enormous factor in the Kings’ victory.

The game was over when: Jarell Martin’s bucket made it a ten-point Kings lead with 34 seconds remaining.

Trending in the right direction: The entire club. This is the just the first championship of what could turn into many over the next few years.

 

It was worth the wait.

After 17 long years, the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings can once again call themselves champions of the National Basketball League, winning their fourth title with a 97-88 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers on Wednesday night at Qudos Bank Arena, completing a 3-0 sweep of the Grand Final series.

A gigantic crowd of 16,149 – the biggest attendance ever for an NBL playoff game and the third-largest crowd overall in NBL history – roared themselves hoarse, as the purple and gold fought off a gutsy JackJumper unit who went toe-to-toe with Sydney in the final two games of the Grand Final; a series that may have been a sweep yet closed with two epic contests.

Chase Buford joined Sydney Kings Legend Brian Goorjian as the only men to have won an NBL championship for the Kings, and the youngest head coach in franchise history was a proud man once the presentation of the Dr John Raschke trophy was concluded and the confetti rained down on the Hoops Capital floor.

“So freaking proud of these guys in the last couple of games; we were down at quarter time, down at halftime, down at three quarter time and they just kept grinding.”

“I mean, X (Xavier Cooks) so good, ’Rell (Jarell Martin) so good, Ian (Clark) down the stretch was just incredible.”

“It was a fun game to be a part of. Credit to Tassie – they were terrific tonight and they gave us everything we could handle. Their guys hit shots, they ran on us. I’ve got so much respect for those dudes over there, Scott (Roth) is a terrific coach and I love Josh Magette like a brother, he’s just a great player and a great person.

“But our guys, especially the guy sitting next to me (Xavier Cooks)  – just a gutsy effort. I mean, big play after big play down the stretch, what can you say. Our captain carried us like he has all year.”

Indeed, Sydney’s captain was nothing short of magnificent, his final performance for the season a 23-point, 13-rebound, seven assist masterpiece that capped a Grand Final series where he averaged 19.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game and shot the ball at a hyper-efficient 60.6% from the field.

Those numbers, and the tremendous impact he made throughout the series, earned Xavier the Larry Sengstock Medal as the Grand Final Series Most Valuable Player, joining Chris Williams (2003), Matthew Nielsen (2004) and Jason Smith (2005) in the pantheon of all-time great Kings to win the award.

“It feels unbelievable,” Xavier said.

“It’s going to take a couple of days to sink in, but it’s an unbelievable feeling to be on top with this team.

“What a great team to do it with. For the city of Sydney I’m just so proud and happy for everybody.

“We did it man, we really did it.”

Oh yes, they did.

And they had to do it the hard way against a Tasmanian squad that suffered two late withdrawals with Jack McVeigh and Fabijan Krslovic unable to play thanks to a bout of flu, yet as they have done all season long, the JackJumpers played with remarkable energy and intensity.

Sydney went into the game without league MVP Jaylen Adams, who couldn’t recover in time from the hamstring injury he suffered in Game One of the series, and struggled without their brilliant floor general for much of the first half as Tasmania defended with maniacal commitment.

For most of the first quarter, the JackJumpers were in control thanks to their outstanding import Josh Adams (27 points, three assists), whose six points in the opening frame staked the visitors to a 25-22 advantage after one, with seven points and four rebounds from the tireless Cooks and seven points from Next Star Makur Maker (10 points, four rebounds) keeping the home team in touch.

Five points from Tom Vodanovich and a triple from the superb Jarell Martin (22 points, 16 rebounds) gave the Kings a 34-30 advantage early in the second and had the massive crowd in raptures.

But the JackJumpers struck back, hard.

In their best offensive sequence of the Finals, Tasmania drained four consecutive triples in a stunning 12-0 run that rocked the Hoops Capital to its foundations and showed that the JackJumpers weren’t interested in becoming a sacrificial lamb.

Sydney was on their heels, but their outstanding big man Jarell Martin – who became just the second player in Kings’ history after Matthew Nielsen to have at least 20 points and 16 rebounds in a Grand Final game – came to the rescue with five quick points.

Again the JackJumpers responded through the unlikely form of development player Jock Perry, who made two triples to keep Tasmania’s nose in front before Ian Clark (22 points, three assists), knocked in a triple at the end of the half after missing his first five shots.

Sydney trailed by just one at the main break, 48-47.

That made three from Clark got him going, and the former NBA champion was a different player in the second half.

His eight points in the third period were critical, and he combined with Cooks to repel one JackJumper charge after the other, although Tasmania still held a 69-66 advantage with one quarter remaining in what had become a classic encounter.

You could cut the tension with a knife at the Q as the fourth quarter got underway, and when MiKyle Mcintosh (14 points, eight rebounds) knocked in a pair of free throws to open the scoring and the Kings were held scoreless for more than two minutes, there were more than a few nervous fans in the stands.

But the relentless Dejan Vasiljevic (eight points) splashed a long-range bomb and Clark had five straight points to give the home team a 76-73 lead.

That was answered by a trifecta from Josh Adams, but Clark responded immediately with another bomb and the noise in the stadium went to insane levels.

Tasmania were fighting with everything they had, but Sydney’s extraordinary talent advantage began to tell, with the big three of Cooks, Martin and Clark continuing to pour it on.

A 10-2 run gave Sydney an 86-78 lead with a little over three minutes remaining, and the fans could smell the title.

Of course, the JackJumpers were never going to quit, and baskets to Adams and Jarred Bairstow kept them within striking distance.

But in the signature moment of the game, Cooks cut to the basket, received a beautiful pass from Clark, and soared for a thunderous jam that just about tore the roof off the building.

It was the final death blow for the brave Tasmanian outfit, and the crowd was able to celebrate the final minute of NBL22 as the Kings pulled away down the stretch to record a win for the ages.

“It was stressful man; we couldn’t lose in front of that crowd, we had to get it done,” joked Cooks.

“Those boys really tested us, but once we took the lead the crowd was so loud.

“I’m happy for everyone who came to the game; I hope they had a great time.

“It was loud, it was jumping in there and it made this moment even more special.”

And while Cooks, Martin and Clark – whose 11 points in the fourth were enormous in the outcome – justifiably receive the plaudits for their extraordinary performances, there were so many more heroes wearing purple and gold this night, from Shaun Bruce and his outstanding floor leadership, to Makur Maker and his size and immense talent, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and his incredible defence and Tom Vodanovich making one big play after the other.

This was the epitome of a team win.

Everyone contributed, as they have done all season.

And the result is a National Basketball League championship.

Sydney shot the ball at 49.3% from the field, were 13 of 34 from three-point range, and 16 of 21 at the free throw line in their historic victory. They outrebounded Tasmania 49-36, had 26 assists on 34 made field goals and had 40 points in the paint.

So, the purple and gold has done it.

Created history.

Four championships.

Where does the NBL22 squad sit among the great teams of the Sydney Kings franchise?

That’s a debate for another time.

For now, enjoy this one, Kings fans.

It’s been a long time coming.

#WETHEKINGS

 

BRYDENS LAWYERS SYDNEY KINGS 97 (Cooks 23, Martin 22, Clark 22)
TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 88 (Josh Adams 27, Mcintosh 14, Magette 12) at Qudos Bank Arena.

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