NBL Cup Preview

After a too short sojourn to the friendly confines of Qudos Bank Arena, it’s back to the road warrior traditions for the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings as they face another month away with a trip to Melbourne for the inaugural NBL Cup.

The purple and gold will join the eight other NBL teams in what will be a basketball extravaganza like none other seen in this country, especially considering the games played during the Cup will also count as part of the NBL21 regular season, which has expanded to 36 games in 2021.

The format of the Cup is more akin to what we traditionally see at the preseason NBL Blitz, where every quarter counts. Teams will receive a point for each quarter won at the Cup, half a point where the quarter is tied and three points for a game victory. The team with the most points at the end of the Cup will be declared the victor.

All nine clubs will play each other once with a lot on the line. The winner of the NBL Cup will take home $150,000 in prize money, with second place awarded $100,000 and third on the podium getting $50,000. Plus of course, those all-important regular season wins and losses as teams begin their drive toward the NBL21 Finals.

So, don’t expect teams to take it easy at any stage. This will be full throttle, take no prisoners basketball at John Cain Arena and the State Basketball Centre.

Coming on the heels of a home and home split in Round Five, where the Kings overcame a gritty New Zealand before a fighting loss to Illawarra, the Cup represents a significant challenge for a beaten-up squad, who have taken some ridiculous hits on the injury front this season and had another key player go down last Sunday against the Hawks.

Big man Jarell Martin, who has been terrific for Sydney, suffered a knee injury that in all probability will keep him on the sidelines for at least the next three weeks, which is yet another huge blow for a team that, quite frankly, deserves a break.

“Jarell is unlikely for the hub,” said Sydney Kings Head Coach Adam Forde.

“It’s not as bad as what we initially predicted, but the reality is through the two to three week stretch when we’re playing eight games in the hub, the likelihood is that he’ll miss the majority of them, if not all of them.”

Martin’s loss – Sydney’s fifth long-term injury since the season began – means that the scoring and rebounding load will need to be shared around a group that has demonstrated incredible resiliency over the last couple of months, a trait that will be tested in an environment where games will be played virtually every second or third day and opposition teams will be out to exploit any weakness.

Every player who will take to the court will have to bring it every night against teams with deeper benches on paper and certainly fewer injuries – this will be a huge test of stamina and concentration in order to come away with positive results in Melbourne.

“It’s not so much about the guys who are out; it’s more now about the guys we have in,” Coach Forde said.

“We haven’t lost a game by anything more than two possessions; we haven’t been blown out. So, regardless of who we suit up, the guys have been competitive, they’re resilient, and they want to try and win it at the end.”

“With the people that we do have out, it’s not just going to be one or two people that need to step up; it’s going to be a collective effort.”

Encouragingly, Didi Louzada returned last week against the Hawks and did a solid job, particularly at the defensive end of the floor. The Brazilian Next Star will be better for the run and over the three weeks of the NBL Cup can take some heat off the team’s primary offensive threats in Casper Ware and Dejan Vasiljevic, both of whom have been deadly when given space to operate.

“Defensively, (Didi) was great, and that’s why we kept him out there in the fourth quarter,” Coach Forde said.

“He did a great job on (Justinian) Jessup, and took Jessup out of the game as much as he did.”

“He’s slowly finding his feet and touch on the offensive end, so he’ll only get better with each practice and each game.”

“Having him back is obviously definitely going to help with our scoring and guard rotations.”

And in some potentially good news, Daniel Kickert is recovering nicely from his preseason ankle injury and could even make an appearance later in the Cup.

“’Kicks’ is looking great,” said Coach Forde.

“Hopefully we can get him some games in Melbourne. We don’t know when, because there’s so many games condensed in and it’s unlikely he’ll play all of them.”

“But if we can get him for a couple of games for a few minutes, it’s better than not having ‘Kicks’ at all.”

So, while the loss of Martin is significant, there are reinforcements on the way, re-joining a team that still can’t be taken lightly despite all their injuries. From the leadership of Casper Ware and Brad Newley, to the outstanding passing of Shaun Bruce, Craig Moller’s energy and the intensity of Jordan Hunter and Tom Vodanovich – the Kings will bring the fight to every team they face at the NBL Cup.

It will be an incredibly difficult challenge for certain. But it’s a challenge the Pride of Sydney will rise to meet.

Rise With Us Sydney.

NBL CUP

GAME SCHEDULE

Sunday 21 February vs. Adelaide 36ers @ John Cain Arena, 5:30pm tipoff AEDT

Tuesday 23 February vs. Perth Wildcats @ John Cain Arena, 5:00pm tipoff AEDT

Thursday 25 February vs. New Zealand Breakers @ John Cain Arena, 5:00pm tipoff AEDT

Saturday 27 February vs. Melbourne United @ John Cain Arena. 8:00pm tipoff AEDT

Thursday 4 March vs. Cairns Taipans @ State Basketball Centre, 5:00pm tipoff AEDT

Saturday 6 March vs. South East Melbourne Phoenix @ John Cain Arena, 8:00pm tipoff AEDT

Thursday 11 March vs. Illawarra Hawks @ John Cain Arena, 7:30pm tipoff AEDT

Saturday 13 March vs. Brisbane Bullets @ John Cain Arena. 5:30pm tipoff AEDT

TV

Sunday 21 February: SBS Viceland; SBS On Demand

Tuesday 23 February: ESPN; SBS On Demand

Thursday 25 February: ESPN; SBS On Demand

Saturday 27 February: ESPN; SBS On Demand

Thursday 4 March: ESPN; SBS On Demand

Saturday 6 March: ESPN; SBS On Demand

Thursday 11 March: ESPN; SBS On Demand

Saturday 13 March: SBS Viceland; SBS On Demand

DID YOU KNOW?

Shaun Bruce had 10 assists for the Kings in their loss to Illawarra last Sunday, joining his brother Aaron as one of only two pairs of siblings to dish off for 10 assists in a single NBL game. The Bruces joined Rod and Terry Johnson in achieving that feat. And Shaun’s 10 dimes against the Hawks were the most in a game by a Sydney Kings player since Jerome Randle had 10 in an overtime loss to the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena on 10 February 2019.