NBL Grand Final Preview: Kings vs. JackJumpers

By Matt McQuade

 

It all comes down to this.

Two teams left.

One, already a three-time NBL champion.

The other, a first-year franchise chasing a seemingly impossible dream.

One looking to fulfil their destiny.

The other determined to continue to shock the world.

It all sets up for potentially one of the most memorable playoff series in National Basketball League history.

This Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena, the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings begin their quest for title number four as they take on the ultimate Cinderella story, the Tasmania JackJumpers, in Game One of a best-of-five series.

It’s a fascinating matchup of a league juggernaut featuring the NBL MVP and a host of superstars taking on the unfashionable group of triers who most people had finishing in a battle for the wooden spoon but instead have captured the imagination of an entire state with their ascension to heights no one dreamed possible.

It’s also a matchup no one believed would take place, and not just for the reason you might think.

After Round 8 of the regular season concluded, way back in late January, the Kings were sitting in seventh place with a 4-6 record and the JackJumpers in ninth at 2-6. At that point, you would have gotten any odds on those two teams even making the playoffs, much less a Championship Series.

Yet here we are, and for both teams, it has been a remarkable turnaround.

From Sydney’s incredible 13-game winning streak and record-breaking 11 straight wins on the road in a single season, to Tasmania winning 15 of their last 20 games in the regular season including their last four – these are two ballclubs who improved greatly through the second half of their NBL22 campaigns and both are carrying serious momentum into the decider.

Sydney heads into Game One of the back of a devastating sweep of the Illawarra Hawks, capped by last Sunday’s spectacular victory at the Q in front of nearly 10,000 screaming fans. The team is loaded up and down the roster, is playing stifling defence when they need to and is looking unstoppable right now, led by the best player in the country.

For their part, Tasmania scored one of the biggest upsets in NBL history with a come-from-behind 2-1 series win over the defending champs Melbourne United, highlighted by an extraordinary Game Two win in Hobart and capped by a stunning victory at John Cain Arena last Monday; their second win this season over United at the venue.

Both teams are led by coaches who have accomplished special things. Chase Buford led the Kings brilliantly, getting them to stay the course when times were tough and making all the right adjustments he needed to. Scott Roth deservedly won NBL Coach of the Year for getting a group that no one else believed in to believe in themselves. Defence was his foundation from the very beginning and it has served his ballclub very well.

For what it’s worth, Sydney won the regular season series between these two teams 2-1, with a win in both Qudos Bank Arena and MyState Bank Arena sandwiched around a Round 10 loss in Hobart – the Kings’ last defeat before their surge of 13 consecutive victories. You feel like regular season form won’t mean much in this series considering what both have achieved in the playoffs so far.

On paper, Sydney has a serious talent advantage. In fact, the Kings have the most talented roster in the league, loaded with NBA-level ballplayers, great veterans and exciting youth. The JackJumpers on the other hand are playing without their marquee signing and feature two quality imports, a third mid-level American and a host of role players and journeymen, all of whom have come together and created magic for both themselves and the state of Tasmania.

Heck, let’s throw in the nation as well. The JackJumpers are that thing that everyone loves – a sporting fairy-tale. They’re the darling of all fans across Australia – minus those in the Hoops Capital of course.

So what does that make the purple and gold in this story?

Probably the villain outside Sydney.

But then again, who cares? The ring is the thing at the end of the day.

Let’s give the JackJumpers a dose of reality and end this fairy-tale.

Title Four beckons.

To get you primed for the 2022 National Basketball League Grand Final Series, here’s a look at the positional matchups.

BACKCOURT

Jaylen Adams vs. Josh Magette

If there was any doubt whatsoever that Jaylen Adams (20.1ppg, 5.2rpg, 6.1rpg, 1.2spg, 42.8% FG, 39.6% 3PT FG, 81.4% FT, 31.7mpg) deserved the NBL Most Valuable Player award, it should have been dispelled by his magnificent performance in the 2-0 sweep of the Illawarra Hawks in the semi-finals. Over the course of the series he averaged 29.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game, with ridiculous shooting numbers of 55.9% from the field, 50.0% from three-point range and 92.9% from the free throw line, joining rarefied air as a member of the 50-50-90 club. He delivered the series’ signature basket with a three-point bomb right in the face of Hawks’ forward Justinian Jessup in Game Two and was serenaded by the 9,000+ crowd at the Q soon after with MVP chants. Put simply, he’s the absolute best player in the league, and the key to Sydney’s championship hopes.

Josh Magette (12.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 5.9apg, 1.3spg, 34.6% FG, 29.4% 3PT FG, 76.5% FT, 30.9mpg) doesn’t have his counterpart’s eye-popping statistics, but he’s no less important to his team’s fortunes. A cerebral left-hander with crazy handles and unlimited range, he’s toned down an earlier propensity to launch 30-footers at will and settled down to become an impressive floor leader, finishing second in the NBL in assists to Jaylen. He was excellent in the semi-finals against Melbourne and made one huge play after the other, and the Kings will need to lock him down and take the ball out of his hands if they are to be successful in this series.

Dejan Vasiljevic vs. Josh Adams

If there’s one thing that Dejan Vasiljevic (12.4ppg, 2.8rpg, 40.9% FG, 37.1% 3PT FG, 83.7% FT, 24.5mpg) is known for, it’s his deadly perimeter game and rapid improvement as a scorer at the rim. But just quietly, he’s developing into quite the defensive stopper. He had a tough assignment guarding Justinian Jessup in the Illawarra series and chased him around the floor incessantly, helping to restrict the Hawk gunner to just nine points in the first game and 12 in the second, both times at well below 50% from the field. Of course, it’s DJ’s scoring that’s his bread and butter, but his progression on the other side of the ball is a welcome sight.

Josh Adams (16.6ppg, 3.2rpg, 2.1apg, 1.1spg, 40.8% FG, 34.5% 3PT FG, 79.8% FT, 27.5mpg) had a solid 16 points in Game One of the Melbourne series, struggled in Game Two but then exploded in the series decider at John Cain Arena, delivering a game-winning 30 points in a spectacular, relentless performance that featured the biggest shot in Tasmanian basketball history – an off-balance, fadeaway corner triple that was essentially the killer blow that dethroned Melbourne. He’s athletic, hyper-aggressive and doesn’t lack for confidence, and he’s the one JackJumper the Kings must control.

FRONTCOURT

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk vs. Matt Kenyon

It really is an amazing thing when you watch Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (4.5ppg, 2.7rpg, 38.3% FG, 27.1% 3PT FG, 61.9% FT, 25.6mpg) play defence. You just sit there and marvel that a human being could have such energy and a no-quit attitude ranged against some of the deadliest offensive talent the NBL has to offer. It’s his mission to frustrate and befuddle more talented opponents and Chase Buford has great confidence that Wani will ace any defensive assignment he’s given.

Matt Kenyon (4.0ppg, 3.9rpg) has great talent but has bounced around the NBL a little before blossoming as a hard-nosed perimeter defender in Coach Roth’s system. Like Wani, he’s a tough-minded competitor, and there’s no doubt he’ll be tasked with containing one of Sydney’s many perimeter threats. And while he isn’t a primary offensive option, he showed in Game Two against Melbourne that’s he’s more than capable scoring the ball, going for 10 points on a perfect three of three from the field including a pair of triples.

Xavier Cooks vs. Jack McVeigh

Xavier Cooks (15.3ppg, 9.8rpg, 2.6apg, 2.2bpg, 55.3% FG, 31.0% 3PT FG, 63.0% FT, 27.7mpg) was brilliant in the Illawarra series, averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, and continues to show why he’s an absolute monster at both ends of the floor. Blessed with tremendous length and rare athleticism, the 6’8” forward has been a nightmare matchup for anyone he faces. Offensively he’s dynamic in transition and can get to the rim at will in the halfcourt; defensively he can lock you down, rim protect and vacuum the boards.

Tasmania’s irrepressible forward Jack McVeigh (11.9ppg, 4.8rpg, 45.4% FG, 35.8% 3PT FG, 80.0% FT, 25.2mpg) in many ways embodies the fighting spirit of the JackJumpers. He was enormous in the Melbourne series, particularly in Game Two, where he nailed two long distance bombs that helped demoralise United, and he was brilliant in the close-out third game, hitting one timely basket after the other. He has zero fear, plays with almost irrational confidence, and for that reason alone represents great danger to the purple and gold.

Jarell Martin vs. Fabijan Krslovic

When Jarell Martin (16.0ppg, 8.0rpg, 51.4% FG, 37.3% 3PT FG, 79.5% FT, 27.6mpg) completed Game One against the Hawks, his offensive return was a paltry four points on 2 of 13 shooting from the field. He’s not a guy who’s going to repeat those numbers in back-to-back games, so we shouldn’t have been surprised that the big forward came back with a vengeance at the Q last Sunday, producing 23 points and nine rebounds and generally terrorising Illawarra every time he touched the ball. His inside-outside game is going to be a major factor in this series once all is said and done.

Fabijan Krslovic (3.9ppg, 3.6rpg) isn’t going to wow you with great scoring or impressive post moves, but he’s a no-nonsense, hard-working banger in the low post who always gives an honest effort and makes opponents work for everything they get. He bullied Jo Lual-Acuil in the Melbourne series and epitomises the smashmouth brand of basketball Tasmania employs.

BENCH

Chase Buford joked after Game Two against the Hawks that it was unfair classifying Ian Clark’s points as coming from the bench, but that’s where he is when the game is tipped off, and it highlights just what a wealth of resources Coach Buford has to call upon. He’s got Clark’s brilliance and NBA experience, Makur Maker’s inside power and outside touch, Tom Vodanovich and his physicality and toughness, Angus Glover’s athleticism and shooting ability, Shaun Bruce’s veteran leadership, the talent of Matur Maker and the extreme promise of Biwali Bayles and Jaylen Galloway.

Tasmania’s reserve unit is one of the best in the league, and a big secret to their success. The JackJumpers led the NBL in points per game from the bench and boast a number of guys who can really fill it up on any given night, with the likes of perimeter bomber Clint Steindl, super-quick and fearless guard Jarrad Weeks and 3-and-D specialist Sam McDaniel all capable of doing serious damage, not to mention improving import power forward MiKyle Mcintosh and underrated big man Jarred Bairstow.

COACHES

Chase Buford vs. Scott Roth

For those of you who may not think coaching doesn’t matter all that much, may I present exhibits A and B to disprove your thoughts. Chase Buford started his NBL head coaching career with a 3-6 record and had some questioning his credentials, but he stayed the course, got things turned around, and now sits on the threshold of becoming just the second coach in Sydney Kings history to take his team to an NBL championship. He’s been nothing less than outstanding.

And does anyone think the JackJumpers would have gotten this far without the extraordinary work done by NBL Coach of the Year Scott Roth? He’s been simply amazing from the moment he stepped foot in Tasmania, getting his guys to perform at a level no one thought possible and becoming the head coach of the first expansion franchise to make an NBL Grand Final in their debut season.

WHO

Sydney Kings vs Tasmania JackJumpers

WHAT

NBL Grand Final Series

WHEN

Game One: Friday 6 May, 7:30pm tipoff AEST

Game Two: Sunday 8 May, 2:30pm tipoff AEST

Game Three: Wednesday 11 May, 7:30pm tipoff AEST

Game Four (if required): Friday 13 May, 7:30pm AEST

Game Five (if required): Wednesday 18 May, 7:30pm AEST

LOCATION

Game One: Qudos Bank Arena

Game Two: MyState Bank Arena, Hobart

Game Three : Qudos Bank Arena

Game Four (if required): MyState Bank Arena, Hobart

Game Five (if required): Qudos Bank Arena

TV

ESPN; Kayo Sports (all five games)

RADIO

Cluch Radio (all five games)

TICKETS

Game One Available HERE

Game Three Available HERE

Game Five Available (if required) at Ticketek.

THE PLAYERS

Kings

Jaylen Adams (import); Dejan Vasiljevic; Wani Swaka Lo Buluk; Xavier Cooks; Jarell Martin (import)

Ian Clark (import); Makur Maker (Next Star); Angus Glover; Shaun Bruce; Biwali Bayles; Tom Vodanovich; Matur Maker; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Jayden Hodgson (development Player); Ignatius Mitchell (development player)

JackJumpers

Josh Adams (import); Josh Magette (import); Matt Kenyon; Jack McVeigh; Fabijan Krslovic

MiKyle McIntosh (import); Clint Steindl; Sam McDaniel; Jarrad Weeks; Jarred Bairstow; Sejr Deans (development player); Sean Macdonald (development player); Jock Perry (development player)

THE COACHES

Kings

Chase Buford (NBL rookie head coach, record 21-9)

JackJumpers

Scott Roth (NBL rookie head coach, record 19-12)

2021/2022 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Kings won 2-1

Kings def. JackJumpers 83-71 @ Qudos Bank Arena, Round 3

JackJumpers def. Kings 77-70 @ MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, Round 10

Kings def. JackJumpers 103-83 @ MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, Round 18

FINAL LADDER

Kings 19-9, third

JackJumpers 17-11, fourth

LAST GAME

Kings def. Illawarra Hawks 99-87 @ Qudos Bank Arena, Game Two, Semi-Final Round

JackJumpers def. Melbourne United 76-73 @ John Cain Arena, Melbourne, Game Three, Semi-Final Round

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS (REGULAR SEASON)

Kings

Points: Jaylen Adams, 20.1ppg

Rebounds: Xavier Cooks, 9.8rpg

Assists: Jaylen Adams, 6.1apg

Steals: Jaylen Adams, 1.2spg

Blocked Shots: Xavier Cooks, 2.2bpg

JackJumpers

Points: Josh Adams, 16.6ppg

Rebounds: Will Magnay 5.6rpg

Assists: Josh Magette, 5.9apg

Steals: Josh Magette, 1.3spg

Blocked Shots: Will Magnay, 2.0bpg

KEY TEAM STATS

Points: Kings 85.6ppg, fifth in NBL; JackJumpers 79.6ppg, ninth in NBL

Fewest Points Conceded: Kings 82.6ppg, third; JackJumpers 79.3ppg, first

Field Goal Percentage: Kings 44.3%, fifth; JackJumpers 40.5%, tenth

Defensive Field Goal Percentage: Kings 39.4%, first; JackJumpers 43.4%, fifth

Three Point Percentage: Kings 33.5%, third; JackJumpers 32.3%, fifth

Defensive Three Point Percentage: Kings 31.8%, third; JackJumpers 28.2%, first

Free Throw Percentage: Kings 75.2%, fourth; JackJumpers 73.2%, seventh

Rebounds: Kings 39.2rpg, second; JackJumpers 35.5rpg, ninth

Assists: Kings 16.0apg, sixth; JackJumpers 16.0apg, seventh

Offensive Efficiency: Kings 108.7, fifth; JackJumpers 105.6, eighth

Defensive Efficiency: Kings 104.9, second; JackJumpers 105.1, third

THE QUESTIONS

Who can stop Jaylen Adams?

Is reality about to come crashing down on the JackJumpers?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

3 games played; Kings lead 2-1

In Sydney

1 game played; Kings lead 1-0

At Qudos Bank Arena

1 game played; Kings lead 1-0

In Tasmania

2 games played; series tied 1-1

At MyState Bank Arena

2 games played; series tied 1-1

PLAYOFF HISTORY

First meeting in Game One NBL22 Grand Final

DID YOU KNOW?

This is the Kings seventh appearance in the National Basketball League Grand Final Series and their second in the past three seasons. Their overall record in Grand Final games in 21 contests is 11 wins and 10 losses; they became the first team in NBL history to win three consecutive Grand Final Series between 2003 and 2005 and they haven’t won a Grand Final series in 17 years. Their largest Grand Final win was a 112-85 annihilation of the Illawarra Hawks to win Game Three of the 2005 series (and their third straight title); their largest margin of defeat is 15 points (twice) – an 87-72 loss to the West Sydney Razorbacks in Game Two of the 2004 Grand Final at the State Sports Centre and a 111-96 loss to the Perth Wildcats in the last Grand Final game played at Qudos Bank Arena; Game Three in NBL20. The legendary CJ Bruton and Mark Worthington jointly hold the all-time single game Grand Final scoring record for the Kings with 35 points each – Bruton against West Sydney in Game One of the 2004 Grand Final Series and Worthington against the Melbourne Tigers in Game One of the 2008 Grand Final series. Bruton’s nine three-pointers against West Sydney in that 2004 Game One remain the all-time record for most triples made by a single player in a Championship Series game.