Round 21 Preview: Kings vs. Hawks

By Matt McQuade

 

Do final games in a regular season get much bigger?

That’s the question that should be asked of what we are about to witness this Sunday afternoon at Qudos Bank Arena.

It’s going to be an occasion of great significance no matter what, for so many reasons.

First, this is a day where the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings will be partnering with the magnificent Starlight Children’s Foundation, a charity that does phenomenal work for kids facing significant challenges in their lives.

Second, there’s a celebrity game as a curtain raiser to the main event, again in association with Starlight and featuring such luminaries as New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet, tennis star Nick Kyrgios, actor Dan Ewing, 2GB radio personality Ben Fordham, Sydney Kings great Brad ‘Lightning’ Rosen and lead basketball writer for the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Matt Logue.

Third, at halftime of that main event, there will be a very special presentation made to 2005 NBL Champion Ben Knight, who will be inducted into the Sydney Kings Ring of Honour, and as part of that celebration will pass through an honour guard made up of some of the all-time greats to have played for the club.

And oh by the way, there’s also a basketball game to consider.

That would be the Kings taking on the Illawarra Hawks in Game Four of this season’s Dr Adrian Hurley Cup, a game that will determine who finishes either second or third at the end of the regular season, and who gains homecourt advantage in the first round of the National Basketball League Finals.

There’s so much on the line and so much to look forward to. And it’s exciting that the Hoops Capital is gearing up for the playoffs.

What better preparation against the team they will be facing in the semi-finals; their arch rival in front of an expected monster crowd at the Q?

Especially after what transpired in Round 20 at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, an all-time epic confrontation between the Kings and the Hawks that went to overtime, with the purple and gold emerging victorious after a pulsating 45-minute battle in their 1000^th National Basketball League game.

It was one of the greatest games ever played in the history of the competition’s best rivalry, and if that’s the kind of contest we can expect on Sunday afternoon, then bring it on.

Wollongong boy and now Sydney Kings superstar forward Xavier Cooks, who has been spectacular in NBL22, summed it all up after his team’s gutsy win on Thursday night over the Taipans in Cairns.

“I don’t really care about it being the hometown team, it’s two of the hottest teams in the league playing each other right now,” Xavier said.

“Last time was an absolute thriller; those boys battled and it’s going to be another great battle at home; it’s our home court so we’ll get a little bit of help this time.

“It’s going to be a great game and I’m excited for it.”

X is on the money. These are two outstanding teams, arguably the best two teams in the league at this point of the season, playing a game that means so much to them both.

For Illawarra, who had their six-game winning streak snapped by the Kings in that epic, revenge will be just one form of motivation as they fight for their best possible finish.

Extremely well coached by the best ever to do it in this country, one Brian Goorjian, the Hawks are loaded across the board, led by import guard Tyler Harvey (15.9ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.4apg, 1.7spg), who had 35 against the Kings in their previous meeting and must be contained if the purple and gold is to come away with the W.

Justinian Jessup (13.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.1spg) and his deadly perimeter shooting is always a threat, defensive juggernaut and transition monster Antonius Cleveland (14.2ppg, 6.1rpg, 2.2apg, 1.9spg, 1.1bpg) has to be accounted for each moment he’s on the floor and Sydney must do a job on the glass against a strong Hawks frontline powered by Duop Reath (14.9ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.4bpg) and Sam Froling (9.1ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.1bpg).

There is a risk that the Kings come into this game undermanned, with Jarell Martin currently in Covid protocols and Jaylen Adams a game-time decision as he continues to battle a non-Covid related illness. But as the team showed up in Cairns, other guys have the ability to step up in their place.

Like Makur Maker for example, who had his first career double-double against the Taipans and is getting better every game. His size and ability to stretch the floor a la Illawarra’s Reath give Sydney Head Coach Chase Buford an extremely valuable frontline piece.

Or Tommy Vodanovich, who is as understated as they come yet fulfils a vital role off the bench.

And terrific role players in Shaun Bruce, Angus Glover and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk.

Of course, it helps when you’ve got a guy like Xavier Cooks (15.0ppg, 9.6rpg, 2.6apg, 1.9bpg) who is playing at not just an All-NBL level but as a league MVP right now. He was sensational against Cairns and is the one guy opposition coaches fear above all else, because he’s so difficult to game plan for.

Both teams have serious talent across the board. Both love to get it out in transition and push the pace. Both rebound and play great defence.

You thought that battle in Illawarra was the game of the season.

Sunday afternoon in Sydney might be even better.

 

WHO

Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings vs. Illawarra Hawks

WHEN

Sunday 24 April, 3:00pm AEST tipoff

Starlight Celebrity Game 1:45pm AEST tipoff

LOCATION

Qudos Bank Arena, doors open 1:30pm

TV

ESPN; Kayo Sports, 10 Peach

RADIO

Cluch Radio

THE PLAYERS

Kings

Jaylen Adams (subject to medical clearance); Dejan Vasiljevic; Angus Glover; Xavier Cooks;

Makur Maker (Next Star)

Ian Clark (import); Wani Swaka Lo Buluk; Shaun Bruce; Biwali Bayles; Tom Vodanovich; Matur Maker; Jaylin Galloway (development player); Jayden Hodgson (development Player); Ignatius Mitchell (development player)

Hawks

Tyler Harvey (import); Antonius Cleveland (import); Justinian Jessup (Next Star); Sam Froling; Duop Reath

Xavier Rathan-Mayes (import); Harry Froling; Isaac White; Tim Coenraad; AJ Ogilvy; Emmett Naar; Akoldah Gak (development player); Lachlan Dent (development player)

THE COACHES

Kings

Chase Buford (NBL rookie head coach, record 19-8)

Hawks

Brian Goorjian (2^nd season with Hawks, record with Hawks 38-27, NBL career record 552-248, six NBL championships)

2021/2022 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Hawks lead 2-1

Hawks def. Kings 92-84 @ Qudos Bank Arena, Round 2

Hawks def. Kings 97-89 @ WIN Entertainment Centre, Round 7

Kings def. Hawks 107-102 (OT) @ WIN Entertainment Centre, Round 20

NBL LADDER

Kings 19-8, second

Hawks 18-9, third

LAST GAME

Kings def. Cairns Taipans 87-77 @ Cairns Convention Centre, Round 21

Hawks def. Perth Wildcats 82-77 @ RAC Arena, Perth, Round 21

KEY STATS

Kings

Points: Jaylen Adams, 20.1ppg

Rebounds: Xavier Cooks, 9.6rpg

Assists: Jaylen Adams, 6.1apg

Hawks

Points: Tyler Harvey, 15.9ppg

Rebounds: Sam Froling, 7.3rpg

Assists: Xavier Rathan-Mayes, 4.1apg

KEY MATCHUP

Dejan Vasiljevic vs. Justinian Jessup

Last time these two teams met we looked at a duel between two frontline stars; this time let’s focus on a battle between two of the deadliest perimeter shooters in the competition. Justinian Jessup had 21 points in the last meeting between these two and the Hawks love to get him going early, running specific plays for him to get him comfortable and in the flow. He’s incredible on the catch and shoot, uses picks and off the ball movement to get good looks for himself, and can attack the rim and finish with a high-arcing floater. Last time the Hawks played the Kings they made what could be considered a giant mistake by cheating off Dejan Vasiljevic too much given the threat posed by Jaylen Adams; you’d expect them to correct that error given DJ torched them for a career-high 35. If you give this guy an open look from the perimeter you may as well say good night, because more often than not he’s going to knock that thing down; the part of his game that is really coming along is his ability to quickly diagnose defensive coverages and look to use a rip through to go hard to the rack if teams decide to try and run him off the three-point line. These two outstanding ballplayers are set to deliver fireworks at the Q this Sunday.

THE QUESTIONS

Which team controls the tempo and dictates the action?

Who finishes where on the ladder at the end of the regular season?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

105 games played; Kings lead 57-48

In Sydney

52 games played; Kings lead 30-22

At Qudos Bank Arena

14 games played; Hawks lead 8-6

DID YOU KNOW?

Chase Buford hates talking about winning streaks and historic facts – he’s a guy that’s totally focused on the here and now and it’s served the outstanding first-year head coach of the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings exceptionally well. But let’s give a shoutout to a man who, should he win on Sunday, will become just the third coach in the history of the franchise to win 20 games in an NBL regular season. He already holds the all-time franchise record for most consecutive road wins in a single season at 10 (and counting), and his 13 straight wins (all games) are the second most all-time for the purple and gold. So here’s to Coach Buford, who has done a stellar job in his first year in the Hoops Capital.