There has been acrimony aplenty in this NBL championship series — but in the view of coach Mike Wells, the rivalry between his Adelaide 36ers and the Sydney Kings possesses a very strong silver lining.
Throughout the world, domestic basketball competitions often sit in the shadow of the NBA.
But the duel between Kings star Kendric Davis and the NBL’s recently re-anointed MVP, Adelaide recruit Bryce Cotton, has given a welcome nudge to the reputation of Australia’s national league, Wells believes.
“The NBL is a global brand and I think a lot of people in the States, and in the NBA, all know what’s going on over here. My phone’s been quite full,” the American coach of the 36ers said.
“There’s a lot of people that know what’s going on because of this league — what Bryce and Kendric have done.”
The 36ers are currently preparing for what is very probably their biggest game in the best part of a decade.
On Sunday afternoon, at Qudos Bank Arena, the club will take on the Kings in the fifth and final clash of this year’s grand final series, which is currently level at 2-2.
Eight years have passed since the 36ers featured in an NBL championship series, and 24 years since they last won a title.
Adelaide’s Bryce Cotton and Sydney’s Matthew Dellavedova have both featured prominently in this year’s series. (AAP: Matt Turner)
The games so far have been characterised by momentum shifts and heated drama, with the 36ers lodging a formal complaint over comments made by Sydney Kings assistant coach Andrew Bogut after Game 2, and Wells rejecting an accusation of “disrespect” in relation to Sydney guard Matthew Dellavedova.
An exchange in which Davis started yelling at Cotton also generated headlines.
“They’re both the advantage-creators or the leverage-points for their team,” Kings co-owner Luc Longley said of the pair earlier in the week.
“For their teams to win, they’ve got to start the first domino in a lot of possessions. They’re both playing huge minutes.
“It’s a ‘big dog’ rivalry.”
‘There’s no script’
The Kings, who went back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, will go into Sunday’s game as strong favourites, and Wells is more than happy to retain the underdog tag.
“You’re not supposed to, statistically, win a close-out game on the road, nobody’s really won a road game in this series … so our challenges are huge,” he said.
“They’ve got a lot of talented players that have been in a lot of big games, and it’s going to come down to a play or two.”
Kendric Davis during Game 3 of the championship series. (AAP: Mark Evans)
Among the sources from which the 36ers could draw inspiration in their quest to cause an upset are remarks made by Longley, who is adamant that home-court advantage can never be taken for granted.
“You tend to shoot better on your own rims, you know the floor, you’re sleeping in your own bed,” the former Chicago Bull told 891 ABC Adelaide ahead of Wednesday’s Game 4 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, which the 36ers won by a point.
“But nonetheless, lots of people lose on their home floor, and we’ve done it a few times this year as well so, as I say, not a foregone [conclusion] in any way.
“That’s what I love about sport — there’s no script. It’s heart-in-your-mouth sort of stuff and that’s what we’ve had in this series.”
Cotton’s presence at the 36ers has had a transformative impact on the club’s form.
“Getting Bryce is a big deal, but we’ve got a team behind him that has connected and committed,” Wells said.
While the coach’s focus remains firmly fixed on Sunday, the bigger picture is also within his field of vision.
“I hope that this team is built for sustainable success — this isn’t a one-year plan, this was built to have multiple years,” Wells said of his side’s forward planning.
“This team will grow the sport of basketball not only in South Australia and Adelaide, but I think the rivalry between KD and Bryce will do that in this country, and you’ll see an influx of players and talent.”
ABC Sport will be live blogging Sunday’s Game 5 of the NBL championship series, which begins at 2:30pm AEST.