Adelaide 36ers lose to Perth Wildcats 79-94 in Joey Wright’s final game as coach
Joey Wright’s time at the Adelaide 36ers is over but the bigger question after Saturday night’s 79-94 loss is who’s going with him? After playing less than three minutes, import Eric Griffin looks like one.
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Joey Wright is gone and now that Adelaide’s underwhelming season has finally finished, the question is who’s going with him?
Adelaide was already out of finals contention before the game against the Wildcats and in the end the buzzer couldn’t come soon enough as they finished the year 12-16 and in seventh position on the ladder.
What looked like being a blowout became a one-point game when the Sixers showed some brief fight in the final quarter, but not even the occasion of Wright’s 500th and final game as their coach could conjure an upset.
They trailed 11-22 and even development player Michael Harris saw court time in the first quarter as Wright went deep into his bench looking for a response.
But Perth - even without Terrico White and Bryce Cotton who were rested on their way to the NBL finals - were never really threatened.
They won 94-79 led by Nick Kay (23 points) while Miles Plumlee had several uncontested looks on his way to 14 points and was matched by Clint Steindl.
Adelaide had won its two previous games against Perth but the two teams have gone in very different directions since then. The Wildcats are a championship contender again while Adelaide is about to rebuild.
Wright and the 36ers have been in discussions this week and have agreed to the terms of his exit ahead of an official announcement in days.
He is still expected to attend their MVP night on Saturday for an official farewell.
GOODBYE GRIFF
You’d think that’s the last we’ll see of Eric Griffin in a Sixers uniform. The import big man played just 2:27 - all in the first quarter - did not score and had three turnovers.
Daniel Johnson and Harry Froling were competing hard which made it hard for him to get back in but even so, his minimal court time doesn’t bode well for another contract next season.
At his best Griffin has been brilliant with his shot-blocking, big dunking and side-stepping to the basket this year, but at his worst he has been pedestrian and when Adelaide considers its imports for next season it simply cannot afford such inconsistency from its marquee players.
Jerome Randle has also had a very quiet finish to the season and had just seven points last night. Unlike Griffin he does have a contract for next season.
OFF TARGET
While Adelaide couldn’t hit a three-pointer early, Steindl went 2/2 in the first quarter on his own and Nic Pozoglou even drained one from the half-court on the three-quarter-time buzzer only for it to be over-ruled by video review.
The Sixers took junk shots from the field often without the patience of even one pass. Daniel Johnson (0/3) Randle (0/2) and Kevin White (0/1) were trigger happy early and things never turned around.
The three-point line has been a major problem for Adelaide in recent seasons, both its inability to execute with the ball and defend the arc without it. Jack McVeigh, Anthony Drmic and Harry Froling have all shown glimpses but like the rest of their team just haven’t done it consistently.
Froling finished with 2/5 for 11 points and made a nice backdoor pass to find Obi Kyei in the second quarter but Froling has gone from rookie of the year with NBA interest to not even sure of another deal with Adelaide for next season.
DJ FOR MVP
Daniel Johnson will win his fifth MVP award at the Sixers’ presentation on Saturday night.
Aside from Brendan Teys he is the only player on the roster who has turned up almost every game but his impact on the result is far more significant than Teys’.
In Perth on Saturday night Johnson had a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double. He is contracted for next year but will that mean he stays to see it out under the new coach?
Anthony Drmic is out of contract and will have no shortage of suitors if he decides to explore his options at the end of the season, but is waiting on a call on Wright’s future before making a decision on whether he stays or goes.
Obi Kyei emerged as a regular starter for Adelaide this season but needs to work on his finishing. He works so hard off the ball, can dribble when he gets it and step to the basket but if he cannot put it in then his value reduces significantly.
DESPERATE DAMO
Damian Martyn gave Adelaide a glimpse into the hunger that has driven Perth into a 34th consecutive finals series.
Martyn dived on a loose ball he really had no right to win during the second quarter as he wrestled it away from Jack McVeigh on the floor.
Perth fine tuned its form for the finals and when challenged in the last quarter they called a time-out and then blew the visitors away.