Crosscourt: NBL23 Grand Final Edition
After two years of struggle New Zealand Breakers are three wins away from an NBL championship. Here’s how lessons from the All Blacks have helped spark Mody Maor’s men. GF SPECIAL
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As he gears up to lead the Breakers in a brutal five-game grand final series against Sydney, coach Mody Maor has spent time picking the brain of one of the greatest captains in sporting history.
Throughout the Breakers’ resurgent season, Maor has tapped into the methods that have led to the wildly successful All Blacks and, on Tuesday, met coach Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford, who created a remarkable legacy in the late 1980s.
“I met Buck yesterday, but until that moment that relationship has been very one sided,” Maor told News Corp.
“It has been me studying one of the most successful franchises, in terms of wins, in sport.
“I truly believe that winning leaves a footprint. If something is good for an extended period of time, then there has to be a reason.
“I’ve also spent time studying Mercedes in Formula One. Living in New Zealand, I put the All Blacks at the top of my mind as something important to look into and dive into.”
What he found was a model of “joint leadership” that has given players a voice and a say in defining and protecting standards — something he has put into practice with the Breakers, who are reaping the benefits.
“The thing that resonated with me the most is something that people talk about a lot in the NBA, in terms of how much power the players have and how it has shifted from the power of the clubs to the power of the players,” Maor said.
“I feel like this is a place where all professional sports are going towards and I think the All Blacks were the pioneers.
“They did it the best and the captains that they’ve had have been responsible for their longevity and success.”
Among the best of those was Shelford, who helped lead the All Blacks to the 1987 World Cup crown.
“Everyone knows he is a star and an incredible All Black, but out of all captains in sport he is the one with the highest winning percentage,” Maor said.
“So, it was a humbling experience picking his mind around leadership.”
It would make plenty of sense to Kings coach Chase Buford, who, earlier this season, likened the Breakers physicality to “playing the All Blacks”.
SCHEDULING MISTAKE THAT COULD COST NBL DEARLY
The momentum-killing FIBA window that forced a 12-day break between the NBL’s semi-finals and championship series needs to be addressed.
That’s the view of grand finalists Sydney — and NBL owner Larry Kestelman as the league gears up for a blockbuster best-of-five battle between the top-two teams.
Under FIBA rules, leagues sanctioned by the sport’s world governing body must pause during international windows, in this case the final round of World Cup qualifying.
It means that game three of the Breakers v Tasmania playoff series concluded on Sunday, February 19, and the league was then forced to wait until Friday, March 3, to tip off the grand final series, as the Boomers played two cup qualifiers in Melbourne.
It’s put the NBL on a collision course with the NRL’s first Friday night footy clash of 2023 and the build up to the first bounce of the AFL season, which begins the day after game five is scheduled.
While the league is celebrating a huge spike in broadcast ratings and audience, the marquee series will now compete with the two traditional sports media juggernauts for precious airspace.
Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut believes the break impacted the championship series from a hype and interest standpoint.
“I don’t think this is great for the NBL and the lead up to the grand final,” Bogut said.
“It kills a lot of momentum, and the league is out of mind and out of sight for almost two weeks prior to the first game.”
The pause, smack bang in the middle of the playoffs, also prevented players from the finals teams to choose between club and country.
Kings’ sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic was desperate to wear the green and gold again but, after the semi final series win over Tasmania, the looming grand final battle meant the stakes were too high.
He wants a condensed NBL schedule to ensure the FIBA window doesn’t land between the semi and grand finals again.
“We’d already qualified and I sat down and spoke to (Kings coach) Chase Buford and (chief executive) Chris Pongrass and Basketball Australia and just looked at all the options and they understood that the finals don’t come around very often, so BA was cool with me focusing on that,” Vasiljevic told News Corp.
“The break in the middle of finals doesn’t suit. We played maybe six or seven times with just one game a week.
“There has to be a minimum two games a week during the (NBL) season, then you can shorten the season by a few weeks and you’ll be able finish the finals before the break.
“That’s the next step for the NBL and the players on teams that make it to the finals finish before joining the Boomers and those who don’t make finals can go and explore other options in Europe or wherever they want to go play after the season.”
Kestelman, while acknowledging it wasn’t ideal, said he understood the league’s role in ensuring the Boomers were successful.
“We need to look at how we can potentially either avoid it (the break) if it happens again,” Kestelman said.
“Do we finish before or continue the season after?
“It’s something we need to look at but we also understand the path we play in the Boomers program and what we need to do to help the Boomers win, it’s important.
“We do our part but, no doubt, it is difficult.”
A SNOOPIFIED GF?
Is global hip hop icon — and basketball superfan — Snoop Dogg set to pay Qudos Bank Arena a special visit for game one?
The Signs are good it’ll be a Doggy Dogg World courtside on Friday night with the NBL confirming it’s in talks with Tha Doggfather’s people in the hope he’ll be there to watch the Kings and Breakers.
The 51-year-old will Drop It Like It’s Hot at Qudos Bank Arena 24 hours before the series opener and league owner Larry Kestelman hopes to tap in to his love for the LA Lakers. Sydney wears similar colours to the Lakers — and it wouldn’t be the first time Snoop’s been Upside the Kings’ heads.
Kestelman said, in the wake of the less-than-ideal FIBA break, there had been a sustained push to inject life into the series.
“Snoop Dogg is playing literally the night before, so we’re certainly hopeful to see some of these celebs come out and support the game,” Kestelman said.
“We know that they love basketball, so there’s every chance we’ll see some of them courtside.”
With one of the most popular singers on the planet in Harry Styles also performing on Friday night at nearby Accor Stadium, the Homebush precinct is set to be packed, Kestelman hoping it could help expose new fans to the NBL.
“The more people who are around basketball and know how to find us is great,” he said.
“I think it will be big crowds so I can’t wait for the finals and it’s great there’s so much interest in it.”
. @KlayThompson said let’s go back-to-back ðŸ†#WeTheKings#NBL23#DefendTheCrownpic.twitter.com/Im3VPgyFM3
— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) February 24, 2023
The Kings have received countless good-luck messages from high-profile hoops stars in the lead up to the series.
Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson kicked off the well wishes last week.
“Good luck going back-to-back – I know how hard that is, Bogues knows how hard that is,” Thompson, who won an NBA championship alongside Bogut in 2015, said.
“Unfortunately, we fell a little short in 2016, but I just wanted to tell you all to finish the job.
“There will be a big party coming if you do, the town will go crazy.
“So, be yourself, trust your teammates, have fun and go back-to-back, baby.”
Thompson’s motivational message was followed up this week with a shout out from Australian NBA star and Boomers veteran Joe Ingles.
Nothing like a good luck message from Joe Ingles on a Wednesday morning 💜💛
— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) February 28, 2023
Thanks Joe! #WeTheKings#NBLFinalspic.twitter.com/M2xxKBy6jv
GOAT’S ADMIRATION FOR KINGS’ RELOAD
The Sydney Kings’ successful reload after losing star NBA trio Jaylen Adams, Jarell Martin and Ian Clark has been hailed as one of the greatest in NBL history.
Replacing Adams, Martin and Clark – who have a combined 604 games of NBA experience – was never going to be an easy task for the Kings.
Yet Sydney has managed to secure successful replacements in Derrick Walton Jr, Tim Soares and Justin Simon.
Walton Jr, Soares and Simon aren’t earning the same money as their predecessors, but they’ve led the men in purple and gold back to the championship series.
The NBL’s GOAT and ex-Kings coach Andrew Gaze has been blown away by Sydney’s consistency this season despite the need to integrate the three new imports.
“The Kings have been exceptional – and it’s virtually with a new team,” Gaze, a seven-time NBL MVP and two-time champion, said.
“I know you’ve got Cooks as the foundation and he is the MVP and a superstar, but to go from the three imports they had last year and still be so consistent is a great effort.
“Usually on a back-to-back team, you’ll have a few tweaks, but, to me, losing those three imports has been a significant change.
“Yet the way in which Chase (Buford) has adjusted his system to cater for the three new imports has been really impressive.
“It speaks volumes to the systems that have been put in place and the way in which you can mould your system to the strengths of the players you have at your disposal.”
Sydney star Xavier Cooks believes the Kings’ ability to reload following the loss of Adams, Martin and Clark says a lot about the team’s culture and mentality.
“I think it shows that basketball isn’t just about talent,” Cooks said.
“You look at Adelaide and Brisbane. They are probably as talented as we are, if not more talented, but they didn’t want to play their role or buy into the culture to make the team better.
“Arguably, last year’s team was more talented, but this year is more consistent because we all know our roles.”
Cooks reserved special praise for defensive beast Simon – who has locked down the NBL’s best players all season.
“We’re a good defensive team, but we’re a great defensive team because of Justin,” he said.
“If you look at our starting line-up, DJ isn’t known for this defence.
“He gets after it, but he isn’t very physically gifted and the same with Derrick, but Justin makes up for so many people’s deficiencies because he is so active with his energy.”
Sydney will release its club spend for NBL23 at the end of the season, once finals bonuses are considered.
KINDRED SPIRITS
When New Zealand won game three of their semi final series against Tasmania, guess who the first person to call Breakers owner Matt Walsh was?
None other than feisty Sydney Kings owner Paul Smith.
While most of the league is behind the Breakers — and Walsh knows it — he does not share the collective hatred that has built up for the Kings.
In fact, he feels he and Smith are somewhat kindred spirits.
“I love Paul Smith,” Walsh said.
“From day one when he came in, which was around the time I came in, he’s been a great friend.
“As our game three (semi final win) ended against Tasmania, the first person who called me was Paul Smith, so that speaks a lot to his character.
“I’d do anything to win a championship, I think our organisation deserves it because we’ve done a great job but if, at the end of the day, Sydney win, I’ll be able to give Paul a big hug and say ‘congratulations’ and really mean it.”
Walsh is welcoming the support of the Aussie basketball world as his team hunts the rare achievement of winning a title after finishing last the season before — the Breakers are the league’s Cinderella story after spending the best part of two Covid-affected years playing in Australia. They’ve already sold out game two — 8800 tickets gone at Spark Arena — which would make it the largest home crowd since 2013.
“We’ve had a tough few years but I said it along the way that I was proud of how our team and organisation carried themselves and I believed it would make us stronger,” he said.
“If you look at some of the guys who have been through it, especially the coaching staff, we have come out stronger.
“You never know how the season’s going to finish up, only one team can finish with a win, but I’m very honoured to be back in the finals.
“And the support from our fans in New Zealand has been phenomenal.”
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