Sydney Kings into NBL grand final with 2-0 sweep of Illawarra Hawks
Jaylen Adams lifted the MVP trophy and then lifted the Sydney Kings on his back, delivering the club a second NBL grand final berth in three years with a sweep of Illawarra.
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The Kings are headed back to the grand final series after Covid denied them an opportunity at NBL glory two seasons ago, coming back from a double-figure deficit in another Freeway classic.
Sydney was 13 points behind in the second term, and 10 at the main break, to run away with a 99-87 win against Illawarra, clean-sweeping the best-of-three semi-final series.
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Sunday’s hosts became the first team to qualify for the 2021-22 grand final with their opponent to be decided on Monday in Melbourne.
Sydney will also have home court advantage if the Tasmania JackJumpers can beat defending champions United in the southern capital.
Chase Buford became the first Sydney Kings coach to sweep in their first finals series in his rookie season, something none of the previous 12 head coaches could manage.
But he could not have done it without his star MVP Jaylen Adams.
Turning around the 30-9 annihilation in the second quarter on Friday night, Illawarra posted 31 points to have the advantage at the main break.
Cue the Kings and Adams who reeled the Hawks in no time, hitting the front by midway through the third quarter, as Friday night’s nightmare resurfaced for the visitors.
The NBL’s newest MVP matched his opposing guard Tyler Harvey point for point, feeding off the energy of the just under 10,000 in the house, with 29 points at the final buzzer, just one shy of the 30 he had on Friday night in Wollongong.
Adams’ fourth three to give the Kings a five-point gap brought a rapturous crowd of just under 10,000 to their feet, and the series was not going back to Wollongong.
“What a massive shot. The Illawarra Hawks asking all kinds of questions, deep in crunch time, and Jaylen Adams answers,” ESPN’s Liam Santamaria.
The double-doubles king Xavier Cooks did it again with his 16th for the season, was well on his way to 16 points and 11 rebounds by quarter time with eight and five in those departments. Jarell Martin also had 23 points for the Kings.
BEST OF FIVE AWAITS
The Kings were down 2-1 in the series against Perth Wildcats in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic caused chaos worldwide, ending that finals series prematurely and awarded to their opposition .
Now Sydney is all set best of five not possible then, against an opponent set to play one extra match to decide their series on Monday.
Like two seasons ago, when Houston Rockets assistant Will Weaver led Sydney to the deciding series, fellow American Buford has done the same with a 21-9 record.
It is the second time Grand Final appearance since the franchise returned to the league in 2010-11, after a two-year absence, and seventh in their 33 seasons chasing title success for the first time since the iconic three-peat between 2003 and 2005, under Hawks’ mentor Brian Goorjian.
History was also made for the 68-year-old six-time NBL champion having never exited a finals series without at least one win since he first qualified for the finals as a young coach with the Eastside (Melbourne) Spectres in 1990.
HARVEY WITH POINT TO PROVE
The Hawks lost Tyler Harvey after his fifth personal foul, more than three minutes remaining, with the American helpless on the sideline as all he could do was look on as the Kings ran rampant to finish the game.
Last year’s MVP finalist Harvey, who averaged more than 20 points last season and admitted last season’s semi-finals 2-1 loss against Perth really stung leading up to Friday night’s 10-point loss.
He rekindled the 35 points in the overtime classic during the regular season with 21 points before he left the court.
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Originally published as Sydney Kings into NBL grand final with 2-0 sweep of Illawarra Hawks
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