NBL 2020: Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats pay tribute to Kobe Bryant
Melbourne United and Perth Wildcasts paid tribute to Kobe Bryant at Melbourne Arena before the home team reignited their push for a play-off spot with an emphatic win.
Basketball
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Mamba mentality has trended all over the world in the past 48 hours.
On Wednesday night, Melbourne mentality reigned as United kept its NBL season alive with an emphatic 77-67 win over Perth Wildcats.
Both teams paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, with 24 seconds of stadium-wide applause before each outfit committed an eight-second and 24-second violations to commemorate the Los Angeles legend.
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United dominated thereafter, on the back of Chris Goulding’s 17 points and a combined 32 bench points.
Big man Jo-Lual Acuil made the most of his extra minutes, scoring 15 points to go with 10 rebounds and four blocks. Mitch McCarron also broke out of a mid-season scoring slump, finishing with 12 critical points.
United coach Dean Vickerman said the team watched some “Kobe clips” before taking to the court.
“Just the mentality, the killer mentality of Kobe versus Mamba,” Vickerman said. “We wanted to be the first team to honour him in the NBL, I think we did a good job as a club tonight.
“I know our players all wore the little black bands and wrote different things on those to honour him.”
BEGGARS CAN BE CHOOSERS TOO
It sounds counter-productive taking less shots.
But not when fewer attempts result in greater conversion.
United appeared to be more selective from the field, prepared to move the ball for as long as was required to walk the path of least resistance.
Chris Goulding’s passing was on song, so too David Barlow early doors, both setting up Mitch McCarron and Jo-Lual Acuil for easy put always.
United operated at 46.7 per cent efficiency in the first quarter, converting seven of 15 shots compared to Perth’s six-from-21.
By three quarter-time, both teams drained 18 field goals but United held a seven-point lead.
Less, really can be more, as United was never headed after the quarter-time blitz.
United travels to Brisbane for a season-defining clash with the Bullets on Saturday.
“Brisbane’s massive, massive, I think whoever is able to win that one really puts themselves a step ahead to get that fourth spot,” Vickerman said.
GRAND SLAM
Let’s start with the good.
A crowd of 6355 rocked up at Melbourne Arena to watch United host the Wildcats a top spin lob or three away from Rafael Nadal’s quarter-final at Rod Laver Arena.
Was it a regular basketball crowd? For the most part yes, with a smattering of tennis theatregoers and two Collingwood ruckmen — Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox — mixed in.
Was it a Nick Kyrgios-charged electric Melbourne Arena atmosphere — not even close.
The bad? Ticket pricing, as it has been the past three years of the Australian Open-NBL relationship.
Rusted on basketball fans paid $54 for a ground pass (adults) and extra $12 to watch United.
The price for children, a lot more favourable, at $5 and $7 ($12 total) respectively.
Dollars and cents aside, the exposure is priceless, for both United and the NBL being apart of the biggest fortnight in Australian sport.