Melbourne United take out game one of grand final series after coaches’ war of words

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman drew the ire of his opposite number to set the scene for a spicy opening game of the NBL grand final series.

A war of words erupted between the coaches pre-game, setting the scene for a spicy game 1, but it was Melbourne United who got on with the task at hand, cruising to a one-game lead over Tasmania JackJumpers in the best-of-five NBL Championship Series.

United centre Jo Lual-Acuil Jr stamped his authority on the series opener, dominating on both ends of the floor as United ran out 104-81 winners at John Cain Arena on Sunday.

Lual-Acuil Jr finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a dominant display.

United were dominant on the boards, out-rebounding the visitors 50-36.

When Lual-Acuil Jr was on the bench, young star Ariel Hukporti maintained the advantage with seven points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

If Lual-Acuil Jr was Batman for United, Chris Goulding was Robin.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (R) shone in game one. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Sharpshooter Goulding was on fire from the outset, draining 22 points, including six three pointers.

United’s three-point shooting was a feature, going 14/28 (50 per cent).

They defended the three-point arc well, restricting the JackJumpers to 8/18 (44 per cent) from three.

Matthew Dellavedova’s offensive outburst in these playoffs continued with three triples in his 11 points, while NBL sixth man of the year Ian Clark was a constant threat with 18 points, including three triples.

United scored as they pleased, inside and out, with the JackJumpers offering little resistance.

Only seldom did the JackJumpers threaten, with star Milton Doyle having his moments with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Anthony Drmic fought hard with a team-high 18 points on 66 per cent shooting.

SPICY EXCHANGE

One of the biggest battles occurred off the court pre-game when the coaches exchanged words.

United coach Dean Vickerman reportedly said “Scotty’s [JackJumpers coach Scott Roth] going to talk about defending his little island as much as he wants to … we’re just gonna go about our business, stay locked in and try to win an NBL championship”.

Roth, who has been brought to tears talking about his pride representing the people of Tasmania, replied on the ESPN broadcast: “I’m hoping that was taken out of context.

“It’s quite disappointing to be quite honest with you, they have two Tasmanian families on their roster, Tasmania seems to be the butt of every joke, people want to punch down on that place”.

JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth took exception to comments from Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

WILD WILL

Will Magnay was one of the star JackJumpers in their semi final series against the Wildcats, but his game 1 minutes were capped after he picked up a fourth foul early in the third quarter.

The 25-year-old centre didn’t endear himself to the United players either, bowling over Kyle Bowen and standing over him, which landed him a technical foul.

Point guard Jordon Crawford has gone missing in the past three games for the Jackies, recording his third straight single digit game with just seven and one assist.

To make matters worse for the JackJumpers, Fabijan Krslovic went down with an ankle injury late in the game, putting his availability for game two in Tasmania on Friday night in jeopardy.

It was a tough night out for Will Magnay. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

UNITED TAKE OVER

United started to take over the game late in the second quarter, opening up a double digit lead that only grew the longer the game wore on.

The home side was getting to the rim at will and could have been further in front than 10 points at the midway point if Hukporti had not missed two alley-oop chances and a layup.

But Hukporti was important in settling down United defensively after the JackJumpers had scored 16 points inside the paint in the first quarter.

And when Jo Lual-Acuil Jr re-emerged, he took advantage of the silver service from his guards, piling on 13 first half points.

NBL SCOREBOARD

Melbourne United 104 (Goulding 22 Lual Acuil-Jr 20 Clark 18) d Tasmania JackJumpers 81 (Drmic 18 Doyle 16 McVeigh 13)

At John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Originally published as Melbourne United take out game one of grand final series after coaches’ war of words