Josh Childress out of NBL grand final series

Adelaide’s quest for the title has taken a massive hit with Josh Childress ruled out of the remainder of the grand final series.

Downcast Adelaide coach Joey Wright and star Josh Childress in Adelaide yesterday. Picture: AAP.

Adelaide’s quest for the NBL title has taken a massive hit with star Josh Childress ruled out of the remainder of the grand final series against Melbourne with a fractured shoulder.

The US import was initially cleared of any structural damage after a collision with United’s David Barlow midway through the fourth quarter of game two of the series won by the Sixers last Sunday.

With the best-of-five series locked at 1-1, Childress was expected to only miss Friday night’s game three in Melbourne. However, he has been ruled out for the series, with a CT scan revealing an unusual pattern scapula fracture. But, he won’t require surgery. It’s a huge blow with the 34-year-old forward having been Adelaide’s second most-important player behind MVP Mitch Creek.

Childress arrived in Australia in October as an injury replacement for Alan Wiggins. He has proved a match winner, steering Adelaide into the grand final with his semi-final heroics against Perth.

Meanwhile, 36ers coach Joey Wright has been fined $5000 after comments he made after game one of the series.

The NBL issued a statement, saying comments Wright made about the league in the post-game media conference were “inappropriate and warranted a sanction”.

Adelaide have accepted the penalty. Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman on Sunday also questioned refereeing decisions in relation to Casper Ware being fouled out of the game. He suggested Adelaide were given a favourable run with the refs.

The NBL yesterday reported a huge spike in cumulative TV audiences for the decider, with 177,022 viewers, spread across Fox Sports, ABC and SBS, tuning into the first two games of the series.

AAP