PERTH WILDCATS V WOLLONGONG HAWKS - GAME THREE - NBL GRAND FINAL
PRE-GAME
The two reasons I love watching series deciders in any sport is because one, you get to see who the best players really are. Secondly, is to see if the young guys who have proven themselves all year are able to step up in the big situations. This is when the cream rises to the top; this is when leaders are born, and when players have a chance to write their name in championship folklore.
Tonight’s decider will be a tight one; it will go down to the wire, where the likes of Redhage, Lisch, Saville and Tragardh will be counted on to take home the championship. One punter clearly thinks it going to be that close that he has wagered $20,000 on the Wollongong Hawks with the +10.5. I’m predicting an upset and the Hawks to find some rare road form and shock the home fans. Now wouldn’t that be a boilover! If the boys from the Illawarra can take a lead heading into the final break, then the Wildcats will panic and the Hawks will take home the NBL Championship. I’m going to stick with the Tri Bet again, this time stealing a little more value than last game ($3.50).
GAME TIME
The Jungle was rocking and didn’t stop throughout the contest. The atmosphere was college like; all the crowd needed to do was start jumping up and down in unison like the Cameron Crazies (Duke fanatics). The crowd again turned up in red while the travelling Hawks faithful came in white. It looked sensational.
The game started with Perth purposely looking to get ‘Big Red’ Luke Schenscher into the game. Not my preferred option. This is a Game Three decider, not a regular season fixture. Big Red hasn’t been great thus far. So why would you look to make him your focus early? His first left hand hook shot was one of the ugliest I’ve seen in a long time, it made mine look good. The Wildcats continued to persist on going to Big Red, and after two turnovers and an offensive foul he finally scored, only to be subbed straight after. ‘Trigger’ Tragardh was again solid during the first quarter, finishing with eight points, many of them coming in transition. With Rhys Martin again struggling to bring the ball over half court and run the offence, Luke Martin was brought into the attack. He produced wonderful results. He got the team running and found his team some easy baskets, including one of his own when he pulled up in transition for the open three-ball.
However the first quarter was marred with an altercation between Jesse Wagstaff and the much smaller Luke Martin. It looked as if they got tangled up in an attempt for a long offensive rebound. After rewinding it on Foxtel IQ many times it looked as if Wagstaff lashed out and then Lukey hit him square in the chest. That is when Cat came running over and a mini push and shove erupted into the corporate boxes. Now that’s value for money, hey sponsors? I’m wondering if anything will come out of the brawl, it will be interesting. The referees let the game go on, much to the displeasure of the Wildcats crowd, whom absolutely gave it to Luke Martin. They chanted “Martin’s a w**ker” and booed him every single time he touched the ball. Martin shrugged it off, giving his teammates a sly smile and a wink when he got subbed off.
The quarter was highly entertaining and the Hawks led, 31-25.
We could talk about this game in detail but really it was the final 2:30 minutes of the third quarter which decided the game. With the Hawks right in the mix and still a chance to take home the coveted trophy, they went to sleep and let the’ Cats go on a 14-0 run to end the quarter. Damian Martin and Kevin Lisch went to work both hitting jump shots to spark the run. It was their offensive rebounding though which gave them chance after chance to build on the lead. In one possession the Hawks gave up three offensive rebounds, before the hot hand of Lisch found a way to the free throw line. With 10 seconds to go in the quarter Lisch nailed a triple which blew the lead out to 12 which sent the crowd mental. However with 1.7 seconds left on the clock, after an offensive foul by Luke Martin, Galen Young launched a pass to the red hot Lisch, who caught the ball, up faked, and still seemed to have enough time to nail a three just inside the half way line. It was amazing and sent the Wildcats faithful into frenzy. The Hawks bench was going off, saying that it was after the buzzer. However it was counted and the ‘Cats would take a 15-point margin heading into the final break. That would have to be one of the biggest back breakers in the history of the NBL.
The fourth quarter was a no show by the Hawks, who seemed to be still lamenting over the last few minutes of the third. They did not score a point for the first four minutes. By the time they scored the game was beyond their reach. The crowd celebrated throughout the fourth quarter as did the players. The Wildcats won and took home their 5th NBL Championship, making them the most successful club in NBL History, 96-72.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Lisch was amazing especially in the third game, his 29 points on 7/13 shooting was outstanding. However I’m not sure I agree he was the man of the SERIES? The series was three games; I don’t think he was the man over the whole series. If anyone was, I felt Damian Martin and Brad Robbins were the reason for the Wildcats taking home the championship.
The series certainly lived up to what the season has given us all year long, with the home court playing such a major part in the outcome. Congratulations to Perth for becoming the 2010 NBL Champions, you thoroughly deserved it.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the National Basketball League.
