Perth Wildcats v Wollongong Hawks - Game One
Where and When: Friday March 5, Challenge Stadium, 7.00pm local (10:00pm AEDT)
Past Five Games:
Wildcats: WWWWL
Hawks: WLWWW
Past Three Head-to Head:
Perth Wildcats 91-57 Wollongong Hawks, Round 14, 2010
Wollongong Hawks 109-84 Perth Wildcats, Round 12, 2009
Perth Wildcats 87-80 Wollongong Hawks, Round 14, 2010
Season Series:
Perth Wildcats 2-2 Wollongong Hawks
Semi Final series:
Perth Wildcats 2-0 Gold Coast Blaze
Wollongong Hawks 2-1 Townsville Crocodiles
Final Standings:
Wildcats 17-11 (1st), Hawks 16-12 (2nd)
After 112 regular season matches and five finals matches, two teams are left standing to battle it out for the NBL Championship.
And fittingly, it is the two sides that finished the season ranked first and second that will play off in the NBL's showpiece.
After winning its final two matches of the regular season to pinch top spot, Perth comfortably defeated Gold Coast in the first match of their NBL semi-final series.
The Blaze looked like sending the series to a deciding third match when they led the Wildcats by 12 going into the final quarter of the second match but the visitors had other ideas and poured in 30 last-quarter points to claim the match and the series.
Wollongong needed all three matches to get through its semi-final battle with Townsville, comfortably winning both matches at home.
But worryingly for the Hawks, they only managed 53 points in the second match, which the Crocs won by 29.
The two sides have two wins apiece against each other this season with the home side prevailing in all four contests.
With that in mind, Perth should go into the best-of-three match series as firm favourite given that it gets to host the final match, should it be required.
But it's worth noting that only 14 times in the NBL's 31-year history has the team that finished top of the ladder gone onto to win the Grand Final series.
Perth superstar Shawn Redhage could hold the key to his side's success with an average of 14.3 points in his four matches against Wollongong but it will be Kevin Lisch that the Hawks will have all eyes on.
He has averaged 12.5 points against Wollongong, but poured in 37 points in the two matches against the Blaze to be the form player of the finals.
Cameron Tragardh is the Hawks' man against the 'Cats with an average of 16 points and more than seven rebounds and he also carries good form into the contest having scored 51 points across the three matches against the Crocs.
In what is sure to be a gripping encounter to open the grand final series, Perth should have the edge on its home court and move to within one win of its first title since 2000.
Sportal Tip: Wildcats by 8
