Chance backs United to peak when it matters

Melbourne United head north on Saturday chasing back-to-back wins for the first time in weeks, with a fresh scalp to build on and a score to settle against the Taipans.

Coming off their best performance of the season, a dominant win over the Sydney Kings, United are taking on Cairns in the first leg of a demanding weekend double-header. But Jacob Chance isn’t letting the group get carried away.

“Our message the last couple of weeks is to try and be above the outcome,” Chance said on Thursday.

“Yes, we had a great win, we did a lot of really promising things, but we still have so many areas to improve on.”

After back-to-back losses to the Illawarra Hawks and Perth Wildcats, United flexed their muscle on Sunday, locking down Sydney’s star-studded lineup and sending a message to the rest of the competition.

On Saturday, they’ll be hoping for some revenge against a Cairns side that beat them by 12 points at John Cain Arena earlier in the season, a game Chance says he took a lot out of.

“I thought last time we played them we did a lot of things well and controlled the game at the end of the third quarter, and then the usual things that get you beat against Cairns, unfortunately we fell into that hole a little bit.

“They shifted the momentum of the game, and by that point they were up and about, they were desperate at the time, and they stole the win.

“Our mindset is to double down on the mindset that put us in that position, but we have to do a much better job of maintaining the momentum of the game.”

With just four wins from their opening nine games, plenty of fans and experts alike are questioning whether this United team and its deep roster can live up to the pre-season hype.

“The most important thing in the NBL, and the team that wins the championship, is the team that has improved from start to finish better than everyone else,” Chance said.

“Yes, home court and those things will play themselves out, but in my experience… it’s about the team that’s continuously improving over the course of the year that will get rewarded.”

United received a bonus on Friday, confirming veteran sharpshooter Chris Goulding would return from a calf injury this week.

Watch the Cairns Taipans take on Melbourne United on ESPN, 9Go! and 9Now from 7:30pm AEDT on Saturday.