'Phoenix must overcome mental hurdle'

There are few rivalries as heated as the Throwdown between South East Melbourne and Melbourne.

Despite a lopsided 21 to 9 all time record, each one of the 30 previous contests between the two crosstown rivals has been fierce.

One that knows that rivalry first hand is NBL superstar Casey Prather, who featured in three Throwdowns during his time at United.

During a recent episode of NBL Now, the three time NBL champion explained that this matchup is a mental barrier for Josh King's side, who have lost their last three games against United.

"It's a mental thing, because Phoenix right now have the talent, they have the depth," Prather said on NBL Now.

"They match up with United pretty well. It's just more so about putting four quarters together."

Further to that, while Prather loves South East Melbourne's defensive identity, he says they also need to be more adaptable.

"They're so annoying, they're just in you every single possession on defence," Prather said.

"If you go to the bathroom, they're probably right there trying to defend you as well.

"For Josh King, he has to be able to adjust on the fly. You can't go into Melbourne United thinking that just your one game plan is going to work. You got to have plan A, plan B, and plan C.

"[Melbourne] is not a team where you can go out there and turn the ball over or go out there and jack up quick shots because then they just punish you on the transitional side of it.

"They have a system that they run very well. And if you go in with the game plan, I'm trying to just stop that system alone. You will lose.

"So you need to master the physicality, make them play half court sets and you give yourself a chance."

Sunday's 31st edition of the Throwdown tips off at 2.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN and Channel 10.