Starting 5: The key talking points from Round 22

Round 22 saw Sydney continue to surge, while Adelaide and South East Melbourne returned to the winners' circle.

Pete Hooley looks at some key talking points from the round just gone.

1 – Kings in the box seat

They had a scare early in the first quarter from the Bullets, but the Sydney Kings took care of business in emphatic fashion to lock up top spot. Kendric Davis again took over and at one stage looked like he could get close to 50 points, until he as rested in the fourth quarter. With the top-placed finish, the Kings will have home court advantage throughout the post-season and that might just be the extra edge in their championship hopes.

2 – Ignite Cup glory

They may have finished seventh this season, but the New Zealand Breakers go into the record books as the first team to win the Ignite Cup and take home the cash prize. It turned out to be one of the games of the year between Adelaide and the Breakers, but it was Parker Jackson-Cartwright who was simply phenomenal once again and took over in the third. After some tough losses to Adelaide this season, New Zealand got it done in the one game that meant the most.

3 – Throwdown implications

All eyes were on Melbourne and South East Melbourne last Thursday, in a game that had so much riding on it for both teams. The Phoenix had the chance to potentially lock in second spot with a win, while United had a chance to climb to fourth if they got it done. In the end, Melbourne’s win wasn’t enough to get to fourth, but it may just be what the doctor ordered in terms of them taking some momentum into the post-season. For the Phoenix, they now face a Perth team who will fancy themselves on the road against them.

4 – Hawks ending the right way

They fell short of their goal of trying to go back-to-back, but the Hawks ended their season in style, cruising to a big win in Tasmania. They were playing loose, free and were smiling all down the bench as each player got an opportunity to have an impact before the season was over. With the injuries they dealt with this season, it’s hard for fans to see those positive performances and not wonder what could have been this year.

5 - Let’s share it

After a jam-packed regular season, we are left to look back and enjoy every standout performance and it was Bryce Cotton and Kendric Davis who gave us the most of them. Regardless of what happens Monday night at the awards night, I think the majority of fans would agree that sharing the MVP seems appropriate in this instance. It would only be the third time this has happened, but both stars are more than deserving of winning it and shouldn’t be any other way.