Pick your poison: Phoenix depth an opposition nightmare

The last time Angus Glover, Ian Clark and Jordan Hunter played together in the NBL Finals, they helped the Sydney Kings win the NBL22 championship.

Now, the trio are hoping to replicate that with South East Melbourne and guide them to the NBL26 title.

Clark, who is averaging 12.9 points, 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds in his 14 appearances this season, says it was his Kings' connection that attracted him to the Heartland club.

“It [winning a championship] and having guys like Guy and Jordi [Hunter] already here that I’m familiar with, helped me come here,” Clark said to NBL Media.

“Obviously, I’ve played against a lot of the other guys, but never been on the team with them, never won a championship with them.

“The experience we have together makes sure we're not foreign to these [big] moments, and it gives us comfort going out, executing and playing well.”

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Clark, NBL26 Sixth Man of the Year Glover, Malique Lewis, Akech Aliir and DJ Mitchell are all part of the competition’s highest-scoring bench (33.8 points per game), highlighting why import Wes Iwundu called the Phoenix the 'deepest team in the competition'.

“[Our bench] is a big weapon,” Clark said.

“It's hard to hone in [defensively] on just one guy [on our team]. I know we got our MVP candidate in Sobes (Nathan Sobey), but having guys like myself and Glover [among others], who can come out and get 15-20 points a game, is massive.

“You compound that with the way we play defence, and when we start to get stops, that's when I think that we're at our best.

“We try to do the best job we can of coming in and uplifting the guys, it’s something we take pride in.”

Glover, who is putting up 10.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 triples and 2.1 dimes per game, explained that the balance of Josh King’s side works because everyone has bought into the ‘team-first’ mentality.

“Everyone buys into their roles and understands what Josh and the coaching staff want,” Glover said.

“Obviously, it can change from time to time, but given our next-man-up mentality, we just wanted to see the best for our brothers in the group.

“Everyone in our group celebrates each other’s small wins on a daily basis, which is why our culture is so good.

“The ultimate goal is winning a championship, so that's why we enjoy sacrificing for the greater good of the team.

“We had a similar buy-in from everyone during IC, Jordi and my time in Sydney. We all knew we could score and didn’t really care who did, while also being willing to lock in and sacrifice our bodies on the defensive end, which is where it all started for that Kings team and where it all starts for us this season.

“If we execute our defensive schemes like I know we can, I believe we can prove once again why we’re the best defensive team in the league.”

2017 NBA champion with Golden State Clark, who’s lost in Game Five of the Championship Series the past two seasons with Melbourne United, echoed Glover and believes the unselfishness of their squad is up there with the best he’s played on.

“That [unselfishness] is the first thing I noticed when I got here, and that's one of the biggest traits you get on a championship team,” he said.

“When guys are unselfish, guys don't care who gets the credit, we all focus on winning.

“It may not be your night [one game], but it'll be yours the next night, and we have a general consensus of it.

“The front office has done a great job of bringing guys in that don't have egos, and that's what helps.

“We all have confidence in one another, from top to bottom, and no one’s scared or fearful, and I believe that’s going to take us a long way.”

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Before looking too far down the road at South East Melbourne’s potential first-ever title, the Phoenix host Perth at John Cain Arena on Wednesday.

“[The key] is not letting them be comfortable,” Clark said.

“The last couple of times, it went down to the wire when we played them, and a lot of guys just got going early in the game. So late in the game, they were able to make big shots to keep the lead at bay.

“If we come out aggressive early in the first half, are able to disrupt them, force them to work hard and take the shots we want, it will go a long way to helping us win [on Wednesday].”

The Seeding Qualifier tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.