It was a huge effort by the understrength JackJumpers, but it wasn’t enough as the Sydney Kings won their first NBL championship in 17 years with a 3-0 series win.
After being down for the majority of the game, the experience of Ian Clarke and athleticism of Xavier Cooks at the end were key to the Kings winning 97-88.
Last minute lineup changes
Down 2-0 in the series, the JackJumpers were dealt a further blow during the week as a flu like virus swept through the team. Prior to tip off Fabian Krslovich and Jack McVeigh were ruled out of the game due to illness. While Jock Perry and Matt Kenyon were recovering from illness, but still made themselves available to play.
While for the Kings, MVP Jaylen Adams was ruled out pre-game as he continued to recover from a knee injury.
Tassie start strong
With its first lineup change in 18 games, Tasmania started the game strong, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. The Kings took advantage of a significant size advantage and worked the ball through Cooks and Jarell Martin. Although the shots weren’t dropping, the Kings were able to get second and third shot opportunities as they crashed the offensive glass and ended the quarter down 25-22
The Kings continued their dominance on the rebounds, and threatened to take over the game following a 12-5 run and seizing the lead. However, Tasmania responded with four straight three pointers to take an 8 point lead and silence the record 16,147 crowd at Qudos Bank Arena.
It was Sydney’s turn to respond, and they made a late run that brought the crowd back into the game. the 13-6 run included a 3 on the buzzer by Clarke, his first field goal for the game. The game was evenly poised at 48-47, Sydney dominating the boards, leading by 10. While Tasmania remarkably had only committed one turnover for the half.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe third quarter hadn’t been great to Tasmania so far in the series, so there was expectation that Sydney would make a move in the second half. It didn’t happen in the third quarter as both teams traded baskets, with Tasmania taking a three point lead going into the last quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesKings class shines in the forth
The surge from Sydney that we all expected from Sydney didn’t come in the third, but it arrived late in the form of Ian Clarke. The former NBA championship player knocked down three long range baskets to break the backs of the Tassie defense. He finished with 15 final quarter points as the Kings powered home in a 31-15 in the final period for the win an the championship.
For Tasmania, it was an incredibly brave performance, which typified their season. The fairytale didn’t have the happy ending we all were hoping for, but what they achieved during the 2021/22 season won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
