36ers hit with “gut punch” in classic decider

Mike Wells labelled his team’s Game 5 defeat a “gut punch”, after the 36ers controlled much of the contest and came within a play of a famous victory.

Adelaide fell 12 points short in overtime in an epic decider, but not before pushing Sydney to the brink of one of the great turnarounds, after a 44-point Game 1 loss.

“I couldn't be more proud of the group and the way we competed,” Wells said in his post-game press conference.

“All year … the amount of times that we were down at least eight points in second halves and came back and won was something like 13.

“To just keep competing and playing, we probably had that game won for about 39 minutes and 16 seconds or something … that's why it's such a gut punch.”

Wells praised the work of his stars, against the odds.

“(I) just couldn't be prouder of Bryce, his effort, DJ's (Vasiljevic) willingness to battle and try to guard KD (Kendric Davis) out there, because of Flynn's (Cameron) foul trouble,” he said.

“Isaac Humphries just had a really, really solid year and he was so good today. And down the line, John (Jenkins) played well and what Zylan (Cheatham) does for our group … I could keep going.”

The Adelaide coach also pointed to the team’s critics after they struggled late in the regular season and lost top spot on the ladder.

“We had people doubting us in South East (Melbourne). They said we were going to get swept,” Wells said.

“We played a fantastic game after the break and came back and in a Game 3 led wire to wire. Couldn't be prouder of those types of situations. The two wins at home against Sydney, just remarkable games where we just found a way to win. And I give my guys a lot of credit for staying in there.

“Unfortunately, we probably needed one more play right there [in the last quarter] and we could have been having a little bit different press conference.”

Wells also congratulated the Sydney Kings and coach Brian Goorjian, who faced scrutiny of their own after a slow start to the campaign.

“Both teams, just (an) amazing series, amazing season,” he added.

“Congratulations to Brian and that team, man. They've had a remarkable run since January 5th.

“We give them an absolute ton of credit. Truly, such a really hard guard and they’ve got so many weapons and what KD did this year for them and what he did in the playoffs and a couple of really big games at home against us.”

‍