AC Turned up in Incredible Comeback

Saturday, January 7, 2023

When it comes to game-winning performances, not many would rival Antonius Cleveland’s fourth-quarter effort on Friday night.

Down by eight against the Illawarra Hawks with a little over three minutes to play, the Adelaide 36ers needed a hero … enter Cleveland.

As Sam Froling missed an easy lay-in, Cleveland was under the rim to pull down a huge board. He ripped it out of the hands of the opposition with authority. He recognised the moment, and made the ball his.

Seconds later, Ian Clark nailed the three at the other end. It was the beginning of a 17-0 run for the 36ers, and a famous comeback victory.

In the last quarter alone, Cleveland had eight points, three steals, three rebounds, an assist, and a block – it was an outstanding all-round performance at either end of the court.

“When you’ve got a player like ‘AC’, who can do multiple things on the floor and his defensive ability, just to get his hands and deflections and be in the right shot at the right time … block shots, change shots, spread a ball at the other end, dunk a ball, play like Vince Carter above the rim and then be able to knock down shots … he’s been able to do it all for us,” coach CJ Bruton said after the eight-point win.

“I spoke to him briefly before the game at shootaround and then just after the game … I told him “we need this, not just now, I need it next game and the game after”, and he’s been delivering, really locked in and doing his part too.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of the best efforts I’ve ever seen by a player in a fourth quarter. Antonius Cleveland you superstar. Here is your moment <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a></p>— Greg Hire (@greg4hire) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg4hire/status/1611305303173369856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Antonius Cleveland did not want a repeat of the Cairns debacle. Like I said, this is season-shaping stuff.</p>— Michael Randall (@MickRandallHS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MickRandallHS/status/1611306049201647616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After a loss they’d rather forget against Cairns on New Year’s Eve and staring down the barrel of defeat to the bottom-placed Hawks, Cleveland knew it was time to step up.

If they dropped this one, the 36ers finals’ prospects, let alone their championship aspirations, were in real danger.

“I just wanted to make plays. Sometimes there’s plays to be made and I just try to make them, whether it’s getting my hands on the steal or rebounding, pushing the break, I just try to always stay aggressive,” he said.

“With us being down, I knew I needed to help the team do something. I just wanted to be there for the guys.”

Adelaide boasts a star-studded lineup, only strengthened by the recent addition of Ian Clark.

But there’s no denying there’s plenty of work to be done if they’re going to be in the mix for top honours.

“I let them know its playoff time and to be able to win games you need to dig deep,” Bruton said.

“When you’re in a jam the way that we were and we’re not playing for sheep stations right now … this is it. Your season’s on the line. Every game the season is on the line.

“To be able to come away with a win is definitely something everyone wants and something you can’t take away, but as I told the boys in the locker room, 'I’m happy for us but we’ve got bigger fish to fry'.

“We’ve got New Zealand coming through the door in less than 48 hours. They’re no slouches. They just got a win against Perth and we need to make sure we’re ready and prepared if we’re going to go toe-to-toe and be a chance to compete for a championship, they’re one of the teams in the race, so we need to make sure we have a good showing.

“We need to make sure we get a win against them.”