'Playing Until the End' Debate Settled?

The debate of playing to the final buzzer ran rampant in NBL circles during the NBL23 regular season. After Sunday afternoon’s final round action that debate has surely been put to bed.

The Perth Wildcats snuck into the post-season courtesy of a 12-point win over the Sydney Kings yesterday and broke Melbourne United hearts. At the end of a 28-game season they pipped their Melbourne counterparts to the post by 0.06 points percentage points – or one made field goal across the entire season.

NBL champion Peter Hooley is still confused as to why there was even a debate.

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“I was always under the assumption that [playing until the end] should always be the way with the way the NBL changed things in terms of the percentage – that was the instruction back when I was playing,” Hooley said on NBL Today.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a 15-point margin or you’ve got your starters on. Every bucket counts.

“I’ve never understood just dribbling it out, but now we look at it and have proper evidence – especially to show all the new people that come into the league next year. You play until the final siren every single time.”

That desire to play until the final siren almost saw Melbourne United enter the Play-In ahead of the Wildcats, as a Rayjon Tucker long three in the final moments of the game extended the required margin of victory for Perth out to 11 points. A margin they barely reached.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here&#39;s how it ended! <a href="https://twitter.com/th3flighttuck?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@th3flighttuck</a> <a href="https://t.co/HuaBr7kjGI">pic.twitter.com/HuaBr7kjGI</a></p>&mdash; Melbourne United (@MelbUnited) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited/status/1622101458467590144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hooley says he couldn’t believe the post-season hopes of two organisations would come down to one shot.

“I literally thought there’s no way it could come down to it. I thought it was a really good hit and an emotional end for United, and then it comes down to two missed threes.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted DJ Vasiljevic would have two missed threes on the chance to silence Perth.

“I caught myself sitting on my couch watching and laughing about how we got to this position. The last game on the last day and it comes down to a single bucket.

“It had the highs, it had the lows. It was just an incredible regular season and what a way to finish.

“A nice appetizer for what’s to come.”

Perth kicks off the NBL finals with an away trip to South East Melbourne in the sudden-death Play-In Qualifier on Thursday night, before Cairns hosts the JackJumpers in the Seeding Qualifier.

The winner of the Play-In Qualifier will tackle the loser of the Seeding Qualifier for a chance to take on the Sydney Kings in the semi-finals.