SF1 Preview: Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings

When: 7.30pm (AEST), Friday 29 April, 2022

Where: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

Broadcast: ESPN; Kayo; Sky Sports NZ


Who won last time?

Illawarra 87 (Jessup 24, Cleveland 18, Harvey 15) d Sydney 84 (Cooks 20, Martin 13, Swaka Lo Buluk 11, Vasiljevic 11) – Round 21, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

In a sequel to their remarkable overtime clash in Round 20, the NSW rivals simply went at it again. In front of a Sydney crowd of almost 13,000 people, the Hawks made the most of Jaylen Adams’ absence by jumping 18 ahead in the second term behind 15 points from Justinian Jessup and their ridiculous 8/9 shooting from the arc over the first 13 minutes.

The Kings’ charged in the third term and of course it was Xavier Cooks leading the way, his second-half production of 14 points, 11 rebounds, 6 o-boards, an assist, steal and block setting the stage for an Ian Clark game-winner from the corner with two seconds to play. But he dramatically stepped out of bounds and the Hawks secured home-court advantage.


Who’s in form?

Tyler Harvey – T-Raw toyed with Sydney’s interior D in Round 20 – scoring 28 of his 35 from within 15 feet as his floater proved unstoppable – then went 3/3 from deep to open the rematch to show he’s no one-trick pony. He’s 21/46 outside in his past six games, and the Hawks are 18-3 over the past two seasons when he drops four triples or more.

Jarell Martin – Mr Efficient has averaged 16 points and 6.3 boards in 26 minutes per game over his past 13, shooting 69 per cent inside and 43 per cent outside. Returning from illness last week, he had 13 points in 15 minutes on the Hawks, but he’s hit just 3/15 from deep against Illawarra this season, and Sydney need him spreading the floor.


Who needs to be?

Xavier Rathan-Mayes – When XRM twice destroyed Melbourne he seemed poise to be the Hawks' literal X-factor in the playoffs, but in back-to-back meetings with Sydney he shot a wayward 6/24, with 4/14 on his trademark mid-rangers and 0/7 from deep.  With Harvey and Jessup sure to be targeted, Rathan-Mayes can’t afford another off night Friday.

DJ Vasiljevic – It’s fair to say DJ’s Round 20 outburst came out of nowhere. He scored 33 points. He’d never done that before. It was only the second time in 47 NBL games he’d reached 30. He nailed six triples. He’d never done that before. He went 9/10 from the foul line. He’d only once taken more than five in his career. Can lightning strike the Hawks twice?


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DJ&#39;S GOT A 3?0? PIECE IN THE &#39;GONG <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/dFRTn1yHoz">pic.twitter.com/dFRTn1yHoz</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1514560048491790338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s statting up?

 - In Sydney’s lone win over the Hawks they shot 15/33 from long range (45%), compared to 9 three-pointers at 30 per cent in their three losses

 - Illawarra have dropped 12 triples per game at 42 per cent against the Kings, with Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup draining 7.3 at 52 per cent. The rest of the league has managed 10.4 at 30 per cent against Chase Buford’s men.

 - Sydney rank ninth in the NBL in offensive rebounding, but in this four-game season series they are +17 on o-boards and lead second chance points 61-42

 - The Hawks are 9-1 when Duop Reath scores 18 points or more, and 7-0 when he grabs 9 rebounds or more. In his past three games against Sydney he’s averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 boards


Who’s matching up?

Antonius Cleveland v Jaylen Adams – Offensively, the MVP is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Adams' shooting percentage was in the 20s or 30s in nine of his 21 games, but when he shot 50 per cent or better the Kings were 6-1. If the pull-up is dropping, he becomes near-unguardable off the ball-screen with his poise and passing.

Cleveland on Adams in Round 20 was hindered by foul trouble and Sydney’s bigs hitting AC with some quality picks. Will Goorj put Cleveland on the other side of the ball-screen this time? Sam Froling excelled stepping out onto the MVP and played a big role in forcing a wayward 3/12 shooting night. Could Cleveland be set free to create havoc early in this one?

Duop Reath v Xavier Cooks – Will Cooks have an extra chip on his shoulder after his awards night snub? Probably not. The X-man already plays on edge and plays for his team, not for the numbers. But his numbers against Illawarra are too good to ignore, averaging a remarkable 16 points, 13 rebounds, 4.5 o-boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks in the season series.

Cooks held Reath to 6 points in Round 7 and 5/15 shooting last Sunday – but Duop made a key contribution in Round 20, with 17 points at 75 per cent, 4 o-boards and 3 assists. Sydney have been reluctant to help too hard on Jessup and Harvey and have been made to pay repeatedly, will a change of strategy on Friday free up Reath for some pick-and-pop action?


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He&#39;s unstoppable ?‍?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> <a href="https://t.co/eUVszX9GT5">pic.twitter.com/eUVszX9GT5</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1514556548882010118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Who’s talking the talk?

Brian Goorjian loves winning, he’s been winning for a long time. But that longevity has also brought a great appreciation of the role the NBL can play in making basketball big down under.

“I’m thinking back to walking into Rod Laver when Bradtke, Gaze, Copeland and the Magic, those rivalries you all talk about,” he said ahead of the NSW derby in the semi-finals.

“Now you come in (to Qudos Bank Arena) and you’ve got 20,000 people and you’ve got a series coming up that’s going to be absolutely amazing and we've captured the city.

“That’s been the goal really, more than just the game, is the series and the competition and what this does for it.”

Of course, Goorj would be well aware of the last time these rivals met in the playoffs, Sydney’s destructive 3-0 sweep of little brother in the 2005 Grand Final.

It was a case of the cream rising to the top back then, with Sydney’s star-studded roster too much for the underdog Hawks, but Goorjian believes the script is different this time around.

“We don’t want to be that anymore, we don’t want to be the little engine that could,” he said.

“I keep saying we’re going to bring a high-wire act to this thing, something that you’re proud of and is electric.

“Not only can we play good basketball, but I think we have an electricity to us offensively that’s exciting.”


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Swipe and flight by Air <a href="https://twitter.com/ac_uno1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ac_uno1</a> ??<br><br>?: <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAu</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Foxtel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Foxtel</a> <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreIllawarra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreIllawarra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://t.co/xXVI7X0yiJ">pic.twitter.com/xXVI7X0yiJ</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1518100969266941952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


There is no doubt about that, and Sydney have some defensive questions to answer.

While Chase Buford’s men have been outstanding at keeping teams out of the paint, a Hawks line-up featuring Tyler Harvey, Justinian Jessup, Antonius Cleveland, Duop Reath and Xavier Rathan-Mayes can run up cricket scores on triples and mid-ranges.

They proved that by averaging 93.7 in regulation on Sydney in the first three meetings of NBL22, then racing to 56 by half-time in the season finale.

The Kings played straight-up, reactive defence with the aim of forcing contested shots, but those are good looks when the Hawks are firing, and Jessup ate them up.

“For Justinian, it’s a mindset, and what I think is a real advantage is year two, he ain’t going to be here after two more weeks, this is it,” Goorjian said.

“You could see, and you’ve seen it over the last few weeks, there’s a tenacity to him that I’m going to go out firing, make or miss.

“That opens up everything for everybody else. His mindset will be slapped on the back over the next four or five days, we’re with you, and the guys want it to, it makes things easier for everybody.”


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">15 first-quarter points for Justinian J3??ssup ?<br><br>?: <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAu</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Foxtel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Foxtel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreIllawarra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreIllawarra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://t.co/PWY7WSdfYn">pic.twitter.com/PWY7WSdfYn</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1518099665836597248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


But just as it seemed Illawarra had the Kings’ measure, they upped the ante in the second half last round.

Their pick-up points were extended, the ball pressure increased, the switches were proactive and done with intensity, and coach Buford liked what we saw.

“We needed to guard them,” he said.

“We'd played these guys at that point three-and-a-half times and we’d had very dew defensive quarters or defensive halves that were up to our standard.

“Letting them get 56 in the first half is obviously way more than we wanted, but to hold them to 31 in the second, we changed up some things and I think it bothered them a little bit.”

Even with Jaylen Adams out and Jarell Martin limited, Sydney had the depth and the defensive dogs – and not just any dogs, pit bulls – to wear the Hawks’ stars down.

Angus Glover, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Shaun Bruce shape as huge factors with their ability to take the heat off Adams, Ian Clark and DJ Vasiljevic.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AND1?<br><br>Wani Swaka Lo Buluk stepping up and giving the <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a> the lead.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAu</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> Freebies ? <a href="https://t.co/t7iE63hhIl">pic.twitter.com/t7iE63hhIl</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1518115519240437760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


The question for Illawarra is who can do the same for their ‘big six’, with the ability of Harry Froling, Isaac White and Tim Coenraad to hold their own defensively and make open shots crucial.

“Our guys have got big workloads, and obviously the bench we try to help out where we can and take the load off them,” Froling said.

“You look at AC, Tyler, Xavier, we’re asking a lot from them, we’re asking them to be full-court, they're busting their arse out there, those guys are gassed, they’re coming out a couple of games they're having cramps.

“We’re asking a lot from them, Goorj is asking a lot from them at the defensive end … so those extra days help with the recovery, guys who've played big minutes it will be good for them, and guys on the bench we can keep building.”

It's game on. The series every basketball fan in NSW and many beyond was hanging out for.

Can Illawarra again shut Adams down while avoiding the over-helping that plagued them in Round 20? Can they keep Cooks off the glass? And can Sydney find a way to contest Jessup and Harvey without letting Reath and Sam Froling get off the chain?

For coach Buford, it’s the little things that will decide a battle between two evenly-matched teams.

“We've played this team twice in the past two weeks, I think we have a game plan (that works), we know how we want to play against them, it’s just about getting healthy and get ready to execute that,” he said.

“Goorj has got a great team, they're a talented group, they're a good basketball team. We feel we've got a good team, local derby, guys are fired up to play.”

For Goorjian, it’s about proving to the people of the Illawarra that this team is now a power, not the over-achieving little brother.

“You see Chuck Harmison, Hubbard, John Scott, all these people from the past. The community is small, you walk into Woolworths and (people say) ‘love what the team’s doing’, ‘love what’s going on down there’,” he said.

“I do think the community’s engaged and they're behind the team. Talk’s cheap, we’re definitely talking the talking and we’re working the community, I think the ownership has done some good things, but doing it’s another thing.”