Vickerman's Bold United Claim

Friday, January 13, 2023

Melbourne United head coach Dean Vickerman has declared his side as potentially "the best second half team" in NBL23

Melbourne United head coach Dean Vickerman has declared his side as potentially "the best second half team" in NBL23 after racking up five wins in six games.

United suffered a bumpy start to the season which has left them stranded in eighth position, but they're still in the running for a post-season berth.

Their recent run of wins has prompted optimism from Vickerman on the prospect of his side making the playoffs, with the only thing standing in their way being their upcoming performances.

“We said we needed to be the best second half team of the year. I think if we can knock out a few more wins on the road we have the opportunity to be that team,” Vickerman said.

“If that’s a team that can make a finals spot than we can give it a real shake.”

Melbourne's first game of Round 15 comes against a New Zealand Breakers side fresh off a narrow loss to Perth. United will head to New Zealand for the first time in three years to lock horns with the second-placed side.

Vickerman has acknowledged the toughness of his side's upcoming road trip, while praising the efforts of the Breakers this season.

“We feel confident in the basketball that we’re playing right now, but we understand that their defence has been one of the best in the league," Vickerman said. "Their rebounding and physicality has been at a really high level, and they have got a lot of playmakers that can make decisions for them.

“(Playing New Zealand) will be a lot to deal with, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.

“Our ability to stay out of foul trouble is going to be huge.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since joining MU, <a href="https://twitter.com/JustMarcusLee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustMarcusLee</a> has established himself as one of the best big-men in the NBL.<br>Lee’s raw numbers since Dec 10 may seem unassuming, with the center averaging 10.5 pts, 8 reb & nearly 2 blk per game, while his advanced stats are otherworldly.<br>Full breakdown here ??</p>— Melbourne United (@MelbUnited) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited/status/1612624496506343425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Big man Marcus Lee, who dominated in Saturday’s win over the JackJumpers, shared his desperation on behalf of the team to come of Round 15 clutching a pair of wins.

Without fellow centre Isaac Humphries and forward David Barlow against Tasmania last weekend, Lee imposed himself on the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks off the bench.

“It’s going to just be a battle of mentally who can play a great 40 minutes the whole time,” Lee remarked.

United play the Breakers on Thursday at 5:30pm AEDT.