"We're ready for anyone": Battle lines drawn ahead of Playoff opener

“We're ready for anyone”

That’s the words of two time NBL champion Dejan Vasiljevic as his Adelaide 36ers prepare for Game 1of their Playoff Series against South East Melbourne on Tuesday night.

The blockbuster at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre looms as an exciting one between two varying styles.

The hosts like to slow it down and play in the half court, while Josh King’s Phoenix push the pace and shoots a lot of three-pointers.

“It'll be a great cracker game, honestly, we owe these guys (the Phoenix) a few games because the last two they've beaten us a lot,” Vasiljevic said on NBL Now.

“We don't want to play at their pace. We know they're going to pressure, they substitute a lot, they're trying to keep that pressure and the intensity up the full game.

“If they want to pressure us, we'll go by them and try to get open threes and layups.

“If we can get over half court and make them defend the half court, I think we have a really good chance.

“[Honestly], we're ready for anyone. It's going to be one hell of a game, as there are no friends on the court, so we'll be ready to fight.

“They play up, and in, it's Playoffs now.

“Teams will get away with a lot of fouling, a little bit more holding. So it's going to be a physical game.”

A part of that, from the Phoenix perspective, is trying to limit the contributions of six time MVP and the competition’s leading scorer, Bryce Cotton.

“They're going to try to take Bryce out of the game, so it's about how do we get Bryce the ball in certain situations and then defensively,” he said.

“I'm not going to give away the tactic we're going to use, but we've changed things up just a little bit for this matchup.

“Bryce is the main guy. We know that, but now it's everyone else who has to step up, because if we get going, South East Melbourne might switch their defence up a little bit, which allows Bryce to go to work.”

Tuesday’s Game 1 will end a 16 day hiatus for the Sixers, following the recent FIBA Break.

But Australian Boomer Vasiljevic believes the rest has been good for his 36ers, who will host their first Finals in eight years on Tuesday.

“Everyone's locked in and everyone's eager to play,” he said.

“We're all just tired of beating each other up at practice.

“We're locked and loaded, and I'm actually really excited, especially with it being the first home Final in Adelaide since 2018.”

>> HOW TO BUY FINALS TICKETS

While Vasiljevic and his Sixers, who finished the season with a 23-10 record, are confident in their own ability, the sharpshooter was quick to shut down the naysayers, including NBL commentator Damon Lowery, who said South East Melbourne would sweep the series 2-0.

“Damon Lowery said a few things about us,” Vasiljevic said.

“He's a bit delusional, he thought Melbourne United was the best team in the league ever, but when you start 9-0, and you get knocked out, I think you did really well on your expert analysis.

“We do listen a bit [to the chatter], but we kind of don't buy into it because it's an ongoing thing.

“People love to talk about the city of Adelaide, either in the wrong or when we're winning, and we just have to put that noise aside and let the basketball do the talking.”

Tuesday’s Playoffs fixture tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.