"We want our cheese-burgers!!!" It's too bad Holyfield isn't still suited up for the Hawks, we'd feel we are a chance for a free snack on the way home - Photo by Zimbio
When: 7:00pm (ACDT), Saturday, 11th November
Where: Titanium Security Arena, Adelaide
Broadcast: NBL TV, Fox Sports, Sky Sports
Last time they met:
SF3 2016/17: Adelaide 36ers 98 (Randle 26, Sobey 22) defeated by Illawarra Hawks 106 (Clarke 20, Harris 17, Martin 13, Ellis 11) at Titanium Security Arena
CROSS OVER DRIBBLE FLASHBACK:
ROUND 21 1995: ADELAIDE 36ERS VS WOLLONGONG HAWKS
This week we head back to the final regular round of the 1995 season where the 36ers had sealed their position in the finals bracket in 5th were looking to take some momentum into the finals series. Wollongong had come flying through from the bottom of the ladder but a win for them would draw them against a much less fancied finals opponent than the South East Melbourne Magic, so there was still plenty on the line. The opening half was a tight affair as the 36ers led by their guard Brett Maher and “chairman of the boards” Mark Davis took the lead, but champion Hawks centre Chuck Harmison and regular 36ers trouble-man power forward Melvin Thomas had the 36ers only up by two points at the half, 42-40.
In the third quarter the 36ers made their move, in his sadly last season with the club, import Robert Rose came to life to score the majority of his 21 points in the second half as the 36ers took the ascendancy in the match. A 28-18 third quarter saw the 36ers take a 12-point lead into the final change with the Hawks un-able to break anymore than two points into the margin in the final stanza. The 36ers would then move onto to face the tricky Newcastle Falcons while the Hawks would find themselves in a match up against the Magic and after taking game one would bow out of the finals series the first week.
Adelaide 36ers 84 (Maher 22, Rose 21, Davis 17, Ninnis 11) defeated Wollongong Hawks 74 (M Thomas 23, Harmison 18, Lafleur 13) at the Clipsal Powerhouse
Key Match-Ups:
Mitch Creek vs. Demitrius Conger
Creek has had excellent impact against the Hawks in recent times and it shows in his production including his opening 24-point match last season against the Hawks in their gym. The additions to his game are going to have Hawks coach Rob Beveridge extremely worried including an improved clip of shooting the ball which Bevo can’t afford to leave open and his role in the Sixers better rotations through their half-court offensive system.
Conger however is the type of player the Sixers have not defended well against in the past and with an aggressive mind-set and dribble penetration a weapon for the small forward, the Sixers talk off the ball as to when he is moving is going to be crucial to help the front court setup with their bodies on the line.
Nathan Sobey vs. Mitch Norton
We know this is a must watch for Saturday night more for how Sobey will come out with for his coach after the comments made during the week about all. As suspected all along by this journalist, there is simply a situation where a coach is telling their player they need to do more and the player realising that is the case even though the player’s average form is still better than some others in the squad. I expect we’ll see a much happier Wright if Sobey scores low double figures but has multiple steals, rebounds, assists and the team wins instead of twenty plus points and the team suffers a loss.
If I was Beveridge, then I’d be most worried about the impact a fired up Sobey could have in the match. Therefore, I’m sending an antagonising defender in Mitch Norton to him to quell his influence. Norton wore former import (and we note now Kings player) Jerome Randle like a glove over semi-final game two and three particularly lasts season. If Norton can cut Sobey’s influence from the Sixers, the full-court game is much harder for them to execute without Sobey’s lane runs.
Josh Childress vs Tim Coenraad
One Sixer very keen to make an impression in front of his new home-crowd will be Childress and after being a visiting player a few seasons ago, no doubt he’ll welcome being on the other end. Childress is a sleeping giant in the NBL and if as we suspect it clicks either this week or next week we should start to see some decent numbers from the ex-NBA swingman. We do know so far that he is extremely efficient and rarely wastes the ball as his statistics show.
If you are a Sixers defender this Saturday night and you see a number 22 on the floor in a red (or white jersey) then you better get your skates on and close out that three ball. Coenraad if you look at previous matches is in my top five deadliest corner three-point specialists of all time at the Fortress, he is money consistently from that corner. I’d consider him to more of a threat than Forman although careful attention should also be paid to that veteran beyond the arc as well.
The Last Play
Coach Joey Wright can now put aside last week’s away match implosion against United and get back to the business of winning basketball games and the next few weeks don’t come much bigger. A rematch against the team that knocked them out of title contention in the semis then out of nowhere (although sources were very strong in the past weeks it would happen) their NBL MVP will suit up for the Kings the following week in scenes that could possibly (let’s hope a little grace is shown) mirror Mark Bradtke’s return with the Melbourne Tigers after a “European” holiday.
One guarantee is that this game will be fast, high-scoring, very physical between the guards and that the Sixers will be anxious to protect the home court. This will be close and come down to the wire and we might see some overtime action and the most important thing, it’s our first shot at a free cheeseburger on the way home from the local HJs, too bad Michael “Hollywood” field isn’t suiting up.
36ers by 3 points
Written by Tristan Prentice
CROSS OVER DRIBBLE 