![]() He did acknowledged that circumstances changed again, which resulted in the cancelled games.Ĭredit to the NBL for prioritising public safety and playing games behind closed doors, which made for one of the stranger sights in NBL postseason history. ![]() The onus was on the league to make the call, but Smith confirmed that the team was comfortable with the closed door situation as the situation stood on 13 March, and that they were "with an adjustment to no fans in the building, we felt we were able to finish the series in five games, there's nothing to suggest we could not continue on the five game series behind closed doors". If the league had said, we're going to shorten it to a three-game series because of circumstances beyond our control, at the start before we even played a game." ![]() "After Game 1, when a three game series was discussed, our point was, no one knew where things were going to go, but our view was we started a five game series, you finish a five game series. The team had planned to play a five-game series when the Grand Final started, with health and load management geared along those lines. Smith, when asked by The Pick and Roll, acknowledges the question as a valid point, but clarified how circumstances unfolded. We started the series - once you start a five game series, you start a five game series. "Before we even started the series, no one knew what was going to unfold from a virus perspective. Given the Kings' continued emphasis on health and wellbeing, why was a shortened series not the de facto option, but pursued to the traditional best of five instead? Sydney did the right thing to protect their people and everyone around them, by making the decision to exit the series. But given the looming situation over the COVID-19 coronavirus situation and how it rapidly escalated in China and other countries, it would have made perfect sense to exercise caution and wrap the series up as quickly as possible: with limited downtime between games, or even a shortened series. Imagine if we limped home two-down? That was before we won the game.” Why wasn't the series shortened? That was last Friday before we played game two. “It was explicitly stated by the Wildcats and the Kings that neither was to have the championship without completing the five-game series. “We had an explicit three-way conversation last Friday because the NBL could provide no guidance, they hadn't a clue what to do, with the scenarios that were unfolding,” Smith said, as reported on The Age. Kings owner, Paul Smith said that there was an agreement in place and no winner would be decided, had the series not been fully played out. It wasn't just the brooding threat of COVID-19 that had already shut most other basketball leagues in the world, when the Grand Final series was still going on. The team's success was never an overnight flash-in-the-pan phenomenon, and is a well-deserved outcome.īut the series of events that eventually wound their way to this conclusion, has involved more off-court events than the actual basketball play. They had outgunned the Kings during the regular season, and performed admirably in the Grand Final series, winning in Sydney twice during Games 1 and 3, leading 2-1 with big performances from MVP (and Finals MVP) Bryce Cotton, as well as Nick Kay. To be clear, this in no way discredits the Wildcats' run this season. This was NBL owner, Larry Kestelman's perspective in an official NBL release on Thursday, in the 48 hours following news of the Sydney Kings' withdrawal from the series, following serious concerns of health and safety.Īnd the NBL did make their decision, when the Perth Wildcats were announced as the NBL 2020/21 champions. This was done with a very clear understanding that of course the final decision will always rest with the NBL and the rules governing the league." "The NBL’s intention has always been to provide advice, guidance and work through a consultative process with the two teams involved as circumstances were, and still are, far from normal.
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