NBL Grand Final Preview - Can Melbourne Conquer the Kings?

Basketball in Australia is close to being considered a waste of time. It's a little strange as the standard is actually not that bad. I mean it sure as hell isn't the NBA but it probably compares to most other international basketball competitions. The problem is it's badly operated and the days where the sport got good crowds seem to be over. What it needs is some colour, flair and some competition and it appears that they might be getting just that in this year's grand final.

The final this year has been an action packed affair with Sydney going head to head against Melbourne. It's nice seeing the two major Australia cities square off in sport as it doesn't happen as much as it should. They have been the best two teams of the year and the final series has not let us down. If the basketball was always this good and hard fought the game would have a brighter future in this country. After the first 4 games we are 2 games each with game 5 (in the best of 5 series) being played in the Harbour City, Sydney, this Friday.

The Sydney Kings came back from a record 13 point deficit in the final quarter in Melbourne to take the series to game 5. There was plenty of passion shown in game 4 as the Melbourne crowd prematurely celebrated a championship to see it plucked out of their hands by a defiant Sydney outfit. The scenes of the Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian throwing himself on the ground and then running down the court like a deranged animal can only be a good thing in a game where the highlight is often the cheerleaders, the hotdogs and the beer.

So who is going to win? Well that is a good question and one that is hard to answer. I am going to go for the home team of Sydney for no other reason than they are playing at home and it seemed as if destiny was on their side when they won the other night. Melbourne, however, will probably start as the underdog and have every possible chance in what appears to be a good old fashion coin flip.

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