The Adelaide 36ers have taken Game Four of the NBL Championship Series to force a winner-takes-all decider on Sunday. Post-match, head coach Mike Wells defended his comments regarding Matthew Dellavedova, while Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian backed the officiating, saying it was not influenced by Adelaide’s Game Three complaints.
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Adelaide 36ers head coach Mike Wells has praised his side’s “grit” following their Game Four win in the NBL Championship Series, while stressing there is still work to be done ahead of Sunday’s decider.
Speaking post-match, Wells pointed to his team’s ability to navigate close games all season, crediting both their resilience and growth as a group.
“Throughout the entire year we’ve found ways to win. And we have been in a lot of close games. And it’s probably why I got these dark circles and I don’t have any voice to be honest with you.” he said
“But the way the whole season went, we had a new group. you kind of figure it out on the fly. And great players end up making the right play and great plays. And we do have a bunch of that on this team. And we’ve got grit, kind of figured out how to win.”
Wells reserved special praise for Isaac Humphries, who stood tall in the absence of Nick Rakocevic at times due to foul trouble.
“Isaac Humphries, I got to give him a shout out. The guy was unbelievable. Nick [Rakocevic] got some fouls and we had some things going on and he was an All-Star, right? Seven offensive rebounds, 10 total. I brag about my bigs all the time. That’s what it is.”
He also highlighted the all-round impact of Zylan Cheatham, who won the MVP for game four.
“Z [Zylan Cheatham], you know, he had 23 points, 9 assists and eight rebounds. That’s a hell of a stat line. He did it all.” he said
Sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic echoed the team’s mindset, making it clear the focus was on denying the Sydney Kings a title celebration on their home floor.
“Oh man, we just, didn’t want them to celebrate on our court. That was the main goal and we want to take this to game five, which we’ve done. And I think we’ve played through adversity all year. We’ve gone down in second halves and in the first half and we’ve been able to come back and you you’ve got to give credit to the crowd as well. Like without them, this doesn’t happen. And yeah, man, now we go to Sydney and compete for a championship.”
When asked about facing his former club, Vasiljevic remained respectful.
“I’m part of the media, you try and get me with that one. No, look, as I said, my time in Sydney, like I appreciate still that organisation, what they did for me and taking a chance for me out of college. So for me, like it’s having a third championship in six years and doing it for this city that they haven’t felt success in 26 years.”
Wells also addressed the reaction to his earlier comments regarding Matthew Dellavedova after Game Three.
“I want to just be really clear, that my comments about the so-called way I viewed the game was not disrespectful to Matthew Dellavedova in any way. Anyway, I have a ton of respect for him and what he’s done and what he means to everybody. So that is not it. I was just fighting for my team and my guys. So it’s not uh disrespectful in any way.“
Looking ahead to the decider, Wells acknowledged the scale of the challenge.
“It’s time for somebody to break the home court winning streak. You know, we know the challenge. We know what the odds are. We know the history of winning a final game on an opponent’s record. It’ll take an unbelievable effort. And everybody will have to pull together.”
Sydney Kings head coach Brian Goorjian has reflected on his side’s Game Four loss in the NBL Championship Series, praising the atmosphere while conceding his team has come up short in key moments.
“Well, it’s a great atmosphere. I didn’t feel like we were intimidated by it at all or it had an effect on us. It’s a great place to play.”
“I don’t know if it was to do with the crowd or what, but they played with a lot of energy, but I thought we did as well. You know you have a chance to win a championship. you’re right there for it. And it’s been twice now where we’ve had the last shot to win it or we’re on the break and got an opportunity and both times we’ve fallen short. So, you know, it’s on to the next one and we’ve done a pretty good job in that for in that aspect so far.”
Goorjian also addressed the late foul from Matthew Dellavedova, which sent Bryce Cotton to the line and gave the Adelaide 36ers the lead.
“I’m not. I’m not, nothing about the referees. There was a lot of talk coming into this. I made voice. I thought that was inappropriate and I thought we had the quality refs on the game tonight. I don’t think they took any anything in from what was said and they refereed a good game.”
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Jaylin Galloway impressed again with 20 points and five threes, with Goorjian noting his continued rise.
“I just thought he’s played a great series and he’s improved through the second half of the year and everybody talked about his performance at the Boomers. He’s starting in to move into that mode. He’s playing pretty good defence and he’s shooting the ball well and he’s coming out exhausted”
With a decider looming at Qudos Bank Arena, Goorjian said he’s expecting strong support back home and believes the series has showcased the league at its best.
“I think we’ve got the city behind us and I’m expecting a great crowd and a great environment and I didn’t think we did anything tonight that anyone back home would be disappointed with. The message I’m getting is, you know, ‘hang tough, great game’. I think for everybody, the game of basketball, the NBL and the fight over the years for the game itself, the quality of this series, from all aspects, including the referees.”
“I think it’s been a high level performance by, you know, the coaches, the players, the support in the communities, the passion behind the teams. From what I’m hearing, viewing audience, everybody’s engaged in this and it’s exciting for basketball.”
Despite the setback, Goorjian remains confident in his group’s hunger heading into Game Five.
“I feel like I’ve got a group that wants this real bad. I mean, I know we’re playing a team that’s similar, but I’ve been in those locker rooms before and there’s a want and a process for a lot of teams. I know our team’s feeling now and I know I am.”