The New Zealand Breakers are in the NBL Finals and the Sydney Kings are out to defend last year’s drought-breaking title.
However you slice this championship-deciding series, there’s a dramatic storyline to unpack.
The MVP of the league Xavier Cooks is central to the favourites’ chances, but you can bet most neutrals will be rooting for the Breakers.
New Zealand dealt with ‘breaking’ levels of adversity the last two years; COVID19 restrictions kept the group away from family and friends for large stretches, while the administrators faced testing team-building limitations. They copped a heavy whack of injury bad luck as well. Just like we recently witnessed support pour in for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, fans will hold a soft spot for the Breakers given what they had to go through.
NZ’s roster certainly has enough new faces that it’s not all about the recent past and many challenges, but it’s an unavoidable component of the build up.
Here’s all the key information to arm yourself with, as the NBL season hits its crescendo.
Who’s in the 2022-23 NBL Finals?
Defending champs the Sydney Kings are in a five-game NBL Finals series with the New Zealand Breakers.
The Kings took down the Cairns Taipans in a fairly nail-biting three-match Semis series that went the distance. The Breakers outlasted Clint Steindl‘s JackJumpers, a series that also went three games.
NZ of course denied us of an NBL Finals repeat, after the Kings swept the JackJumpers in three just a year ago.
Who has home court in the NBL Finals and what’s the significance?
All six Semi-Finals matches this post-season have been won by the home team; seven straight and seven out nine games if you include the play-ins.
The Kings finished the regular season as minor premiers and therefore the one seed, so it’s Sydney with home court advantage in the NBL Finals.
When are the NBL Finals games?
Three games will definitely happen, but five have been booked in and many experts are predicting this series will go the distance.
GAME 1 | Friday March 3, 7:30pm AEDT, Kudos Bank Arena (Sydney)
GAME 2 | Sunday March 5, 4:00pm AEDT, Spark Arena (Auckland)
GAME 3 | Friday March 10, 7:30pm AEDT, Kudos Bank Arena (Sydney)
GAME 4 | Sunday March 12, 4:00pm AEDT, Spark Arena (Auckland)
GAME 5 | Wednesday March 15, 7:30pm AEDT, Kudos Bank Arena (Sydney)
How to watch the 2023 NBL Finals games
Every Finals game will be live & free on ESPN, via Kayo Freebies.
The first two games will also be broadcast in Australia on 10 Peach & 10 play.
In NZ, all the games are live on SkySport.
Tickets to the Sydney games can be found here.
Who are the superstars to keep tabs on in the NBL Finals?
This Kings lineup is certainly known for its depth, helping it push past Cairns in the Semis. But it’s also stacked with star power; league MVP Xavier Cooks is near impossible to handle, working his offensive magic in the key. One or two of these games may just come down to his free throw strike rate, which really is the only chink to his armour right now.
The Kings will also be well served by Justin Simon‘s defence,the shot-making of Dejan Vasiljevic – friend of The Only Sports Show, plus guard Derrick Walton Jr who made it to the All-NBL First Team with Cooks.
New Zealand are captained by Tom Abercrombie and while they might not possess the sheer star power of Sydney, the team is really well balanced. Dererk Pardon finished runner-up in the NBL’s Best Defensive Player award, unanimous Sixth Man of the Year Barry Brown Jr possesses elite score power and Will McDowell-White has already caused the Kings’ defence some problems this season, too.
What the Breakers’ NBL Finals history looks like, at a glance
The New Zealand Breakers have rich Finals history and we don’t have to flick too far back through the history books.
The word ‘dynasty’ can certainly get thrown around a bit these days, but that’s exactly what the Breakers enjoyed from 2011-2016.
The New Zealand outfit was founded 20 years ago (2003) and have claimed four out of their five trips to the NBL Finals. All five of them came during the franchise’s era of dominance.
The Breakers won four NBL titles in five years; 2011, ’12, ’13 and ’15 – the second three-peat in league history. Along with the Perth Wildcats’ well publicised success that’s stretched over three decades, that Breakers team was arguably the best we’ve ever seen.
NZ enjoy the best Finals conversion rate – 80% – of any team in the NBL.
What the Kings’ NBL Finals history looks like, at a glance
In the Sydney Kings’ 35-year history, the franchise has claimed four titles, which is tied equal-third in the NBL with the 36ers and Breakers. Along with NZ, Sydney is the only other team to win three straight championships (2003 – ’05).
As mentioned, the Kings ended a 17-year title drought last season and the side has barely put a foot wrong so far in its title defence.
