Do-it-again Kings On The Road With A Finals Map
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday September 5, 1993
The Sydney Kings' chances of sneaking into the National Basketball League play-offs rest on their performances against the Canberra Cannons and Geelong Supercats in a vital road-trip this weekend.
The Kings, who had a 3-9 win-loss ratio two months ago, have turned their season around to win seven of their past 10 matches, including their 105-92 victory over the out-of-sorts North Melbourne Giants at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.
The Kings have won their past five home games but their away record is still appalling, with only three victories from 10 matches.
The Cannons are in contention for a play-offs berth, although their hopes have been badly dented by three consecutive losses and a season-ending injury to star forward Justin Withers.
Their desperation compared with that of the Kings - who must win all their remaining four games to qualify for the finals - could well be the key factor at the Palace on Friday night.
Next Sunday, the Kings back up against danger side Geelong, who despite their lowly position at the bottom of the Mitsubishi Challenge ladder embarrassed the Kings severely by beating them at home in late July.
The Kings did well to out-rebound North Melbourne - the NBL's leading team on the boards this season - 53-41. Revitalised centre Dean Uthoff was superb in defence, hauling in 17 defensive rebounds for a total of 23 for the night.
Import Dwayne McClain was the Kings' top scorer with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Damian Keogh also had a fine game with 20 points and nine assists. Fellow guard Greg Hubbard contributed 25 points.
In other NBL results, title-holders South East Melbourne Magic retained second spot on the ladder with a 22-point victory over the Newcastle Falcons yesterday.
Newcastle split their weekend road-trip after beating the hapless Hobart Devils 96-88 on Friday night.
The Brisbane Bullets also split their road double with a surprise loss to Illawarra 102-94 on Friday, followed by a key victory over the Canberra Cannons 109-106 on Saturday.
A magic three-pointer from Mike Mitchell with just 0.2 seconds on the clock gave the Gold Coast Rollers a 110-107 win over the Melbourne Tigers at Carrara, and the Perth Wildcats easily accounted for Geelong 114-98 in Perth.
The Adelaide 36ers consolidated their place in the top eight with a solid 103-92 win over Geelong at the Clipsal Powerhouse.
NBL LADDER
W L %Pts %W
Southeast Melbourne Magic 18 5 114 78
Perth Wildcats 18 5 106 78
Brisbane Bullets 15 7 105 68
Melbourne Tigers 14 9 104 60
Illawarra Hawks 13 9 100 59
Adelaide 36-ers 12 9 102 57
Newcastle Falcons 13 10 100 56
Canberra Cannons 11 12 101 47
Gold Coast Rollers 11 12 97 47
North Melbourne Giants 10 12 103 45
Sydney Kings 10 12 94 45
Townsville Suns 4 18 90 18
Hobart Tassie Devils 4 18 90 18
Geelong Supercats 4 19 90 17
© 1993 Sydney Morning Herald