2023 NBL Finals

2023 NBL Finals
TeamCoachWins
Sydney Kings Chase Buford 3
New Zealand Breakers Mody Maor 2
Countries Australia
 New Zealand
Dates9 February – 15 March
Season2022–23
Teams6
Defending championsSydney Kings
MVPDerrick Walton (Sydney)
SemifinalistsCairns Taipans
Tasmania JackJumpers
Matches played14
Attendance114,653 (8,190 per match)
Scoring leaderBarry Brown Jr.
18.4
All statistics correct as of 15 March 2023.
← 2022 NBL finals 2024 →

The 2023 NBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball League's 2022–23 season.

Format

The finals will be played in February and March 2023 between the top six teams of the regular season, consisting of three play-in games, two best-of-three semifinal series and the best-of-five Grand Final series, where the higher seed hosts the first, third and fifth games.[1][2]

The top two seeds in the regular season will automatically qualify to the semifinals. Teams ranked three to six will compete in the play-in tournament.[3] The third seed will play the fourth seed for third spot and the loser will play the winner of fifth or sixth for the fourth seed.[4] This will be the first season the league will introduce play-in games.[5]

Qualification

Qualified teams

Team Date of
qualification 		Round of
qualification 		Finals
appearance 		Previous
appearance 		Previous best
performance 		Ref.
Sydney Kings 16 January 2023 15 17th 2022 Champions (2003, 2004, 2005, 2022) [6]
New Zealand Breakers 28 January 2023 17 9th 2018 Champions (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) [7]
Cairns Taipans 28 January 2023 17 9th 2020 Runners-up (2011, 2015) [8]
Tasmania JackJumpers 4 February 2023 18 2nd 2022 Runners-up (2022) [9]
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 5 February 2023 18 2nd 2021 Semifinalist (2021) [10]
Perth Wildcats 5 February 2023 18 36th 2021 Champions (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) [11]

Ladder

Pos 2022–23 NBL season
Team Pld W L PCT Last 5 Streak Home Away PF PA PP
1 Sydney Kings 28 19 9 67.86% 2–3 L2 10–4 9–5 2679 2468 108.55%
2 New Zealand Breakers 28 18 10 64.29% 5–0 W5 7–7 11–3 2423 2246 107.88%
3 Cairns Taipans 28 18 10 64.29% 2–3 W1 8–6 10–4 2455 2376 103.32%
4 Tasmania JackJumpers 28 16 12 57.14% 3–2 W2 7–7 9–5 2385 2305 103.47%
5 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 28 15 13 53.57% 3–2 L1 11–3 4–10 2553 2512 101.63%
6 Perth Wildcats 28 15 13 53.57% 2–3 W1 9–5 6–8 2580 2568 100.47%
7 Melbourne United 28 15 13 53.57% 4–1 W1 8–6 7–7 2434 2424 100.41%
8 Adelaide 36ers 28 13 15 46.43% 2–3 L1 8–6 5–9 2546 2597 98.04%
9 Brisbane Bullets 28 8 20 28.57% 2–3 L3 4–10 4–10 2365 2600 90.96%
10 Illawarra Hawks 28 3 25 10.71% 1–4 L4 2–12 1–13 2261 2585 87.47%

Updated to match(es) played on 5 February 2023. Source: NBL.com.au

Ladder progression

Leader and qualification to semifinals
Qualification to semifinals
Qualification to play-in games
Last place
2022–23 NBL season
Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718
Adelaide 36ers——7488766777758888
Brisbane Bullets9910999998999999999
Cairns Taipans134343333434332223
Illawarra Hawks769101010101010101010101010101010
Melbourne United556866889888886777
New Zealand Breakers643212212212223332
Perth Wildcats212577577656575556
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix478734444343467665
Sydney Kings321121121121111111
Tasmania JackJumpers885655655565644444
Updated to match(es) played on 5 February 2023. Source: NBL.com.au

Seedings

  1. Sydney Kings
  2. New Zealand Breakers
  3. Cairns Taipans
  4. Tasmania JackJumpers
  5. S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
  6. Perth Wildcats

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Playoff Bracket


Play-in tournament

Play-in qualifier

(5) S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs. (6) Perth Wildcats

9 February 2023 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 99–106 Perth Wildcats John Cain Arena, Melbourne
18:30 Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 29–29, 25–18, 23–41
ESPN Pts: Creek 24
Rebs: Williams 17
Asts: Browne 5 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Cotton 26
Rebs: Travers 9
Asts: Thomas 8 		Attendance: 5,176
Referees: Michael Aylen, Chris Reid, Ruben Woolcock

Seeding qualifier

(3) Cairns Taipans vs. (4) Tasmania JackJumpers

9 February 2023 Cairns Taipans 79–87 Tasmania JackJumpers Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 16–25, 21–21, 18–19, 24–22
ESPN Pts: McCall 24
Rebs: Hogg 8
Asts: Hogg 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Doyle 25
Rebs: Kelly 12
Asts: Doyle, Kelly 4 		Attendance: 3,670
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Nico Fernandez, Mitch Hare

Play-in game

(3) Cairns Taipans vs. (6) Perth Wildcats

12 February 2023 Cairns Taipans 91–78 Perth Wildcats Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
13:00 Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 27–24, 19–16, 20–19
10 Peach Pts: Hogg 32
Rebs: Waardenburg 10
Asts: Scott 8 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Cotton 19
Rebs: Manek 10
Asts: Cotton 10 		Attendance: 3,020
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandez

Semifinals series

(2) New Zealand Breakers vs. (4) Tasmania JackJumpers

12 February 2023 New Zealand Breakers 88–68
(Series: New Zealand leads series, 1–0) 		Tasmania JackJumpers Spark Arena, Auckland
18:00 Scoring by quarter: 19–12, 20–25, 26–17, 23–14
10 Peach Pts: Pardon 15
Rebs: Pardon 9
Asts: McDowell-White 7 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Kelly 12
Rebs: Kenyon 6
Asts: Doyle 4 		Attendance: 5,479
Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, James Griguol
16 February 2023 Tasmania JackJumpers 89–78
(Series: Series tied, 1–1) 		New Zealand Breakers MyState Bank Arena, Hobart
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 18–14, 24–28, 22–18, 25–18
ESPN Pts: Doyle 23
Rebs: Kenyon, Magnay 6
Asts: Doyle 5 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Brown 19
Rebs: Pardon 11
Asts: McDowell-White 4 		Attendance: 4,293
Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock
19 February 2023 New Zealand Breakers 92–77
(Series: New Zealand wins series, 2–1) 		Tasmania JackJumpers Spark Arena, Auckland
18:00 Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 28–17, 18–22, 25–13
10 Peach Pts: Brown 32
Rebs: Pardon 14
Asts: McDowell-White 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: McVeigh 22
Rebs: McVeigh 7
Asts: Doyle, Krslovic 3 		Attendance: 6,410
Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock

(1) Sydney Kings vs. (3) Cairns Taipans

15 February 2023 Sydney Kings 95–87
(Series: Sydney leads series, 1–0) 		Cairns Taipans Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 25–33, 27–10, 18–18
ESPN Pts: Cooks 27
Rebs: Cooks 14
Asts: Walton 5 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Hogg 24
Rebs: Waardenburg 7
Asts: Scott 7 		Attendance: 7,367
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandez
17 February 2023 Cairns Taipans 93–82
(Series: Series tied, 1–1) 		Sydney Kings Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
18:30 Scoring by quarter: 27–19, 27–22, 17–14, 22–27
ESPN Pts: Hogg 25
Rebs: Waardenburg 10
Asts: McCall 7 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Walton 22
Rebs: Simon 10
Asts: Walton 6 		Attendance: 4,626
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandez
19 February 2023 Sydney Kings 79–64
(Series: Sydney wins series, 2–1) 		Cairns Taipans Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
14:00 Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 28–13, 14–19, 17–6
ESPN Pts: Vasiljevic 15
Rebs: Cooks, Noi 11
Asts: Walton 9 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Ayre 20
Rebs: Waardenburg 12
Asts: Ayre 4 		Attendance: 7,123
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, James Griguol

Grand Final series

(1) Sydney Kings vs. (2) New Zealand Breakers

3 March 2023 Sydney Kings 87–95
(Series: New Zealand leads series, 1–0) 		New Zealand Breakers Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 20–24, 27–22, 17–19
10 Peach Pts: Simon 18
Rebs: Simon 6
Asts: Walton 6 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Brown, McDowell-White 19
Rebs: McDowell-White 9
Asts: McDowell-White 9 		Attendance: 13,145
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare
5 March 2023 New Zealand Breakers 74–81
(Series: Series tied, 1–1) 		Sydney Kings Spark Arena, Auckland
18:00 Scoring by quarter: 9–21, 21–13, 11–23, 33–24
10 Peach Pts: Brown 21
Rebs: Pardon 11
Asts: McDowell-White 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Noi 20
Rebs: Hunter 10
Asts: Bruce 3 		Attendance: 8,429
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare
10 March 2023 Sydney Kings 91–68
(Series: Sydney leads series, 2–1) 		New Zealand Breakers Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 21–23, 24–12, 24–9
ESPN Pts: Vasiljevic 15
Rebs: Cooks 8
Asts: Walton 9 		boxscore
report 		Pts: McDowell-White 11
Rebs: Le'afa, McDowell-White 6
Asts: Brown, Le'afa 3 		Attendance: 18,049
Referees: Michael Aylen, Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare
12 March 2023 New Zealand Breakers 80–70
(Series: Series tied, 2–2) 		Sydney Kings Spark Arena, Auckland
18:00 Scoring by quarter: 18–12, 21–15, 15–25, 26–18
Sky Sports Pts: Brantley 23
Rebs: Loe, McDowell-White, Pardon 6
Asts: McDowell-White 5 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Walton 18
Rebs: Simon 7
Asts: Walton 4 		Attendance: 9,742
Referees: Michael Aylen, Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare
15 March 2023 Sydney Kings 77–69
(Series: Sydney wins series, 3–2) 		New Zealand Breakers Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 11–22, 24–14, 21–20, 21–13
ESPN Pts: Walton 21
Rebs: Cooks 11
Asts: Walton 6 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Brown 22
Rebs: Pardon 9
Asts: McDowell-White 5 		Attendance: 18,124
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare

Media coverage

Television

Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN. All games are available live on ESPN and the streaming platform Kayo Freebies.[12] Network 10 will broadcast Sunday afternoon games on 10 Peach and 10 Play.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "NBL23 Finals Begin Thursday Night". NBL.com.au | NBL. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Kings v Breakers Championship Series Set". NBL.com.au | NBL. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  3. ^ "New Finals Shake Up". NBL.com.au | NBL. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Finals: What You Need to Know". NBL.com.au | NBL. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Play-In Tournament Confirmed". NBL.com.au | NBL. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Kings Clinch Finals Spot". NBL.com.au | NBL. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  7. ^ "NBL Breakers clinch play-offs, beat United". TheWest.com.au. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Cairns continue push for top two NBL spot". TheWest.com.au. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Magette injured as Tasmania seal fourth". ESPN.com.au | ESPN. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Wildcats pinch last finals spot by two points in last-day Kings upset". news.com.au. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  11. ^ "NBL madness! Perth pinches last finals spot by TWO points after last-day upset of title favourite". FoxSports.com.au. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  12. ^ "NBL Achieves History-Making Media Deal". NBL. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Network 10 Becomes NBL Free-to-Air Partner | NBL". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Finals Shown Live and Free". NBL. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.