36ers put beers on ice, focus on big one

BASKETBALL MOMENTS after the Adelaide 36ers sealed an NBL grand final spot, their American point guard Shannon Shorter saw beers on ice.

The 36ers had just come from behind in Perth to down the Wildcats in a dramatic semi-final.

“In the locker room they had some beers ready and I’m like ‘what you all drinking for, we haven’t done anything?’,” Shorter said.

“I mean, it’s good to win a game like that ... and just be in the moment and realise you achieved something great to be in a grand final.”

But for Shorter (above) and his Adelaide teammates, that was it, the beers remained on ice as they turned attention to the looming grand final series against Melbourne United.

“We are happy to be here,” Shorter said of the best-of-five series starting in Melbourne on Friday. “We want to win it.

“We have a tough task at hand with Melbourne; they finished at the top of the ladder, obviously they have a lot of momentum.”

The Texan’s career has taken him from the US to Mexico, Japan, China, Turkey, France, Israel and now Australia. But he’s never won a championship.

And Shorter believes Adelaide’s defence – not their highoctane offence – is the key to a breakthrough title.

“Our defence has to be as near to perfect as possible,” Shorter said.

“They have got a lot of guys that can make plays, just like our team, and they don’t rely on one or two players.”