United expect Bogut to lift in NBL semi battle

MELBOURNE United coach Dean Vickerman is expecting Sydney big guns Andrew Bogut and Casper Ware to fire up as the Kings try to respond from their massive game two defeat to lock in an NBL grand final berth.

United sent the semi-finals series to a decider with a crushing win over the title favourites, keeping Bogut scoreless with four turnovers without an assist and limiting influential guard Casper Ware to just 10 points.

The teams will square off in game three in Sydney this evening and Vickerman is preparing for a much tighter match than the 45-point shellacking.

“We know the competitors that both those guys are,” Vickerman said of Boomers veteran Bogut and import Ware. “They have a history of playing well in big games so we expect them to demand the basketball more and want more of it to make decisions.

“Hopefully we are good enough and loaded up enough to make sure their looks are going to be tough.”

Vickerman said his players did a great job of bouncing back after their game one disappointment – blowing a 16point lead in the final six minutes – they knew they needed to do better in the Kings’ cauldron.

“We go into an environment that was pretty hostile last time and we’ve just got to manage it and show better composure,” he said.

Sydney coach Will Weaver said they had learnt from the defeat.

The players still had confidence in the line-up and game plan that saw them lead the regular NBL season from start to finish.

Weaver pointed out the Kings had won four of their six home and away clashes with United so they wouldn’t “overreact” to one blowout loss.

“To overreact is a risk. If we try to change heaps of stuff, but to not see what they’re doing and react to it would also be suboptimal so we’re trying to walk that thin line,” he said.