Away finals pose no fears for Kings

IF THE Sydney Kings can’t pinch second spot on the NBL ladder, coach Andrew Gaze says statistics show they should not fear having to play finals on the road.

The Kings need results to go their way in next week’s final round of fixtures before finals, if they are to jump from third spot and into the top two.

For starters, they need to beat the Cairns Taipans on Saturday. They also need one of Perth and Melbourne to lose both of their games next week. United host the Wildcats, potentially for top spot, in the final game of the season.

Sydney can leapfrog the loser of that game if they also lose their previous clash.

Perth hosts the Adelaide 36ers on Friday night and Melbourne also play the Taipans on Thursday.

But if both of the higher ranked teams win, the Kings can’t go any higher. Gaze said while having the home advantage would be great, his side has shown they can win away.

“If we can beat Cairns and they are playing well; last game of the season playing loose, they can be tough,” he said. “If we can get that win, we have a chance to get to second spot.

“We have to control what we can control and if that’s second or third spot, it doesn’t really bother us. We have a better road record than we have home record. Some could argue, maybe you are in a better position (in third). I don’t subscribe to that but statistics show we shouldn’t be fearful of having to win on the road.”