Wildcats deserve kudos as champions
While the Australian National Basketball League determines whether there will be a 2020 champion, everything adds up to a 10th title for the Perth Wildcats.
The league and basketball fans were caught off guard this week when the Sydney Kings pulled the pin amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with two matches of the five-game grand final series still to play.
The all-conquering Cats, led by inspirational captain and defensive lynchpin Damian Martin and league MVP Bryce Cotton, had just hit their straps after losing game two at Perth Arena.
After notching an overwhelming win in game three in Sydney, the Cats were 2-1 up in the series and were preparing to fly back home to Perth to wrap up the title when the Kings decided they would not join them for game four, effectively abandoning the grand final series.
At the end of the day, the Kings made their decision, they decided not to play.
That should be enough for the ANBL to make the decision, let alone the fact the Wildcats led the best-of-five grand final series 2-1, with game four scheduled for Perth Arena tonight.
‘‘Game four was scheduled to be played on Friday at RAC Arena. Sydney Kings management has indicated that they do not wish to proceed with the remainder of the series given the global uncertainty and effects around Covid-19,’’ the ANBL said in a statement.
While the Kings did finish on top of the ANBL regular season ladder, Perth had wrestled home-court advantage off them by winning both games on the road.
They were heavy favourites to take their 10th title tonight on their home court in front of an empty stadium.
Irrespective, they were willing to play game four, and game five in Sydney, if required.
The Kings, on the other hand, said they didn’t care if their decision cost them the title. They were putting their players first after seeing many of them cry at the prospect of leaving their families.
Fair enough, but for the league to reach a conclusion other than awarding the Wildcats the championship is anything but fair.
Covid-19 has already transpired to deprive the Wildcats captain a deserved send-off in his last grand final series in front of the Red Army, and now the Kings have risked removing the last chance Martin will ever have to win a sixth title with the Cats.
As Cats coach Trevor Gleeson said this week, this group of players won’t be together next season.
Depriving them of the opportunity to win a championship is hard enough, but ruling the series abandoned would be foul play by the league.