Goulding keen for more NBL glory
When it comes to winning basketball games Chris Goulding is unapologetically selfish.
The Melbourne United captain waited more than a decade to taste success in the NBL before breaking through last season and the sharpshooter wants to experience that feeling again.
“I definitely don’t want any of the other teams to take it, to experience it, I guess that’s a hunger for wanting to win,” Goulding said.
“The feeling that we had at the end of last year is something that you want to experience over and over again.
“That’s not just me but a lot of the guys that were here last year. We look down the ladder and I don’t want anyone else to experience it except us.”
The next 96 minutes of basketball – tonight against Cairns Taipans and then Sunday’s blockbuster with Perth Wildcats – could well decide United’s fate.
Two wins will guarantee the No. 1 seed and saloon run to the big stage, with 20 of the past 40 minor premiers having gone on to win the championship.
One loss will gift Sydney or Perth the gun run, while two losses could derail the entire title defence with momentum king in the postseason.
Goulding, the long-time face of Melbourne basketball, has not only survived but thrived in his new sixth-man role.
“My minutes have been pretty consistent, barring a little bit of foul trouble. I know Dean is going to look to me early in the game and I know he’s going to look to me late in the game,” Goulding said.