Hooley: 'Kings Built For This Moment'

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

All credit has been given to Sydney Kings’ head coach Chase Buford for trusting his bench players in preparation to become strong Championship Series MVP contenders.

It's 2-2 heading into the Series decider on Wednesday night, and all of a sudden, there's simply no tomorrow for the Kings and Breakers.

While Mody Maor's team goes in with the momentum following a memorable victory at home, for NBL commentator Pete Hooley, Sydney couldn't be better prepared for the big moment.

According to Hooley, one thing that has set the Kings apart from the rest this season has been the impact of its bench players.

Speaking on NBL Today, he pointed to the reigning champions' ability to cover for key players, like when Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr sat out the majority of Game 2, only for Sydney to record a win described as "one of the gutsiest ever".

Hooley says the Kings' willingness to give regular minutes to its entire roster throughout NBL23 will hold them in good stead for what's set to be one of the toughest games of the year.

"This comes back from Chase Buford trusting his bench in big moments throughout the course of the regular season," he said.

"This doesn’t just happen when you need to call on someone in a big game if they haven’t played in the regular season. He played 11 players all season long and in big moments, so they’re built for this moment."

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Buford's team ultimately fell short on Sunday, but they handed more valuable minutes to their rotation. In all, the Kings' bench players were on court for 75 minutes of game time, compared to 50 from the Breakers, 29 of which came from star Barry Brown.

Could that depth be the difference when things get tough in the final minutes on Wednesday night? With battered and bruised bodies heading back to Sydney, giving your key starters rest is invaluable. If we go to overtime, will the Kings be better suited? All remains to be seen.

Game 4 was the most physical of the Championship Series so far and guard Angus Glover was a clear standout for the visitors.

Glover scored 12 points in 15 minutes of action and has been one of the Kings' best throughout the Finals.

"Angus Glover has had a really good series coming off the bench," Hooley said.

"(He's) another guy coming off the bench who has been great for the Sydney Kings and has continued to grow across the course of the season, playing some really good basketball."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The red-hot Glover ties his career-high of four with this crucial triple ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLFinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLFinals</a> <a href="https://t.co/jFdJ9M2Sz0">pic.twitter.com/jFdJ9M2Sz0</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1634812911615897600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Glover has averaged seven points a game across the season, but he's almost doubled that figure with 10-points plus throughout the Championship Series.

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Hooley tipped the Kings to bounce back from the disappointment of a close-fought loss in enemy territory.

With a huge crowd expected to pack into Qudos Bank Arena once again, it looms as an incredible finish to an Unrivalled season.

"When they go back to their home floor, they’ve still got the guys who can be physical but athletic as well," Hooley added.

"I’m talking Justin Simon getting out on the break, Xavier Cooks we know that he’s banged up. But they’ve still got these different kind of athletes who can really cause problems, if they get enough stops to get out in transition."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? ??'?? ????? ??? ???????? ?<br><br>Game 5 is locked in - and we're heading back to Sydney. What a series we've had ?‍?<br><br>Who takes home the championship? Tune in Wednesday to find out - 7:30pm AEDT live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | Sky Sport and Prime for NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/6F4cYgVL08">pic.twitter.com/6F4cYgVL08</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1634814572292091904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The deciding match of the NBL23 Championship Series tips off at 7:30pm AEDT on Wednesday night. Watch the game live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, and Sky Sport and Prime in New Zealand.

RELATED: Game 5 ticketing information