Kings Rested and Reloaded After FIBA Break

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

The Sydney Kings have utilised the FIBA break efficiently, with head coach Chase Buford saying it has allowed his stars to gain some much needed rest ahead of the Championship Series.

The Kings withstood a gruelling battle with the Cairns Taipans in the Playoffs Series, with MVP Xavier Cooks rolling his ankle during Game 2.

The break could have been a blessing in disguise for Sydney, to get their bodies ready for what will be an unrivalled Championship Series against the New Zealand Breakers.

“It gave us an opportunity, especially Xav, to get healthy and a few guys to rest up,” Buford said.

“I expect our team to really come out and compete.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Are you after points ? or assists ?<br><br>Derrick Walton and Barry Brown both bring different assets to the point guard position. Who you pickin'? ?<br><br>The NBL23 Championship Series begins Friday, March 3 at 7pm AEDT - live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies ? <a href="https://t.co/6ux96EI7t9">pic.twitter.com/6ux96EI7t9</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1630109726125207552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With only three days to go until Game 1 of the best-of-five fight for the trophy, both teams are preparing to get back on the court to battle it out.

A 12-day FIBA World Cup Qualifier break fell in the middle of the Playoffs and Championship Series, giving teams no choice but to rest before the series begins.

Buford didn’t see the break as a road bump, saying it instead motivated the Kings to “play for their own identity” and adopt last years’ winning mindset.

“They’re ready to go play for their own identity,” Buford said.

“We tried to keep it as consistent as we can [compared to last year], the way we normally do things.

“We’ve done the same process in terms of the way we scouted and the booklets we put together.”

With this train of thought, the Kings may be set to claim the trophy for the second year in a row.

Game 1 of the unrivalled best-of-five game Championship Series is this Friday night at 7:30pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena.

Watch the game live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, 10 Peach, 10 Play, Sky Sport in NZ and free-to-air on Prime in NZ.