United set to "make their move"

Melbourne United returned to the winners list on Sunday in style, crushing the Adelaide 36ers by 27 points.

It was a stifling defensive performance that has 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker believing Melbourne could be the team to beat.

“I wouldn’t be surprised by the time we hit Christmas, if they’re (United) on top of the ladder,” Rucker said on Moments That Mattered.

It was the third quarter when United began to ramp things up, holding a potent offensive unit in Adelaide to just eight points.

“This is a team that came off a disappointing home loss to Cairns,” Rucker said.

“We know what Dean Vickerman does. We know how he gets down.

“Anybody who thought that Adelaide had a chance of winning that game, I thought they were somewhat delusional.”

Melbourne has the best defensive rating of any team in the league, which is where Rucker believes it can begin to build something special.

“This is where perennially, they start to make their move,” he said.

“They start stringing four or five victories in a row…this is just how Dean Vickerman operates.”

United have another seven-day break, before facing the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Throwdown on Sunday at 2:30pm AEDT live on 10 BOLD and ESPN.