NICKNAME/S: Hoagie

BIO: Mark Bradtke was born in Noarlunga (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Noarlunga basketball program. Bradtke received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1986. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (1986, 1987).

FAMILY: Mark’s son Jensen Bradtke also played 11 games in the NBL. Bradtke has been married to the Australian former professional tennis player Nicole Provis since 1994. Together they have two boys, Austin (born 2000) and Jensen (born 2004). Austin was selected by the Melbourne Football Club as a category B rookie and will join the club from 2019.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mark Bradtke made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Darryl Pearce and Peter Ali would be named co-captains of the squad in 1988, the same year Adelaide born centre and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) attendee Mark Bradtke would make his NBL debut. Bradtke was signed by Ken Cole in 1986 when he was 16 years old and 203 cm tall but due to living in Brisbane at the time, he committed to the AIS for two years before joining Adelaide.

The Sixers had a great start to the season, kicking it off with a 4-1 start that included a 31-point win over Illawarra and had them picked as favourites to win the title in the early stages of the year. During the first month of the season, the 36ers were led by Darryl Peace, who exploded for 48 points, including 11 of 14 three-point attempts, against the Ken Cole coached Falcons in Newcastle in round two, a stat line that remains the highest scoring game in 36ers history.

Bradtke (7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) appeared in 23 games and came off the bench as a back-up to Bill Jones and Mark Davis. Adelaide (19-5) finished with in first place during the regular season for the third year in a row (second under coach Gary Fox). Adelaide would then lose to Canberra (0-2), falling short in the semifinals for the second year in a row.

1989
1989 would be the last year with Gary Fox as coach after the team dropped to sixth on the regular season ladder with a 15–9 record. Due to the emergence of Mark Bradtke, import centre Bill Jones left the team to join former coach Ken Cole in Newcastle. Adelaide replaced him with import forward Orlando Phillips, the 1983 NCAA West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and a former Los Angeles Lakers draft pick.

Also, the team captaincy would be handed over fully to Darryl Pearce as co-captain Peter Ali chose to step down from the role. As the season began, Mark Davis (25.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while also being selected in the All-NBL First Team for a fourth time. Phillips (20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) came as advertised, providing the additional scoring needed, and Bradtke (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) made the most of his new role as starting center, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award.

McKay would contribute 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists as the 36ers snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. Adelaide (15-9) would face Perth (16-8) in the Elimination Finals, where Cal Bruton (35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists) finished as the game’s high scorer, but it wouldn’t be enough to get past the 36ers who had five players score over 18 points or more. Mark Davis (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals), Darryl Pearce (25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists), Orlando Phillips (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), Mike McKay (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) and second year big man Mark Bradtke (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) combining for 91 points in the game one win (122-124).

With the series returning to Perth for game two, Perth returned to its regular season form, shooting 51% from the field (42/82), and defeating Adelaide by 20 points (114-94). Pinder (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Bruton (22 points and 5 assists) top scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Davis (22 points and 20 rebounds) racked up a 20/20 game in the 36ers losing effort.

With Bruton (29 points and 7 rebounds) again leading the team in scoring, Perth came away with the win in game three (112-108) and ended 36ers playoff hopes.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
1990
Adelaide entered the 1990 season with Gary Fox exiting as head coach, while long-time assistant Don Shipway was appointed to lead a 36ers squad that would miss the playoffs for the first time since 1983.

Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as captain, while Davis, Pearce, Mark Bradtke, Mike McKay, Scott Ninnis, Al Green, Tom Schafer, Simon Cottrell, Matthew Reece and Peter Ali formed the core of Adelaide’s rotation.

The season was also the last for hometown guard Peter Ali, who retired after a long career with Adelaide.

Bradtke (17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks) made the centre position his own in 1990, continuing the rise that had started the previous season when he won the NBL Most Improved Player award.

Davis (27.2 points, 12 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals) remained Adelaide’s leading scorer and rebounder, while Pearce (16.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals) gave the 36ers another proven scoring option in the backcourt.

Schafer (15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds), McKay (13.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals), Ninnis (10.2 points and 3.8 assists), Green (9.8 points and 2.2 assists) and Cottrell (8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals) gave Shipway a deep group, but Adelaide never found enough consistency to stay in the playoff race.

Adelaide’s two leading offensive players were Davis and Bradtke, with Bradtke giving the 36ers a young interior scorer and shot-blocker next to the club’s new captain.

The 36ers finished the regular season with an 11-15 record, ending outside the postseason for the first time since 1983.

Bradtke’s third NBL season confirmed his move from promising Olympic teenager into Adelaide’s starting centre, but the 36ers’ season ended outside the playoffs at 11-15.

1991
Adelaide entered the 1991 season with Al Green exiting the team, while Don Shipway was retained as head coach after the 36ers missed the playoffs the previous year.

Mark Davis, Darryl Pearce, Mark Bradtke, Mike McKay, Scott Ninnis, Tom Schafer, Simon Cottrell, Matthew Reece and Peter Ali returned from the previous season’s group, with Davis continuing as captain after taking over the role in 1990.

Shipway replaced Green with former NBA guard Butch Hays, signing him to a two-year deal, while 19-year-old Adelaide product Brett Wheeler was added to give the 36ers another developing big man behind Bradtke.

Bradtke (17.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks) continued his rise as one of the league’s leading young centres, giving Adelaide a second dominant interior presence next to Davis.

Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) immediately became Adelaide’s main playmaker and led the NBL in assists, while Davis (23 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals) was selected to the All-NBL First Team.

Adelaide’s two leading offensive players were Hays and Davis, with Bradtke next in the scoring order and giving the 36ers a rebounding-heavy frontline that helped return the club to the postseason.

Pearce (15.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals), McKay (12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists), Ninnis (9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), Cottrell (7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds), Schafer, Reece, Ali and Wheeler filled out Shipway’s rotation.

The 1991 season was also Adelaide’s final year at the 3,000-seat Apollo Stadium before the club moved into the Clipsal Powerhouse the following season.

Adelaide finished fourth with a 16-10 record, earning a home elimination finals series against fifth-placed Melbourne.

The elimination finals opened at Apollo Stadium, where Adelaide defeated Melbourne 129-115 behind Darryl Pearce (29 points), Mark Davis (14 rebounds) and Butch Hays (11 assists), while Andrew Gaze (39 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) led the Tigers.

Game two moved to Melbourne, where Adelaide completed the sweep with a 132-96 win as Davis (31 points and 15 rebounds) and Hays (17 assists) led the 36ers, while Gaze (40 points), Dave Simmons (13 rebounds), David Colbert (3 assists) and Warrick Giddey (3 assists) were Melbourne’s main contributors.

The semifinals opened in Perth, where the Wildcats defeated Adelaide 125-113 to put the 36ers under pressure against the defending champions.

Game two returned to Apollo Stadium, where Perth completed the sweep with a 113-106 win, ending Adelaide’s last season at the venue and sending the Wildcats through to the Grand Final.

Perth went on to win the 1991 NBL championship, while Bradtke’s first playoff season as a major 36ers contributor ended with Adelaide’s 113-106 semifinal loss to the Wildcats.

1992
Adelaide had played at the Apollo Stadium since the team’s inception in 1982, but by the early 1990s, ticket demand was far too great to remain there, and the team moved into the 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse prior to the 1992 season. During the off-season, the team was able to retain import point guard Butch Hays and captain Mark Davis but saw local favourite and former captain Darryl Pearce sign with the North Melbourne Giants.

The venue quickly became a fortress for the 36ers, with every game played in front of a sell-out crowd. The increased fan support saw Adelaide open the year with a 106-84 victory over the North Melbourne Giants. After this initial success, however, the team failed to win again across their next seven games, including losses to perennial easy beats like Hobart and Newcastle.

The 36ers would then face a major hurdle after the league’s mid-season break to accommodate the Barcelona Olympics. After the Boomers finished the tournament in fourth place, Bradtke returned with the announcement that he had accepted a lucrative deal (reportedly worth $200,000) to finish the season playing for Spanish team Juver Murcia. In his 17 games prior to the break, Bradtke had clearly become the best local big man in the competition. In his last game wearing a 36ers jersey, he scored a career-high 43 points, grabbed 25 boards against Geelong at home and averaged 20.1 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for the season.

The 36ers, although never looking like a playoff team, were never able to fill the gap left by Bradtke and limped home to a 11-13 record, finishing in the ninth spot.

Despite the disappointing season, two positives came from this season. The first was the rookie debuts of local teenagers Brett Maher (2.2 points in 8 minutes per game), who went on to play a record 525 games for the 36ers, and 18-year-old Paul Rogers, who appeared in five games but later became a big part of the 36ers and the Australian national team. Mark Davis also played his last season as a import, obtaining his Australian citizenship this year and qualifying as a local player until his retirement.

Bradtke, who had signed with the Spanish club for only one season, had a agreement to play with Adelaide if he returned in 1993. Upon his return to Australia, Bradtke made it known he did not want to play the final year of his contract in Adelaide, amongst rumours the Melbourne Tigers were actively recruiting him. After negotiations between the two parties broke down, the 36ers gave permission for Bradtke to leave if a team would buy out his remaining contract, however, the NBL stepped in and vetoed the buyout, effectively letting Bradtke leave for Melbourne without the 36ers receiving any compensation. After the fact it became clear Bradtke had decided to move to Melbourne to be closer to then girlfriend (and future wife), pro-tennis player Nicole Provis.

In all, Bradtke played 118 games for the Adelaide 36ers, including nine playoff games, averaging 15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.

Despite his less than harmonious split from the 36ers in 1992 (which resulted in the Adelaide crowd regularly booing Bradtke for the rest of his career), in 2015, Adelaide fans finally recognised his contribution not only to the 36ers but also to the NBL. Fans voted him in as the best centre to ever play for the 36ers via a online poll conducted by Adelaide’s daily newspaper ‘The Advertiser’. Bradtke received 35.71% of the votes to beat out former teammate Bill Jones (25.17%) and 36ers triple championship winning centre Paul Rees (23.81%).

1993 – THE TIGERS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
The Tigers’ season began with the huge signing of Mark Bradtke during the pre-season. His arrival made national news, with Bradtke having spent the off-seasonplaying in Spain and giving former team Adelaide a verbal agreement he would play for them if he returned in 1993. However, upon his return to Australia, Bradtke made it known he did not want to play the final year of his contract in Adelaide, amongst rumours the Melbourne Tigers were actively recruiting him. After negotiations between the two parties broke down, the 36ers gave permission for Bradtke to leave if a team would buy out his remaining contract. However, the NBL stepped in and vetoed the buyout, effectively letting Bradtke leave for Melbourne without the 36ers receiving any compensation. After the fact it became clear Bradtke had decided to move to Melbourne to be closer to then girlfriend (and future wife), pro-tennis player Nicole Provis.

Although the Tigers were coming off a grand final appearance, they began the season poorly and no one was pencilling them in for the championship at midseason. After shaking off their slow start (2-7) but finishing the remainder of the season strong (14-3), the Tigers finished the year in third place. Bradtke (17 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) became the missing puzzle piece to Melbourne’s historically weak frontline as Andrew Gaze (32.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.7 steals), Lanard Copeland (22.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals) led the team in scoring.

During the quarterfinals, the Tigers would easily eliminate Illawarra (2-0), setting up a rematch of last year’s grand final, a semi finals showdown against South East Melbourne. Copeland (32 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), Gaze (23 points 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Bradtke (21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) combined for 76 points and in nail-biting two point win to open the series (108-106). In game two, Bradtke (28 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 steals) was the difference maker, proven unstoppable for the Magic as the Tigers closed out the series behind a 17 point win (89-72).

On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final.

The series began with the Tigers playing at home and, by the second quarter, were controlling things with a 19 point lead. From there, Melbourne saw four key players fall into foul trouble, which included Robert Sibley (13 points and 4 rebounds) and Bradtke (4 points, 11 rebounds) fouling out. Bradtke struggled against Perth’s interior defenders and finished the game shooting one from nine from the field. Ricky Grace (23 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals) then fueled a late-game surge from Perth which closed the game by four points. In the closing minutes, Perth attempted to close the gap by repeatedly sending Melbourne to the line but with Gaze (41 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists) nailing ten from ten free throws in the final quarter, Melbourne see out the game as victors (117-113).

In a similar fashion to game one, Melbourne took out a early lead in game two (32-22), thanks to the dominance of Bradtke (24 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists). By halftime, however, the ‘Perth Wall’ of James Crawford (32 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks), Andrew Vlahov (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and Scott Fisher (16 points and 6 rebounds) had reined Bradtke things in and returned fire to lead by six at halftime (60-54).

Perth remained in control of the foul-prone Tigers, who struggled to score after losing both Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dave Simmons (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) to six fouls. Grace (23 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists) came close to recording a triple-double, many of those assists coming from feeding Crawford inside, who made 11 of his 15 shots.

A full house at the Perth Entertainment Centre (8,000 fans) witnessed the Wildcats’ victory (112-105), one that extended their consecutive home winning streak to 17. With game three to be played in Perth and the Tigers have never won on the Wildcats’ home floor, Perth entered the game as clear favourites.

The underdog Tigers, however, survived a strong Perth comeback that cut a 15-point lead to three before Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) sunk a free throw to give Melbourne a two-point edge with four seconds left on the clock. A last-second shot from Vlahov (31 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) which rattled in and out of the ring, saw the Tigers become NBL champions for the very first time (104-102). Copeland (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the team in scoring, while Bradtke (23 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) dominated Perth inside after struggling with fouls in the first two games. In a surprising decision, however, Wildcats’ guard Ricky Grace was awarded the Grand Final MVP despite playing for the losing team.

The win saw Lindsay Gaze and his son Andrew complete a ten year journey to win Australia’s oldest basketball club its first national championship.

Surprisingly, the season Andrew Gaze led the Tigers to their first championship was the only season between 1991 and 1998 where he missed out on claiming the league’s MVP award. Instead, voters went with South East Melbourne Magic’s Robert Rose, but Gaze’s championship victory far outweighed any MVP result.

1994
1994
Coming off a title in 1993, the Tigers were able to return with almost the entire roster, losing only backup big man Robert Sibley (to Brisbane), who they would replace with a young Chris Anstey. The defending champions would go on to record their best regular season result in the club’s history (19-7), finishing in second place. Andrew Gaze (33.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) was awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player award and led the league in scoring, while Mark Bradtke (20.2 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks) led the league in rebounding and both were also selected to the All-NBL First Team. Once into the postseason, Melbourne would defeat Illawarra convincingly in both game one (107-85) and game two (119-83) before facing a incredibly talented (and deep) Adelaide team in the semifinals, which featured Rob Rose, Mark Davis, Willie Simmons, Phil Smyth, Brett Maher and Chris Blakemore. The 36ers defeated the Tigers first in Adelaide (101-88) and then repeated the result on Melbourne’s home floor (110-101) to end the Tiger’s season and move on to the Grand Final to face North Melbourne.

1995
In 1995, Mark Bradtke requested some time off to allow him to support his wife Nicole’s tennis career as she travelled abroad and miss the first two-thirds of the season. Around that same time, Chris Anstey, a part of the Tigers junior program, also informed the club that he would return, having signed a deal to play with rival club South East Melbourne. Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed via the NBL tribunal, which ruled that Anstey could not leave the Tigers as long as they could match the contract, which they did.

After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time.

The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey.

Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team’s (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers’ last nine games for the season.

The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2).

1996
With the Tigers core group all returning and Bradtke back full-time, the Tigers were able to return to their winning ways after their worst season in eight seasons. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals), Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history.

Melbourne would ride the coattails of their ‘Big Three’ through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring.

The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win.

Moving on to the grand final series, Melbourne would face South East Melbourne (19-7) who finished in second place during the regular season. Melbourne was too good in game one (100-89), with Gaze (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) delivering his best game of the series in front of a packed Melbourne crowd. Mark Bradtke (24 points and 15 rebounds) and Lanard Copeland (23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) were also brilliant, scoring whenever Gaze didn’t, and the Tigers ‘Big Three’ combining for 82 points.

The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne’s highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals).

The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne’s field goal percentage be the game’s deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout.

The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.

How many sugars did Andrew Goodwin want in his coffee Mark? And looks Pat Reidy wanted a tea?? @markbradtke https://t.co/gVUG4HBKXC pic.twitter.com/s4wdMev0PR

— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 29, 2023

On the other side of the semi final bracket, the reigning champions South East Melbourne, defeated Perth to set up a grand final rematch. Bradtke (16 points and 9 rebounds) would struggle against the Magic’s frontline in game one, but thanks to big games from Lanard Copeland (29 points and 4 rebounds), Marcus Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), the Tigers blew the Magic off the court to the tune of 37 points in the opening game (111-74), while shutting down Anstey (6 points) on the offensive end.

Goorjian knew the game plan had to change, and he decided to start veteran John Dorge over young centre Chris Anstey in game two. The move resulted in a huge game from Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) as the Magic defeated the Tigers in a much more physical contest (84-78). Bradtke (15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists) was again limited by the duo of Dorge and Anstey and held to well below his average points and rebounds.

The opening quarter of game three ended with scores tied, but thanks to the Tigers frontcourt limiting Anstey (8 points) this time around and an offensive run in the second quarter, the game was all but over by half-time. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship (93-83).

A great Australian sporting rivalry!! pic.twitter.com/qVrlKwROkN

— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 21, 2023