BIO: Chris Anstey was born in Melbourne, VIC. Anstey took up basketball at the relatively late age of 17.

Before that he was a promising tennis player, peaking at being ranked number 2 amongst Australia’s 15-year-old players and regularly playing doubles with Mark Philippoussis.

Anstey started playing basketball “for fun” in his late teens and after playing half a U18 season, and two U20 seasons, he was offered a chance to play in the NBL.

FAMILY: Chris’s brother, Graeme Anstey also played 15 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Chris Anstey made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

In 1994, moved away from a promising tennis career to play for Lindsey Gaze at the Melbourne Tigers. He would sign a rookie deal worth $7,500 to play as a back up to Mark Bradtke, a member of the Australian National team.

Melbourne, who were coming off a title in 1993, returned with almost the entire roster, losing only backup big man Robert Sibley (to Brisbane), who Anstey would replace.

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.

Anstey averaged 3.1 points in 6.7 minutes over the season and saw little opportunities to play during the Tigers playoff run.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE MAGIC
1995
Anstey, who, when training with the Tigers under 20 team, had visibility to rival club South East Melbourne’s training sessions, took notice of the Magic’s youthful roster and its coach Brian Goorjian who was known for his ability to develop individual players as well as working his players hard and decided that was what he needed and signed a three-year deal to play with the Magic the next year.

His transition from the Tigers wasn’t a simple one, however, after Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed via the NBL tribunal, which would rule that Anstey could not leave the Tigers and he would play for Melbourne as long as the Tigers could match the contract, which they did.

After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn’t match then renew everyone’s contract to their previous salary, Anstey signed a $180,000 / 1-year deal with the Magic and with the Tigers having no interest in matching that figure, allowed Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team’s players were reinstated to their previous contracts. Anstey also renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract so as not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time.

After the Anstey deal was done, the Magic rounded out the roster by adding Nunawading junior Jason Smith, re-signing import Adonis Jordan and pairing him with Richard ‘Scooter’ Barry, son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry. Unfortunately, Barry (14.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals) didn’t quite make the impact in the NBL that his father had in the NBA and was shown the door after four games. Goorjian chose to elevate 23-year-old development player Shane Bright (0.3 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) for the remaining games instead of bringing in another import, aiming to give his young local core of MacKinnon, Anstey and Smith as much playing time as possible.

The Magic went on to finish second on the ladder (18-8), with Tony Ronaldson (21.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.0 steals) leading the team in scoring and Jordan (20.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals) leading the Magic in assists.

Additionally, 33-year-old big man John Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge’s improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season while backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league’s Best Defensive Player award.

In the postseason, the Magic lost game one of their quarterfinal matchup with the Illawarra (108-113), then returned to Melbourne to win both games two (92-89) and three (93-75). Moving onto the semi-finals, South East Melbourne would face North Melbourne and saw their season end early thanks to losses in both games one (77-98) and game three (92-107).

Anstey scored four points in a total of 14 minutes of playing time across the three-game series. Much like his season with the Tigers, Anstey saw little action this season, averaging 3.3 points in 9.6 minutes behind all-star big man John Dorge, who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds in 1995.

1996
By 1996, Magic coach Brian Goorjian had succeeded in rebuilding his roster with young Aussie talent like Sam MacKinnon, Chris Anstey and Jason Smith, all under 21 years of age, key contributors on the team. In a move to create more opportunities for his young team, he replaced high-scoring import Adonis Jordan with pass-first point guard Billy McCaffrey (via Vanderbilt) and signed tenacious defender Mike Kelly who was one of the premier players in the state league competition and had a brief cameo with the Magic 1994. Rupert Sapwell was replaced by 18-year-old Frank Drmic, and Goorjian’s veteran core of Tony Ronaldson, John Dorge, Andrew Parkinson, and Darren Lucas returned, believing this was their year to go all the way.

South East Melbourne would deliver a balanced attack with six players averaging double figures in scoring for the season. Tony Ronaldson (18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists) and new import Billy McCaffrey (17.6 points, 2.8 rebounds 4.7 assists) led the team in scoring, and assists while Anstey (11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game) delivered a breakout season, doubling his playing time (from 9.6 minutes to 21.3 minutes) and sharing the centre position with Dorge (12.4 points. 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 27.1 minutes). Anstey’s play saw him earn the NBL’s Most Improved Player award with the two seven-footers forming a unstoppable 1-2 combo at the centre position which has never improved upon since.

This season, the Magic (19-7) were unstoppable at home, winning 11 from 13 games and finishing in second place during the regular season. The team’s weaknesses, however, seemed to come from its youthful inexperience and learning to win on the road. Case in point, the Magic managed only two away wins during the regular season against playoff team’s.

Once into the Playoffs, the Magic were able to get revenge on the North Melbourne Giants, who had ended their season in 1995. South East Melbourne defeated North Melbourne in game one (96-82), after shutting down Giants star point guard Darryl McDonald (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 turnovers). Veteran Andrew Parkinson (19 points) came off the bench to lead the Magic in scoring, and import duo Billy McCaffrey (18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) and Mike Kelly (15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) delivered all-round efforts and a dominant Chris Anstey (12 points and 7 rebounds) created havoc inside.

In Game two, John Dorge (14 points and 14 rebounds) shut down big man Paul Rees (10 points), who had led the Giants in scoring in the opening matchup (28 points). Tony Ronaldson (25 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks) led the team in scoring, and Kelly (17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) was able to limit the impact from McDonald (17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists) once again to end the Giants season (87-77).

South East Melbourne would face Adelaide in their semi-final matchup, Ronaldson (20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists) continued to carry the scoring load in game one, but thanks to 36ers athletic forward Leon Trimmingham (23 points and 9 rebounds), the Magic were unable to get it done in the game’s closing moments (86-87). In game two, Ronaldson (11 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) delivered a all-around performance, while the team’s young stars were the main driving force in the Magic’s game one win (112-81). MacKinnon (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Anstey (14 points and 6 rebounds) kept the scoreboard ticking over, but more importantly, they were able to limit Trimmingham (10 points) to a 3 from 12 shooting night. South East Melbourne and onto a Grand Final matchup with Anstey’s former team, the Melbourne Tigers.

Despite a nice showing from Anstey (8 points and 15 rebounds), the Tigers were too talented in game one (100-89), with Gaze (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) delivering what would be 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 Anstey (9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks), 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.

1997
After winning the championship in 1996, the Magic returned the majority of their roster for the 1997 season, the only major changes being import Brian Tolbert replacing the exiting Billy McCaffrey and 18-year-old Frank Drmic replacing a retiring Darren Lucas. The changes didn’t seem to impact the Magic’s winning ways, with the team finishing the year on top of the NBL ladder with the best record in franchise record (22-8).

The team delivered a balanced scoring attack again, with five players averaging double figures and only four points separating the team’s leading scorer from its fifth-leading scorer. Leading the way in points per game was Tony Ronaldson (16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists), closely followed by young stars Sam MacKinnon (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists) and Chris Anstey (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and a team-leading 1.6 steals and 1.8 blocks). Anstey added 13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, and at the end of the season, veteran Mike Kelly (12.6 points) was named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player, and Brian Goorjian took home the Coach of the Year trophy.

Finishing first on the ladder saw the Magic earn a first-round bye in the playoffs before facing the fourth-placed Perth Wildcats, who had eliminated Brisbane in the elimination finals. In game one, Chris Anstey (19 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals) and Tony Ronaldson (18 points) led the Magic to victory in Perth (92-82). With game two being in Melbourne, the Magic upped their defensive intensity, shutting down the Wildcat’s to win by 27 points (96-69), with Sam MacKinnon (21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists) leading the way on the scoreboard.

The Magic returned to the NBL Grand Final with a rematch against the Tigers set to determine this year’s champions. This Melbourne squad, however, was no ordinary team. After a slow start (6 wins and 5 losses), once the team replaced import Jarvis Lang with Marcus Timmons mid-way through the season, the Tigers made history this season, recording a franchise record of 13 consecutive wins during the regular season, which they had extended to 15 by the time they met the Magic in the Grand Final. Behind 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 in game two, the Magic surprised the Tigers behind a much more physical game, with veteran John Dorge selected to start instead of Anstey. Moving Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 33 minutes) to the bench, he delivered the best postseason of his career, getting the Magic the win (84-78) and ending the Tigers’ consecutive win streak at 17.

For the second straight year, Melbourne and South East Melbourne would face off in a third game to decide the championship. Midway through the opening term of game three, the scores were tied, but after the Tigers frontcourt were able to limit Anstey (8 points) and pull out a offensive Tigers run in the second quarter, the game was all but over at half-time. The Tigers never looked back, claiming the team’s second NBL championship (93-83).

Ronaldson (26 points) led the Magic in scoring, while Copeland (26 points) was the top scorer for the victors. Copeland was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.6 points and 3.3 rebounds (56% shooting) over the three game series, yet it was blue-collar Tigers forward Warrick Giddey who the Melbourne Tigers deemed the deciding factor in the game three victory. Giddey recorded zero points, four rebounds, three assists and one block, and if you hadn’t seen the game, you’d probably question why he even bothered showing up. But Giddey delivered three crucial plays in the series’ closing moments that turned the tide. Firstly a hard foul on Sam MacKinnon, which broke the Magic star’s nose. The second was a huge block on Frank Drmic, and finally, a mid-court screen on Mike Kelly that came close to knocking him out of his shoes.

Anstey (8 points and 5 rebounds) struggled in the deciding game but would enter his name into the NBA draft during the off-season would play the 1997/98 season with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.

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

— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 21, 2023

VICTORIA TITANS
2000/01
After three years in the NBA, Chris Anstey returned to play for Brian Goorjian and the Titans. Although Anstey’s signature was a major coup, Victoria also suffered a major loss with Frank Drmic signing with Brisbane. In a surprise move, however, Drmic would exercise a European out clause before the start of the season and head overseas before backflipping, returning to Australia and inking a deal with the Sydney Kings. To fit Anstey in, Victoria released Nathan Taylor (to Melbourne), replaced David Smith with Jason Smith’s older brother Darren and signed Kiwi guard Mark Dickel to replace Drmic.

Dickel, who just graduated from UNLV, was signed as an import player as New Zealand players weren’t considered local players in the NBL until 2003.

Anstey (16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks) returned a vastly improved player from the NBA, but coach Goorjian surprised many by bringing Anstey off the bench this season, favouring Brett Wheeler (13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds) in the starting line-up as he looked to replicate the success of the double-headed centre that was Anstey and John Dorge during the Magic’s 1996 championship run.

Offensively the Titans were led by Jason Smith (20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists) who put up career high scoring numbers this season, and Tony Ronaldson (16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Darryl McDonald (15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 2.7 steals) and Dickel (13.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists) filled out the remainder of the starting line-up.

As a result of mid-season injuries to Ben Pepper, Chris Anstey and Darren Smith, development players Marcus Wright and Pero Vasiljevic were elevated to the full roster and helped the team finish the season strong. Victoria finished the season in first place (22-6) with Anstey, who was named the Titans MVP despite doing it all coming off the bench, was an easy choice for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

This saw them face off against long-time rivals, the sixth-placed Adelaide 36ers and behind a season high scoring performance from Anstey (27 points and collected 16 rebounds) took out game one (101-96). The Sixers, behind star duo Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, would then rebound to win games two (96-83) and three (115-103). Mee (22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists) and Brooks (25 points and 7 rebounds) put up big numbers over the three-game series.

As a result of finishing first, the Titans being the highest placed loser in the Qualifying Finals allowed them to proceed to the semi-finals. There they would face the Townsville Crocodiles, led by 37 year old Robert Rose, who had just become the league’s oldest winner of the NBL’s MVP award. Thanks to veteran players Tony Ronaldson (22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and Darryl McDonald (20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) stepped up and delivered a game one win for Victoria (106-97). An injury to Anstey in the early moments of game two saw him miss the remainder of the series, which saw the Titans lose both game two (98-82) and three (101-97). A major factor was Anstey suffering an injury in the early moments of game two which kept him out of both games.

In a twist of fate, the Crocodiles roster was made up of a number of players discarded by Brian Goorjian in recent years. In addition to Rose, both Pat Reidy and Mike Kelly were Titans cast-offs, both playing huge roles in eliminating the Titans. Reidy (19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) was an equal game high scorer (with Rose and Andrew Goodwin) in game two, while Kelly (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) was the clear difference maker in the deciding game three.

The Titans falling short of the Grand Final was also the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached an NBL Grand Final since 1996 (seven years).

2001/02
After the Titans failed to reach the Grand Final in 2001, the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached a NBL Grand Final in seven years. It was decided the triple big man rotation of Chris Anstey, Brett Wheeler, and Ben Pepper wasn’t working, and as a result, Pepper was not re-signed. As a result of Darryl McDonald becoming a naturalised Australian, the team used its second import spot to sign power forward Jamahl Mosely as his replacement. Mark Dickel remained the team’s second import, as New Zealand players were not considered local players until 2003. The Titans’ next moves were replacing Glen Siegle with young guard Nathan Crosswell who had been playing for the Melbourne Tigers state league squad.

Anstey would move into the starting lineup this season, and alongside team captain Tony Ronaldson, Jason Smith, Brad Sheridan and McDonald guide the team to a first place regular season finish for the second year in a row.

The team featured six players scoring in double-figures that year with team captain Ronaldson (19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds) leading the team in scoring, Anstey (16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks) filling each section of the box score each night (he be named Titans club MVP at the end of the season) and Mosely (11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds), who had a dominant season off the bench and became the first import player to win the league’s sixth man of the year award. As well as Jason Smith (18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds), Darryl McDonald (12.0 points and 7.3 assists), Mark Dickel (11.6 points) rounded out perhaps the most well-rounded scoring attacks in league history.

The first stage of the playoffs saw Victoria take on sixth-placed Melbourne and, after winning game one behind 19 points and 9 rebounds from Anstey (113-107), went on to lose games two (105–107) and three (103-97). As a result of finishing first, they progressed to the next stage as a result of being the highest-ranked losing team in the Qualifying Finals. This time, Anstey (17 points and 8 rebounds) delivered a strong performance, but the third-ranked Adelaide 36ers claimed game one (99-92). Victoria then evened the series with a 86-81 win in Adelaide, but after playing a major role in game two, Anstey (26 points and 12 rebounds) was kept out of the third and deciding game of the series due to injuries. The Titans lost the decider (92-103) and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Anstey would chose to play in Europe for the next three years.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
2005/06
In 2005, the Tigers were forced into rebuilding mode as legendary figures Andrew Gaze and his father Gaze retired while Tigers stalwarts Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland headed to Brisbane. By a stroke of luck, Chris Anstey, who after three seasons in Europe had decided he wanted to return to play in Australia, began talking to the Tigers, who were now the only NBL team in Melbourne.

With Anstey on board and David Stiff, Rashad Tucker, Dave Thomas, Darryl McDonald, Stephen Hoare and Daryl Corletto returning, the Tigers core was set and so finalised their roster by adding a bunch of young talent in Tom Greer, Braith Cox and Matt O’Hea.

The Tigers opened the season with a huge win over the Wollongong Hawks at home (102–61), then reeled off wins against Perth (twice) and Brisbane to start the season 4-0 before suffering their first loss (88–95) to the Sydney Kings.

Anstey (22.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks) would lead the Tigers’ scoring, rebounds, blocks and minutes played and, unsurprisingly, was named the 2006 Philips Most Valuable Player, a award which saw him collect a Hummer 4WD. Both Corletto (11.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) and Tucker (15.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) were the primary benefactors of the exit of Gaze and Copeland, both seeing a major boost in their minutes and production. Tucker, who had struggled in the rotation the previous season, emerged as the team’s second option on offensive, which included Tucker erupting with a 35-point haul in a win over Perth (115-105), his former club.

The Tigers finished their season with the best record in franchise history (25-7) which included a almost unbeatable home record (15-1). Melbourne would still manage only second place however, with Sydney (15-1) also being unstoppable at home (15-1) and finishing with a better overall record (26-6).

With Melbourne and Sydney earning automatic entry to the semi finals, they awaited the winners of the play-in tournament, which resulted in Melbourne facing Perth and Sydney facing Cairns. Both team’s eliminated their competition in two straight games to set-up a Grand Final series between the two rivals who had been the clear front runners all season.

Anstey then led the Tigers to the franchise’s third title, winning three straight games against the defending triple-champion Sydney Kings to sweep them 3-0. Anstey’s play also saw him snare the Larry Sengstock Medal as MVP of the Philips Grand Final Series after he delivered arguably the most dominant performance of NBL Finals history. Anstey delivered 24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks In game one, 30 points 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in game two and 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in Game 3.

2006/07
The Melbourne Tigers season began under mild controversy when the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) announced Melbourne’s Rashad Tucker and Perth’s David Bailey had returned positive tests from in-competition samples. Both were fined $5,000, and Bailey was axed by the Wildcat’s shortly after. The Tigers instead chose to stand him the US guard, with Melbourne Tigers majority owner Seamus McPeake stating, ‘We’ve given him a severe warning, and we have notified him of a breach of contract, but I think he’s had his punishment. A second offence is a automatic two-year suspension, so if he wants to continue his career, he can’t offend again’. With Tucker onboard, the team also saw its core group of Chris Anstey, Dave Thomas, Stephen Hoare, Darryl McDonald, Darryl Corletto, David Stiff and Tommy Greer all return. The only roster changes saw Nathan Crosswell, Alex Dench and Liam Norton replace exiting bench players Neil Mottram, Braith Cox and Gerard Leonard.

The Tigers started the season strong (5-1) and looked set to repeat as champions in 2007 and likely would have if not for a incredible off-seasonrecruitment drive from Brisbane. The Bullets, who had finished sixth the season prior (17-15), added CJ Bruton, Ebi Ere, Dusty Rychart and Dillon Boucher to play alongside Anstey’s former teammates, Sam MacKinnon and Mark Bradtke, on a roster considered by many to be the greatest in NBL history.

Another dominant season from Chris Anstey (19.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks) saw him lead the team in scoring and rebounds and the entire league in block shots. The Tigers also got quality production from Dave Thomas (16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds), Tucker (14.2 points and 8.0 rebounds), Stephen Hoare (12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds), Darryl McDonald (10.6 points and 5.2 assists) and Darryl Corletto (10.4 points), who all scored in double figures for the season, creating a nightmare for opposition team’s thanks to any of the six players able to carry the team in scoring on any given night.

Brisbane and Melbourne were clear title favourites from start to finish, and it didn’t surprise any to see both team’s finish first and second respectively at season’s end. Brisbane finished in first place (28-5) before eliminating Sydney Kings (2-0), while Melbourne finished second (25-8) and eliminated Cairns Taipans (2-0) to meet them in the Grand Final.

Melbourne had defeated Cairns thanks to a unlikely hero in game one (100-87), with Axel Dench (18 points) leading the team in scoring as Anstey (5 points) struggled to find the basket and stay out of foul trouble. In game two (95-87), the Tigers withstood a huge game from Taipans’ import Darnell Mee ( 23 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks), who racked up 13 points in the third quarter behind a balanced attack that saw six players, including Anstey (16 points and 9 rebounds), Hoare (15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists), Tucker (15 points and 12 rebounds), Corletto (15 points), McDonald (10 points) and Nathan Crosswell (10 points) all notching up double-figure scoring nights.

The Grand Final series started with Tigers duo Thomas (19 points) and Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) finishing with big numbers, but the Bullets proved too strong, finishing the game with a three-point win (98-95). Stephen Black (24 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the victors in scoring, while Sam MacKinnon (18 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists) narrowly missed out on recording a triple-double. In game two, Anstey (31 points and 8 rebounds) made sure the Tigers evened the series before it shifted back to Brisbane, where 7,539 Bullets fans watched the Bullets claim game three (113-93), thanks to big games from Stephen Black (22 points), Sam MacKinnon (19 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals) and Brisbane’s frontline keeping reigning MVP Anstey (9 points) off the scoreboard.

Game Four was ‘do or die’ for Melbourne, and at the halfway mark, the Tigers had a slight lead (52-51). However, it was all over by final term after the Bullets reeled off a 15-27 run in the third quarter. Brisbane went on to defeat Melbourne (103-94) and win the 2007 championship.

Darryl McDonald (17 points and 4 assists) and Rashad Tucker (17 points and 12 rebounds) were best for the Tigers, while CJ Bruton (22 points and 7 assists) and Dustry Rychart (21 points) came up big in the final game. Sam MacKinnon was named Finals MVP, making history as the first player ever to win a NBL championship, season MVP, Grand Final MVP and Best Defensive Player all in the same year.

2007/08
The following season, Anstey and the Tigers finished the season in second place (22-8) to Sydney Kings (27-3), who were near unbeatable during the regular season. Melbourne then eliminated last year’s champions, the Brisbane Bullets, with Anstey (26 points and 13 rebounds) coming up big in the second game. On the other side of the bracket, Sydney eliminated Perth in three games to meet them there.

Sydney coach Brian Goorjian had his Kings lock down Anstey (12 points) in the opening game of the series, with his counterpart Mark Worthington (35 points) leading the Kings to a convincing win (95-74). Game two shifted to Melbourne, where David Barlow (24 points), Sean Lampley (21 points) and a resurgent Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) combined for 66 points to defeat Sydney (104-93) and even the series. Game three saw Melbourne survive a fierce final-quarter comeback from the Kings, holding onto a narrow two-point victory in front of 6,009 Kings fans at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The Tigers watched a 78-66 three-quarter-time lead disappear in the last quarter and trailed by four points with just under four minutes to go. However, they managed to outscore Sydney 7-1 in the remaining minutes, which included import Sean Lampley sealing the win with a three-pointer bomb that turned a 86-87 deficit into a 89-87 victory with 12 seconds remaining. Anstey (27 points and 15 rebounds) finished as the game’s high scorer, and Mark Worthington (22 points) led the way for the Kings.

The Kings returned the favour in game four, defeating Melbourne (90-87) on their home court. Thanks to inspired performances by injured guard Dontaye Draper and forward Isiah Victor (23 points and 9 rebounds), Sydney came back from the dead to force a fifth and deciding game. To do so, the Kings staged the biggest last-quarter comeback ever in a grand final game after trailing by as much as 18 points late in the third quarter to level the series (2-2). Draper, who was not expected to play because of a hamstring injury, sat on the bench for almost all of the first three quarters. But, after coming on late in the third term, he scored eight points in the final quarter, including two crucial three-pointers, to help lift his side. Anstey (33 points and eight rebounds) delivered his second-highest scoring tally of the season in the losing effort.

In the deciding game, Melbourne defeated Sydney (85-73) in front of a sellout crowd of 10,244, the King’s first sellout since 2003, to win the grand final series (3-2). Anstey (21 points) and Dave Thomas (21 points) top scoring for the Tigers, while Worthington (17 points) led the Kings in scoring in the loss.

Anstey averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds over the five games and was fittingly named Finals MVP. In doing so, Anstey became only the second player ever (Sam MacKinnon had achieved the feat the season before) to win season MVP, Grand Final MVP, Best Defensive Player and a championship, all in the same year.

2008/09
In 2008, Ebi Ere joined the Tigers after being forced to leave Brisbane after their financial demise, and then after committing to play for the South Dragons, he exited his deal for a shot at the NBA and returned to Australia with the Dragons having signed replaced him with Tremmell Darden. Ere (20.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists), then joined stars David Barlow (14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) and Chris Anstey (18.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks), who led Melbourne to the Grand Final for the fourth straight year. The Tigers finished in second place (20-10) and would battle the Dragons (22-8) in a ‘all-Melbourne’ Grand Final series to determine the 2009 championship.

In game one, the Dragons defeated the Tigers by double digits (93–81) after holding Melbourne to 36 points in the second half. Mark Worthington (23 points) top-scored for the Dragons, while Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) led the way for the Tigers.

After leading by 14 points midway through the final quarter of game two, the Tigers fought off a late comeback by the Dragons to win on the Tigers home court (88-83). Barlow (26 points) and Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) finished as the Tigers’ best, and import Donta Smith (18 points and 6 rebounds) top-scored for the Dragons.

In game three, the series became front-page news after a clash between Anstey and Dragons backup point guard Rhys Carter. a incident that saw the Tigers star big man charged with ‘striking – with elbow’ after the altercation with Carter in the third quarter of the grand final series before being ejected from the match (along with Dragons forward Mika Vukona, who was involved in the subsequent on-court melee). The game was a bloodbath after Anstey’s ejection, with the Dragons hammering the defending champions 84-67 at Hisense Arena. The Dragons were led by Donta Smith (18 points), who scored 10 points in the final period.

After the NBL tribunal decided they wouldn’t suspend any players for the melee, game four saw Carter (17 points), who copped the brunt of Anstey’s anger In game three, came back with a big game but Anstey (31 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) also erupted for his team in game four, propelling Melbourne to victory (108-95) and setting up a fifth and final game to decide the NBL championship.

Game five saw 9,000 fans packed Hisense Arena to witness the Dragons beat the Tigers by 21 points (102-81) and become NBL champions. Tremmell Darden (31 points) was the key for the Dragons in this game, scoring 21 points in the final quarter, and Donta Smith (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists) did the rest, almost notching up a triple-double. Worthington and Mika Vukona were able to limit the impact of limit Anstey (12 points and 3 rebounds) yet again, with Ebi Ere and David Barlow (16 points each) the only Tigers’ players able to make a impact.

Donta Smith was named MVP of the Finals after averaging 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists over the five-game series.

2009/10
Thanks to the demise of the South Dragons in 2009, Mark Worthington, who found himself without a team, joined Melbourne to pair with Boomers teammate Chris Anstey in the frontcourt. Anstey (9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game), however, would struggle to stay on the court and delivered his worst numbers since his breakout season with the Magic back in 1996.

Anstey’s absence did create extra opportunities for rising star Daniel Johnson, who would win the Most Improved Player award after improving his numbers from 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds to 10.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, including a career-high 17 points against Adelaide.

It was a disappointing season with the Tigers’ injury woes not limited to just Anstey. New addition Ben Knight (4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) managed only four games before his season ended after he jumped to get a loose ball against Gold Coast Blaze big man Pero Cameron and was later diagnosed as rupturing a quad tendon in his right knee. Co-captain Nathan Crosswell (8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists) was sidelined with a fractured finger for three weeks, which forced small forward Julius Hodge (17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) to run the offence, a role he never quite seemed comfortable in.

Prior to Crosswell’s injury, the Tigers had just won their first set of back-to-back games for the year and, despite being last on the ladder, hoped to win seven of the team’s last nine games.

Worthington (16.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals), one of the few players who appeared in all 28 of the Tigers games, then propelled Melbourne to three game winning streak, only to then fell well short of their seven win goal. The Tigers lost their next four games to end the season in sixth place (11-17).

After failing to make the playoffs, Long-time teammates Anstey and MacKinnon (8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) announced their retirements together at the end of the season.

He retired at the end of the 2009/10 season while with the Tigers and later became the team’s head coach in 2012.

Chris Anstey played eleven seasons in the NBL. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 336 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 45th in total points
– 18th in total rebounds
– 7th in total blocks

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (817 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.