This article has been written with full authority to be ridiculed if proven wrong, but with confidence the claims will prevail.
We may be just two rounds in, and it may still be anyone’s game… but mark my words, the Perth Wildcats are winning back-to-back titles.
In their two matches thus far, they have beaten the likes of Melbourne United by a single point and also delivered a harsh lesson to the Illawarra Hawks.
Some will say Melbourne with David Barlow and Casey Prather on the sidelines and some will also argue Illawarra are not a top tier team… but how many excuses can one make?
If you took the time to watch, in particular, the way the Wildcats played on Friday night against the struggling Hawks, you would know this team is absolutely brilliant.
A star studded line-up of Bryce Cotton, captain Damian Martin, Dario Hunt, Jesse Wagstaff, Mitch Norton, Nick Kay and Terrico White make them almost impossible for any club to combat, let alone a club who more-than-likely will not be featured in the play-offs.
The Hawks hung in there for a half, but they never seriously challenged. Bryce Cotton and Terrico White in particular, arguably the best duo in the country tore the court up with 47 points between them, and it could have been even more. They also shared ten assists and four steals, it may be early days but they will surely be in conversation for league MVP at season’s end.
Damian Martin just keeps on keeping on, playing on future NBA-star LaMelo Ball who still managed to score a team-high fifteen points, but ultimately was relatively ineffective to the final result.
Nick Kay also continues to impress after a sensation World Cup campaign with the Boomers with nine points, seven assists and two steals in a solid night out.
Along with the impressive start on-court, the reason Perth are likely to win their tenth championship begins off-court. The Wildcats are in every respect, the closest team in the competition.
It doesn’t require one to be within the four walls of the club to see how much each and every player on the roster respects one another. They play for each other, they play for their coach Trevor Gleeson, and they all play their roles for the benefit of the team’s success.
Not only this, but Perth have the ability to play well when it matters the most. Take last season for example, mid-season some were doubting whether they would even qualify for the play-offs, a laughable statement. Just weeks later, they claimed the minor premiership and then took out the holy grail not long after.
The competition was all but set for a Sydney v Melbourne Grand Final series, but the boys from Western Australia slammed the door open to remind everyone just who the superior Basketball club in this country is. Thirty three consecutive finals campaigns in a row… and counting. It will be several years before Perth finally do miss the finals.
This isn’t to say they won’t still lose games this season though, the likes of Melbourne United, South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Sydney Kings pose as their biggest threats to defend their title.
They may even drop a game to Brisbane and possibly Adelaide, but any club that ventures to RAC Arena is in for a seriously tough day. There is that fighting spirit within the Perth jersey, which unfortunately isn’t quite the same for the other eight clubs.
Perth WILL be making the play-offs, they WILL be making the Grand Final series and they WILL win their tenth championship. They may not always play to their up-most ability during the regular season, but when the time comes… when the heat is on, the Wildcats have proved time and time again they are simply the best team in the land.
This season will be no different, calling it now.