Bench mob stands tall in Boomers' win

It was a shaky start for the Boomers in the first quarter last night versus Finland. They struggled to contain the opposition ball movement and perimeter shooting early, the offence was a little clunky at times and they were unable to get to the rim as easily as they’d have expected.

While Patty Mills and Josh Giddey did their best to keep the scoreboard ticking over, it was the insertion of some members of the second unit that started to get things going the Boomers’ way.

One advantage of starting on the bench is you are able to read how the game is being played early and identify some subtle adjustments to be made that can help your team.

Xavier Cooks had a clear mentality along those lines when he was inserted into the game with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

“Just to come in and be solid,” he told NBL Media post-game. 

“We started the game off making mental lapses, they were getting layups, we turned the ball over, they were running off us, so just come in there and be solid.”

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Cooks was the first man off the bench, followed by Dante Exum. The duo set about making an impact with some effort plays and smart execution. They ran a simple pick and roll action that got Cooks an easy basket as the roll man. Cooks then got active on the offensive glass, grabbing two offensive rebounds in a row and scoring off one of them in transition.

Cooks and Exum haven’t really played together before this campaign, but through the warm-up games, they've begun to build a nice rapport in that second unit. That was on full display against Finland.

“Oh for sure,” agreed Cooks. 

“Dante’s such an explosive guard. He keeps getting downhill [so] I’m just playing off him. The bigs have to come across and help and I’m just playing off him, so it worked out well.”

Along with Joe Ingles, who also came off the bench, getting hot quickly from the perimeter, and Jack White who came on to guard Lauri Markkanen when Nick Kay rested, the second unit helped to settle the Boomers.

In the second quarter, the Boomers fell behind by as many as eight points, down 36-28 at one stage, but ended the half on a 17-4 run, in part fuelled by the bench.

Part of that run saw Cooks have a big block in help defence against one of Finland’s athletic big men, Mikael Jantunen.

For NBL fans, it’s nothing new. It’s what the NBL23 MVP has been doing for years. And we saw a little of that in the warm-up games in Melbourne last week. But it gives the Boomers another element, as Cooks is one of the most versatile defenders on this roster.

And with Jock Landale out, Cooks’ rim protection and defensive smarts are especially important as he plays the five spot in smaller lineups. The block on Jantunen was big, but humble as always, Cooks didn’t want to dwell on it.

“Man, there was a mental lapse on defence and I just covered up for us. That’s what team basketball’s about,” he said.

The third quarter started off strongly as the starters quickly pushed the lead out to double digits, but there was no let down from the second unit when they came in.

Exum was huge with eight points in the third, Cooks and White again got active defensively, while Ingles kept knocking down shots. He had all 13 of his points after three quarters.

For Ingles, coming off the bench is a new role for him as a Boomer. He’s been a staple in the starting line-up for over a decade now, but is embracing the chance to help to lead the second unit.

“Yeah, it’s kind of cool,” Ingles told NBL Media. 

“Obviously for my career now, even in the NBA to going to the bench, it’s an adjustment for sure. I don’t care if I come off the bench or start, as long as I’m helping the team and I think my job is to help lead that second unit.”

Ingles was pleased with how that second unit was able to impact the game. But he’s not surprised. The depth and talent of this roster from one through 12 is one of the most noticeable changes from past Boomers teams.

And the improvement of many of those second unit players these past few years, whether they were in Tokyo or not, is noticeable. While Exum and Ingles’ play off the bench will stand out, the contributions of others like Cooks and White, were huge at various times of the game, as the Boomers worked their way back into the game and then ultimately took control.

“We just had guys making plays and that’s what we’re out there to do, kind of steady that ship,” Ingles explained. 

“If we’re down, get the lead back and if we’re up, steady it and push it out further and I think we did a good job of just clawing it back a little bit and then getting the [starting] guys back in. Come in, control the tempo a little bit. 

“Obviously for me it’s about helping these other guys; getting Dante going, getting Goulding going if he’s in, whoever’s in with me, that’s what I feel like I’m out there to do.”

There were smiles all around the Boomers camp in Okinawa following the game. And no-one was smiling more than Brian Goorjian who was thrilled with how his team responded. When asked about Ingles playing a reserve role during this tournament, Goorjian simply said: “I think he’s dangerous there.”

The whole team, starters and reserves, looked dangerous once they got going defensively late in that second quarter and then they kept rolling during the second half, for a very convincing 98-72 win.

In their quest for a Gold Medal, it was an important step to get past this first game, given the lengthy build up. It will give them confidence as they begin to prepare for their toughest game of Group E play against Germany on Sunday.

“We don’t really need confidence,” Cooks said somewhat defiantly. 

“We started off slow, we turned it around. We don’t really need confidence. This is just one step towards our final goal, but a win’s a win and we’ll take it.”

They may not have gotten that result without the bench contributions though. And considering Cooks and White were making their World Cup debuts, they were not in any way overawed by the moment. 

In fact, the opposite was true. They made the moment their own.