How Kings are defying championship hangover

It’s the biggest game of the season so far, and as a seven-time NBL champion, Brian Goorjian knows just how much Sunday afternoon’s Championship Series rematch means.

Six months after Sydney and Adelaide fought out an epic Game 5 decider, the two clubs meet again at Afterpay Arena, and for the Kings coach, the history between them runs far deeper than that Series alone.

“You get a rivalry when you get involved in games that mean something,” Goorjian said.

“Over the last two years I’ve been here, they [Adelaide] knocked us out the first year here, we were involved with them in an important final series and last year obviously the grand final series, so there is a history there and a rivalry there.

“We know they’ll be fired up to come here and get it done, but we won’t be taking a back step either.”

Adelaide has been battered by injury early in the season and sits ninth on the ladder, but the 36ers would love nothing more than to get some revenge on last year’s foes in enemy territory.

The Kings, meanwhile, have won all three of their games to start the season.

Of all the battles on the court, one stands out: Kendric Davis versus Bryce Cotton. Throughout the Championship Series, the League’s two best players were front and centre.

Davis poured in 35 points and 14 assists in the overtime decider to claim the championship and the Larry Sengstock Trophy, while Cotton matched him with 35 points and 9 assists, going 11/11 from the line and playing all 45 minutes in a losing effort.

Cotton also claimed NBL26 MVP honours, edging out Davis for the second year running.

Six months on, the heat hasn’t faded. Davis declared this week there was “no love” between him and Cotton, while the six-time MVP was a little more coy, insisting he doesn’t dwell on individual matchups and pointing out “we don’t even guard each other”.

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Goorjian has no doubt about the size of the task in front of his team.

“He’s as good or the best to ever play here,” Goorjian said of Cotton.

“Number one is to pressure and try to keep the ball out of his hands and keep as few touches as possible. Number two is keeping him off the foul line, not allowing him easy baskets and just physically trying to wear him out with numbers.”

While Parker Jackson-Cartwright has been the early pace-setter in MVP voting this season, Davis and Cotton surely won’t be far behind.

It’s a must-watch battle between two of the greats, but Goorjian says only a whole-team effort will get the Kings the win.

He said avoiding a “championship hangover” was the number one priority heading into the new campaign, and so far his side has been nothing short of dominant.

“It’s who we brought back this year to not defend, to pursue,” Goorjian continued.

“We had a core group of guys, and some of them gave up, whether it’s money, shots, role, to come back because they enjoyed it, and then others came here that are young that want to get better.”

Incredibly, Davis arrived in the country just eight days out from the Kings’ season-opener, but he hasn’t lost any of his brilliance with limited preparation alongside his teammates.

“It’s who he is,” Goorjian said. “A lot of our guys to be good need somebody to play off and KD’s that guy for us.

“We did a lot of stuff with the young guys in the pre-season, played a lot of games, and they were forced out of their comfort zone, which was good, but soon as KD came back, it just let them do what they do.”

Adelaide’s injury woes have been well publicised, with Trevor Gleeson calling in three-time champion Corey Webster this week to help cover the absences of Flynn Cameron, Isaac Humphries and Bul Kuol.

But against the League’s early benchmark, it’s going to be an almighty tasks.

Sydney hosts Adelaide at Afterpay Arena on Sunday, live on ESPN from 3pm AEDT.