'Get your head out of your arse': King lifts lid on half-time rev-up

As inspirational as Nathan Sobey was, it was South East Melbourne wresting the game back on their terms that ultimately forced a Game 3.

Crashing the offensive glass and speeding up the Adelaide 36ers proved decisive, and that will remain the Phoenix’s focus moving forward.

Sobey’s career-best 41-point explosion, which included eight three-pointers, told part of the story as the Phoenix stormed back from 18 points down to defeat the 36ers at John Cain Arena in Game 2 of their Playoff Series on Saturday night.

At half-time, Adelaide looked firmly in control. The 36ers led by 13 after pouring in 57 points on 73 per cent shooting while going 13/15 from the foul line, with six-time MVP Bryce Cotton already sitting on 19 points after knocking down 9/10 free throws.

South East Melbourne had managed just four offensive rebounds in the first half and struggled to dictate the tempo. That changed immediately after the break, and it was about far more than Sobey’s four triples and 17 third-quarter points.

The Phoenix flipped the script with relentless pressure, dominating the glass and forcing turnovers as they outscored the 36ers 57-35 in the second half. They finished with 18 offensive rebounds, forced Adelaide into 18 turnovers and generated 25 more shot attempts, sending the series to a deciding Game 3 in Adelaide on Tuesday.

Coach Josh King knows the Phoenix must again dictate the terms, just as they did in the second half, if they are to prevail on Tuesday night in what he is calling a 'Game 7' between the two teams.

"It's about being really disciplined with our foul discipline, pressuring the ball and not allowing them to just get into whatever action they want, and allowing Bryce to get into an easy scoring situation," King said.

"If we play the way we did in the first half there, we probably won't have a chance to win the game on the road so we'll have to come out with better pace, and more desire, but I liked the response and it's always about how you respond.

"And here's the NBL headline – we've played them six times this year, it's 3-3 and we're going to Game 7 on Tuesday. Here we go."

King’s half-time message when the Phoenix trailed by 13 was simple. If their season was going to end that night, it would be on their terms.

The shift in mindset was obvious from the moment the third quarter began. South East Melbourne lifted the pressure, hurried the 36ers and began generating stops.

From there, the Phoenix offence began to flow, with John Brown III continually creating second-chance opportunities whenever the initial shot didn’t fall.

That relentless pressure was the turning point. Adelaide struggled to find the same rhythm they had enjoyed in the first half, while South East Melbourne thrived in the faster, more chaotic tempo.

Now the reward is a decider in Adelaide on Tuesday night, with both teams’ seasons on the line.

"It was (the message) more or less 'get your head out of your arse', we've got 20 minutes to save our season and if we're gonna go down, we're going to go down playing the way we've played all year long," King said.

"Obviously we got hot then in the second half and made shots, but we played with way more pace, energy, mindset and I'd say we played more the way we've played the entire season.

"We were playing very passive and timid in the first half, and they had something to do with that, but we weren’t playing at the pace we needed to and I thought the guys did an unbelievable job of adjusting in that season half."