Set for a classic: Pain or redemption?

There’s no comparison to a championship. No win in the regular season can ever replace that feeling of raising the trophy.

But that doesn’t mean a win over last year’s nemesis won’t provide a massive confidence boost and just a little bit of revenge for Melbourne United.

Last year’s Championship Series foes face off on Thursday night on the opening night of NBL25, with the Perth crowd at HoopsFest set to enjoy an absolute blockbuster.

“That pain you feel actually stays with you longer than the elation of winning,” six-time Defensive Player of the Year Damian Martin said on NBL Now.  

“Knowing this is the first game, a revenge game ... there’s no home court advantage, it’s just going to come down to who’s the better team on the right.

“I know no two teams are the same year in, year out, but there’s a lot of familiar faces on either side.”

Those familiar faces will be key to both team’s chances, with the likes of Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova and Ian Clark coming up against Milton Doyle, Jordon Crawford and Will Magnay. 

The JackJumpers have been hit hard by injury. Craig Sword (concussion) and Sean Macdonald (ankle) are out, with Scott Roth left to rue the cost of a busy pre-season schedule. 

“I’m extremely concerned about the roster in the next six to eight weeks, not just Thursday,” he said this week. 

But the JackJumpers have never been a team to make excuses. Their culture has been built on fighting tooth and nail to win, on defending their island and standing tall when they’ve been counted out. 

Two teams desperate to start the team on the right note. Two teams desperate to claim early bragging rights. Who prevails? 

“You don’t win a championship from it, but it’s either going to kick-start a back-to-back run for Tasmania or help heal just a little bit of that pain the United players have had for so long,” Martin added.

Melbourne takes on Tasmania at 8.30pm AEST on Monday night, with the game live on ESPN via Kayo.