No place like home as Finals return to Adelaide

After 22 rounds and three Finals matches, the NBL26 Playoffs are finally here and don’t the Adelaide 36ers know it.

During the club’s media availability on Monday, head coach Mike Wells said the magnitude of the occasion isn’t lost on his squad.

“We're excited for this time of year. This is the time of year you play for,” Wells said during the media availability.

Tuesday’s clash with South East Melbourne has been eight years in the making for the Sixers, with it marking their first home final since 2018.

Not only that, it’s a clash the current group of players and staff have been working towards since the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

“[The Playoffs] are always a little different [than the regular season],” Wells said.

“There's more at stake, as in, do you want your season to continue or not?

“We’ve taken in all the information [from the regular season], analysed it, and [will now] see if we can put ourselves in a position to get the desired outcome.”

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Wells echoed big man Nick Rakocevic’s sentiments about the club wanting to bring silverware back to Adelaide for the first time in 24 years.

“I think we have the best fans in the NBL,” he said.

“They show up every game. We've had 37 straight sellouts. Their support is amazing.

“To have a Playoff Series and a Finals home game, we [couldn’t do it without their] support.

“They help us and we're really excited for [Tuesday] night.”

Adelaide’s Playoff Series opener against South East Melbourne tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.