Melbourne sets sights on “unbelievable” NBA first

Melbourne United made a statement during Thursday’s emphatic Throwdown win over South East Melbourne at John Cain Arena.

And while coach Dean Vickerman, who praised the play of recruit Fabijan Krslovic, is happy to be sitting at 3-0, he knows there is still plenty of work to do for his squad.

“To go on a 22-0 run, at any point in a game, is pretty significant,” Vickerman said during the post-game press conference.

“We’ll look at the end of the third quarter (where United relinquished the lead) and the first five minutes of the fourth and say that’s the kind of basketball we want to play.

“From a negative side, we just turned the ball over too much, especially in the first half with 12.

“It tightened up in the second half, but not to the level we’d like.

“We also gave up too many offensive rebounds, which allowed them to have 11 extra shots than us.

“We just really want to get better in those two areas, but I’m taking anything away from that performance and I’m happy with the contributions we got across the board.”

United will now shift their focus to the historic NBAxNBL Melbourne Series next weekend, which will see the club take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Rod Laver Arena.

“As you get older, there are less firsts in your life and this [the NBAxNBL Series] is a pretty exciting first,” the three-time NBL championship-winning coach said.

“For a country Victorian kid to be the first person to coach a game in Melbourne against an NBA team is unbelievable.

“It’s going to be one of the highlights of everyone in our team’s life and an amazing experience.

“I’m confident we will be able to compete against some of the best players in our sport.”

A new ticket release for the NBAxNBL Melbourne Series is selling fast for two Pelicans games at Rod Laver Arena, against Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

>> CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

As well as the two fixtures, the Pelicans will also be hosting an open training session on Thursday, October 2, before a Fan Night and Luncheon on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

What tickets can I buy?

- Game 1 – New Orleans Pelicans vs Melbourne United - Friday, October 3, 2025 - 7.30pm AEST
- Game 2 – New Orleans Pelicans vs South East Melbourne Phoenix - Sunday, October 5, 2025 - 2pm AEDT

- Pelicans Open Training – Thursday, October 2, 2025, 1pm AEST: Includes an exclusive first look at the team’s training, player Q&A and more
- NBA x NBL Fan Night – Saturday, October 4, 2025, 6pm AEST: A showcase event with player performances, basketball challenges, live entertainment and more

>> CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

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