2024 NBL Finals
 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Countries |  Australia New Zealand | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 28 February – 31 March | |||||||||
| Season | 2023–24 | |||||||||
| Teams | 6 | |||||||||
| Defending champions | Sydney Kings | |||||||||
| MVP | Jack McVeigh (Tasmania) | |||||||||
| Semifinalists | Perth Wildcats Illawarra Hawks | |||||||||
| Matches played | 14 | |||||||||
| Attendance | 98,469 (7,034 per match) | |||||||||
| Scoring leader | Jack McVeigh 17.8 | |||||||||
| All statistics correct as of 31 March 2024. | ||||||||||
The 2024 NBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball League's 2023–24 season.
As Australia and New Zealand participated in 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualification, the league took a break during the FIBA international window of 18–28 February 2024.[1]
Format
The finals was played in February and March 2024 between the top six teams of the regular season, consisting of three play-in games, two best-of-three semifinal series and the best-of-five Grand Final series, where the highest seed hosted the first, third and fifth games.[2]
The top two seeds in the regular season automatically qualified to the semifinals. Teams ranked three to six competed in the play-in tournament. The third seed played the fourth seed for third spot and the loser played the winner of fifth or sixth for the fourth seed.[3][4]
Qualification
Qualified teams
| Team | Date of qualification |
Round of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Previous appearance |
Previous best performance |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne United | 26 January 2024 | 17 | 28th | 2022 | Champions (1993, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2021) | [5] |
| Perth Wildcats | 27 January 2024 | 17 | 37th | 2023 | Champions (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) | [6] |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 10 February 2024 | 19 | 3rd | 2023 | Runners-up (2022) | [7] |
| Illawarra Hawks | 15 February 2024 | 20 | 23rd | 2022 | Champions (2001) | [8] |
| Sydney Kings | 17 February 2024 | 20 | 18th | 2023 | Champions (2003, 2004, 2005, 2022, 2023) | [9] |
| New Zealand Breakers | 18 February 2024 | 20 | 10th | 2023 | Champions (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) | [10] |
Ladder
| Pos | 2023–24 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Melbourne United | 28 | 20 | 8 | 71.43% | 3–2 | W1 | 11–3 | 9–5 | 2615 | 2454 | 106.56% |
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 17 | 11 | 60.71% | 2–3 | L2 | 10–4 | 7–7 | 2630 | 2563 | 102.61% |
| 3 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57.14% | 4–1 | W4 | 8–6 | 8–6 | 2564 | 2378 | 107.82% |
| 4 | Illawarra Hawks | 28 | 14 | 14 | 50.00% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–6 | 6–8 | 2547 | 2518 | 101.15% |
| 5 | Sydney Kings | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | W1 | 7–7 | 6–8 | 2672 | 2602 | 102.69% |
| 6 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2498 | 2480 | 100.73% |
| 7 | Brisbane Bullets | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | L1 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2458 | 2534 | 97.00% |
| 8 | Cairns Taipans | 28 | 12 | 16 | 42.86% | 1–4 | W1 | 7–7 | 5–9 | 2506 | 2589 | 96.79% |
| 9 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 12 | 16 | 42.86% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–5 | 3–11 | 2457 | 2563 | 95.86% |
| 10 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 28 | 10 | 18 | 35.71% | 1–4 | L4 | 7–7 | 3–11 | 2425 | 2691 | 90.12% |
Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au
Ladder progression
| Leader and qualification to semifinals | |
| Qualification to semifinals | |
| Qualification to play-in games | |
| Last place |
Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au
Seedings
- Melbourne United
- Perth Wildcats
- Tasmania JackJumpers
- Illawarra Hawks
- Sydney Kings
- New Zealand Breakers
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.
Playoff Bracket
| Play-in / Seeding qualifier | Play-in game | Semifinals | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Sydney Kings | 76 | 1 | Melbourne United | 115 | 108 | 100 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | New Zealand Breakers | 83 | 4 | Illawarra Hawks | 106 | 113 | 94 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Illawarra Hawks | 88 | 1 | Melbourne United | 104 | 77 | 91 | 88 | 81 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | New Zealand Breakers | 85 | 3 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 81 | 82 | 93 | 86 | 83 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 92 | 2 | Perth Wildcats | 89 | 94 | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Illawarra Hawks | 76 | 3 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 81 | 102 | 100 | |||||||||||||||||
Play-in tournament
Seeding qualifier
(3) Tasmania JackJumpers vs. (4) Illawarra Hawks
28 February 2024
17:30 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 92–76 | Illawarra Hawks |
| Scoring by quarter: 29–17, 22–27, 19–19, 22–13 | ||
| Pts: McVeigh Rebs: McVeigh 11 Asts: Doyle 10 |
Pts: Clark 21 Rebs: Clark 10 Asts: Robinson 3 | |
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Kenny Widgeon, Mitch Hare |
| Tasmania won 2–1 in the regular season series |
|---|
Play-in qualifier
(5) Sydney Kings vs. (6) New Zealand Breakers
28 February 2024
19:30 |
| Sydney Kings | 76–83 | New Zealand Breakers |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–15, 25–23, 13–22, 16–23 | ||
| Pts: Adams 18 Rebs: Valentine 8 Asts: Adams 5 |
Pts: Jackson-Cartwright 34 Rebs: Mathiang 10 Asts: Jackson-Cartwright 6 | |
| Sydney won 2–1 in the regular season series |
|---|
Play-in game
(4) Illawarra Hawks vs. (6) New Zealand Breakers
4 March 2024
19:30 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 88–85 | New Zealand Breakers |
| Scoring by quarter: 31–17, 11–25, 24–21, 22–22 | ||
| Pts: Robinson 26 Rebs: Froling 9 Asts: Robinson 3 |
Pts: Jackson-Cartwright 19 Rebs: Cheatham 9 Asts: Jackson-Cartwright 9 | |
Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Attendance: 5,178 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, James Griguol |
| Illawarra won 2–1 in the regular season series |
|---|
Semifinals series
(1) Melbourne United vs. (4) Illawarra Hawks
7 March 2024
19:30 |
| Melbourne United | 115–106 (OT) | Illawarra Hawks |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 31–28, 18–27, 26–16, Overtime: 15–6 | ||
| Pts: Dellavedova 30 Rebs: Lual-Acuil 9 Asts: Dellavedova 10 |
Pts: Froling 26 Rebs: Clark 12 Asts: Robinson 7 | |
| Melbourne leads series, 1–0 | ||
10 March 2024
15:00 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 113–108 (OT) | Melbourne United |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 31–24, 23–26, 24–22, Overtime: 16–11 | ||
| Pts: Clark 31 Rebs: Clark 16 Asts: Froling 4 |
Pts: Dellavedova 20 Rebs: Lual-Acuil, Travers 7 Asts: Dellavedova 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Attendance: 5,631 Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock |
13 March 2024
19:30 |
| Melbourne United | 100–94 | Illawarra Hawks |
| Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 24–23, 22–18, 24–29 | ||
| Pts: Ili 22 Rebs: Travers 11 Asts: Dellavedova 5 |
Pts: Froling 23 Rebs: Clark, Hickey 6 Asts: Robinson 7 | |
| Melbourne wins series, 2–1 | ||
| Melbourne won 3–0 in the regular season series |
|---|
(2) Perth Wildcats vs. (3) Tasmania JackJumpers
8 March 2024
18:30 |
| Perth Wildcats | 89–81 | Tasmania JackJumpers |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 22–19, 16–15, 27–23 | ||
| Pts: Pinder 25 Rebs: Cotton, Pinder 7 Asts: Cotton 5 |
Pts: Crawford 19 Rebs: Magnay 8 Asts: Doyle 6 | |
| Perth leads series, 1–0 | ||
11 March 2024
19:30 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 102–94 | Perth Wildcats |
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 26–23, 27–21, 28–21 | ||
| Pts: Doyle 24 Rebs: Magnay 7 Asts: Macdonald 5 |
Pts: Cotton 26 Rebs: Doolittle 9 Asts: H.Harris, Usher 4 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes |
13 March 2024
18:30 |
| Perth Wildcats | 84–100 | Tasmania JackJumpers |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 24–31, 21–25, 20–23 | ||
| Pts: Cotton 21 Rebs: Pinder 7 Asts: H.Harris, T.Webster 3 |
Pts: McVeigh 27 Rebs: Magnay 9 Asts: Doyle 9 | |
| Tasmania wins series, 2–1 | ||
| Perth won 2–1 in the regular season series |
|---|
Grand Final series
(1) Melbourne United vs. (3) Tasmania JackJumpers
17 March 2024
16:00 |
| Melbourne United | 104–81 | Tasmania JackJumpers |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 25–17, 25–22, 28–18 | ||
| Pts: Goulding 22 Rebs: Lual-Acuil 11 Asts: Dellavedova 6 |
Pts: Drmic 18 Rebs: Doyle 8 Asts: Macdonald, McVeigh 3 | |
| Melbourne leads series, 1–0 | ||
22 March 2024
19:30 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 82–77 | Melbourne United |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 17–21, 20–19, 22–14 | ||
| Pts: McVeigh 16 Rebs: Doyle 10 Asts: Crawford, McVeigh 4 |
Pts: Ili 20 Rebs: Lual-Acuil 11 Asts: Dellavedova 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare |
24 March 2024
17:30 |
| Melbourne United | 91–93 | Tasmania JackJumpers |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 19–23, 25–19, 22–31 | ||
| Pts: Dellavedova 21 Rebs: Hukporti 9 Asts: Dellavedova 8 |
Pts: McVeigh 18 Rebs: McVeigh 12 Asts: Doyle 7 | |
| Tasmania leads series, 2–1 | ||
28 March 2024
19:30 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 86–88 | Melbourne United |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 19–24, 27–26, 20–21 | ||
| Pts: McVeigh 28 Rebs: Drmic 8 Asts: Doyle, Drmic 3 |
Pts: Clark 18 Rebs: Travers 11 Asts: Dellavedova 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340 Referees: Michael Aylen, Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare |
31 March 2024
16:00 |
| Melbourne United | 81–83 | Tasmania JackJumpers |
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 13–18, 19–15, 18–24 | ||
| Pts: Lual-Acuil 14 Rebs: Hukporti 15 Asts: Dellavedova 7 |
Pts: Crawford 32 Rebs: Magnay 12 Asts: Doyle, Macdonald 2 | |
| Tasmania wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tasmania won 2–1 in the regular season series |
|---|
Media coverage
Television
Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN. All games are available live on ESPN and the streaming platform Kayo Freebies.[11] Network 10 will broadcast Sunday afternoon games on 10 Peach and 10 Play.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "Pots, procedure confirmed for FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Draw". FIBA. 19 September 2023.
- ^ "NBL24 Finals Begin February 28". NBL.com.au. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Finals: What You Need to Know". NBL.com.au. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "New Finals Shake Up". NBL.com.au. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "Melbourne locks in top two". NBL.com.au. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Wildcats too good for depleted SEM Phoenix in NBL". ESPN.com.au. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "JackJumpers hammer increasingly shorthanded Phoenix in NBL". ESPN.com.au. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Injury-hit Wildcats focus on toning down NBL emotions". Examiner.com.au. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Kings thump Phoenix, beat Bullets to NBL finals berth". ESPN.com.au. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Breakers beat Bullets to lock in NBL Finals spot". ESPN.com.au. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "NBL Achieves History-Making Media Deal". NBL.com.au. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Network 10 Becomes NBL Free-to-Air Partner". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
External links
- Official website
- NBL Historical Stats at SpatialJam.com