NBL 2014/15 Round 10 Preview: Hawks welcome Childress, Kings to town
Wollongong Hawks vs. Sydney Kings
Saturday, 13th December – 7.30pm (local time)
WIN Entertainment Centre
Odds: Wollongong $2.25, Sydney $1.65
Tickets: Click here
Wollongong will host Josh Childress and the Sydney Kings in a match that pits two New South Wales rivals together.
The visitors are on the verge of the top four after a brilliant win against New Zealand last week and will be looking to continue their move up the ladder in round ten. Josh Childress continues to star but he got plenty of help from his teammates last week, which has been lacking at times in season 2014/15 thus far, which is a positive sign for the building Kings.
Wollongong continues to struggle, getting blown away by Perth in Western Australia, and seem destined to collect the wooden spoon despite the season being only half-finished. Gary Ervin hasn’t reached his usual lofty standards consistently enough so far in this campaign and the Hawks simply don’t have the cattle, outside of their top two or three players, to compete with the best sides for long enough to win games.
Key Player:
Oscar Forman View image | gettyimages.com Forman has started to find some form of late after a slow start to the season, and this week he faces the NBL’s ultimate test when he lines up opposite former NBA star Josh Childress.
Forman is long and solid at the defensive end and can stretch the defence and knock down shots on offense, with his perimeter shooting ability perhaps his greatest weapon against the Kings star.
Drawing Childress away from the paint, where he protects the rim with his unrivalled athleticism, will significantly help his Hawks in their quest for a second straight win and will put the pressure back on the visitors to make baskets at the other end.
What To Watch For:
Josh Childress
Put simply, Childress is the biggest international star the NBL has ever seen and is putting together perhaps the greatest season in league history while he’s at it. He is the star attraction whenever he steps onto the court thanks to his athletic rebounding and shot-blocking ability, scoring whenever he pleases and finishing above the rim with ease. The MVP favourite is a human highlight reel and will no doubt set the WIN Entertainment Centre alight.
Final Word:
The Hawks were good for a quarter last weekend in Perth, taking a two-point lead into the second term before getting completely steamrolled to lose by 25 points, but you would expect them to be much better at home.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, Sydney looks to be reaching their own top form and, after dispatching New Zealand last week, will be looking to perhaps move into fourth spot should Melbourne drop a game, or maybe two, over the weekend.
The Childress factor means the Kings are always going to be hard to beat on paper, and on current form should grab another win against their lowly opponents.
Sydney by 6