NBL 2014/15 Round 2 Preview: Crocs looking for maiden win in Sydney
Sydney Kings vs Townsville Crocodiles
Friday, October 17, 7:30pm (local)
Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney.
Odds – Sydney Kings $1.35, Townsville Crocs $3.01.
The Townsville Crocs had a horror start to their season in round one when they lost both of their opening games to the Wollongong Hawks and Adelaide 36ers respectively.
They will look to get their first win of the year when they travel to Sydney this Friday night to face the Sydney Kings who opened their season with a victory against the Wollongong Hawks thanks to a memorable debut from former NBA player Josh Childress.
The Crocs will have to improve a great deal to beat Sydney, especially in the second half where they were outscored 101-77 in their opening two matches.
Key Player
Josh Childress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBazWj-UhFE
The Kings may have won their opening round clash against Wollongong but it wasn’t what you would call a great team performance. Star import Josh Childress was a one man wrecking ball at times in round one but the Kings leaned on him a little too much. He did however show just how much of a talent he is in this league by carrying the Kings to a victory.
Just how Townsville goes about stopping the affectionately dubbed 'Lord Chillington' will decide how well they fare in this match. Childress showed a phenomenal first step against the Hawks and an ability to get to the rim with ease, which is something the Crocs will need to address to win this one.
Childress, despite his great showing, looked as though everything he attempted was effortless last week and is bound to improve as the season goes on which bodes poorly for opposing teams trying to stop him from dominating the contest.
What To Watch For
Townsville's D
It’s all about defense for the Crocs in this round two clash. They should look to employ a zone to reduce the amount of time Josh Childress has the ball in isolation and should force Sydney to take the lower percentage outside shots.
Sydney will need to move the ball more on offense rather than rely solely on Childress as they did numerous times in their round one match. Ben Madgen needs to get his jump shot going early in the contest and the big men need to get some easy points in the paint.
For Townsville its all about their pick and roll on offense which should give them the ability to get to the basket for high percentage shots.
Kendrick Perry was very ineffective running the point for the Kings last week and his involvement for Sydney will play a big part in their chances of a victory.
Final Word
Sydney are deserved favourites going into this game but their performance in round one wasn’t good enough to make this a sure thing for them. The Kings have the star firepower and home court advantage but Townsville will have a point to prove after their poor start to the season.
The Kings should take the victory over a dogged Crocs outfit that will hang in until the death. Expect another big game from Childress.
Sydney by 6
