Do not sleep on the Snakes.
The Cairns Taipans is not going to be simply making up the numbers within the NBL finals.
They will legitimately win the entire rattling factor.
Cairns formally clinched their playoff spot with the 99-80 win over Adelaide on Saturday – their 16th victory of the 2019-20 marketing campaign with two common season matches to go.
It’s a exceptional achievement for your entire Taipans organisation given they took dwelling the wood spoon final season with simply six wins.
As a smaller finances staff from a regional centre, the Snakes have nicely and actually punched above their weight to be one of many real excellent news tales within the NBL.
The entertaining model of basketball has been enjoyable to observe. They’ve equal quantities hustle and muscle.
They’ve been described as everybody’s second favorite staff however that would change when the Taipans begin taking names and kicking backsides on the enterprise finish of the season.
Former Snakes star and astute NBL commentator Cam Tragardh makes the purpose that this Cairns staff is just not a bunch of little scrappers hitting three-pointers from the carpark to hold them into the post-season, they’re bona fide bullies.
Head coach Mike Kelly ought to be a stone chilly certainty for the NBL’s Coach of the Yr gong.
As identified by the competitors’s stats guru late on Saturday night time, Kelly is the primary head coach in NBL historical past to complete final in his first season accountable for a staff after which make the finals in his second.
And he may nicely have some firm as an NBL award winner with import level guard Scott Machado one of many true contenders for the MVP award.
Machado was enjoying for the LA Lakers final yr and his class has shone like a beacon. Whether or not it has been driving to the bucket, hitting lengthy bombs or dishing assists, all the great issues which have occurred at Cairns have gone by way of Machado’s trusty arms.
His fellow import Cam Oliver has been a beast within the paint at each ends of the ground whereas DJ Newbill has been a nice chief, nice defender and underrated offensive menace.
After which you’ve got Nate Jawai coming off the bench as one of many many contributors to the Taipans’ success. Each participant, coach and employees member has their fingerprints on this playoff run which is Cairns’ best energy.
Cairns are prone to face Perth within the semi-finals. It’s an incontrovertible fact within the NBL that the highway to the title goes by way of the WA capital. 9 championships and 34-straight playoff appearances means the Wildcats are the benchmark.
That will not scare these Snakes. In Spherical three, the Taipans claimed a record-breaking 23-point win over Perth in Perth. They beat them by seven factors in Cairns 5 weeks later.
In Spherical 10, they accounted for league-leader Sydney in Sydney. They’ve overwhelmed everybody this season. No person scares Cairns.
So why not them?
