http://nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=3831
In a rematch of the 2005 pre-season Grand Final, the Brisbane Bullets defeated the Melbourne Tigers 53-39 in the 2006 Virgin Blue NBL Blitz to gain a measure of revenge for their loss to the Tigers in last years tournament.
Melbourne played without stars Chris Anstey, Dave Thomas and Rashad Tucker in a turnaround from last year, when it was Brisbane missing a number of their established players. The Bullets did however have some absences of their own, playing the Blitz without power forward Dusty Rychart and centre Mark Bradtke.
The Tigers won just one game in the preliminary round, but got through to the championship decider thanks to their incredible size, talent and experience, while the Bullets stormed through the tournament, going undefeated with a 6-0 record behind the leadership of Sam Mackinnon and the offensive brilliance of CJ Bruton and Ebi Ere.
Adam Gibson was outstanding for the Bullets in the decider, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 from the three-point line. Cam Tragardh was excellent inside and contributed eight points and five rebounds, while Sam Mackinnon had six points and eight rebounds.
Melbourne got 11 from Axel Dench and nine from Daryl Corletto, but they didnt hit the shots when they needed to and lost to a deserving foe.
Brisbane coach Joey Wright was ecstatic with the win and praised his youngsters for the victory.
Its such a tough league, with so much talent, and to get the win is really pleasing, he said. I cant say enough about our young guys and the job they did, especially with Mark Bradtke, Dusty Rychart and Stephen Black all out. My guys were all just outstanding, and it gives us great confidence for the season ahead.
Brisbane came out fast as they had the entire tournament; with Mackinnon finishing off a beautiful passing move and Bruton nailing a corner trey to give the Bullets a 10-2 lead after three minutes of play.
It got out to 10 before the undermanned Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to cut the Brisbane lead to four, but Cam Tragardh threw in a jumphook and Ere swished four straight free throws to push the margin back out to double-figures midway through the period.
But once again, Melbourne fought back thanks to some excellent play by Daryl Corletto, and they got the margin back to three, 22-19, with three minutes left.
However, Adam Gibson, who had himself a great tournament, landed a triple from the wing to give Brisbane a 26-19 lead, before Corletto demonstrated why he has become of the leagues most valuable backups with a three of his own, and the Tigers went to the break down just five, 27-22.
It was Gibson again to start the second half with a great move to the goal for two, and when Mackinnon flew for the offensive board and put in back in for another deuce, Brisbane had a 31-23 lead with nine to go.
The Brisbane backup guard was on fire, hitting another four points as the Bullets forged to their biggest lead of the ballgame, 37-25, and a concerned Melbourne coach Al Westover called for time in an effort to stop the bleeding.
Crosswell responded with a nice backdoor move for two, but Brisbane remained in control as we got to the halfway point of the period, up 10, 39-29.
Melbournes legs started to look very heavy and lethargic the longer the game went on, and their shots just wouldnt fall as they had in their semi-final win over Perth.
The Tigers tried hard, but they couldnt stop the Bullets down the stretch, and when Ere hit a fadeaway and Gibson nailed another long bomb, it was all over, and Brisbane had their first championship of any kind since their NBL title in 1987.
Post-game, CJ Bruton was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player, and he was joined in the tournament All-Star Five by his teammate Sam Mackinnon, Melbournes Darryl McDonald, Wollongongs Cortez Groves and Adelaides Nick Horvath.
In a rematch of the 2005 pre-season Grand Final, the Brisbane Bullets defeated the Melbourne Tigers 53-39 in the 2006 Virgin Blue NBL Blitz to gain a measure of revenge for their loss to the Tigers in last years tournament.
Melbourne played without stars Chris Anstey, Dave Thomas and Rashad Tucker in a turnaround from last year, when it was Brisbane missing a number of their established players. The Bullets did however have some absences of their own, playing the Blitz without power forward Dusty Rychart and centre Mark Bradtke.
The Tigers won just one game in the preliminary round, but got through to the championship decider thanks to their incredible size, talent and experience, while the Bullets stormed through the tournament, going undefeated with a 6-0 record behind the leadership of Sam Mackinnon and the offensive brilliance of CJ Bruton and Ebi Ere.
Adam Gibson was outstanding for the Bullets in the decider, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 from the three-point line. Cam Tragardh was excellent inside and contributed eight points and five rebounds, while Sam Mackinnon had six points and eight rebounds.
Melbourne got 11 from Axel Dench and nine from Daryl Corletto, but they didnt hit the shots when they needed to and lost to a deserving foe.
Brisbane coach Joey Wright was ecstatic with the win and praised his youngsters for the victory.
Its such a tough league, with so much talent, and to get the win is really pleasing, he said. I cant say enough about our young guys and the job they did, especially with Mark Bradtke, Dusty Rychart and Stephen Black all out. My guys were all just outstanding, and it gives us great confidence for the season ahead.
Brisbane came out fast as they had the entire tournament; with Mackinnon finishing off a beautiful passing move and Bruton nailing a corner trey to give the Bullets a 10-2 lead after three minutes of play.
It got out to 10 before the undermanned Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to cut the Brisbane lead to four, but Cam Tragardh threw in a jumphook and Ere swished four straight free throws to push the margin back out to double-figures midway through the period.
But once again, Melbourne fought back thanks to some excellent play by Daryl Corletto, and they got the margin back to three, 22-19, with three minutes left.
However, Adam Gibson, who had himself a great tournament, landed a triple from the wing to give Brisbane a 26-19 lead, before Corletto demonstrated why he has become of the leagues most valuable backups with a three of his own, and the Tigers went to the break down just five, 27-22.
It was Gibson again to start the second half with a great move to the goal for two, and when Mackinnon flew for the offensive board and put in back in for another deuce, Brisbane had a 31-23 lead with nine to go.
The Brisbane backup guard was on fire, hitting another four points as the Bullets forged to their biggest lead of the ballgame, 37-25, and a concerned Melbourne coach Al Westover called for time in an effort to stop the bleeding.
Crosswell responded with a nice backdoor move for two, but Brisbane remained in control as we got to the halfway point of the period, up 10, 39-29.
Melbournes legs started to look very heavy and lethargic the longer the game went on, and their shots just wouldnt fall as they had in their semi-final win over Perth.
The Tigers tried hard, but they couldnt stop the Bullets down the stretch, and when Ere hit a fadeaway and Gibson nailed another long bomb, it was all over, and Brisbane had their first championship of any kind since their NBL title in 1987.
Post-game, CJ Bruton was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player, and he was joined in the tournament All-Star Five by his teammate Sam Mackinnon, Melbournes Darryl McDonald, Wollongongs Cortez Groves and Adelaides Nick Horvath.
