Look, if you didn't see the Sydney Kings put on a basketball masterclass at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday night, you missed one for the memory bank. The Kings demolished the Adelaide 36ers 112-68, and we're not just talking about a win here. The Kings' 44-point victory was the biggest margin ever in NBL Championship Series history, smashing the previous record with room to spare.
What made this one sting for Adelaide wasn't just the scoreline. It was watching Bryce Cotton, who was leading the league with 26.2 points per game in the regular season, completely shackled. The six-time MVP managed just 10 points on a night when he'd averaged 36.3 points in Adelaide's semifinal series. Cotton faced constant pressure. He finished with just 10 points in 32 minutes and went 4-from-12 from the field after Kings coaches double-teamed him off every ball screen and used their length and physicality, led by Matthew Dellavedova, to trouble the 36ers superstar.
Here's the thing about physical playoffs basketball. Cotton was hit in the face at least three times in the first half alone, including within the opening 40 seconds. When coach Brian Goorjian was asked whether there was any plan to deliberately target the Adelaide star, he pushed back firmly. "It's not part of the game plan. It was an accident," Goorjian said, noting that Dellavedova's hand "just got caught up". He pointed out that his own point guard had received similar treatment from Adelaide. Fair enough—finals footy is finals footy, and sometimes bodies collide.
But let's be honest: the Kings weren't there by accident. Beyond Dellavedova, Jaylin Galloway, Makuach Maluach and Torrey Craig all had their turn using their different strengths to contain the league's best player. This wasn't roughing him up for the sake of it; this was smart, layered defence designed to tire him out and make him uncomfortable. And mate, it worked.
The real star of the show was Kendric Davis, who led the Kings to a dominant win with 25 points and seven assists. The American point guard had been chasing Cotton all season and finished two votes behind him in the MVP voting. On Saturday night, he made sure everyone watching knew he belonged in that conversation. Davis said he wanted to "win something they can't vote on after finishing second to Cotton in the MVP voting by two points, and he delivered exactly that.
The Kings shot 66 per cent to Adelaide's 35 per cent in the wire-to-wire rout, while dominating the boards 47-28. When you're that far ahead in shooting percentage and rebounding, you're essentially playing against an opponent that's already beaten itself. Adelaide shot under 37 per cent from the field and just 27 per cent from beyond the arc.
The question now is whether Adelaide can bounce back, and quickly. A best-of-five series isn't over until someone wins three games. Game 2 of the series will be at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday. Cotton will be hungrier, Adelaide will be sharper, and that Adelaide home crowd—one of the loudest in Australian basketball—could shift the entire momentum.
At the end of the day, one game doesn't decide a championship series, no matter how emphatic it looks. But the Kings have sent a clear message: if Adelaide wants to bring down Sydney's wall, Cotton alone won't be enough. The 36ers are going to need help, and they're going to need it fast.