Road Phoenix Banding Together for Final Week

Away from home and with an uncertain future ahead of them, South East Melbourne Phoenix are looking to quickly move on from a disappointing night against Cairns with three games left in their regular season.

Entering on a four-game winning streak and holding a 16-point lead late in the third quarter, it was all looking rosy for the Phoenix before a late Taipans explosion provided another wild turn in this crazy season.

The loss leaves the Phoenix in fourth position with a 18-15 record, one win ahead of fifth-placed Sydney (with a game in hand) and two wins ahead of sixth-placed Brisbane, who they play twice in the upcoming final week.

They’re also on the heels of third-placed Illawarra however, who have one extra win having played one extra game.

All four teams still have an opportunity to grab the final two positions in the NBL Finals.

(We're set for a tense finish to the unique 36-game season)

If the Phoenix are to qualify for the finals, coach Simon Mitchell says they need to limit the turnovers and “stagnant” play which plagued their fourth quarter against Cairns.

“Our turnovers were awful and that was led by a lack of direction and a lack of purpose,” Mitchell said.

“We became a stagnant, half-court jam it into the post team, which is not who we are.

“We’re at our best when the ball is popping, we’re going from side to side, and using the pick-and-roll at a high level. We went away from that and it bit us in the bum.”

Co-captain Kyle Adnam relayed Mitchell’s sentiments, seeing it as an opportunity lost in a tight finals race.

“We’re definitely disappointed,” Adnam said.

(Adnam's had to readapt to a bench role since the return of Keifer Sykes)

“We held a pretty comfortable lead then had seven or eight possessions where we didn’t even get a shot up, whether it be off a turnover or a shot clock violation, and they’re controllables within our group.

“That’s the most disappointing thing, we felt like we let it slip.

“Full credit to Cairns, they shot the ball extremely well and were really well drilled but it’s disappointing that it was some of our controllables that let the game slide.”

A positive from the night was the continued form of Yanni Wetzell, who scored a career-high 25 points on 10/15 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds.

The Kiwi big man is averaging 16 points on an unbelievable 73 per cent shooting from the field over his last five games.

With Dane Pineau ruled out for the season, Wetzell will need to keep bringing his powerful best at the centre spot for the Phoenix to make a deep run.

Cam Gliddon’s temporary departure for the birth of his second child also opens up an opportunity for the likes of Ryan Broekhoff and Izayah Le’afa.

Le’afa has shown he’s capable of performing a role in extended minutes while Broekhoff’s playing time is trending upwards since his eye injury and could also fill the spot.

Given the uncertainty of their situation as they remain training in Cairns, the team is taking a true day-by-day approach in the run home.

“We’ve got a pretty tough schedule ahead,” Mitchell said on Friday night.

“We don’t really know where we’re going to be or when, but if we’re up here for another home game or down in Brisbane, we’re going to have to harden up.

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“What I liked tonight was that we were given a bit of a cauldron to play in. The crowd was really active, really loud, and they got on us a little bit which was great, it was great preparation for us to get better.

“I also feel like we’ve got to get battle tested on the road and these situations that we find ourselves in can only help us long-term.”

The Phoenix face Brisbane on Wednesday night, New Zealand on Saturday and Brisbane again next Tuesday to wrap up their regular season.

One win would give them a good chance of making the top four, while two or more would almost lock their place in the finals.

Sam Bunn for Phoenix Media (31/05/2021)