1984 NBL season
The 1984 NBL season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League (NBL). With the Melbourne Tigers joining the competition, the league's number of teams increased to 17, with nine teams in the Eastern Division and eight teams in the Western Division. The regular season began on 3 February and ended on 17 June. The finals began on 22 June with the divisional finals before concluding on 1 July with the NBL Grand Final.
| 1984 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 3 February – 17 June (Regular season) 22 June – 1 July (Finals) |
| Number of games | 23 (Western Division) 24 (Eastern Division) |
| Number of teams | 17 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Brisbane Bullets (Eastern) Geelong Cats (Western) |
| Season MVP | Leroy Loggins (Brisbane) |
| Top scorer | Al Green (West Adelaide) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Canberra Cannons (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Brisbane Bullets |
Ladder
The home-and-away regular season took place over 17 rounds between 3 February and 17 June, with nine teams in the Eastern Division and eight teams in the Western Division. Each team would play the other teams in their division twice and the teams in the opposing division once. This meant that Western Division teams played 23 games and Eastern Division teams played 24.[1]
Eastern Division
| # | Team | Pld | Won | Lost | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | For | Against | % Pts | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane Bullets | 24 | 19 | 5 | 4-1 | W3 | 10-2 | 9-3 | 2,546 | 2,117 | 120.26% | 79.17% |
| 2 | Coburg Giants | 24 | 18 | 6 | 4-1 | W3 | 11-1 | 7-5 | 3,032 | 2,579 | 117.56% | 75.00% |
| 3 | Newcastle Falcons | 24 | 18 | 6 | 3-2 | W2 | 10-2 | 8-4 | 2,674 | 2,486 | 107.56% | 75.00% |
| 4 | Illawarra Hawks | 24 | 13 | 11 | 3-2 | W2 | 7-5 | 6-6 | 2,539 | 2,488 | 102.05% | 54.17% |
| 5 | Melbourne Tigers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 4-1 | W2 | 8-4 | 3-9 | 2,669 | 2,584 | 103.29% | 45.83% |
| 6 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 24 | 11 | 13 | 2-3 | L1 | 8-4 | 3-9 | 2,580 | 2,660 | 96.99% | 45.83% |
| 7 | Bankstown Bruins | 24 | 10 | 14 | 3-2 | W1 | 7-5 | 3-9 | 2,303 | 2,380 | 96.76% | 41.67% |
| 8 | Frankston Bears | 24 | 10 | 14 | 2-3 | W1 | 8-4 | 2-10 | 2,475 | 2,576 | 96.08% | 41.67% |
| 9 | Sydney Supersonics | 24 | 3 | 21 | 0-5 | L8 | 2-10 | 1-11 | 2,170 | 2,888 | 75.14% | 12.50% |
Western Division
| # | Team | Pld | Won | Lost | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | For | Against | % Pts | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong Cats | 23 | 21 | 2 | 4-1 | W1 | 10-1 | 11-1 | 2,735 | 2,236 | 122.32% | 91.30% |
| 2 | Canberra Cannons | 23 | 16 | 7 | 4-1 | W4 | 9-4 | 7-3 | 2,514 | 2,303 | 109.16% | 69.57% |
| 3 | Adelaide 36ers | 23 | 16 | 7 | 3-2 | L2 | 9-2 | 7-5 | 2,762 | 2,590 | 106.64% | 69.57% |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 23 | 14 | 9 | 2-3 | L3 | 5-6 | 9-3 | 2,410 | 2,279 | 105.75% | 60.87% |
| 5 | St. Kilda Saints | 23 | 9 | 14 | 2-3 | L1 | 5-6 | 4-8 | 2,315 | 2,446 | 94.64% | 39.13% |
| 6 | Hobart Devils | 23 | 4 | 19 | 0-5 | L6 | 1-11 | 3-8 | 2,340 | 2,689 | 87.02% | 17.39% |
| 7 | Devonport Warriors | 23 | 4 | 19 | 1-4 | W1 | 3-8 | 1-11 | 2,257 | 2,623 | 86.05% | 17.39% |
| 8 | Perth Wildcats | 23 | 3 | 20 | 2-3 | L2 | 3-9 | 0-11 | 2,176 | 2,573 | 84.57% | 13.04% |
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win-loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
Finals
The NBL finals series in 1984 consisted of the elimination-style divisional finals, two semi-final games, and one championship-deciding grand final.
Divisional elimination finals
The top four teams in each division competed in a 1v2/3v4 elimination finals fixture, with the loser of 1v2 playing the winner of 3v4 for a spot in the Semi Finals, while the winner of 1v2 qualified through to the Semi Finals as well.
Western
| Qualified for Semi Finals |
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 June | Canberra Cannons (#2) | 87–81 | Geelong Cats (#1) | AIS Arena |
| 22 June | Nunawading Spectres (#4) | 108–101 | Adelaide 36ers (#3) | The Glass House |
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 June | Geelong Cats (#1) | 115–91 | Nunawading Spectres (#4) | AIS Arena |
Eastern
| Qualified for Semi Finals |
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 June | Brisbane Bullets (#1) | 105–104 | Coburg Giants (#2) | The Glass House |
| 22 June | Newcastle Falcons (#3) | 108–101 | Illawarra Hawks (#4) | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre |
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 June | Newcastle Falcons (#3) | 109–132 | Coburg Giants (#2) | AIS Arena |
Bracket
| Semi Finals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Canberra Cannons | 108 | |||||||
| 2 | Coburg Giants | 107 | |||||||
| 2 | Canberra Cannons | 84 | |||||||
| 1 | Brisbane Bullets | 82 | |||||||
| 1 | Geelong Cats | 103 | |||||||
| 1 | Brisbane Bullets | 107 | |||||||
Semi Finals
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 June | Canberra Cannons | 108–107 | Coburg Giants | AIS Arena |
| 29 June | Geelong Cats | 103–107 | Brisbane Bullets | The Glass House |
Grand Final
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July | Brisbane Bullets | 82–84 | Canberra Cannons | The Glass House |
Awards
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Al Green | West Adelaide Bearcats | 829 pts / 21 games[2] |
| Rebounds per game | Dean Uthoff | Nunawading Spectres | 18.4 rpg / 20 games[2] |
| Steals | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets | 82 / 24 games[2] |
| Blocks | Dan Clausen | Adelaide 36ers | 76 / 23 games[2] |
| Field goal percentage | Donny Gipson | West Adelaide Bearcats | 63.8% (175/274)[2] |
| 3-point field goal percentage | Ray Wood | West Adelaide Bearcats | 45.1% (42/93)[2] |
| Free throw percentage | Ron Radliff | Brisbane Bullets | 91.1% (41/45)[2] |
Regular season
- Most Valuable Player: Leroy Loggins (Brisbane Bullets)
- Rookie of the Year: Andrew Gaze (Melbourne Tigers)
- Coach of the Year: Brian Kerle (Brisbane Bullets)
- All-NBL Team:
- Phil Smyth (Canberra Cannons)[3]
- Leroy Loggins (Brisbane Bullets)
- Dan Clausen (Adelaide 36ers)
- James Crawford (Geelong Cats)
- Cal Bruton (Geelong Cats)
References
- "BACK IN THE DAY: 1984". Basketball.net.au. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- "All Time Leaders". nbl.gearbox.performgroup.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- "All NBL First Team". andthefoul.net. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
External links
- "Back in the Day: Late Autumn 1984" at basketball.net.au