The 2024 NBL Championship Series has yet to play a single minute, but already projects as one that could be an all timer.
We've seen some unbelievable matchups over the years -- last season's Kings-Breakers series, for example, was objectively, unequivocally incredible -- but the stage that's been set going into the 2024 iteration makes for an appetising contest.
We have the No. 1 seeded Melbourne United: the big market team with a seasoned, championship-proven core that's sat atop the NBL ladder for the vast majority of the season. They'll face a Tasmania JackJumpers outfit that has been in existence for just three years, in their second Championship Series, led by their ever-passionate head coach and a style of play that operates with military-like precision.
In United and the JackJumpers, it's a matchup of the elite of the elite. Melbourne's Dean Vickerman and Tasmania's Scott Roth are the two best coaches in the league, with the two teams finishing top-two in both offence and defence.
Some of the NBL's best local talent will be on show -- both rosters were built with that in mind -- in a series that, put simply, will be an exhibition of the run-away two best teams in the league this season.
Game 1 tips off on Sunday, March 17 at 4pm (AEDT) but, before this Championship Series tips off, there are a heap of talking points to take in; from the key narratives, players primed to take over, and the tastiest matchups.
Melbourne vs. the world
There was a sentiment that immediately became obvious once this Championship Series matchup was decided: Melbourne United is the privileged, big market franchise going up against the new kids on the block; the team from Australia's island state, led by the optically-affable Roth, whose love and passion for Tasmania is palpable.
United fans will undoubtedly come out in force to support their team, who've been practically atop the NBL ladder from day one. The rest of the country have become JackJumpers fans overnight.
The 'defend the island' mantra Roth has coined is bordering on jingoism, but perfectly encapsulates the us-against-the-world mentality the JackJumpers play with; it's a sentiment that, ironically, is also the thing that's endeared them to the rest of the country.
"I don't buy into any of that stuff," Vickerman told ESPN, on how the outside world perceives the matchup.
"Scotty's gonna talk about defending his little island as much as he wants to.
"We're just gonna go about our business, stay locked in, and try to win a championship. I'm really happy for Mika Vukona, taking the job he took in the front office, and [Darren Smith] as well; they've got really good people in charge of that program, who've won before. But, I don't wanna let Mika get one too easy. It'll be a fight. I won't listen to too much of what Scott or anyone else has got to say. We'll just lock in on us."
But ... they're more alike than you think
The sentimental, David-vs-Goliath public perception piece of this series aside, the on-court product projects to provide a relatively even -- from a talent perspective -- affair.
"Melbourne United is... a little bit more similar to us," JackJumpers assistant coach, Mark Radford, said. "It's like playing ourselves a little bit."
That analysis is spot on. There's a ball and player movement both teams play with that's more reminiscent of European teams, while each brings a similar physicality to the league. Both teams have athletic pieces, but the way they operate relies on the ability to play with a physical presence and really bang. It's why how the game is officiated will be significant; there have been inconsistencies with officiating over the course of the NBL season, so the hope is that there's an element of letting both teams play through some contact.
These are also a pair of teams that are quite local-heavy. The foundation of each roster was a focus on nailing the Australian and Kiwi talent -- both stars and role players -- with less reliance on imports. Of course, Tasmania's Milton Doyle and Melbourne's Ian Clark are very important pieces on their respective teams, but this Championship Series will likely be decided by which high-level local core steps up.
United's local-forward roster build was more deliberate, with Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, Jo Lual Acuil Jr., Luke Travers, and Shea Ili making up the bulk of their core. For the JackJumpers, Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay took important developmental steps to lead Scott Roth's local core, while Sean Macdonald is one of the league's best emerging local players.
"Both of our clubs are trying to find high level talent, but also finding high level role players," Vickerman said of the comparison between the two teams.
"I think there's a commitment to the physicality and how hard you play, and that's not always about talent. That's about people that have great desire, and there's a great mix of those types of people that we both believe help you win basketball games."
Stopping 'dominant' Doyle
The JackJumpers are a well-oiled machine; the league's No. 1 offence, with production from a series of players across the floor. Still, the bulk of United's attention will be devoted to Doyle, Tasmania's star import who lifted his game -- and, in turn, his team -- to a whole new level to close out the semifinals series against the Wildcats.
Doyle was unstoppable at times. A lot of the JackJumpers' actions end with Doyle coming off a middle on-ball, and the American wing sliced up the Wildcats' porous drops defence. For the most part, the big would drop too low, allowing Doyle to get to his floater or midrange game; the threat of Magnay or Lee on the lob kept that opposing centre from getting an effective hand up on the shot. Get up too high and Doyle can get by you, or use his elite vision to find his bigs. He's one of, if not the toughest player in the league to guard with the ball in his hands, and is front of mind for United.
"He was pretty dominant in that semifinals series," Vickerman said.
"As we saw with the Hawks, different times these elite players, limiting their catches becomes really important because they are so talented when they've got the basketball.
"I think his decisions once he crosses the three-point line are pretty elite. He has his midrange, floater game; he has his lob and pocket passes to his bigs. Outside the three-point line, he's more than capable of creating his own shots."
Doyle averaged 20.0 points and 5.7 assists per game over the course of the JackJumpers' three semifinals contests, carrying the perimeter load in the absence of significant production from fellow import, Jordon Crawford.
In United, though, Doyle will see the team that's perhaps the most equipped to guard effectively on the perimeter. He'll likely get a heavy dose of Ili and Dellavedova, both of whom excel guarding the point of attack, as well as denying players off the ball.
"Where do you live with him?" Vickerman pondered about the prospect of guarding Doyle.
"What are you willing to accept if he continues to make? What are you trying to drive him into? That's where we've started our message."
Jack McVeigh and Milton Doyle star for the JackJumpers as Tasmania defeat Perth on the road and advance to the Championship Series
Playoff Delly
Speaking of dominant, that's exactly what Matthew Dellavedova has been in these playoffs thus far.
Over the regular season, Dellavedova largely played within himself, attacking when needed and leaning into being a distributor. He was, primarily, a cog in United's system. Now that we're at the pointy end of this campaign, he is, for good portions of the game, the whole damn system.
Dellavedova averaged 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds a game over the regular season but, over three playoff games so far, he's up to 20.3 points and 7.6 assists a contest. It's a tiny sample size but, still, the intent seems clear. He's gone from 10.2 field goal attempts a game, to 15 a game; a monumental jump, in part due to the Hawks allowing him some space to operate, but also due to a general uptick in assertiveness.
"[It's] not only the assertiveness for himself, but he really challenged guys to attack areas of weakness we saw as well," Vickerman said.
"I thought he started that mission today, about how we're gonna attack different guys on their team. They're a really solid defensive team, but everyone's got weaknesses that get magnified in a finals series. Delly's got his thinking hat on with how he attacks that.
"The shots he took were great shots, all throughout the series. He made them in the first game, didn't quite make them as well as he'd like to in the other two games, but, when he's putting his feet in the paint, using his physicality, drawing attention, it's a real positive for our offence."
Dellavedova and Ili share a backcourt that will likely enter this series with a clear physicality advantage, and the NBA Championship winning guard hasn't been shy about putting his head down and getting on the rim, so how they enter Game 1 could dictate what the tone of the series is going to be. That pair being slotted next to Goulding -- one of the best shooters and shot-makers in NBL history, who, despite his production taking a slight dip of late, is still in the midst of one of his most effective and efficient seasons -- is a scary proposition for whomever they're facing.
The Chancey effect
One of the most intriguing things to watch going into this Championship Series is the role Jacob Chance is primed to play in the proceedings.
Chance was an Associate Head Coach under Roth in Tasmania for the franchise's first few seasons, before moving to United as an assistant coach under Vickerman ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. In the JackJumpers, we have a team that's enviably organised and well-drilled, with countless offensive sets and actions, up against a team whose assistant has first-hand knowledge and practice within that system.
At United's practice on Friday, Chance's deep knowledge of the JackJumpers' concepts was on show, walking the team through sets, while pointing out every wrinkle and counter within them. The NBL is a well-scouted league at the best of times, but, it was clear, in the way Chance was talking through Tasmania's actions, that this took that sentiment to a whole new level.
"The part I spoke to him about is: he can't give all of his knowledge to the team, because he's so in-depth with everything that happened with that program over the last couple of years," Vickerman told ESPN, on Chance's role in preparing for the JackJumpers.
"How good can his filter be, to make sure he gives them what they need, so they're not overthinking anything? That's the challenge of any coach: getting big data and pulling it into a concise package. Tasmania has a lot of stuff. There's 25 different actions and different things. I thought Chancey did a really good job of not having everybody think they've got to understand 25 sets, but these are the actions and this is how we're going to defend in different areas. I thought there was a simplicity to what he brought to scout today, which was great."
While different levels of expertise lie in a multitude of areas within the United franchise, things have been largely collaborative throughout the season. Oftentimes, Vickerman is a bystander during practices, with autonomy given to his assistants and players when it comes to preparing for opponents.
"Our video session this morning had a lot of voices in it" Vickerman said.
"That's what we've always asked. Our guys have been good at challenging stuff. Our bigs, when do we pressure? When do we step off? There was great discussion about it. Our guards, how connected are we and how much do we switch? There were really good discussions about that. All those leaders chipped in today."
Jack McVeigh vs Luke Travers
This series will see two of Australia's most talented forwards go head to head.
It's a matchup that may seem understated as we enter the series, but has the potential to be the deciding factor in who walks away with the title.
McVeigh has been a revelation over the course of the season, emerging as one of the league's most effective offensive players, averaging 16.7 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. That scoring number rose to 22.0 points a game over the semifinals, to the point where the 27-year-old enters this series with a legitimate shot at walking away as the Championship Series MVP.
"He's a special player," Radford said of McVeigh.
"When you actually see him at practice, he's doing different things every day. He's always working on his craft. He's a special player; he's very connected to the group [and] has great leadership skills. The other night doesn't surprise us; it might surprise some people. Jack McVeigh doesn't surprise us... ever."
He'll go head to head with Travers, who flies under the radar due to the talent across United's roster, but is maybe their most important player. The versatile, two-way forward has star-level talent, but thrives as United's connector, filling whatever role that needs filling on any given night. He'll be the go-to matchup for McVeigh, can rebound and push the ball to start the break, and lifted his intent to get his head on the rim as the season's progressed.
"LT really established himself... to a point where we're calling iso plays out of timeouts or him to go ahead and attack," Vickerman said of Travers' growth.
"That's a really big step forward, and how he finished those plays as well. You get to that, we're running plays for you, now you're finishing them; let's run a few more. I thought it was a massive step up in that area."
Travers had 15 points and 11 rebounds in United's Game 3 win over the Hawks, expanding his offensive repertoire, but it's what he does on the other end that could be series-defining for his team. Travers was tasked with guarding Gary Clark over the course of United's semifinals series and, while the Hawks' star import still managed his impressive production, it came with a heap of pressure.
Vickerman will look to Travers to stifle McVeigh -- someone with a relatively similar skillset to Clark -- in a similar fashion.
"He's always been a potent offensive threat," Vickerman said of McVeigh.
"Now, he's been able to use the energy he's always had and put it into how he plays within his system... He's averaging 25 points a game over this period. Gary Clark is a good test for us in a very similar position, similar skillset, they've got great post games, they shoot the three really well, they have extra moves off the bounce and can do all of those types of things.
"Hopefully that's prepared us for what he's gonna bring to the game."
Travers will enter the matchup with the physical advantage, but McVeigh is developing into a scoring savant at the NBL level so he can hurt United at all three levels. Those two going at each other has the potential to be an all time matchup.
Battle of the bigs
Both teams have talent across the board, but their respective bigs often act as their barometer over the course of a game.
The JackJumpers, for example, look almost unbeatable when Magnay is playing with his peak level of aggression and physicality. The same can be said for United, when Acuil Jr. is in the sort of rhythm that makes his unique, inside-out skillset so hard to guard.
United's centre combo of Acuil Jr. and Ariel Hukporti had some struggles with the physicality of Sam Froling over their series against the Hawks, and Magnay is a whole different beast in that area. How that pair is able to contain Magnay -- making contact early, and limiting his ability to make catches on rolls -- as well as Marcus Lee, will play a significant role in setting the tone in this series.
"We don't talk too much about positioning or personnel," Acuil Jr. said of the upcoming matchup.
"If you watch our defence, a lot of the onus is on the fives to help. We just try to do our job as best as we can. We don't get too caught up in matchups... it's just about us winning the game and not so much the matchups."
Magnay has shown that he can take over a game with his imposition on both ends of the floor, so there'll be a focus on containing that part of the Australian big-man's skillset.
"They're a little bit unique in that both of those guys are so successful above the rim, whereas Sam [Froling] is more about the post, and staying a little bit more in attack mode, using his physicality," Vickerman said of Magnay and Lee.
"There's some physicality with Magnay and his post game a little bit, but I think both of those two's games are a little more reliant on the guard play and how well they screen and how they move out of screens. I rate Ari and Jo as two very good pick-and-roll players who have the ability to guard... and how efficient they are in this series, in that coverage, is gonna be important."
There's confidence that United's pair of five-men -- and particularly Hukporti -- can challenge Magnay from a physicality standpoint.
The flip side of the matchup is how the JackJumpers contain the mobility and versatile skillset of Acuil Jr. The Sudanese-Australian centre has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor to create for himself, as well as stepping out and hitting from beyond the arc. Will Magnay be forced to guard out in space, which would take away his elite rim protection? There's a chance United tries to force the issue in that area, which could act as a real tone-setter early in the series.