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The 1988 NBL season was the tenth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 13 teams contested the league.
| 1988 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 12 February – 9 July 1988 (Regular Season) 14 – 24 July 1988 (Elimination/Semi-finals) 30 July – 7 August 1988 (Grand Finals) |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| TV partner(s) | Seven Network |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Adelaide 36ers |
| Season MVP | Joe Hurst (Hobart) |
| Top scorer | Andrew Gaze (Melbourne) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Canberra Cannons (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | North Melbourne Giants |
| Finals MVP | Phil Smyth (Canberra) |
Clubs
editFollowing the merger of the Sydney Supersonics and West Sydney Westars to form the Sydney Kings, the NBL had 13 clubs spread across all Australian states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory.
Regular season
editThe 1988 regular season took place over 21 rounds between 12 February 1988 and 9 July 1988.
Round 1
editRound 2
editRound 3
editRound 4
editRound 5
editRound 6
editRound 7
editRound 8
editRound 9
editRound 11
editRound 12
editRound 13
editRound 14
editRound 15
editRound 16
editRound 17
editRound 18
editRound 19
editRound 20
editRound 21
editLadder
editThis is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.
| Pos | 1988 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 24 | 19 | 5 | 79.17% | 4–1 | W2 | 11–1 | 8–4 | 2744 | 2400 | 114.33% |
| 2 | North Melbourne Giants1 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75.00% | 4–1 | W3 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 2903 | 2697 | 107.64% |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets1 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75.00% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 2603 | 2423 | 107.43% |
| 4 | Canberra Cannons | 24 | 16 | 8 | 66.67% | 5–0 | W7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 2691 | 2515 | 107.00% |
| 5 | Newcastle Falcons2 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 54.17% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 2850 | 2832 | 100.64% |
| 6 | Perth Wildcats2 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 54.17% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 2653 | 2573 | 103.11% |
| 7 | Illawarra Hawks3 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 45.83% | 1–4 | L2 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 2455 | 2410 | 101.87% |
| 8 | Eastside Spectres3 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 45.83% | 3–2 | W2 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 2495 | 2500 | 99.80% |
| 9 | Hobart Tassie Devils4 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 41.67% | 1–4 | L4 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 2298 | 2414 | 95.19% |
| 10 | Sydney Kings4 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 41.67% | 2–3 | L2 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 2460 | 2554 | 96.32% |
| 11 | Westside Saints | 24 | 9 | 15 | 37.50% | 1–4 | W1 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 2534 | 2589 | 97.88% |
| 12 | Melbourne Tigers | 24 | 8 | 16 | 33.33% | 2–3 | L1 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 2562 | 2681 | 95.56% |
| 13 | Geelong Supercats | 24 | 0 | 24 | 00.00% | 0–5 | L24 | 0–12 | 0–12 | 2298 | 2958 | 77.69% |
Updated to match(es) played on 9 July 1988. Source: NBL.com.au
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.
1Head-to-Head between North Melbourne Giants and Brisbane Bullets (1-1). North Melbourne Giants won For and Against (+9).
2Newcastle Falcons won Head-to-Head (2-0).
3Head-to-Head between Illawarra Hawks and Eastside Spectres (1-1). Illawarra Hawks won For and Against (+9).
4Head-to-Head between Hobart Tassie Devils and Sydney Kings (1-1). Hobart Tassie Devils won For and Against (+12).
Finals
editPlayoff bracket
edit| Elimination Finals | Semifinals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 91 | 95 | X | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Canberra Cannons | 107 | 4 | Canberra Cannons | 100 | 100 | X | |||||||||||
| 5 | Newcastle Falcons | 92 | 2 | North Melbourne Giants | 95 | 117 | 101 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Canberra Cannons | 120 | 101 | 108 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | North Melbourne Giants | 105 | 137 | 134 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 98 | 6 | Perth Wildcats | 108 | 113 | 111 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Perth Wildcats | 113 | ||||||||||||||||
Elimination Finals
editBoth matches were single game elimination contests. The team that qualified 3rd at the end of the regular season would host the team that finished 6th, with the team finishing 4th hosting the team placed 5th.[2] The teams that finished the regular season 1st and 2nd had a bye into the semi-final stage.
Semifinals
editEach were played as a best of 3-game series
Grand Final
edit1988 NBL statistics leaders
edit| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers | 36.9 |
| Rebounds per game | Dean Uthoff | Eastside Melbourne Spectres | 17.2 |
| Assists per game | Brendan Joyce | Westside Melbourne Saints | 7.9 |
| Steals per game | Jerry Dennard | Hobart Tassie Devils | 2.8 |
| Blocks per game | Willie Simmons | Canberra Cannons | 3.6 |
| Free throw percentage | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets | 85.6% |
NBL awards
edit- Most Valuable Player: Joe Hurst, Hobart Tassie Devils
- Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Phil Smyth, Canberra Cannons
- Rookie of the Year: Shane Heal, Brisbane Bullets
- Coach of the Year: Bruce Palmer, North Melbourne Giants
All NBL Team
edit| # | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Phil Smyth | Canberra Cannons |
| SG | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers |
| SF | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets |
| PF | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers |
| C | Tim Dillon | North Melbourne Giants |