1980 NBL Finals
| 1980 NBL Finals | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 14–15 June 1980 |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| NBL Finals | |
| Champions | St. Kilda Saints |
| Runners-up | West Adelaide Bearcats |
| Finals MVP | Rocky Smith |
The 1980 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 1980 season of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). The St. Kilda Saints defeated the West Adelaide Bearcats to win their second straight NBL championship.
Format
The 1980 National Basketball League Finals was played on 14 and 15 June between the top four teams of the regular season, consisting of two knockout Semi-finals followed by the Grand Final. All Finals games were played at the Dowling Street Stadium in Launceston in Tasmania. .
Qualification
Qualified teams
| Team | Finals appearance |
Previous appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Kilda Saints | 2nd | 1979 | Champions (1979) |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 1st | - | 4th in 1980 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 1st | - | 5th in 1980 |
| Nunawading Spectres | 1st | - | 3rd in 1979 |
Ladder
| Pos | 1980 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints1 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | L1 | 9–2 | 8–3 | 2109 | 1886 | 111.82% |
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats1 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | W3 | 10–1 | 7–4 | 1941 | 1773 | 109.48% |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 22 | 15 | 7 | 68.18% | 5–0 | W5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 1928 | 1780 | 108.31% |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 22 | 14 | 8 | 63.64% | 2–3 | W2 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 1660 | 1580 | 105.06% |
| 5 | Illawarra Hawks2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 2–3 | L3 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 1798 | 1790 | 100.45% |
| 6 | Newcastle Falcons2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 5–0 | W5 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 1828 | 1794 | 101.90% |
| 7 | Canberra Cannons | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50.00% | 0–5 | L5 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 1661 | 1631 | 101.84% |
| 8 | Launceston Casino City | 22 | 9 | 13 | 40.91% | 3–2 | W1 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 1863 | 1889 | 98.62% |
| 9 | Coburg Giants3 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1-4 | L2 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1727 | 1740 | 99.25% |
| 10 | City of Sydney Astronauts3 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1–4 | W1 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1717 | 1908 | 89.99% |
| 11 | West Torrens Eagles | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27.27% | 1–4 | L2 | 6–5 | 0–11 | 1707 | 1940 | 87.99% |
| 12 | Bankstown Bruins | 22 | 3 | 19 | 13.64% | 0–5 | L13 | 2–9 | 1–10 | 1721 | 1949 | 88.30% |
Updated to match(es) played on 8 June 1980. Source: NBL.com.au
Bracket
Template:NBLPlayoffBracket1980
Semi-finals
(1) St. Kilda Saints vs (4) Nunawading Spectres
June 14
|
| St. Kilda Saints 100, Nunawading Spectres 77 | ||
| Pts: Rocky Smith 32 Rebs: NA Asts: NA |
Pts: Gary Fox 21 Rebs: NA Asts: NA | |
(3) Brisbane Bullets vs (2) West Adelaide Bearcats
June 14
|
| Brisbane Bullets 94, West Adelaide Bearcats 101 | ||
| Pts: Michael Haddow 33 Rebs: NA Asts: NA |
Pts: Rick Hodges 31 Rebs: NA Asts: NA | |
Grand Final
(2) West Adelaide Bearcats vs (1) St. Kilda Saints
June 15
|
| West Adelaide Bearcats 88, St. Kilda Saints 113 | ||
| Pts: Rick Hodges 27 Rebs: NA Asts: NA |
Pts: Rocky Smith 26 Rebs: NA Asts: NA | |
| St. Kilda wins the NBL Championship Grand Final MVP: Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) | ||