1982 NBL Finals
| 1982 NBL Finals | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 16–18 July 1982 |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| NBL Finals | |
| Champions | West Adelaide Bearcats |
| Runners-up | Geelong Cats |
| Finals MVP | Not awarded |
The 1982 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 1982 season of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). The West Adelaide Bearcats defeated the Geelong Cats to win their only NBL championship.
Format
The 1982 National Basketball League Finals was played on 16 and 18 July 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 Newcastle Sport Entertainment Centre. .
Qualification
Qualified teams
| Team | Finals appearance |
Previous appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 3rd | 1981 | Runner up (1980) |
| Geelong Cats | 1st | - | 1st season in NBL |
| Nunawading Spectres | 3rd | 1981 | Runner up (1981) |
| Coburg Giants | 1st | - | 9th in 1980 |
Ladder
| Pos | 1982 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 26 | 21 | 5 | 80.77% | 4–1 | W2 | 12–1 | 9–4 | 2525 | 2177 | 115.99% |
| 2 | Geelong Cats | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76.92% | 3–2 | L2 | 11–2 | 9–4 | 2310 | 2183 | 105.82% |
| 3 | Nunawading Spectres | 26 | 19 | 7 | 73.08% | 3–2 | W1 | 13–0 | 6–7 | 2209 | 1993 | 110.84% |
| 4 | Coburg Giants | 26 | 18 | 8 | 69.23% | 3–2 | W3 | 11–2 | 7–6 | 2260 | 2067 | 109.34% |
| 5 | Newcastle Falcons1 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 5–0 | W5 | 11–2 | 6–7 | 2395 | 2258 | 106.07% |
| 6 | St. Kilda Saints1 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 4–1 | W4 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 2185 | 2090 | 104.55% |
| 7 | Adelaide City Eagles | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69% | 1–4 | W1 | 10–3 | 5–8 | 2457 | 2356 | 104.29% |
| 8 | Brisbane Bullets | 26 | 12 | 14 | 46.15% | 2–3 | W1 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 2059 | 2119 | 97.17% |
| 9 | Illawarra Hawks | 26 | 11 | 15 | 42.31% | 1–4 | L2 | 8–5 | 3–10 | 2382 | 2444 | 97.46% |
| 10 | Westate Wildcats | 26 | 10 | 16 | 38.46% | 1–4 | L1 | 7–6 | 3–10 | 2260 | 2431 | 92.97% |
| 11 | Canberra Cannons | 26 | 8 | 18 | 30.77% | 2–3 | W1 | 7–6 | 1–12 | 2132 | 2221 | 95.99% |
| 12 | Sydney Supersonics | 26 | 7 | 19 | 26.92% | 0–5 | L6 | 5–8 | 2–11 | 2022 | 2232 | 90.59% |
| 13 | Launceston Casino City | 26 | 5 | 21 | 19.23% | 3–2 | L1 | 4–9 | 1–12 | 2231 | 2483 | 89.85% |
| 14 | Bankstown Bruins | 26 | 2 | 24 | 07.69% | 1–4 | L2 | 2–11 | 0–13 | 1948 | 2321 | 83.93% |
Updated to match(es) played on 11 July 1982. Source: NBL.com.au
Bracket
Template:NBLPlayoffBracket1982
Semi-finals
(2) Geelong Cats vs (3) Nunawading Spectres
July 16
|
| Geelong Cats 71, Nunawading Spectres 59 | ||
| Pts: James Crawford 29 Rebs: James Crawford 13 Asts: Price, Miley, Saunders, Bruton 3 each |
Pts: Chuck Harmison 16 Rebs: Chuck Harmison 11 Asts: Joyce, Keogh 3 each | |
(1) West Adelaide Bearcats vs (4) Coburg Giants
July 16
|
| West Adelaide Bearcats 94, Coburg Giants 74 | ||
| Pts: Ken Richardson 25 Rebs: Brad Dalton 13 Asts: Ken Richardson 4 |
Pts: Benny Lewis 25 Rebs: Ray Borner 7 Asts: Rose, Borner, Riddle, Lewis 1 each | |
Grand Final
(1) West Adelaide Bearcats vs (2) Geelong Cats
July 18
|
| West Adelaide Bearcats 80, Geelong Cats 74 | ||
| Pts: Leroy Loggins 32 Rebs: Ken Richardson 11 Asts: Ken Richardson 3 |
Pts: James Crawford 21 Rebs: Craig Herbert 7 Asts: Cal Bruton 3 | |
| West Adelaide wins the NBL Championship | ||