1986 NBL season
 |
| 1986 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 25 April 1986 – 28 September 1986 1 – 4 October 1986 (Semi-Finals) 11 – 19 October 1986 (Grand Finals) |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, SAS-10, TV0, STW9 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Adelaide 36ers |
| Season MVP | Leroy Loggins |
| Top scorer | Andrew Gaze (922 - 36.9 ppg) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Adelaide 36ers |
| Runners-up | Brisbane Bullets |
| Finals MVP | Mark Davis |
The 1986 NBL season was the eighth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league.
Clubs
The NBL had 14 clubs spread across all Australian states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory.
Regular season
The home and away season took place over 21 rounds between 25 April 1986 and 28 September 1986 with semi-final on 1 October 1986 until 4 October 1986 and grand final on 11-19 October 1986.
The Adelaide 36ers had a near perfect regular season recording a 24-2 win/loss record which included an undefeated 13-0 home record at the Apollo Stadium, a feat not matched before or since in the NBL. Adelaide's only two losses of the year came away in Round 6 when they lost 89-87 to the West Sydney Westars in Sydney, and in Round 11 against the Coburg Giants in Melbourne when they went down 116-114. Both the Westars and Giants won the games on last second baskets.
Brisbane Bullets swingman Leroy Loggins was selected as the NBL's Most Valuable Player. Loggins averaged 29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 1986.
Ladder
| Pos | 1986 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 26 | 24 | 2 | 92.31% | 5–0 | W12 | 13–0 | 11–2 | 3016 | 2510 | 120.16% |
| 2 | Canberra Cannons | 26 | 19 | 7 | 73.11% | 4–1 | W1 | 11–2 | 8–5 | 2718 | 2520 | 107.86% |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 3–2 | W1 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 2650 | 2485 | 106.64% |
| 4 | West Sydney Westars1 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69% | 3–2 | W2 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 2519 | 2492 | 101.08% |
| 5 | Illawarra Hawks1 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69% | 3–2 | W2 | 10–3 | 5–8 | 2551 | 2472 | 103.20% |
| 6 | Sydney Supersonics2 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 53.85% | 3–2 | W2 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 2518 | 2438 | 103.28% |
| 7 | Geelong Cats2 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 53.85% | 2–3 | W1 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 2875 | 2889 | 99.52% |
| 8 | Coburg Giants2 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 53.85% | 2–3 | W2 | 9–4 | 5–8 | 2841 | 2825 | 100.57% |
| 9 | Nunawading Spectres | 26 | 12 | 14 | 46.15% | 4–1 | L1 | 8–5 | 4–9 | 2592 | 2642 | 98.11% |
| 10 | Newcastle Falcons | 26 | 10 | 16 | 38.46% | 1–4 | L4 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 2782 | 2878 | 96.66% |
| 11 | Hobart Devils | 26 | 9 | 17 | 34.62% | 2–3 | L1 | 7–6 | 2–11 | 2606 | 2704 | 96.38% |
| 12 | Perth Wildcats | 26 | 8 | 18 | 30.77% | 0–5 | L5 | 6–7 | 2–11 | 2458 | 2693 | 91.27% |
| 13 | Melbourne Tigers | 26 | 6 | 20 | 23.08% | 1–4 | L1 | 5–8 | 1–12 | 2822 | 3089 | 91.36% |
| 14 | St. Kilda Saints | 26 | 5 | 21 | 19.23% | 1–4 | L2 | 3–10 | 2–11 | 2742 | 3053 | 89.81% |
Updated to match(es) played on 28 September 1986. Source: NBL.com.au
Finals
There were two quarter finals, two semi-finals, and then best of three grand final. All of the Quarter and Semi-finals were sudden death. As the top two teams in the regular season the Adelaide 36ers and Canberra Cannons automatically qualified to host a home Semi-final.
Quarter-Finals
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October | Brisbane Bullets | 100-82 | Sydney Supersonics | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
| 1 October | West Sydney Westars | 86-105 | Illawarra Hawks | State Sports Centre |
Semi-Finals
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October | Canberra Cannons | 100-120 | Brisbane Bullets | AIS Arena |
| 4 October | Adelaide 36ers | 116-92 | Illawarra Hawks | Apollo Stadium |
Grand Final
After being a single game from 1979-1985, 1986 saw the establishment of the best of three Grand Final series. Game 1 in Brisbane saw a then NBL record attendance of over 11,000. The game went into overtime with the 36ers coming out on top with a 122-119 win. Game 2 saw Adelaide lose its only game at home for the season when the Bullets kept the series alive with a 104-83 win. Adelaide wrapped up its first NBL Championship with a 113-91 win in Game 3 at the Apollo Stadium.
Regular season MVP winner, Brisbane's Leroy Loggins, fouled out of both Games 1 and 3. Adelaide import Power forward Mark Davis was selected as the Grand Final MVP. Davis averaged 25.0 points, 19.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the series.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October | Brisbane Bullets | 119-122 (OT) | Adelaide 36ers | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
| 17 October | Adelaide 36ers | 83-104 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Stadium |
| 19 October | Adelaide 36ers | 113-91 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Stadium |
1986 NBL statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers | 36.9 |
| Rebounds per game | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers | 16.1 |
| Assists per game | Damian Keogh | West Sydney Westars | 8.0 |
| Steals per game | Steve Carfino | Hobart Devils | 3.4 |
| Blocks per game | Willie Simmons | Coburg Giants | 3.8 |
| Field goal percentage | Murray Sheils | Hobart Devils | 57.3% |
| Three-point percentage | Paul Stanley | Melbourne Tigers | 47.5% |
| Free throw percentage | Dane Suttle | Geelong Supercats | 89.3% |
NBL awards
- Most Valuable Player: Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
- Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers
- Rookie of the Year: Steve Lunardon, Nunawading Spectres
- Coach of the Year: Ken Cole, Adelaide 36ers
All NBL Team
| # | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Steve Carfino | Hobart Devils |
| SG | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers |
| SF | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets |
| PF | Jim Foster | Coburg Giants |
| C | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers |