1987 NBL season
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2014) |
| 1987 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 24 April 1987 – 27 September 1987 30 September 1987 – 4 October 1987 (Semi-Finals) 10 – 16 October 1987 (Grand Finals) |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ATN7, BTQ7, STW9, SAS10 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Adelaide 36ers |
| Season MVP | Mark Davis (Adelaide) Leroy Loggins (Brisbane) |
| Top scorer | Paul Stanley (Hobart) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Brisbane Bullets (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Perth Wildcats |
| Finals MVP | Leroy Loggins (Brisbane) |
The 1987 NBL season was the ninth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league. Three of the Melbourne based clubs rebranded themselves in the off season, with the Nundawading Spectres renaming themselves Eastside Melbourne, Coburg Giants became North Melbourne Giants and the St. Kilda Saints became Westside Saints.[1]
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 23 rounds between 24 April 1987 and 27 September 1987 with semi-final on 30 September 1987 until 4 October 1987 and grand final on 10–16 October 1987.
Ladder
| Pos | 1987 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 26 | 21 | 5 | 80.77% | 4–1 | W2 | 11–2 | 10–3 | 3046 | 2677 | 113.78% |
| 2 | Brisbane Bullets1 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76.92% | 5–0 | W9 | 13–0 | 7–6 | 2711 | 2497 | 108.57% |
| 3 | Illawarra Hawks1 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76.92% | 4–1 | W4 | 13–0 | 7–6 | 2680 | 2528 | 106.01% |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 26 | 19 | 7 | 73.08% | 4–1 | W4 | 11–2 | 8–5 | 3005 | 2756 | 109.03% |
| 5 | Canberra Cannons | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 3–2 | W1 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 2848 | 2770 | 102.82% |
| 6 | North Melbourne Giants | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69% | 2–3 | W1 | 10–3 | 5–8 | 3060 | 2807 | 109.01% |
| 7 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 26 | 14 | 12 | 53.85% | 2–3 | L3 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 2599 | 2568 | 101.21% |
| 8 | Eastside Spectres2 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 50.00% | 2–3 | L1 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 2607 | 2596 | 100.42% |
| 9 | Geelong Cats2 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 50.00% | 3–2 | L2 | 10–3 | 3–10 | 2644 | 2707 | 97.67% |
| 10 | Sydney Supersonics | 26 | 9 | 17 | 34.62% | 2–3 | W1 | 5–8 | 4–9 | 2744 | 2861 | 95.91% |
| 11 | West Sydney Westars | 26 | 8 | 18 | 30.77% | 2–3 | L2 | 4–9 | 4–9 | 2564 | 2695 | 95.14% |
| 12 | Newcastle Falcons | 26 | 6 | 20 | 23.08% | 3–2 | W1 | 4–9 | 2–11 | 2948 | 3176 | 92.82% |
| 13 | Westside Saints | 26 | 4 | 22 | 15.38% | 0–5 | L6 | 3–10 | 1–12 | 2673 | 2980 | 89.70% |
| 14 | Melbourne Tigers | 26 | 3 | 23 | 11.54% | 1–4 | W1 | 3–10 | 0–13 | 2635 | 3146 | 83.76% |
Updated to match(es) played on 20 September 1987. 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.
Finals
Elimination-Finals
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September | Illawarra Hawks | 105-97 | North Melbourne Giants | Illawarra Basketball Stadium |
| 27 September | Perth Wildcats | 101-96 | Canberra Cannons | Perth Superdrome |
Semi-Finals
There were four semi-finals, and then best of three grand final. All three of these finals were sudden death.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September | Illawarra Hawks | 87-109 | Brisbane Bullets | Illawarra Basketball Stadium |
| 30 September | Perth Wildcats | 98-99 | Adelaide 36ers | Perth Superdrome |
| 2 October | Adelaide 36ers | 99-101 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Stadium |
| 2 October | Brisbane Bullets | 77-78 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
| 4 October | Adelaide 36ers | 93-120 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Stadium |
| 4 October | Brisbane Bullets | 100-82 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
Grand Final
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 October | Perth Wildcats | 79-80 | Brisbane Bullets | Perth Superdrome |
| 16 October | Brisbane Bullets | 106-87 | Perth Wildcats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
1987 NBL statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Paul Stanley[3] | Hobart Devils | 920 pts |
| Rebounds per game | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers | 17.1 |
| Assists per game | Gordie McLeod | Illawarra Hawks | 8.5 |
| Steals per game | Steve Carfino | Hobart Devils | 88 stls |
| Blocks per game | Willie Simmons | North Melbourne Giants | 114 blks |
| Field goal percentage | James Crawford | Perth Wildcats | 62.6% |
| Three-point percentage | Alan Black | Perth Wildcats | 53.8% |
| Free throw percentage | Scott Fenton | Sydney Supersonics | 92.5% |
NBL awards
- Most Valuable Player: Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers & Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
- Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
- Rookie of the Year: Greg Hubbard, Illawarra Hawks
- Coach of the Year: David Lindstrom, Illawarra Hawks
All NBL Team
| # | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Steve Carfino | Hobart Devils |
| SG | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers |
| SF | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets |
| PF | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers |
| C | James Crawford | Perth Wildcats |
References
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V8hogqYGyg&t=270s
- ^ http://supercats.com.au/about-us/history/honour-boards/
- ^ "All Time Leaders". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017.