The 2020 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 2019–20 NBL season and the conclusion of the season. The semi-finals started on 28 February and finished on 5 March 2020, with the following Grand Final starting on 8 March and being cancelled on 15 March 2020.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  Australia New Zealand |
| Dates | 28 February – 15 March 2020 |
| Season | 2019–20 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Defending champions | Perth Wildcats |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Perth Wildcats (10th title) |
| Runner-up | Sydney Kings |
| Semifinalists |
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 9 |
| Attendance | 66,000 (7,333 per match) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Bryce Cotton |
| MVP | Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats) |
← 2019
2021 →
| |
The Grand Final series was due to finish by 22 March 2020, however the COVID-19 pandemic forced the series to finish on 15 March 2020. The Perth Wildcats were leading 2–1 over the Sydney Kings in the best-of-five series when the remaining games were cancelled, which led the NBL to award Perth the title.[1]
The finals was played in February and March 2020 between the top four teams of the regular season, consisting of two best-of-three semi-final and one best-of-five final series, where the higher seed hosts the first, third and fifth games.[2]
Prior to Game 2 of the Grand Final, the NBL announced that the remainder of the Grand Final series would be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only players, essential personnel and friends and family would be permitted to attend the remaining games. In the event of a player being diagnosed with COVID-19, the Grand Final series would be immediately suspended.[3]
Following Game 3, the Sydney Kings informed the NBL that they did not wish to proceed with the remaining two games.[4] Subsequently, the NBL decided to cancel Games 4 and 5. With the Perth Wildcats leading the series 2–1,[5] the NBL announced that the Wildcats were declared the champions.[6]
| Team | Date of qualification |
Round of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Previous appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Kings | 24 January 2020 | 17 | 15th | 2019 | Champions (2003, 2004, 2005) |
| Perth Wildcats | 1 February 2020 | 18 | 34th | 2019 | Champions (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019) |
| Cairns Taipans | 8 February 2020 | 19 | 8th | 2017 | Runners-up (2011, 2015) |
| Melbourne United | 16 February 2020 | 20 | 25th | 2019 | Champions (1993, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2018) |
| Pos | 2019–20 NBL season
| |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Sydney Kings | 28 | 20 | 8 | 71.43% | 4–1 | W2 | 12–2 | 8–6 | 2642 | 2472 | 106.88% |
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 19 | 9 | 67.86% | 4–1 | W3 | 11–3 | 8–6 | 2529 | 2409 | 104.98% |
| 3 | Cairns Taipans | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57.14% | 3–2 | L2 | 11–3 | 5–9 | 2587 | 2547 | 101.57% |
| 4 | Melbourne United | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 4–1 | W3 | 9–5 | 6–8 | 2638 | 2560 | 103.05% |
| 5 | Brisbane Bullets | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 3–2 | W1 | 10–4 | 5–9 | 2607 | 2557 | 101.96% |
| 6 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 4–1 | W4 | 9–5 | 6–8 | 2514 | 2468 | 101.86% |
| 7 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 12 | 16 | 42.86% | 1–4 | L2 | 8–6 | 4–10 | 2654 | 2768 | 95.88% |
| 8 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 28 | 9 | 19 | 32.14% | 0–5 | L8 | 6–8 | 3–11 | 2671 | 2761 | 96.74% |
| 9 | Illawarra Hawks | 28 | 5 | 23 | 17.86% | 0–5 | L10 | 3–11 | 2–12 | 2354 | 2654 | 88.70% |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 February 2020. Source: NBL.com.au
| 2019–20 NBL season
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Adelaide 36ers | – | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Cairns Taipans | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Melbourne United | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| New Zealand Breakers | – | – | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Perth Wildcats | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Sydney Kings | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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 overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.
| Semifinals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney Kings | 86 | 80 | 89 | |||||||||
| 4 | Melbourne United | 80 | 125 | 87 | |||||||||
| 1 | Sydney Kings | 86 | 97 | 96 | |||||||||
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 88 | 85 | 111 | |||||||||
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 108 | 74 | 93 | |||||||||
| 3 | Cairns Taipans | 107 | 85 | 82 | |||||||||
| 28 February 2020 | Perth Wildcats | 108–1070(OT) (Series: Perth leads series, 1–0) |
Cairns Taipans | RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:30 | Scoring by quarter: 29–20, 16–34, 23–17, 25–22, Overtime: 15–14 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Cotton42 Rebs: Kay9 Asts: Cotton, Kay6 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Machado32 Rebs: Oliver18 Asts: Machado9 |
Attendance: 10,858 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes |
|
| 1 March 2020 | Cairns Taipans | 85–74 (Series: Series tied 1–1) |
Perth Wildcats | Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00 | Scoring by quarter: 30–16, 17–15, 16–22, 22–21 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Oliver22 Rebs: Oliver19 Asts: Machado4 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Steindl18 Rebs: Kay10 Asts: Kay4 |
Attendance: 5,188 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes |
|
| 5 March 2020 | Perth Wildcats | 93–82 (Series: Perth wins series, 2–1) |
Cairns Taipans | RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:30 | Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 27–20, 24–22, 17–16 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: White26 Rebs: Kay12 Asts: Cotton8 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Oliver20 Rebs: Oliver8 Asts: Machado6 |
Attendance: 10,215 Referees: Michael Aylen, Damien Lyons, Nico Fernandes |
|
Cairns won 2–1 in the regular season series:
| 18 October 2019 | Perth Wildcats | 76–99 | Cairns Taipans | RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 November 2019 | Cairns Taipans | 91–84 | Perth Wildcats | Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 December 2019 | Cairns Taipans | 84–88 | Perth Wildcats | Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 February 2020 | Sydney Kings | 86–80 (Series: Sydney leads series, 1–0) |
Melbourne United | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:30 | Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 21–23, 23–26, 26–11 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Tate23 Rebs: Bogut10 Asts: Ware5 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Trimble34 Rebs: Long11 Asts: Trimble5 |
Attendance: 13,103 Referees: Michael Aylen, Damien Lyons, James Boyer |
|
| 2 March 2020 | Melbourne United | 125–80 (Series: Series tied 1–1) |
Sydney Kings | Melbourne Arena, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:30 | Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 32–7, 45–24, 22–25 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Long26 Rebs: Long11 Asts: McCarron5 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Tate18 Rebs: Cooks7 Asts: Louzada2 |
Attendance: 6,914 Referees: Michael Aylen, Vaughan Mayberry, James Boyer |
|
| 5 March 2020 | Sydney Kings | 89–87 (Series: Sydney wins series, 2–1) |
Melbourne United | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:30 | Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 20–28, 23–18, 21–19 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Tate20 Rebs: Cooks9 Asts: Lisch4 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Goulding19 Rebs: Long9 Asts: Ili5 |
Attendance: 8,075 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, James Boyer |
|
Sydney won 3–1 in the regular season series:
| 4 November 2019 | Melbourne United | 107–104 | Sydney Kings | Melbourne Arena, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December 2019 | Sydney Kings | 111–101 | Melbourne United | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 December 2019 | Melbourne United | 81–104 | Sydney Kings | Melbourne Arena, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 January 2020 | Sydney Kings | 106–88 | Melbourne United | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 March 2020 | Sydney Kings | 86–88 (Series: Perth leads series, 1–0) |
Perth Wildcats | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00pm | Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 23–28, 24–16, 13–20 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Bogut18 Rebs: Bogut, Cooks11 Asts: Ware4 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Cotton32 Rebs: Plumlee7 Asts: Cotton, Norton4 |
Attendance: 11,647 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, James Boyer |
|
| 13 March 2020 | Perth Wildcats | 83–97 (Series: Series tied 1–1) |
Sydney Kings | RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30pm | Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 24–26, 22–19, 12–21 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Cotton27 Rebs: Plumlee8 Asts: Cotton, Norton3 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Tate20 Rebs: Bogut13 Asts: Newley5 |
Attendance: closed event Referees: Michael Aylen, Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid |
|
| 15 March 2020 | Sydney Kings | 96–111 (Series: Perth leads series, 2–1) |
Perth Wildcats | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00pm | Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 28–27, 24–28, 26–27 | ||||
| ESPN SBS Viceland |
Pts: Tate20 Rebs: Cooks9 Asts: Bogut, Bruce3 |
boxscore broadcast report |
Pts: Cotton31 Rebs: Kay12 Asts: Cotton7 |
Attendance: closed event Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Chris Reid |
|
Games 4 and 5 were cancelled and the Perth Wildcats declared champions after the Sydney Kings indicated they did not wish to proceed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]