1988 NBL season

The 1988 NBL season was the tenth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 13 teams contested the league.

1988 NBL season
LeagueNational Basketball League
SportBasketball
Duration12 February 1988 – 9 July 1988 (Regular Season)
14 – 24 July 1988 (Elimination/Semi-Finals)
30 July – 7 August 1988 (Grand Finals)
Number of teams13
TV partner(s)Seven Network
Regular season
Top seedAdelaide 36ers
Season MVPJoe Hurst
Top scorerAndrew Gaze
Finals
ChampionsCanberra Cannons
  Runners-upNorth Melbourne Giants
Finals MVPPhil Smyth

Clubs

Following the merger of the Sydney Supersonics and West Sydney Westars to form the Sydney Kings, the NBL had 13 clubs spread across all Australian states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory.

Club Location Home Venue Capacity Founded Head coach
Adelaide 36ers Adelaide, South Australia Apollo Stadium 3,000 1982 Gary Fox
Brisbane Bullets Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane Entertainment Centre 13,500 1979 Brian Kerle
Canberra Cannons Canberra, Australian Capital Territory AIS Arena 5,200 1979 Bob Turner
Eastside Melbourne Spectres Melbourne, Victoria Burwood Stadium 2,000 1979 Brian Goorjian
Geelong Supercats Geelong, Victoria Geelong Arena 2,000 1982 Pete Mathieson [1]
Hobart Tassie Devils Hobart, Tasmania Kingborough Sports Centre 1,800 1983
Illawarra Hawks Wollongong, New South Wales Illawarra Basketball Stadium 2,000 1979 Dave Lindstrom
Melbourne Tigers Melbourne, Victoria The Glass House 7,200 1931 Lindsay Gaze
Newcastle Falcons Newcastle, New South Wales Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium 2,200 1979 Ken Cole
North Melbourne Giants Melbourne, Victoria The Glass House 7,200 1980 Bruce Palmer
Perth Wildcats Perth, Western Australia Perth Superdome 4,500 1982 Cal Bruton
Sydney Kings Sydney, New South Wales State Sports Centre 5,006 1988 Claude Williams
Westside Melbourne Saints Melbourne, Victoria Keilor Stadium 2,000 1979

Regular season

The home and away season took place over 22 rounds between 12 February 1988 and 9 July 1988 with Elimination finals taking place on the 14th and 16 July, the Semi Finals taking place between 19 July 1988 and 24 July 1988 and the grand final series on 30 July until 7 August 1988.

Ladder
Team Pld Won Lost Last 5 Streak Home Away % Pts % Won
1 Adelaide 36ers 26 19 7 2-3 L2 11-2 8-5 112 73
2 Brisbane Bullets 25 18 7 3-2 L1 9-4 9-3 106 72
3 Canberra Cannons 26 18 8 4-1 W1 12-3 9-6 107 70
4 North Melbourne Giants 25 18 7 3-2 L1 12-4 9-5 106 70
5 Perth Wildcats 28 15 13 3-2 L2 10-3 5-10 101 53
6 Newcastle Falcons 25 13 12 3-2 L2 8-4 5-8 100 52
7 Illawarra Hawks 24 11 13 1-4 L2 6-6 5-7 101 45
8 Eastside Melbourne Spectres 24 11 13 3-2 W2 7-5 4-8 99 45
9 Sydney Kings 24 10 14 2-3 L2 7-5 3-9 96 41
10 Hobart Tassie Devils 24 10 14 1-4 L4 7-5 3-9 95 41
11 Westside Melbourne Saints 24 9 15 1-4 W1 6-6 3-9 97 37
12 Melbourne Tigers 24 8 16 2-3 L1 4-8 4-8 95 33
13 Geelong Supercats 24 0 24 0-5 L24 0-12 0-12 77 0

Finals
Main article: 1988 NBL Finals

Elimination Finals

Both matches were single game elimination contests. The team that qualified 3rd at the end of the regular season would host the team that finished 6th, with the team finishing 4th hosting the team placed 5th.[2] The teams that finished the regular season 1st and 2nd had a bye into the semi final stage.

Date Home Team Score Away Team Venue
14 JulyCanberra Cannons102-92Newcastle FalconsThe Palace, Canberra
16 JulyBrisbane Bullets98-113Perth WildcatsBoondall

Semi-Finals

Each were played as a best of 3 game series

Date Home Team Score Away Team Venue
19 JulyCanberra Cannons100-91Adelaide 36ersThe Palace
20 JulyPerth Wildcats108-105North Melbourne GiantsPerth Superdrome
22 JulyAdelaide 36ers95-100Canberra CannonsApollo Stadium
22 JulyNorth Melbourne Giants137-113Perth WildcatsThe Glass House
24 JulyNorth Melbourne Giants134-111Perth WildcatsThe Glass House

Grand Final
Date Home Team Score Away Team Venue
30 JulyCanberra Cannons120-95North Melbourne GiantsThe Palace
5 AugustNorth Melbourne Giants117-101Canberra CannonsThe Glass House
7 AugustNorth Melbourne Giants101-108Canberra CannonsThe Glass House

1988 NBL statistics leaders
CategoryPlayerTeamStat
Points per gameAndrew GazeMelbourne Tigers36.9
Rebounds per gameDean UthoffEastside Melbourne Spectres17.2
Assists per gameBrendan JoyceWestside Melbourne Saints7.9
Steals per gameJerry DennardHobart Tassie Devils2.8
Blocks per gameWillie SimmonsCanberra Cannons3.6
Free throw percentageLeroy LogginsBrisbane Bullets85.6%

NBL awards

All NBL Team
# Player Team
PGPhil SmythCanberra Cannons
SGAndrew GazeMelbourne Tigers
SFLeroy LogginsBrisbane Bullets
PFMark DavisAdelaide 36ers
CTim DillonNorth Melbourne Giants

References
  1. http://supercats.com.au/about-us/history/honour-boards/
  2. http://websites.sportstg.com/comp_info.cgi?a=ROUND&round=22&client=0-189-0-125709-0&pool=-1
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