Rivalry weekend looms in NBL

Two of the most anticipated clashes of the young National Basketball League season thus far are set take place this weekend when Round Five action resumes.

The Melbourne Tigers match against the Sydney Kings on Saturday night sees Chris Anstey and the undefeated Tigers host the NBL triple champion Kings at the State Netball and Hockey Centre at 7:40pm (AEST).

Matches between Melbourne and Sydney teams always hold plenty of interest but this clash has extra spice. The Tigers are the only team in the competition still to retain a perfect record at 4-0 and could go a long way towards proving their championship credentials with a win over the reigning title-holders. Meanwhile Sydney (3-2) will look to keep their quest for an unprecedented fourth straight championship on track with a win over Melbourne at ‘the Cage’.

The sports-mad fans in Melbourne are already responding enthusiastically to this match-up of league heavyweights, with the game almost certain to be a sellout. According to the Tigers, there are only a handful of tickets left for what promises to be an enthralling match that could well have some added interest.

The Kings reportedly are attempting to have the paperwork for Australian college star Ian Crosswhite processed in time to take part in the clash with the Tigers. Ironically, Crosswhite is the son of former Tigers legend Perry Crosswhite and was training with the Melbourne team before shifting his allegiance to Sydney.

The prospect of a head-to-head clash between Oregon Ducks standout Crosswhite and former NBA centre Chris Anstey is one for fans to savour and should ensure that the last few tickets for the match are snapped up.

"We've completely sold out of Bronze and Silver seating,” said Melbourne Tigers Membership and Ticketing Manager Jenny Gangell.

“There's only a small amount of Gold seats left and we expect those to be sold out later today."

Whilst the clash between the Kings and Tigers would normally have fair claim to being the match of the week, there is plenty of competition in Round Five of the Philips Championship.

The Kings also host Townsville this week at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on the Monday public holiday at 5:00pm (AEST), and any clash between a team led by Brian Goorjian and Ian Stacker’s Crocs is guaranteed to hold plenty of interest. The pair are acknowledged archrivals and their history injects plenty of emotion into any match-up between the two.

Round Five also sees long-time rivals Perth and Wollongong square off on Saturday (WIN Entertainment Centre - 7:40pm AEST), the West Sydney Razorbacks rematch with the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday (Trusts Stadium - 12:00pm NZDT) and Adrian Hurley led the Hunter Pirates as they take on his former team, the Wildcats, on Friday (Newcastle Entertainment Centre - 7:40pm AEST).

Despite all of these mouthwatering match-ups, it is the Cairns Taipans visit to the Distinctive Homes Dome on Saturday night (8:00pm ACST) that may well capture the most attention this weekend.

The Taipans were defeated by the Adelaide 36ers in Round Three of the Philips Championship in what was one of the most controversial matches in living memory and will undoubtedly be looking for a bit of payback against the Sixers.

All of these clashes serve to make this weekend’s action one of the most intriguing thus far in the Philips Championship.