Hoops Heaven’s Basketball Hustle – #NBL24 Episode 23

We're gearing up for #NBL24 Finals on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Simon Mitchell on deck to see who will make Playoffs out of Tasmania JackJumpers, Illawarra Hawks, Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers, and why FIBA break is tough on Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats.

We look back on #NBL24 Awards and why Simon Mitchell wouldn't mind tweaking to a couple from NBL moving forward while we reflect on seasons of Cairns Taipans, Brisbane Bullets and South East Melbourne Phoenix.

We dive into TABtouch Preview of start of #NBL24 Finals while Simon Mitchell is delighted for Scott Ninnis and Justin Tatum to be locked in at Adelaide 36ers and Illawarra Hawks, and ponders what's next for Brian Goorjian after Olympics Boomers campaign in Paris.

For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle

We open up this week's show by wrapping up a dramatic finish to the NBL24 regular season with the New Zealand Breakers making it but missing out on a home final or top four spot, the Sydney Kings getting a soft kill to knock out the Brisbane Bullets, and the Illawarra Hawks winning again over the Perth Wildcats.

The two interim coaches are now no more with Scott Ninnis locked in at the Adelaide 36ers and the Illawarra Hawks signing up Justin Tatum before the NBL finals. It also rules out Brian Goorjian out of those two jobs and we discuss where his coaching future might be after the Paris Olympics with the Boomers.

With the Finals in the NBL having to wait to begin until after the FIBA break, we talk about the frustrations that cause while also unavoidable and why it creates an especially tough situations for the top two teams Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats to deal with.

The Cairns Taipans finished their season with a third win over ladder leading Melbourne United as Simon Mitchell reflects on their season that just never quite going as they perhaps were given more respect by the rest of the league and couldn't fly under the radar anymore.

Simon Mitchell looks back on the season of the Brisbane Bullets with mixed feelings but considering how far back they were coming from last year, he can only see it as a positive and that they are heading in the right direction just with a couple of issues to iron out.

It was a rough end to the season for South East Melbourne Phoenix and Simon Mitchell doesn't want them to just write it off due to injury. He wants them to look back on why they didn’t always compete as hard as they perhaps could have and to have honest discussions before moving forward.

The New Zealand Breakers might have had a lot to deal with this season whether it's injury or a rough schedule with back-to-back games after their international travel, but Simon Mitchell doesn’t think they need sympathy and certainly their coach Mody Maor doesn’t want any.

We look back on the NBL Awards that were handed out and give our reaction to how they shaped up to our predictions. While Simon Mitchell agreed with most of the awards handed out, it's the Next Generation and Most Improved awards who wouldn’t mind seeing being tinkered with a little moving forward.

We wrap up the show with our TABtouch Preview of the start of the NBL Finals with Simon Mitchell breaking down what he's expecting in the Seeding Qualifier between the Tasmania JackJumpers and Illawarra Hawks, and the Play-In Qualifier featuring the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers, and then the resulting Play-In Game.

All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).