Tahjere McCall has made a mercurial return from injury to lead the Taipans to a buzzer-to-buzzer 93-82 win against the Kings in a dramatic and spiteful semi final.
Cairns coach Adam Forde copped an early tech, Kings coach Chase Buford was tossed late, and players came together on multiple occasions late in the contest as emotions spilt over.
And to make matters worse for the Kings, they will be sweating on the fitness of NBL MVP Xavier Cooks, who left the court with an ankle injury halfway through the third quarter.
Watch every game of the NBL23 Playoffs LIVE and FREE on ESPN on Kayo Freebies. Join now and start streaming instantly >
Taipans and Breakers earn playoff wins | 01:25
Billed as the community vs the corporates and described by NBL owner Larry Kestelman as a David and Goliath battle, in a game played with the feeling and intensity a post-season game deserves.
And McCall, the Taipans’ on-court leader and man this roster was built around, made a stunning return after missing a week due to a partially dislocated shoulder, to provide the lift Cairns needed to set-up a series decider.
McCall had 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals, and was enormous on the defensive end as Cairns coach Adam Forde relied on just seven players to get the job done.
All-NBL Second Team member DJ Hogg had 25 points and eight rebounds in a typically strong performance for Cairns, while Sam Waardenburg grabbed a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.
While Derrick Walton Jr (22 points) and Justin Simon (19pts) did all they could to seal a series sweep, Cooks’ health will dominate discussion between now and Sunday’s deciding game.
Cooks landed awkwardly contesting a rebound, landing on DJ Hogg’s foot and rolling his left ankle.
It puts Cooks in some doubt for Sunday, while an off-the-ball incident has Kings teammate Tim Soares in hot water.
BUFORD BOUNCED
Chase Buford is never one to hide his thoughts, but the Kings coach earned himself an early departure from the bench after one of the all-time blow-ups.
Buford blew a gasket after a head clash between Cairns’ DJ Hogg and Sydney’s Kouat Noi, dropping a few words we can’t print at the officials before being given his marching orders.
Earlier, players exchanged heated words after Cooks was injured, with Kings duo Shaun Bruce and Angus Glover and Tiapans duo Ben Ayre and Tahjere McCall in the thick of things.
Then, with only two minutes left, Tim Soares copped his fifth foul after off-the-ball contact with Cairns’ Sam Waardenburg in which he appeared to make contact with the head.
Soares may have a case to answer for before Sunday’s deciding game in Sydney, but Friday’s antics coupled with Wednesday’s chirpiness, and makes for a mouth-watering match-up.
MCCALL’S BACK, BABY
The roar when Tahjere McCall’s name was announced pre-game was huge.
His efforts might have been even bigger, if it were possible.
McCall was in a race against the clock to prove his fitness after suffering a partially dislocated shoulder in the loss to Tasmania last Thursday.
The initial estimate was a one-week absence, and while he missed two key games there was seemingly no way he’d miss the win-or-go-home clash with the Kings.
McCall was clearly not 100 per cent, but his presence on both ends of the floor was massive.
“Defence will be the key to all our wins; if we don’t play defence we won’t have a chance,” McCall said at halftime.
As for his injured shoulder, any adverse effects?
“Yeah there’s always at this time of the year, I’ll be good,” he said.
COOKS CONCERN
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that stopping Xavier Cooks can greatly improve one’s chances of beating the Kings, but doing it is so much harder.
Cooks was the man in Wednesday’s series-opener, putting up 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Kings’ comeback win.
Cairns seemed to have the answer on Friday, restricting Cooks to three first-half points and forcing three turnovers out of the NBL MVP.
He appeared to have landed awkwardly on DJ Hogg and rolled his left ankle midway through the third quarter, and went straight to the bench and to the changeroom for treatment.
He reappeared on the bench in the final two minutes of the third term, but played no further part in the game, with Sydney staff opting to put him on the ice and hope he’s ready on Sunday.
“I have no idea … we’ll see [how it is],” Buford said post-game.
“It’s probably not good for us.”
SCOTT’S OFF
Shannon Scott’s health was under the microscope after he appeared to injure his hamstring in the dying stages of Wednesday’s loss in Sydney.
His place in the starting line-up was taken by Jonah Antonio, with Ben Ayre the first point guard coach Forde turned to from the bench.
Scott, who was recruited as a steady, calming influence at the point, didn’t see any action in the first quarter, but he was seen in deep discussion with assistant coach Kerry Williams at that first break talking tactics.
But Forde opted for a short rotation and used just seven players, with Scott, Mirko Djeric, Majok Deng and Josh Davey not seeing any action.
MAKE SOME NOISE
There’s no love lost for former Taipan-turned-King Kouat Noi in the tropics.
Every time Noi was near the ball, especially in the first term, the near sellout Cairns crowd made sure they knew he was no longer on the good side.
Noi has been vocal in his leaving Cairns for Sydney with a view to win a championship, and he repeated the promise during an interview with News this week.
“I’m not leaving that place without a win,” he promised.
He temporarily silenced the Orange Army with a thunderous dunk from an inbound pass, letting the crowd know what he thought.
Restricted to four points through the first three quarters, he generated some offence to open the last as the Kings tried to fight back, finishing with 12 points.
He received a go-home boo after fulltime after he left the playing area with his head down, hidden under a towel.
