Rahul Sharma (Editor)

1986 NBL season

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Sport
  
Basketball

Runners-up
  
Champion
  
Season MVP
  
Finals champion
  
Champions
  
Adelaide 36ers

Finals MVP
  
Number of teams
  
14

Top seed
  
Adelaide 36ers

TV partner
  
ABC

Duration
  
25 April 1986 – 28 September 19861 – 4 October 1986 (Semi-Finals)11 – 19 October 1986 (Grand Finals)

Top scorer
  
Andrew Gaze (922 - 36.9 ppg)

The 1986 NBL season was the eighth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league.

Contents

Clubs

The NBL had 14 clubs spread across all Australian states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory.

Regular season

The home and away season took place over 21 rounds between 25 April 1986 and 28 September 1986 with semi-final on 1 October 1986 until 4 October 1986 and grand final on 11–19 October 1986.

The Adelaide 36ers had a near perfect regular season recording a 24–2 win/loss record which included an undefeated 13-0 home record at the Apollo Stadium, a feat not matched before or since in the NBL. Adelaide's only two losses of the year came away in Round 6 when they lost 89–87 to the West Sydney Westars in Sydney, and in Round 11 against the Coburg Giants in Melbourne when they went down 116–114. Both the Westars and Giants won the games on last second baskets. The 36ers were easily the best offensive team in the league, averaging 116 points per game (11.5 points more per game than the next best team, the Brisbane Bullets), while they had the 5th best defence in the NBL only giving up 96.5 points per game.

6'5" (196 cm) Brisbane Bullets swingman Leroy Loggins was selected as the NBL's Most Valuable Player. Loggins averaged 29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 1986. It was Loggins' 2nd NBL MVP award having also won in 1984.

Finals

There were two quarter finals, two semi-finals, and then best of three grand final. All of the Quarter and Semi-finals were sudden death. As the top two teams in the regular season the Adelaide 36ers and Canberra Cannons automatically qualified to host a home Semi-final.

Grand Final

After being a single game from 1979-1985, 1986 saw the establishment of the best of three Grand Final series. Game 1 in Brisbane saw a then NBL record attendance of over 11,000. The game went into overtime with the 36ers coming out on top with a 122-119 win. Game 2 saw Adelaide lose its only game at home for the season when the Bullets kept the series alive with a 104-83 win. Adelaide wrapped up its first NBL Championship with a 113-91 win in Game 3 at the Apollo Stadium.

Regular season MVP winner, Brisbane's Leroy Loggins, fouled out of both Games 1 and 3. Adelaide import Power forward Mark Davis was selected as the Grand Final MVP. Davis averaged 25.0 points, 19.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the series.

NBL awards

  • Most Valuable Player: Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
  • Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers
  • Rookie of the Year: Steve Lunardon, Nunawading Spectres
  • Coach of the Year: Ken Cole, Adelaide 36ers
  • References

    1986 NBL season Wikipedia


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