After a turbulent season we've finally made it to the 2017 NBL Grand Final Series!
2017 NBL Grand Final Betting Tips
The Perth Wildcats and the Illawarra Hawks will face off in the best of 5 series with games one and three being played in Perth.
The Wildcats come into the NBL Grand Final as favourites and will be full of confidence after defeating Cairns 2-0 during their Semi-Finals campaign. Casey Prather was in fantastic form during game two, scoring 24 points and 10 boards. Bryce Cotton, however, had a rare quite game with only 9 points - well below his average of 22 points per game. Forward Matt Knight looked to be the only causality from the series not after a rough conduct charge, but he has now been cleared and we can expect him to make his presence known.
Illawarra went the longer route to the Grand Final, defeating the minor premier Adelaide 36ers in three games. After suffering a traumatic loss in game one 93-78, the Hawks certainly looked out-matched. Adelaide’s Jerome Randle made discouraging comments about the Hawks following game one, which clearly impacted the Hawks line up. They were a different team in games two and three. The Hawks shined in game three, leading by 21 points at the halfway point of the fourth quarte and ultimately getting the job done when the heat came. Rotnei Clarke was again solid off the bench, dropping 20 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Marvelle Harris fouled out during game three, but not before contributing 17 points and 3 boards.
Its been 16 years since the Illawarra Hawks tasted victory in the NBL. Their last championship came back in 2000-2001. The Wildcats on the other hand, are swimming in familiar waters as reigning champions and with a team culture that’s built on winning.
Heading over to Perth will be a huge task for the Hawks. During the regular season they faced off four times with a 2-2 record. Both teams have one at home and on the road and the biggest winning margin was only 8 points.
There’s no doubting this one is going to be tight. It may come down to a battle between Prather and Cotton Vs Clarke and Harris. However, with a newfound confidence and better performances throughout the season, we are going with the underdogs the Illawarra Hawks.
Grand Final Tip: Hawks to win Grand Final Outright - $2.65 at CrownBet
Series Tip: Hawks to win series 3-1 - $5.50 at Sportsbet
Rotnei Clarke’s move to the bench was the spark he needed to regain his earlier MVP winning form and he has since become the most dangerous 6th man in the league. He averages 17 points per game, and with the ability to throw massive bombs from beyond the arc, its not hard to see why he finished the regular season with the 6th man of the year award and why we think he’ll make a serious run for the Finals MVP Award.
Tip: Rotnei Clarke Finals MVP - $5.00 at Sportsbet
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