GAME one of the 2023/24 National Basketball League (NBL) Championship Series saw Melbourne United snag an emphatic 23-point win over the Tasmania JackJumpers at John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon.

After a tight start to the match for the first quarter and a half, United broke away on the eve of half time, and ensured the JackJumpers never returned to striking distance in what was a one-sided contest for a large chunk of the game.

Game two looms on Friday night, this time down in Tassie at MyState Bank Arena, and the hosts have a mountain of work ahead if they are to flip the result and stay in the series.

Ahead of the second clash, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at each side’s performance in the opening match, and how changes could be made in the coming games.

Having touched on Melbourne’s areas of excellence yesterday, it is time to dive into Tasmania’s performance, and the ways in which it can improve ahead of game two tomorrow night.

Tasmania JackJumpers

THE OFFENCE

The biggest area of disappointment from the JackJumpers on Sunday afternoon was their lack of execution on the offensive end. Melbourne’s defensive structures and planning was simply too good and Tasmania failed to adjust as the game rolled on.

It was a promising start from a scoring perspective, with the JackJumpers matching United’s output and running smart plays to get their big men open in the paint. However, once the home side lifted the intensity in terms of interior defence, and looked to cut off those dish-off passes to the likes of Marcus Lee and Will Magnay (who spent most of the game in foul trouble anyway), Tasmania’s offence truly began to dry up.

The JackJumpers resorted to taking jumpshots to try and restart some momentum, but with the likes of Milton Doyle and Jordan Crawford well-guarded, it was a strategy that did not pay off. Crawford went 3/13 from the field, while Doyle could not get up the same number of shots that drove Tasmania to victory in the semi-finals.

Even the typically reliable Jack McVeigh found the going too tough, being forced into some unlikely attempts from the field, with Tassie having no one left to turn to. It resulted in United going on a match-winning run in the second and third quarters due to Tasmania’s productivity on the offensive end dropping off in a big way.

THE DEFENCE

This is another area in which the JackJumpers need to improve, given they conceded 104 points at John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The biggest improvement Tasmania can make will be to defend without fouling, and that is a problem that starts with Will Magnay. At his best, the big man is one of the best shot blockers in the NBL, and makes Tassie’s defence remarkably better. However, he was restricted to just 13 minutes of court time in game one, and could not slow down Jo Lual-Acuil, who had his way with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

When it comes to defending United, it is a 40-minute effort given the weapons the team possesses, so it will take an effort from all players in Tasmania’s rotation. Helping Crawford when hunted in the mismatch is also vital, as both Perth and Melbourne have looked to isolate him in the post and take advantage of his smaller stature.

THE PLAYERS

The big names on the team need to stand up at MyState Bank Arena. Although it may seem strange, Crawford must shoot his way out of the current slump, while Doyle needs to be more aggressive in hunting out isolation plays, where he does his best work. McVeigh must remain on the hunt for his shot too, and if all else fails, look to draw contact as he did in the semi-finals. One wildcard for the remainder of the series is Sean Macdonald, who had a big semi-final series on both ends but was kept quiet in game one. If the reigning NBL Most Improved Player can produce 12-15 points off the bench, it helps Tasmania in a big way.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It was certainly not the start that the JackJumpers were after, but Tasmania rarely wins the first game of a series, and coach Scott Roth often likes to get a look at the opposition before truly implementing a game plan, so expect changes for game two.