The 1983 NBL season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League (NBL). The regular season began on 10 February and ended on 18 June. The finals began on 23 June with the divisional finals before concluding on 4 July with the NBL Grand Final.
Regular season The 1983 regular season took place over 18 rounds between 10 February 1983 and 18 June 1983. Each team played 22 games, against every opponent in their own division twice and against every opponent in the other division once.
Round 1
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Round 2
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Round 3
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Round 4
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Round 5
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Round 6
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Round 7
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Round 8
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Round 9
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Round 10
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Round 11
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Round 12
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Round 13
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Round 14
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Round 15
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Round 16
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Round 17
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Round 18
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Ladder
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
1Head-to-Head between Coburg Giants and Newcastle Falcons (1-1). Coburg Giants won For and Against (+6).
2Head-to-Head between St. Kilda Saints and Bankstown Bruins (1-1). St. Kilda Saints won For and Against (+6).
Finals
The NBL finals series in 1983 consisted of the divisional finals (which was a round-robin fixture for the top eight teams), two semifinal games, and one championship-deciding grand final.
Round Robin (East)
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Round Robin (West)
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Round Robin results Each of the top eight teams played in a three-game round robin fixture between 23 June and 26 June. The result were as follows:
Results Team Record Pointsdifferential Semi-finalsseed Canberra Cannons 3–0 +32 #1 Nunawading Spectres 2–1 +59 #2 West Adelaide Bearcats 2–1 +19 #3 Coburg Giants 2–1 +14 #4 Sydney Supersonics 2–1 -5 Eliminated Geelong Cats 1–2 -37 Eliminated Newcastle Falcons 0–3 -28 Eliminated St. Kilda Saints 0–3 -54 Eliminated
Playoff bracket
Semifinals
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Grand Final
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Awards
Statistics leaders Category Player Team Stat Points Mike Jones Illawarra Hawks 679 pts / 22 games Rebounds per game George Morrow Newcastle Falcons 15.6 rpg / 25 games Steals Phil Smyth Canberra Cannons 67 / 22 games Blocks James Crawford Geelong Cats 69 / 22 games Field goal percentage Mike Slusher St Kilda Saints 64.8% (96/148) Free throw percentage Michael Johnson Newcastle Falcons 91.8% (34/37)
Regular season Most Valuable Player: Owen Wells (Sydney Supersonics) Rookie of the Year: Jaime Kennedy (Canberra Cannons) Best Defensive Player: Phil Smyth (Canberra Cannons) Coach of the Year: Robbie Cadee (Bankstown Bruins) All-NBL Team: Leroy Loggins (West Adelaide Bearcats) James Crawford (Geelong Cats) George Morrow (Newcastle Falcons) Phil Smyth (Canberra Cannons) Cal Bruton (Geelong Cats)
References