The 1990 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 1990 season of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Perth Wildcats defeated the Brisbane Bullets in three games (2-1) for their first NBL championship.
Format The 1990 National Basketball League Finals started on 26 September and concluded on 28 October. The playoffs consisted of two best of three Elimination Finals, two best of three Semifinals and the best of three game Grand Final series. As the two top teams at the end of the regular season, the North Melbourne Giants and Eastside Spectres both qualified for home court advantage during the Semifinals.
Qualification
Qualified teams Team Finalsappearance Previousappearance Previous bestperformance North Melbourne Giants 3rd 1989 Champions (1989) Eastside Spectres 6th 1985 Runner up (1981) Brisbane Bullets 8th 1988 Champions (1985, 1987) Perth Wildcats 4th 1989 Runner up (1987) Melbourne Tigers 2nd 1989 5th in 1989 Sydney Kings 2nd 1989 4th in 1989
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 Eastside Spectres and Brisbane Bullets (1-1). Eastside Spectres won For and Against (+7).
2Head-to-Head between Melbourne Tigers and Perth Wildcats (1-1). Melbourne Tigers won For and Against (+11).
3Sydney Kings won Head-to-Head (2-0).
Playoff bracket
Elimination Finals
(4) Perth Wildcats vs (5) Melbourne Tigers
Game 1
Game 2
(3) Brisbane Bullets vs (6) Sydney Kings
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Semifinals
(2) Eastside Spectres vs (3) Brisbane Bullets
Game 1
Game 2
(1) North Melbourne Giants vs (4) Perth Wildcats
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Grand Final series The 1990 Grand Final series between the Brisbane Bullets and Perth Wildcats saw a then record aggregate attendance for an NBL Grand Final series with 34,580 attending the 3 games. Game 2 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre attracted a then record Australian indoor sporting attendance (and NBL record crowd) of 13,221.
(3) Brisbane Bullets vs (4) Perth Wildcats
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
See also 1990 NBL season
References