Well, that was a good old-fashioned shellacking.
For the Sydney Kings, it was a perfect storm; strategy on both ends executed to perfection. Unfortunately for the 36ers, it turned into a disconcerting night at the office.
It felt like there were three different endings to Game 1 of the 2026 NBL Championship Series on Saturday night. The first was at the 9:23 mark in the third quarter, after the Kings hit back-to-back threes, giving them a lead that felt like it was at a point of no return. The second came at the 7:51 mark in the fourth period, when Bryce Cotton was taken out of the game after a very subpar performance by his standards, signalling that the 36ers were throwing in the towel.
Of course, the third was the official ending at the buzzer, with the Sydney Kings defeating the 36ers 112-68 to take a 1-0 series lead; the 44-point margin a new record for the largest Championship Series win in NBL history.
"We had a nice block of time to prepare for them," Kings head coach Brian Goorjian said. "As far as the scout goes and how we wanted to defend and play to our strengths, [and we] executed extremely well. We got contributions right through the roster."
This was as impressive as a win could get - especially given the stakes - and, while it's only one game in a best-of-five series, it's tough not to think that it'll be an uphill battle for the 36ers to regain any control of their place in this series.
Here are some of the key takeaways from a lopsided Game 1.
How the Kings contained Cotton
This series starts and ends with how well the Kings can guard Cotton, and, if we were to offer them a grade for Game 1, it's easily an A+.
We've all spoken about the personnel the Kings have to throw at Cotton, and we saw Goorjian's smorgasbord of guard and wing defenders take turns on the six-time MVP. First, it was Matthew Dellavedova, then Makuach Maluach, Jaylin Galloway, and even Torrey Craig in stretches.
The strategy was two-fold, and not unexpected. First, it's to force Cotton off the three-point line; and secondly, in the words of Stan Van Gundy, to form a f-king wall. The Kings' defenders would play up-and-in, guide Cotton into the path of the screener's defender - who would guard up to the level - and force him into traffic. Even without a screener, the Kings always made sure Cotton saw multiple bodies, forcing him into the toughest of tough looks, or to give it up for his teammates to make a play.
We've said it before, but it's almost like these Kings are built specifically to guard Cotton, and that's what was on show on Saturday evening. But, how is it decided who guards Cotton, and when?
"Whenever we feel like it, honestly," Craig said. "Makuach was shooting a free throw and he was guarding Bryce, and I was like, 'take Flynn [Cameron] and I'll take Bryce this possession'. A lot of it is just cross matches; once they get a rebound, or if we score, the closest guy takes it. I trust that whoever's on him is gonna do a good job."
After a wildly effective semifinals series against the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Cotton finished Game 1 with 10 points, shooting 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the three-point line. He was a -34 in his 32 minutes.
"We have different matchups for him, and the initial start was: Delly's got a strong body... putting a body on him and using his physical strength early," Goorjian said.
"Length, quickness, and then body strength. We tried to change it up."
Another creation option needs to step up, and that's ostensibly what Flynn Cameron was recruited for; he finished just 1-of-8 from the field, remaining quiet thus far this postseason.
"We have a few guys that handle the ball," 36ers head coach Mike Wells said. "There are multiple guys out there that have to be connectors, and you have to get into different areas and help each other. I wouldn't say the help was probably there on the offensive end today."
The only non-Cotton guard or wings who made a meaningful impact in this series opener was Isaac White, who came off the bench for a team-high 11 points, shooting 3-of-6 from 3PT.
Cotton's struggles against the Kings is a trend for the 36ers this season. When Cotton isn't able to find rhythm or generate good looks, what's the answer? Against a Kings team that plugs and recovers so well, is there even enough time to implement an effective remedy?
Soares soars as Kings offence flows
While the inability to get requisite production from Cotton remains a significant worry for the 36ers, the ease at which the Kings were able to break them down and get open looks was mightily worrying.
This was an issue that also felt two-fold. On one hand, the 36ers are a team that loves to switch, so there are consistently mismatches all over the floor. The Kings are very well-drilled and have the patience to get the ball toward those mismatches and create advantages from them. There's also the matter of the 36ers' positional size being small at the best of times, so those mismatches are inherent in the matchup.
What the Kings ended up with were easy buckets inside the paint, as well as the 36ers overhelping on those mismatches, which generated good looks from beyond the three-point line. Again, this is something we saw the last time these two teams faced each other; something the 36ers didn't make adjustments for entering this one.
The beneficiary in the first half was Soares, who had 17 points - shooting 6-of-6 from the field, including 2/2 from downtown - going into the main break; he'd finish with 22 points. Galloway made his mark as a shooter and slasher - he finished with 15 points - as did Maluach, who had 12 points of his own.
"[It's] just being in the right spots,' Soares said. "We've got so many weapons, from JG, Makuach, Torrey coming in too, it's opened up everything. As long as we keep our foot down, I think it's gonna be tough."
Kendric puts a lid on it
We should make it abundantly clear that this game was over very early in the third quarter. The Kings hit back-to-back threes - thanks to Soares and Galloway - to extend their lead to 65-39, and it was obvious that was a point of no return for the 36ers.
Davis already had his fingerprints on the game at that point - drawing multiple defenders with his penetration, remaining the Kings' offensive hub and making plays for others - but the third quarter was when he went into takeover mode. Davis was extra aggressive coming off ball screens, intent on getting two feet in the paint and finishing at the rim. He also got to his patented midrange game, and, once he saw a few go in, there was no real chance of slowing him down.
He would finish with 25 points and seven assists in the game, with 14 of those points coming in a red-hot third period, and then, as has become a trend, sat in the fourth quarter of a blowout.
"He's grown a lot," Goorjian said of Davis.
"The way he played tonight: we've got good players around him and, if [the 36ers] are gonna key in on him, he got other people involved. Then he had the killer punch toward the end of the game. I thought he played a great all-round game, and we didn't play him the whole fourth quarter."
Ultimately, it was a mirror of the regular season, with Davis and the Kings doing their work early, allowing their starters to rest for the bulk of fourth quarters.
The next question then becomes whether he can do it on the road, in a high stakes game, with the 36ers' crowd undoubtedly set to jeer him aggressively.