Giants well beaten but still finish fifth to earn home final

The Goldfields Giants are headed to the men’s NBL1 play-offs for the first time in two years, but the harsh reality of the challenges ahead played out on Saturday in a big road defeat, 102-71, against East Perth to finish the qualifying series.

Already guaranteed a top-eight berth but hunting a top-four spot and a double chance in the finals, the Giants matched their rivals, 48-48, to half-time but were outscored 54-23, the rest of the way.

It was still good enough for fifth place.

But a golden opportunity went begging for the Giants as one of four teams with 13-9 win-loss records, alongside Mandurah, East Perth and Rockingham.

Mandurah grabbed fourth place on percentage.

Goldfields still earned a home final this Saturday night against eighth-placed Warwick, albeit a sudden-death eliminator with the loser bowing out.

East Perth finished sixth and play Rockingham this weekend.

Giants interim coach Lennon Smartt labelled the performance “an anomaly” and was confident the team would move on quickly.

“As a team, we shot horrendously — 15 per cent from three-point range and just over 30 per cent from the field,” Smartt said.

“That’s not going to win us any games and we made four threes as a team, or one a quarter, which a player will often make on their own.

“We just couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean.

“Apart from our poor shooting, we had some defensive lapses, too but hopefully it was an anomaly in what was a very different week for everyone.

“I was away (interstate) for work and we had the earlier game at 1pm, as opposed to later that night.

“None of these are excuses, but it was a very different preparation and environment that we’re used to.”

On the score line blowing out late in the game, Smartt said it was mostly of his doing with an eye on this weekend.

“We probably left out there maybe 16 to 24 points in missed lay-ups,” he said.

“Most of them were open, too, and they (East Perth) killed us at the glass, rebounding-wise, as the biggest team in the NBL1.

“Put all that together and they punished us, but by the start of the last quarter I made a conscious decision that I didn’t want to risk our guys for this weekend.

“They (East Perth) kept their starters on but it was against our bench and most of our younger players for six or seven minutes there which made the loss seem worse than it was.

“That was a strategic decision because the game was lost — I didn’t want one of our imports or other main players getting hurt trying to do something that really didn’t matter by that point.

“So we pulled the pin pretty early.”

Final standings:

Geraldton (20-2); Joondalup (16-6); Willetton (15-7); Mandurah (13-9); Giants (13-9); East Perth (13-9); Rockingham (13-9); Warwick (11-11); Perry Lakes (9-13); Lakeside (8-14); Eastern Suns (7-15); South West (6-16); Cockburn (5-17); Perth (5-17).