1980 NBL season
The 1980 NBL season was the 2nd season of the National Basketball League (NBL).
| 1980 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 2 February–8 June 1980 (Regular season) 14–15 June 1980 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 22 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | St. Kilda Saints |
| Season MVP | Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) |
| Top scorer | Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | St. Kilda Saints (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | West Adelaide Bearcats |
| Grand Final MVP | Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) |
Off-Season Changes
- Glenelg Tigers withdrew from the league.
- Coburg Giants, West Torrens Eagles and Launceston Casino City Tigers joined.
- David Claxton replaced Robert Young as Head Coach of Brisbane Bullets.
- Adrian Hurley replaced Joe Farrugia as Head Coach of Illawarra Hawks.
- Dean Donnollon replaced Bob Turner as Head Coach of Newcastle Falcons.
Regular season
The 1980 regular season took place over 18 rounds between 2 February 1980 and 8 June 1980. Each team played 22 games, against every opponent twice.
Ladder
| Pos | 1980 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints1 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | L1 | 9–2 | 8–3 | 2109 | 1886 | 111.82% |
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats1 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | W3 | 10–1 | 7–4 | 1941 | 1773 | 109.48% |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 22 | 15 | 7 | 68.18% | 5–0 | W5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 1928 | 1780 | 108.31% |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 22 | 14 | 8 | 63.64% | 2–3 | W2 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 1660 | 1580 | 105.06% |
| 5 | Illawarra Hawks2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 2–3 | L3 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 1798 | 1790 | 100.45% |
| 6 | Newcastle Falcons2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 5–0 | W5 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 1828 | 1794 | 101.90% |
| 7 | Canberra Cannons | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50.00% | 0–5 | L5 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 1661 | 1631 | 101.84% |
| 8 | Launceston Casino City | 22 | 9 | 13 | 40.91% | 3–2 | W1 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 1863 | 1889 | 98.62% |
| 9 | Coburg Giants3 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1-4 | L2 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1727 | 1740 | 99.25% |
| 10 | City of Sydney Astronauts3 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1–4 | W1 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1717 | 1908 | 89.99% |
| 11 | West Torrens Eagles | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27.27% | 1–4 | L2 | 6–5 | 0–11 | 1707 | 1940 | 87.99% |
| 12 | Bankstown Bruins | 22 | 3 | 19 | 13.64% | 0–5 | L13 | 2–9 | 1–10 | 1721 | 1949 | 88.30% |
Updated to match(es) played on 8 June 1980. Source: NBL.com.au
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 St. Kilda Saints and West Adelaide Bearcats (1-1). St. Kilda Saints won For and Against (+8).
2Illawarra Hawks won Head-to-Head (2-0).
3Head-to-Head between Coburg Giants and City of Sydney Astronauts (1-1). Coburg Giants won For and Against (+22).
Finals
The NBL finals series in 1980 consisted of two semi-final games, and one championship-deciding grand final. All three of these finals games were sudden death.
Playoff bracket
| Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints | 101 | |||||||
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 77 | |||||||
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints | 113 | |||||||
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 88 | |||||||
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 101 | |||||||
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 94 | |||||||
Awards
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Rocky Smith | St Kilda Saints | 737 pts / 22 games[1] |
| Free throw percentage | Jim Slacke | Illawarra Hawks | 87.2% (68/78)[1][2] |
Regular season
- Most Valuable Player: Rocky Smith (St Kilda Saints)
- Best Defensive Player: Ray Wood (West Adelaide Bearcats)
- Coach of the Year: Barry Barnes (Nunawading Spectres)
- All-NBL Team:
- Cal Stamp (Canberra Cannons)[3]
- Danny Morseu (St Kilda Saints)
- Brian Banks (Brisbane Bullets)
- Herb McEachin (Canberra Cannons)
- Ian Davies (Launceston Casino City)
- Ken Richardson (West Adelaide Bearcats)
Finals
- Grand Final MVP: Rocky Smith (St Kilda Saints)
References
- "All Time Leaders". nbl.gearbox.performgroup.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- "NBL Historical Stats". spatialjam.com. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "All NBL First Team". andthefoul.net. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.