2011–12 NBL season
# 2011–12 NBL season

The 2011–12 NBL season was the 34th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2011 and 25 March 2012, followed by a post-season involving the top four in April 2012. The schedule was announced on 19 May 2011. The New Zealand Breakers successfully defended their 2010–11 title.

Broadcast rights were held by free-to-air network Channel Ten and its digital sports sister station One, in the second year of a five-year deal, through to the 2014–15 season. In New Zealand, Sky Sport once again provided coverage.

Sponsorship included iiNet entering its second and penultimate year as league naming rights sponsor and Centrebet in the final year as the official sports betting partner. Spalding provided equipment including the official game ball, with AND1 supplying team apparel and New Era headwear.

## Pre-season

NBL Sunshine State Challenge, a round robin competition with a final series, involving all nine sides, was held between September 22–24, 2011 in Rockhampton, Ipswich, on the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Perth Wildcats were pre-season champions for the second year in a row.

### Perth Wildcats pre-season

**2011 Cable Beach Invitational**

Perth vs. Singapore cancelled due to poor condition of the outdoor court.

### 2011 NBL Sunshine State Challenge

**Finals**

Perth Wildcats win Sunshine State Challenge.

## Ladder

| Pos | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte | 2011–12 NBL season vte |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 21 | 7 | 75.00% | 4–1 | L1 | 13–1 | 8–6 | 2382 | 2177 | 109.42% |
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 19 | 9 | 67.86% | 3–2 | W3 | 10–4 | 9–5 | 2434 | 2171 | 112.11% |
| 3 | Gold Coast Blaze | 28 | 17 | 11 | 60.71% | 3–2 | W2 | 10–4 | 7–7 | 2387 | 2253 | 105.95% |
| 4 | Townsville $Crocodiles^1$ | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.37% | 2–3 | L2 | 11–3 | 4–10 | 2213 | 2210 | 100.14% |
| 5 | Cairns $Taipans^1$ | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.37% | 2–3 | W1 | 9–5 | 6–8 | 2025 | 2107 | 96.11% |
| 6 | Melbourne $Tigers^2$ | 28 | 11 | 17 | 39.29% | 1–4 | L3 | 7–7 | 4–10 | 2156 | 2239 | 96.29% |
| 7 | Sydney $Kings^2$ | 28 | 11 | 17 | 39.29% | 2–3 | L1 | 5–9 | 6–8 | 2279 | 2423 | 94.06% |
| 8 | Wollongong Hawks | 28 | 9 | 19 | 32.14% | 3–2 | W3 | 4–10 | 5–9 | 2093 | 2232 | 93.77% |
| 9 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 8 | 20 | 28.57% | 1–4 | L4 | 4–10 | 4–10 | 2297 | 2454 | 93.60% |

Updated to match(es) played on 25 March 2012. 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 Townsville Crocodiles and Cairns Taipans (2-2). Townsville Crocodiles won For and Against (+51).

$^2Melbourne$ Tigers won head-to-head (3-1).

### Ladder Progression

* Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top four.
* Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
* Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.

2011–12 NBL season vte :

| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Adelaide 36ers | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Cairns Taipans | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Gold Coast Blaze | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Melbourne Tigers | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Perth Wildcats | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sydney Kings | 6 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Wollongong Hawks | 8 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |

## Finals

The 2011–12 National Basketball League Finals were played between 30 March 2012 and 25 April 2012, consisting of two best-of-three semi-final and final series, where the higher seed hosted the first and third games.

### Playoff Seedings

* New Zealand Breakers
* Perth Wildcats
* Gold Coast Blaze
* Townsville Crocodiles

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 two teams will determine order of seeding.

Under this system, Cairns did not qualify for the playoffs by equalling Townsville's win–loss record, as the latter held advantage in the tiebreaker (2-2, +51 points).

### Playoff bracket

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | New Zealand Breakers | 82 | 94 | 97 | | | | | |
| 4 | Townsville Crocodiles | 99 | 83 | 80 | | | | | |
| 4 | Townsville Crocodiles | 99 | 83 | 80 | 1 | New Zealand Breakers | 104 | 86 | 79 |
| | | | | | 2 | Perth Wildcats | 98 | 87 | 73 |
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 85 | 70 | 88 | 2 | Perth Wildcats | 98 | 87 | 73 |
| 3 | Gold Coast Blaze | 70 | 72 | 67 | | | | | |

## Season statistics

### Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Games played | Totals | Average |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Points per game | Kevin Lisch (Perth Wildcats) | 28 | 493 | 17.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Julian Khazzouh (Sydney Kings) | 26 | 281 | 10.8 |
| Assists per game | Cedric Jackson (New Zealand Breakers) | 27 | 173 | 6.4 |
| Steals per game | Cedric Jackson (New Zealand Breakers) | 27 | 67 | 2.5 |
| Blocks per game | Julian Khazzouh (Sydney Kings) | 26 | 54 | 2.1 |
| Field goal percentage | Diamon Simpson (Adelaide 36ers) | 27 | 155-262 | 59.2% |
| Three-point field goal percentage | Oscar Forman (Wollongong Hawks) | 28 | 64-125 | 51.2% |
| Free throw percentage | Aaron Bruce (Sydney Kings) | 17 | 63-70 | 90.0% |

Note: regular season only

### Top 10 Attendances

| Attendance | Round | Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 9,258 | GF | 24/04/2012 | New Zealand Breakers | 79-73 | Perth Wildcats | Vector Arena |
| 9,125 | GF | 12/04/2012 | New Zealand Breakers | 104-98 | Perth Wildcats | Vector Arena |
| 8,146 | SF | 30/03/2012 | New Zealand Breakers | 82-99 | Townsville Crocodiles | Vector Arena |
| 7,979 | 17 | 27/01/2012 | New Zealand Breakers | 93-64 | Sydney Kings | Vector Arena |
| 7,532 | 16 | 20/01/2012 | Sydney Kings | 75-76 | Perth Wildcats | Sydney Entertainment Centre |
| 7,500 | SF | 7/04/2012 | New Zealand Breakers | 97-80 | Townsville Crocodiles | Vector Arena |
| 7,282 | 25 | 24/03/2012 | Sydney Kings | 75-76 | Wollongong Hawks | Sydney Entertainment Centre |
| 6,900 | 4 | 28/10/2011 | New Zealand Breakers | 97-80 | Sydney Kings | Vector Arena |
| 6,194 | 14 | 7/01/2012 | Adelaide 36ers | 67-72 | Cairns Taipans | Adelaide Arena |
| 6,175 | 7 | 19/11/2011 | Adelaide 36ers | 95-89 | Melbourne Tigers | Adelaide Arena |

## Awards

### Player of the Week

| Round | Player | Team |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Patty Mills | Melbourne Tigers |
| 2 | Shawn Redhage | Perth Wildcats |
| 3 | Julian Khazzouh | Sydney Kings |
| 4 | Daniel Johnson | Adelaide 36ers |
| 5 | Gary Wilkinson | New Zealand Breakers |
| 6 | Eddie Gill | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 7 | Jamar Wilson | Cairns Taipans |
| 8 | Adris Deleon | Gold Coast Blaze |
| 9 | Thomas Abercrombie | New Zealand Breakers |
| 10 | Jamar Wilson | Cairns Taipans |
| 11 | Adam Gibson | Gold Coast Blaze |
| 12 | Eddie Gill | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 13 | Cameron Tragardh | Melbourne Tigers |
| 14 | Jerai Grant | Sydney Kings |
| 15 | Jesse Wagstaff | Perth Wildcats |
| 16 | Adam Gibson | Gold Coast Blaze |
| 17 | Mat Campbell | Wollongong Hawks |
| 18 | Cedric Jackson | New Zealand Breakers |
| 19 | Oscar Forman | Wollongong Hawks |
| 20 | Peter Crawford | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 21 | Alex Loughton | Cairns Taipans |
| 22 | Adris Deleon | Gold Coast Blaze |
| 23 | Luke Schenscher | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 24 | Jerai Grant | Sydney Kings |
| 25 | Shawn Redhage | Perth Wildcats |

### Player of the Month

| Round | Player | Team |
| - | - | - |
| October | Kevin Lisch | Perth Wildcats |
| November | Adris Deleon | Gold Coast Blaze |
| December | Cameron Tragardh | Melbourne Tigers |
| January | Jesse Wagstaff | Perth Wildcats |
| February | Cedric Jackson | New Zealand Breakers |

### Coach of the Month

| Round | Player | Team |
| - | - | - |
| October | Andrej Lemanis | New Zealand Breakers |
| November | Joey Wright | Gold Coast Blaze |
| December | Andrej Lemanis | New Zealand Breakers |
| January | Rob Beveridge | Perth Wildcats |
| February | Aaron Fearne | Cairns Taipans |

The end-of-season awards ceremony was held in the Palladium Room at Crown Casino in Melbourne on Monday, 26 March 2012:

### Season

* Most Valuable Player (Andrew Gaze Trophy): Kevin Lisch, Perth Wildcats
* Rookie of the Year: Anatoly Bose, Sydney Kings
* Best Defensive Player: Damian Martin, Perth Wildcats
* Best Sixth Man: Jesse Wagstaff, Perth Wildcats
* Most Improved Player: Daniel Johnson, Adelaide 36ers
* Coach of the Year (Lindsay Gaze Trophy): Andrej Lemanis, New Zealand Breakers
* Referee of the Year: Michael Aylen
* All-NBL First Team:
   * Kevin Lisch - Perth Wildcats
   * Cedric Jackson - New Zealand Breakers
   * Julian Khazzouh - Sydney Kings
   * Mark Worthington - Gold Coast Blaze
   * Thomas Abercrombie - New Zealand Breakers
* All-NBL Second Team:
   * Jamar Wilson - Cairns Taipans
   * Adam Gibson - Gold Coast Blaze
   * Cameron Tragardh - Melbourne Tigers
   * Gary Wilkinson - New Zealand Breakers
   * Peter Crawford - Townsville Crocodiles
* All-NBL Third Team:
   * Daniel Johnson - Adelaide 36ers
   * Eddie Gill - Townsville Crocodiles
   * Damian Martin - Perth Wildcats
   * Adris Deleon - Gold Coast Blaze
   * Jesse Wagstaff - Perth Wildcats

### Finals

* Grand Final Series MVP (Larry Sengstock Medal): C. J. Bruton, New Zealand Breakers
