# 1982 NBL Finals

The 1982 NBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball League's 1982 season, which began in February. The finals began on 16 July. The tournament concluded with the West Adelaide Bearcats defeating the Geelong Cats in the NBL Grand Final on 18 July.

## Format

The NBL finals series in 1982 consisted of two semi-final games, and one championship-deciding grand final. The finals were contested between the top four teams of the regular season, with the finals weekend hosted at the neutral Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre in Newcastle, New South Wales.

## Qualification
### Qualified teams

| Team | Finals appearance | Previous appearance | Previous best performance |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 3rd | 1981 | Runner-up (1980) |
| Geelong Cats | 1st | N/A | N/A |
| Nunawading Spectres | 3rd | 1981 | Runner-up (1981) |
| Coburg Giants | 1st | N/A | N/A |

### Ladder

| Pos | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte | 1982 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 26 | 21 | 5 | 80.77% | 4–1 | W2 | 12–1 | 9–4 | 2525 | 2177 | 115.99% |
| 2 | Geelong Cats | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76.92% | 3–2 | L2 | 11–2 | 9–4 | 2310 | 2183 | 105.82% |
| 3 | Nunawading Spectres | 26 | 19 | 7 | 73.08% | 3–2 | W1 | 13–0 | 6–7 | 2209 | 1993 | 110.84% |
| 4 | Coburg Giants | 26 | 18 | 8 | 69.23% | 3–2 | W3 | 11–2 | 7–6 | 2260 | 2067 | 109.34% |
| 5 | Newcastle Falcons$^1$ | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 5–0 | W5 | 11–2 | 6–7 | 2395 | 2258 | 106.07% |
| 6 | St. Kilda Saints$^1$ | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 4–1 | W4 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 2185 | 2090 | 104.55% |
| 7 | Adelaide City Eagles | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69% | 1–4 | W1 | 10–3 | 5–8 | 2457 | 2356 | 104.29% |
| 8 | Brisbane Bullets | 26 | 12 | 14 | 46.15% | 2–3 | W1 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 2059 | 2119 | 97.17% |
| 9 | Illawarra Hawks | 26 | 11 | 15 | 42.31% | 1–4 | L2 | 8–5 | 3–10 | 2382 | 2444 | 97.46% |
| 10 | Westate Wildcats | 26 | 10 | 16 | 38.46% | 1–4 | L1 | 7–6 | 3–10 | 2260 | 2431 | 92.97% |
| 11 | Canberra Cannons | 26 | 8 | 18 | 30.77% | 2–3 | W1 | 7–6 | 1–12 | 2132 | 2221 | 95.99% |
| 12 | Sydney Supersonics | 26 | 7 | 19 | 26.92% | 0–5 | L6 | 5–8 | 2–11 | 2022 | 2232 | 90.59% |
| 13 | Launceston Casino City | 26 | 5 | 21 | 19.23% | 3–2 | L1 | 4–9 | 1–12 | 2231 | 2483 | 89.85% |
| 14 | Bankstown Bruins | 26 | 2 | 24 | 07.69% | 1–4 | L2 | 2–11 | 0–13 | 1948 | 2321 | 83.93% |
Updated to match(es) played on 11 July 1982. 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.

## Playoff bracket

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 1 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 94 | | | |
| 4 | Coburg Giants | 74 | | | |
| 4 | Coburg Giants | 74 | 1 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 80 |
| | | | 2 | Geelong Cats | 74 |
| 2 | Geelong Cats | 71 | 2 | Geelong Cats | 74 |
| 3 | Nunawading Spectres | 59 | | | |

## Semifinals
### (2) Geelong Cats vs (3) Nunawading Spectres

* ABC
* 16 July
* boxscore
Geelong Cats 71, Nunawading Spectres 59 :
| Pts: James Crawford 29 Rebs: James Crawford 13 Asts: Multiple 3 | Pts: Chuck Harmison 16 Rebs: Chuck Harmison 11 Asts: Multiple 3 |
* Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre Referees: John Holden, Ray Hunt

### (1) West Adelaide Bearcats vs (4) Coburg Giants

* ABC
* 16 July
* boxscore
West Adelaide Bearcats 94, Coburg Giants 74 :
| Pts: Ken Richardson 25 Rebs: Tied 13 Asts: Ken Richardson 4 | Pts: Benny Lewis 25 Rebs: Ray Borner 7 Asts: Multiple 1 |
* Newcastle Sport2 Entertainment Centre Referees: Eddie Crouch, Trevor Dallas

## Grand Final
### (1) West Adelaide Bearcats vs (2) Geelong Cats

* ABC Highlights
* 18 July
* boxscore
West Adelaide Bearcats 80, Geelong Cats 74 :
| Pts: Leroy Loggins 32 Rebs: Ken Richardson 11 Asts: Ray Wood 4 | Pts: James Crawford 21 Rebs: Craig Herbert 7 Asts: Cal Bruton 3 |
| West Adelaide wins the NBL Championship |||
* Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre Referees: Eddie Crouch, John Holden