# 2014–15 NBL season

The 2014–15 NBL season was the 37th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 10 October 2014 and 22 February 2015, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in late February and March 2015.
Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by free-to-air network Channel Ten and its digital sports sister station One, in the final year of a five-year deal. In New Zealand, Sky Sport are the official league broadcaster, in the final year of a three-year deal.
During the off-season the Melbourne Tigers were rebranded as Melbourne United.

## Pre-season
### 2014 NBL Pre-Season Blitz

A pre-season tournament featuring all eight teams was held on 19–21 September 2014 at NAB Stadium, Brisbane. The winner will receive the second annual Loggins-Bruton Cup.
Townsville Crocodiles are pre-season champions.

## Ladder

The Cairns Taipans became the first regional centre team to win the minor premiership since the Geelong Cats did so in 1984.
| Pos | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte | 2014–15 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Cairns Taipans | 28 | 21 | 7 | 75.00% | 4–1 | W3 | 12–2 | 9–5 | 2275 | 2117 | 107.46% |
| 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 19 | 9 | 67.86% | 2–3 | L1 | 10–4 | 9–5 | 2343 | 2275 | 102.99% |
| 3 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 17 | 11 | 60.71% | 5–0 | W10 | 9–5 | 8–6 | 2501 | 2478 | 100.93% |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57.14% | 3–2 | W1 | 10–4 | 6–8 | 2260 | 2171 | 104.10% |
| 5 | Melbourne United | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | W2 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2333 | 2379 | 98.07% |
| 6 | Townsville Crocodiles | 28 | 11 | 17 | 39.29% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–6 | 3–11 | 2343 | 2341 | 100.09% |
| 7 | Sydney Kings | 28 | 9 | 19 | 32.14% | 0–5 | L7 | 5–9 | 4–10 | 2320 | 2408 | 96.35% |
| 8 | Wollongong Hawks | 28 | 6 | 22 | 21.43% | 2–3 | L2 | 4–10 | 2–12 | 2154 | 2360 | 91.27% |
Updated to match(es) played on 22 February 2015. Source: NBL.com.au

### 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.
2014–15 NBL season vte :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Melbourne United | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Perth Wildcats | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Sydney Kings | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Wollongong Hawks | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |

## Finals

The 2014–15 National Basketball League Finals will be played in February and March 2015, consisting of two best-of-three semi-final and final series, where the higher seed hosts the first and third games.

### Playoff Seedings

* Cairns Taipans
* New Zealand Breakers
* Adelaide 36ers
* Perth Wildcats
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 | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 1 | Cairns Taipans | 71 | 80 | X | | | | | |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 64 | 66 | X | | | | | |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 64 | 66 | X | 1 | Cairns Taipans | 71 | 81 | X |
| | | | | | 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 86 | 83 | X |
| 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 111 | 94 | X | 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 86 | 83 | X |
| 3 | Adelaide 36ers | 82 | 83 | X | | | | | |

### Grand final
## Season statistics
### Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Games played | Totals | Average |
| Points per game | Josh Childress (Sydney Kings) | 18 | 379 | 21.1 |
| Rebounds per game | Josh Childress (Sydney Kings) | 18 | 166 | 9.2 |
| Assists per game | Cedric Jackson (New Zealand Breakers) | 28 | 167 | 6.0 |
| Steals per game | Damian Martin (Perth Wildcats) | 28 | 73 | 2.6 |
| Blocks per game | Mickell Gladness (Townsville Crocodiles) | 27 | 60 | 2.2 |
| Field goal percentage | Ekene Ibekwe (New Zealand Breakers) | 28 | 127-218 | 58.3% |
| Three-point field goal percentage | Daniel Kickert (Melbourne United) | 28 | 49-96 | 51.0% |
| Free throw percentage | Stephen Weigh (Cairns Taipans) | 28 | 34-38 | 89.5% |
Note: regular season only (minimum 14 games) and excluding negligible attempts

### Top 10 Attendances

| Attendance | Round | Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Weekday | Time of Day |
| 13,559 | 15 | 16 January 2015 | Perth Wildcats | 102-106 | Adelaide 36ers | Perth Arena | Friday | Night |
| 13,316 | 15 | 21 January 2015 | Perth Wildcats | 78-86 | Melbourne United | Perth Arena | Wednesday | Night |
| 13,241 | 19 | 15 February 2015 | Perth Wildcats | 87-89 (2OT) | New Zealand Breakers | Perth Arena | Sunday | Afternoon |
| 12,903 | 1 | 10 October 2014 | Perth Wildcats | 70-80 | New Zealand Breakers | Perth Arena | Friday | Night |
| 12,877 | 6 | 14 November 2014 | Perth Wildcats | 93-78 | Townsville Crocodiles | Perth Arena | Friday | Night |
| 12,711 | 17 | 1 February 2015 | Perth Wildcats | 80-61 | Sydney Kings | Perth Arena | Sunday | Afternoon |
| 12,659 | 20 | 22 February 2015 | Perth Wildcats | 81-71 | Townsville Crocodiles | Perth Arena | Sunday | Afternoon |
| 12,469 | 3 | 24 October 2014 | Perth Wildcats | 84-63 | Sydney Kings | Perth Arena | Friday | Night |
| 12,266 | 18 | 6 February 2015 | Perth Wildcats | 65-54 | Cairns Taipans | Perth Arena | Friday | Night |
| 11,731 | 10 | 14 December 2014 | Perth Wildcats | 97-76 | Adelaide 36ers | Perth Arena | Sunday | Afternoon |

## Awards
### Player of the Week

| Round | Player | Team |
| 1 | Scottie Wilbekin | Cairns Taipans |
| 2 | Stephen Weigh | Cairns Taipans |
| 3 | Damian Martin | Perth Wildcats |
| 4 | Adam Gibson | Adelaide 36ers |
| 5 | Josh Childress | Sydney Kings |
| 6 | Jermaine Beal | Perth Wildcats |
| 7 | Corey Webster | New Zealand Breakers |
| 8 | DeAndre Daniels | Perth Wildcats |
| 9 | Torrey Craig | Cairns Taipans |
| 10 | Cedric Jackson | New Zealand Breakers |
| 11 | Jordan McRae | Melbourne United |
| 12 | Tai Wesley | New Zealand Breakers |
| 13 | Brian Conklin | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 14 | Jamar Wilson | Adelaide 36ers |
| 15 | Brock Motum | Adelaide 36ers |
| 16 | Todd Blanchfield | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 17 | Jamar Wilson | Adelaide 36ers |
| 18 | Todd Blanchfield | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 19 | Cedric Jackson | New Zealand Breakers |
| 20 | Scottie Wilbekin | Cairns Taipans |

### Player of the Month

| Month | Player | Team |
| October | Scottie Wilbekin | Cairns Taipans |
| November | Josh Childress | Sydney Kings |
| December | Jordan McRae | Melbourne United |
| January | Brock Motum | Adelaide 36ers |
| February | Cedric Jackson | New Zealand Breakers |

### Coach of the Month

| Month | Player | Team |
| October | Aaron Fearne | Cairns Taipans |
| November | Dean Vickerman | New Zealand Breakers |
| December | Dean Vickerman | New Zealand Breakers |
| January | Joey Wright | Adelaide 36ers |
| February | Joey Wright | Adelaide 36ers |

### Pre-season

* Most Valuable Player (Ray Borner Medal): Mickell Gladness, Townsville Crocodiles

### Season

* Most Valuable Player (Andrew Gaze Trophy): Brian Conklin, Townsville Crocodiles
* Rookie of the Year: Angus Brandt, Sydney Kings
* Best Defensive Player: Damian Martin, Perth Wildcats
* Best Sixth Man: Cameron Tragardh, Cairns Taipans
* Most Improved Player: Todd Blanchfield, Townsville Crocodiles
* Coach of the Year (Lindsay Gaze Trophy): Aaron Fearne, Cairns Taipans
* Referee of the Year: Michael Aylen
* All-NBL First Team:
** Cedric Jackson – New Zealand Breakers
** Scottie Wilbekin – Cairns Taipans
** Josh Childress – Sydney Kings
** Brock Motum – Adelaide 36ers
** Brian Conklin – Townsville Crocodiles
* All-NBL Second Team:
** Jamar Wilson – Adelaide 36ers
** Jordan McRae – Melbourne United
** Todd Blanchfield – Townsville Crocodiles
** Ekene Ibekwe – New Zealand Breakers
** Matthew Knight – Perth Wildcats

### Finals

* Grand Final Series MVP (Larry Sengstock Medal): Cedric Jackson, New Zealand Breakers