1980 NBL Finals
| 1980 NBL Finals | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 14–15 June |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Grand Final | |
| Champions | St Kilda Saints |
| Runners-up | West Adelaide Bearcats |
| Grand Final MVP | Rocky Smith |
The 1980 NBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball League's 1980 season, which began in February. The finals began on 14 June. The tournament concluded with the minor premiers St Kilda Saints defeating the second-seeded West Adelaide Bearcats in the NBL Grand Final on 15 June. Rocky Smith was named NBL Grand Final MVP.
Format
The NBL finals series in 1980 consisted of two semifinal 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 Dowling Street Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania.
Qualification
| Team | Finals appearance |
Previous appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Kilda Saints | 2nd | 1979 | Champions (1979) |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 1st | - | - |
| Brisbane Bullets | 1st | - | - |
| Nunawading Spectres | 1st | - | - |
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
Playoff bracket
| Semifinals | 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 | |||||||