Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie believes his team is vastly better prepared to attack the NBL semifinal series compared to last season and will enter Thursday’s away clash with Melbourne United filled with confidence.
The Wildcats had a 20-day break last season and lost the series to Tasmania JackJumpers despite winning the first match. They’ve had 16 days off during this FIBA window and United will enter the clash after 19 days without a game.
Rillie said they learnt important lessons last season which helped the group, but finishing lower down the ladder and competing in a Play-In game had also been beneficial. Elijah Pepper and David Okwera continued to play after being selected to represent Australia, while Izan Almansa was part of Spain’s team.
The team appears more relaxed and Rillie said the mood feels different to 2024. “I like where we are at. We’ve tasted post-season play so I think there’s advantages to having already done that. We’ve handled this break better than we did last year,” Rillie said.
Melbourne beat Perth in all three matches during the regular season, but the Wildcats were missing key players in all of those games. Perth now have a full roster and will enter the series having won four games in a row.
