Countdown to the NBL playoffs

On the back of the most obvious press release ever from the NBL about how close the season is, and with just one month until the regular season finishes, its time to start thinking about the playoffs.

The New Zealand Breakers have just announced Kevin Braswell as a second import for the remainder of the season. The Breakers are yet to find form and haven't been able to close out games in the final quarter. If Braswell can come in and give the team a much needed spark, the Breakers still have time to make the finals.

The Melbourne Tigers are at the bottom of the ladder but are just 4 games out of the top 4. They too are tipped to be looking to add another import for the last month of the season. The Tigers have won 3 of their last 4 games, if they can stay healthy and find the right addition to their squad, their not out of contention yet.

The Woolongong Hawks started the season as the Cinderella story, tipped to finish last they won the pre-season tournament and led the league over the opening months. Trouble struck the team last week when it was announced they have lost star import Tywain McKee for the season. They currently sit in 4th position on the ladder but have lost 3 of their last 5 games and look like they will slip out of the playoff picture.

The Townsville Crocs have been the surprise of the season for me. Croc Nation have jumped on the back of Corey "Homicide" Williams and he's led from the front and they find themselves just one win out of the top spot.

The Gold Coast Blaze started the season slowly but they've hit their strides and are tied with the Crocs in second place. They further strengthened their roster adding former Bullets Craig Bradshaw in to the mix. Despite their good form, the best news for the Blaze is that they still have plenty of upside and they're not playing to their full potential yet. If the injury to Adam Gibson turns out not to be too serious, look for them to make some noise in the playoffs.

The Perth Wildcats began the season much like the Blaze, slowly. They have now won 4 of their last 5 games and have a strong 9 - 2 record at home. Luke Schenscher took a little while to fit in to Perth but the team have found the right balance of late and have surged to the top of the table.

The top 3 of the 4 playoff teams seem set with the Wildcats, Blaze and Crocs. The story of the final month of the season will be which team will round out the four. Can the Hawks hang on to the final spot or who can make a late charge in to contention?