Grand Final Game 2 Game Day Program

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It’s finally here.
Melbourne United has been working all
season long for the shot at defending
their title and here we are; Game 2 of the
2019 NBL Grand Final Series.
Taking on the Perth Wildcats, a team that
has been the benchmark of the NBL for
longer than most United players have been
alive, is one of the toughest tasks in league.
Going to back-to-back demands two
seasons of greatness and United
superstar Casper Ware recognises that
whilst it’s a different squad to last year, the
same things need to happen.
“Everything is a little bit different; different
players, different kind of style we’ve got to
win the game with, but at the end of the
day it’s basketball and basketball players
have got to make plays in these type of
games,” Ware said on Tuesday.
“I think we’ve got the players to do that.”
Ware has risen to the occasion all season
long, including catching fire in the opening
quarter of both Semi-Final clashes against
Sydney. With the proof in the pudding, he
believes the squad is ready for the biggest
series in Australian basketball.
“I think we’re up for it, up for the challenge
and I think every team that’s in a Grand
Final will be; that’s why we’re in the Grand
Final, that’s why Perth is in the Grand
Final,” he said.
“You’ve got to win the big games to get
here – they did it and we did it, so now it’s
about who’s going to do it better in this
Grand Final.”
Josh Boone, who returned to Melbourne
this season with one goal and one goal
only – to win another ring – spoke about
how he doesn’t take competing in a Grand
Final series for granted.
At 34 years of age, he admitted he isn’t
sure how many more chances he will have
like this one.
“If anything, [the anticipation] goes up
a little bit more because you know that
there’s only going to be a certain number
of chances left to get this opportunity,”
Boone said.
“There’s no telling three, four years down
the road what my body is looking like and if
I’m still playing or not – I know I have to try
to take advantage while I can.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity has
been something Boone has done since
he arrived in Melbourne as an injury
replacement player midway through the
2016/17 season - just weeks after Ware
arrived in Melbourne too.
The pair have created a guard-big combo
that has torched opposition defences
so many times since. With Perth being
their current opponent, in what may be a
five-game series, Boone knows it won’t be