United fight-back a cause of optimism says Vickerman

After securing a big comeback victory against the Sydney Kings on Thursday night, Melbourne United’s attempt to replicate that performance fell just short on the road against Adelaide on Saturday.

Trailing by as many as 15 points in the final frame, United fought back, closing within four-points with less than two minutes remaining thanks to some spectacular effort plays.

While Head Coach Dean Vickerman was pleased with the energy his side displayed in the fourth quarter, he ultimately hopes the game acts as a catalyst for change to avoid being in that situation moving forward.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWe3fs9boX8?si=8tGUBY1BFx1RUOSv" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

“I loved the fight-back in the last five minutes of the game to give ourselves a chance to win it but credit to them (Adelaide),” he said in the post-game press conference.

“There’s something in that fight-back. There was some foul trouble, different guys on the court, different combinations… We did some really good things to give ourselves a chance but at the end of the day this was a double-road trip that we wanted. 

“We really enjoyed the way we played in Sydney and we thought that would carry through but you could see a little bit of fatigue there and that’s how it’s going to be when you’re on the road for a month.

“We just need to be better in the way that we prepare guys, in the way that we take care of people and just make sure that we’re 100% for every game.”

United will look to bounce back against the New Zealand Breakers on Friday evening.

Fans can tune into the matchup from 5:30pm on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.