| 1980 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 2 February–8 June 1980 (Regular season) 14–15 June 1980 (Finals) |
| Games | 22 |
| Teams | 12 |
| TV partner | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | St. Kilda Saints |
| Season MVP | Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) |
| Top scorer | Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | St. Kilda Saints (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | West Adelaide Bearcats |
| Grand Final MVP | Rocky Smith (St. Kilda) |
The 1980 NBL season was the 2nd season of the National Basketball League (NBL).
The 1980 regular season took place over 18 rounds between 2 February 1980 and 8 June 1980. Each team played 22 games, against every opponent twice.
| Pos | 1980 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints 1 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | L1 | 9–2 | 8–3 | 2109 | 1886 | 111.82% |
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats 1 | 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 Hawks 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 2–3 | L3 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 1798 | 1790 | 100.45% |
| 6 | Newcastle Falcons 2 | 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 Giants 3 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1-4 | L2 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1727 | 1740 | 99.25% |
| 10 | City of Sydney Astronauts 3 | 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
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
1Head-to-Head between St. Kilda Saints and West Adelaide Bearcats (1-1). St. Kilda Saints won For and Against (+8).
2Illawarra Hawks won Head-to-Head (2-0).
3Head-to-Head between Coburg Giants and City of Sydney Astronauts (1-1). Coburg Giants won For and Against (+22).
The NBL finals series in 1980 consisted of two semifinal games, and one championship-deciding grand final. All three of these finals games were sudden death.
| 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 | |||||||
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Rocky Smith | St Kilda Saints | 737 pts / 22 games [1] |
| Free throw percentage | Jim Slacke | Illawarra Hawks | 87.2% (68/78) [1] [2] |