| 1983 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 10 February – 18 June 1983 (Regular season) 23 June – 4 July 1983 (Finals) |
| Games | 22 |
| Teams | 16 |
| TV partner | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Sydney Supersonics (Eastern) Geelong Cats (Western) |
| Season MVP | Owen Wells (Sydney) |
| Top scorer | Mike Jones (Illawarra) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Canberra Cannons (1st title) |
| Runners-up | West Adelaide Bearcats |
The 1983 NBL season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League (NBL). The regular season began on 10 February and ended on 18 June. The finals began on 23 June with the divisional finals before concluding on 4 July with the NBL Grand Final.
The 1983 regular season took place over 18 rounds between 10 February 1983 and 18 June 1983. Each team played 22 games, against every opponent in their own division twice and against every opponent in the other division once.
Eastern Division
| Pos | 1983 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Sydney Supersonics | 22 | 19 | 3 | 86.36% | 4–1 | W2 | 11–0 | 8–3 | 1956 | 1710 | 114.39% |
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | W4 | 10–1 | 7–4 | 2180 | 1972 | 110.55% |
| 3 | Coburg Giants 1 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 1–4 | L1 | 9–2 | 4–7 | 1976 | 1920 | 102.92% |
| 4 | Newcastle Falcons 1 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–3 | 5–6 | 2143 | 2076 | 103.23% |
| 5 | Brisbane Bullets | 22 | 10 | 12 | 45.45% | 4–1 | W3 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 1734 | 1763 | 98.36% |
| 6 | Frankston Bears | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27.27% | 0–5 | L6 | 3–8 | 3–8 | 1809 | 1863 | 97.10% |
| 7 | Illawarra Hawks | 22 | 4 | 18 | 18.18% | 3–2 | L1 | 3–8 | 1–10 | 1929 | 2128 | 90.65% |
| 8 | Devonport Warriors | 22 | 2 | 20 | 09.09% | 1–4 | W1 | 1–10 | 1–10 | 1674 | 2068 | 80.95% |
Western Division
| Pos | 1983 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | Geelong Cats | 22 | 18 | 4 | 81.82% | 5–0 | W6 | 9–2 | 9–2 | 1953 | 1736 | 112.50% |
| 2 | Canberra Cannons | 22 | 16 | 6 | 72.73% | 4–1 | W1 | 9–2 | 7–4 | 2049 | 1777 | 115.31% |
| 3 | Nunawading Spectres | 22 | 15 | 7 | 68.18% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 1964 | 1760 | 111.59% |
| 4 | St. Kilda Saints 2 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 54.55% | 2–3 | W1 | 8–3 | 4–7 | 1971 | 1942 | 101.49% |
| 5 | Bankstown Bruins 2 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 54.55% | 3–2 | L1 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 1737 | 1728 | 100.52% |
| 6 | Adelaide 36ers | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50.00% | 2–3 | L1 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 2002 | 2047 | 97.80% |
| 7 | Westate Wildcats | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27.27% | 0–5 | L5 | 5–6 | 1–10 | 1929 | 2171 | 88.85% |
| 8 | Hobart Devils | 22 | 2 | 20 | 09.09% | 0–5 | L10 | 2–9 | 0–11 | 1757 | 2102 | 83.59% |
Updated to match(es) played on 18 June 1983. 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 Coburg Giants and Newcastle Falcons (1-1). Coburg Giants won For and Against (+6).
2Head-to-Head between St. Kilda Saints and Bankstown Bruins (1-1). St. Kilda Saints won For and Against (+6).
The NBL finals series in 1983 consisted of the divisional finals (which was a round-robin fixture for the top eight teams), two semifinal games, and one championship-deciding grand final.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 3 | 2 | 1 | 288 | 269 | +19 | Qualification to Semifinals |
| 2 | Coburg Giants | 3 | 2 | 1 | 285 | 271 | +14 | |
| 3 | Sydney Supersonics | 3 | 2 | 1 | 259 | 264 | −5 | Eliminated |
| 4 | Newcastle Falcons | 3 | 0 | 3 | 267 | 295 | −28 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canberra Cannons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 279 | 247 | +32 | Qualification to Semifinals |
| 2 | Nunawading Spectres | 3 | 2 | 1 | 297 | 238 | +59 | |
| 3 | Geelong Cats | 3 | 1 | 2 | 250 | 287 | −37 | Eliminated |
| 4 | St. Kilda Saints | 3 | 0 | 3 | 254 | 308 | −54 |
Each of the top eight teams played in a three-game round robin fixture between 23 June and 26 June. The result were as follows: [1]
| Team | Record | Points differential | Semi-finals seed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra Cannons | 3–0 | +32 | #1 |
| Nunawading Spectres | 2–1 | +59 | #2 |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 2–1 | +19 | #3 |
| Coburg Giants | 2–1 | +14 | #4 |
| Sydney Supersonics | 2–1 | -5 | Eliminated |
| Geelong Cats | 1–2 | -37 | Eliminated |
| Newcastle Falcons | 0–3 | -28 | Eliminated |
| St. Kilda Saints | 0–3 | -54 | Eliminated |
| Semifinals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Canberra Cannons | 80 | |||||||
| 4 | Coburg Giants | 75 | |||||||
| 1 | Canberra Cannons | 75 | |||||||
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 73 | |||||||
| 2 | Nunawading Spectres | 77 | |||||||
| 3 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 84 | |||||||
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Mike Jones | Illawarra Hawks | 679 pts / 22 games [2] |
| Rebounds per game | George Morrow | Newcastle Falcons | 15.6 rpg / 25 games [2] |
| Steals | Phil Smyth | Canberra Cannons | 67 / 22 games [2] |
| Blocks | James Crawford | Geelong Cats | 69 / 22 games [2] |
| Field goal percentage | Mike Slusher | St Kilda Saints | 64.8% (96/148) [2] |
| Free throw percentage | Michael Johnson | Newcastle Falcons | 91.8% (34/37) [2] |