Todd Blanchfield believes the Illawarra Hawks can thrive in the pressure cooker against their arch rivals this Sunday, saying all of the pressure is on the high flying Sydney Kings.
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The expectation will be on the ladder-leading Kings with a record crowd of more than 18,000 fans expected to pack Qudos Bank Arena.
The Hawks are languishing at 2-7 and fighting to keep their season alive. They will hold the underdog tag on the weekend.
"The Kings are obviously front runners. They're a very good team and very well coached. It's definitely a big ask on Sunday but we're going in there as a free swing," Blanchfield said.
"There's no pressure on us this weekend, no one expects us to win. I think it's good coming in as the underdog.
"It's definitely a big rivalry. Both teams get up and about for it, especially this weekend."
There's no pressure on us this weekend, no one expects us to win. I think it's good coming in as the underdog
- Todd Blanchfield
Blanchfield understands the Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings better than most people, having spent a season at the Kings in 2017-18.
The fierce rivalry dates back to the 80s and has been referred to as "little brother versus big brother".
The record books suggest Sunday's game will be close. They've met 94 times, with the Kings winning on 51 occasions. However, only 37 points separate the teams during that period.
The Hawks will also be buoyed by their 101-91 win over the Taipans in Cairns last Saturday. LaMelo Ball showed his potential to be next year's No.1 NBA draft pick with 24 points, six assists and three rebounds. Sunday Dech was also superb from the bench, scoring 21 points, while veterans David Andersen and Josh Boone dominated inside.
"We've got to be able to bring that energy once again. I think if we can bring that energy on a week to week basis, we'll give ourselves the best possible chance to win," Blanchfield said.
"Coming off a big win in Cairns, it's a massive game for us from our perspective in terms of our season and how we're travelling.
"Obviously we're all in here working our butts off every single day. At training today, everyone's in here getting up a good sweat.
"We're deep enough that it can be anyone night's on any given game. Obviously LaMelo, Dave Andersen and Sunday were really going. Come this Sunday, it could be Grida, it could be Emmett, it could be anyone's night.
"We'll continue to keep moving the ball around and playing the way we do."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
