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SYDNEY - Melbourne have won the 2007-08 NBL championship, breaking the hearts of the Sydney Kings and the biggest crowd of the season with an 85-73 victory in the fifth and deciding game of a classic grand final series.
In front of a sellout crowd of 10,244, the first sell out at the Kingdome since game one of the 2003 grand final against Perth, Melbourne proved too strong down the stretch to win the fourth championship in their history, equal with Perth for the most by an NBL club.
Tigers centre Chris Anstey capped a superb season by scoring 21 points, equal with Dave Thomas, while Mark Worthington led the Kings with 17.
Melbourne led by two points at the final change and then produced a 12-3 run to start the final term and were never headed.
Speculation is rife many Sydney players and coach Brian Goorjian could leave the club in the off-season and they were desperate to finish with a championship, but they fell just short in one of the best deciders in league history.
Retiring Melbourne veteran Darryl McDonald has had the perfect send-off, however, to end his outstanding career.
The Kings fed off the emotion early on to jump out to a quick 13-6 lead.
The teams then traded baskets the rest of the term, which ended with Sydney holding a 19-16 lead.
The match threatened to boil over early in the second term when Sydney guard Luke Kendall and Melbourne big man Stephen Hoare had to be separated after they became embroiled in a heated slanging match.
Sydney were still just holding sway and a long jumpshot by Glen Saville gave them their biggest lead, 25-18.
Anstey then started to get involved for the visitors, hitting two free-throws and a three-pointer to give them their first lead, 30-29.
The momentum then changed significantly with just under three minutes left in the half when Dave Thomas nailed a three-pointer at the same time Worthington was hit with an unsportsmanlike foul after getting tangled up with David Barlow.
Anstey hit the free-throws for the foul and Thomas hit another three from the ensuing possession and the Tigers suddenly led by nine points.
Sydney were able to steady and went into the long break trailing 44-38.
Melbourne threatened to run away with the game in the third term, but Sydney managed to stay in touch and were down by just two at the final change, 63-61.
The Tigers then put their foot down at the start of the fourth and withstood a late Sydney fightback to claim the crown.
- AAP
