King's Speech: 'Respect, pride' and 'slap across the mug'

• Brian Goorjian’s pre-game message inspired Kings’ 103–79 win in Adelaide
• Six-time NBL champion drew on lessons from his father in a win he hailed win as one of his best in the NBL
• NBA and NBL veteran Matthew Dellavedova said players were “locked in” to the game plan

Kings head coach Brian Goorjian delivered a shoot around speech that propelled Sydney to what Goorjian described as one of his best wins in the NBL against the Adelaide 36ers in Round 4 of NBL26.

Six-time NBL champion Goorjian, 72, spoke of how his father Ed left a lasting imprint on him about "respect, pride and tradition".

"Well, I just — my point being — I always think of my father, there was a great story where, when I was a little kid, I had a baseball hat on.

"I wore it on backwards, and he came and slapped me across the mug and stood me straight up and said, 'Put — he grabbed the hat and he goes, 'Put it on your head perfectly straight'.

"'And the only time — it’s military — the only time you touch it, the only time you touch it, a tip of your hat, is for respect, pride, tradition'.

"And I’ve always — when I get into games like this — I always think of my father, and I think of the military.

"One of the things I said to them (the Kings), you know, from the time we walk into this township (Adelaide), it’s a military operation.

"And we just — we’re like this. I knew sometimes some stuff comes out of you and it, it goes there.

"I know this — I’m learning about this group, and coming into the stadium, I knew they were in. I knew they were in."

Kings and Australian Boomers veteran Matthew Dellavedova said Goorjian's words resonated with the playing group.

"Goorj has always been able to tell a great story," Dellavedova added.

"Everyone knew coming in what it was gonna be like and, like Goorj said, everyone was locked in to the game plan, talking on the bench.

You know, Keli (Leaupepe) coming on the road trip, even Lou doing a good job talking, Robbo — so it was, you know, everyone on the whole team was in.

"And that’s what it needs to be to get a win in this environment."

It was a win that Goorjian hailed as one of his best in his NBL coaching career given the intensity of former Adelaide 36ers guard Kendric Davis' return to the City of Churches.

"To be truthful, since returning (to the Kings), one of the things we didn’t have last year — we went 16-13 with five games to go, in second place — but we never knocked off a top team," he said.

"0-4 against Wollongong, 0-4 against Melbourne. We did our work against the teams below, and a lot of teams didn’t — but we did.

"So having a win like this — in my return to Sydney, year two of the build — I haven’t had one like this. When I walked in here, I always think of the history.

"Some of the best games I’ve ever been part of were Melbourne Tigers and Adelaide 36ers — coming into this environment.

"Our backs were against the wall tonight, and getting a win here — and in the manner we did it — that’s one of the better wins I’ve had in my time in the NBL."

Goorjian late father Ed was the head coach of the Loyola Marymount Lions between 1980 and 1985 in NCAA men division one. He became Crescenta Valley High School's first head coach in 1960 and won seven league championships in 18 years.