How stars will lead the race to NBL26 championship

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The stars have aligned for the NBL26 semi-finals, writes NBL legend and CODE Sports contributor Derek Rucker.

One thing immediately jumped out at me when I looked at the picture of the final four teams left standing. The top four players in the NBL MVP voting are all still alive.

Bryce Cotton. Kendric Davis. Nathan Sobey. Kristian Doolittle.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to win an MVP in this league and who still loves the pure basketball side of the game, that is about as good as it gets.

Cotton has already shown us what happens when he catches fire. Davis is the form player of the competition heading into the finals. Sobey is playing some of the best basketball of his career in a system that allows him to be aggressive — he’s the oldest and he hasn’t got a title yet, so he’ll have that hunger. Doolittle gives you something different to the other three because he can play at his own pace and still overwhelm you physically — he just trucks people.

For fans, this is ideal. The biggest names are still playing in the biggest games.

The past couple of seasons have produced fantastic stories — Tasmania, then Illawarra were surprise champions in smaller markets, fighting to win the ultimate prize from outside the league’s traditional power structure.

This year feels different.

Sydney and Perth are the heavyweights. It’s been a long time since Adelaide has been taken seriously but it has rebuilt itself into a genuine contender. South East Melbourne has evolved from a new club into a legitimate program under Josh King.

Four teams. Four identities. Four stars who can take over. That is what makes this final four so compelling.

See Rucker's full analysis of the NBL Finals starting tonight on CODE Sports Basketball, including a look at the coaches, team's strengths and weaknesses as well as who the X-factors are, click here.