Cotton’s unsung hero of Phoenix win

Bryce Cotton may have starred in the first game of the Adelaide 36ers’ Semi-Final series against South East Melbourne, but the six-time NBL MVP has singled out a less heralded teammate as an unsung hero.

Cotton top scored with 42 points to go with three rebounds and five assists, equalling his best score in a playoff game.

Yet, the 33-year-old used the post-match press conference on Tuesday night to praise others, including singling out Matt Kenyon for special recognition.

“It was a collective effort,” Cotton said.

“Flynn (Cameron) had some big plays down the stretch, Nick (Rakocevic) had some big plays, DJ (Vasiljevic).

“I mean, we can go on and on down the list.

“Big shout out to Kenny [Matt Kenyon]. The things that he did defensively, the way he changes the game, I told him some of his defensive stops and steals or deflections led to transition points for us so he's a guy that was probably the unsung hero for me.”

Kenyon’s stat sheet doesn’t tell the full story of his contribution. In just under 10 minutes of game time, the former Phoenix player pulled down one rebound and had three steals, with all of those steals coming in a three-minute burst.

Cotton, though, seemed switched on from the start, piling on 16 points in a breathtaking first quarter to have the home crowd abuzz.

But his response to a question regarding whether he could feel how “on” he was tells a tale of a champion mentality.

“I was just in flow state,” Cotton said.’

“I really wasn't worried about whether I was on or not. I just wanted to make sure my intent was right throughout the game, making the right reads, and not second guessing anything I did, whether it was a good player or bad play.

“It's just wanting to win. I think it led me to play and take whatever the defence gave me.”

Cotton reached rare air with his 42-point effort, making him the third highest scorer in a playoff game in Sixers’ history behind Robert Rose’s 46 in 1995 and Al Green’s 45 ten years earlier.

But a humble Cotton was more focussed on championship success than individual records.  

“I mean, it's cool,” he said, “but the most important thing is, you know, we got the win.

“I think when the season's done, I'll probably have more time to reflect on all the different things I've accomplished, but for right now, all that matters is us getting wins.

“And we said at the start of the playoffs or whatever, five wins to win the championship, and we got one down so if we can keep knocking them off, I'll be happy.”

The Sixers will look for their second win of the playoffs on Saturday evening when they travel to Melbourne for game two against the Phoenix.

Tip off of that game is at 5pm ACDT / 5:30pm AEDT with full coverage on ESPN via Kayo or Disney+.