2019–20 Cairns Taipans season
The 2019–20 Cairns Taipans season was the 21st season for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL, and their second season under the guidance of head coach Mike Kelly. The team consisted of their imports (Scott Machado, D. J. Newbill and Cameron Oliver), eight regular roster players (George Blagojevic, Majok Deng, Mirko Djeric, Anthony Fisher, Nathan Jawai, Jarrod Kenny, Fabijan Krslovic and Kouat Noi) and their two development players (Tad Dufelmeier and Tai Wynyard). The squad was widely considered to be the underdogs of the NBL, with their roster lacking depth and having four rookies on their roster (Blagojevic, Fisher, Krslovic and Noi). These predictions also coupled with the Taipans' previous season, during which they struggled to compile wins and finished with a 6–22 record (include a run of 14 consecutive losses).
| 2019–20 Cairns Taipans season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Mike Kelly | ||||||
| Co-captains | Nathan Jawai D.J. Newbill | ||||||
| Arena | Cairns Convention Centre | ||||||
| NBL results | |||||||
| Record | 16–12 (57.1%) | ||||||
| Ladder | 3rd | ||||||
| Finals finish | Semifinalist (lost to Wildcats 1–2) | ||||||
| Biggest win | 24 points 99–75 (Hawks) | ||||||
| Biggest defeat | 36 points 124–88 (@ Brisbane) | ||||||
Stats at NBL.com.au | |||||||
| Home Attendance | |||||||
| Highest attendance | 5,188 (1 March 2020) | ||||||
| Lowest attendance | 3,904 (29 November 2019) | ||||||
| Total attendance | 67,105 | ||||||
| Average attendance | 4,473 | ||||||
| Player records | |||||||
| Points | Newbill 18.5 | ||||||
| Rebounds | Oliver 9.7 | ||||||
| Assists | Machado 7.5 | ||||||
| Efficiency | Jawai 56% | ||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||
| |||||||
| All statistics correct as of 9 March 2020. | |||||||
After having a successful pre-season (with a 6–3 record), the Taipans struggled during their early games. Despite leading in the early stages of their first three games, they failed to convert those leads into wins and lost their first three games of the season. However, their luck changed after a 23-point win against the Perth Wildcats in Perth, often regarded as one of the hardest games to win for any team in the NBL. After this victory, the Taipans had multiple close games, but then went on a 5-1 streak and impressed the league. The last of those wins was an 11-point win in Sydney which pushed the Snakes into the top four, and placed the team very highly with analysts as up until that round the Sydney Kings had been 11-1 and hadn't lost a home game by then. After this hot streak the Taipans failed to win either game the following round of Round 11, including an overtime game against the South East Melbourne Phoenix, however they won their only game of Round 12 to cut their dry spell short (a game in which they also recognised Aaron Grabau and his years with the club, and raised his jersey to the rafters of the Cairns Convention Centre). After a breakthrough win in Round 12, the Taipans created a winning streak, notching up wins against the 36ers, United, the Phoenix, the Bullets and the Breakers (who at the time were on a five-game winning streak of their own) before falling short against the Kings. Despite this the Taipans started on another winning streak, with a 19-point win against the 36ers on the road sealed their spot in the playoffs. After confirming their playoff spot, the Taipans lost their final two games by a combined total of 52 points.
At the league awards night multiple players received awards, most notably Machado winning the Fans MVP Award and being named in the All-NBL first squad. Newbill won the Best Defensive Award, Coach Kelly won the Coach of the Year Award and both Newbill and Oliver were named in the All-NBL second squad.