MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - Well Adelaide and Perth certainly gave us a brilliant preview of the NBL playoffs tonight with a classic 101-94 36ers win.

The class of players was outstanding - Brock Motum and Jamar Wilson brilliant for Adelaide, Matt Knight unbelievable for Perth - the crowd was rocking and the game was exceptionally well refereed.

It's just the start of a huge weekend, and indeed month, of hoops - New Zealand and Cairns finishing the season with a potential grand final preview on Sunday and, in the WNBL, Dandenong take on Sydney and those great rivals Townsville and Bendigo meet in the first week of the post-season.

So given it's the pointy end of the season, it's time to look at who the stars of the 2014/15 regular season were in Oceania's outstanding men's pro league, with the WNBL's finest to come in a future column. (* Note: stats are from before this weekend's final round of NBL action).

All-NBL First Team
Brock Motum (Adelaide - 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 44% 3PFG) - When Motum first returned from the FIBA Basketball World Cup and Utah Jazz pre-season, he didn't understand the hard work needed to succeed in the NBL. But once he did, boy was he good. With his exceptional offensive touch matched by a fierce workrate on the boards he became the league’s second best big.

Brian Conklin (Townsville - 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds) - After playing as an undersized centre last season, Conklin and the Townsville coaching staff worked their butts off turning him into a mobile four-man who could match the NBL's versatile power forwards. Mission accomplished, the big American arguably the league’s most consistent player.

Josh Childress (Sydney - 21.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 blocks) - Make no mistake, Childress was the league's best player this season, ranking first in points and rebounds, second in blocks and fifth in assists. Just as impressive was his selfless team play. No player has come to Australia with such impressive Euroleague and NBA credentials - and it showed.

Jamar Wilson (Adelaide - 19.4 points, 5.0 rebounds) - It took Wilson a little while to find his feet in Adelaide, but once he did the little New Yorker produced a long run of superb games that had to be seen to be believed. His unorthodox drives into the tall timber were breathtaking and his combination with Motum devastating.

Cedric Jackson (New Zealand - 14.7 points, 6.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 steals) - Had Jackson continued with his early-season shooting form, 2014/15 may have been even better than his incredible MVP year. As it was his percentages dropped away, but his contributions on all parts of the court never did, as evidenced by his league-leading assists, second in steals and a pair of triple-doubles.

All-NBL Second Team
Ekene Ibekwe (New Zealand - 11.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks) - A fearsome defensive force, the Nigerian international was the second best pivot in an interrupted year for other quality centres.

Mark Worthington (Melbourne - 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds) - While the long-time FIBA veteran dropped away significantly in the second half of the season, his 2014 form was MVP calibre and carried a struggling team until they found their feet.

Todd Blanchfield (Townsville - 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds) - Waiting for Blanchfield to become a star? Wait no longer. His combination of shooting and athleticism has matured, the 2.00m young gun switching to shooting guard without a hiccup.

Jordan McRae (Melbourne - 20.6 points, 4.6 rebounds) - The 76ers' 'property' struggled early to fit Melbourne's system, found his feet spectacularly mid-season and slipped to some old habits late, but his talents are too good to ignore.

Scottie Wilbekin (Cairns - 14.7 points, 4.4 assists) - He burst onto the NBL scene, and while he couldn't maintain that pace, his defense, playmaking and late-game scoring were keys to Cairns’ impressive season.

Defensive Player of the Year
Cedric Jackson - I know, this is Damian Martin's award, right? Ibekwe and Mickell Gladness are also contenders, but for mine the Breakers were the best defensive team when you factor stopping the opposition and then generating points from D, and Jackson is undoubtedly the driving force behind that.

Most Improved Player
Corey Webster (New Zealand, 15.4 points, 42 percent three-point shooting) - This is no surprise given his FIBA Basketball World Cup form. But after some mid-season blues, Webster solidified this with his incredible 53 combined points on 57 percent shooting in last weekend's double against Adelaide and Perth, carrying the Breakers with tough shot after tough shot.

Sixth Man of the Year
Ekene Ibekwe - While he played the bulk of the centre minutes with Alex Pledger hobbled, Ibekwe started on the pine almost the entire season, so he is a clear standout for this award.

Coach of the Year
Aaron Fearne (Cairns) - After two seasons unsuccessfully trying to figure out a recipe to control the possession game while still being a dour defensive transition team, Fearne got it almost perfect this year and looks to have guided a relatively low-budget outfit to the minor premiership. It’s hard to top that.

Runner-up MVP
Jamar Wilson - He claimed this mantle in 2011/12 on debut for Cairns, and Wilson has been even better this season in Joey Wright's fast-paced system, failing to reach 14 points just once, scoring over 20 in half his games coming into the final round and at times being simply unstoppable.

MVP
Brian Conklin - Undoubtedly the best big man in the NBL this season, Conklin has been a beast down low, a marksmen from mid-range off the on-ball, a demon on the boards and consistent to boot. This was Childress’ award until he got injured, but Conklin is still a most worthy winner having racked up big scores against the best teams and done it at 50 per cent from the floor.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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