Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson predicts his team will thrive again under the pressure of finals basketball, while Adelaide are aiming to prove they aren't playoff chokers.
The Wildcats are gunning for a hat-trick of NBL titles, but they'll have to do it the hard way after finishing the season in third spot.
Perth will start as underdogs in their three-match semi-final series against the 36ers, which tips off on Saturday night in Adelaide.
But Gleeson is confident his team can buck the odds after watching them come from third spot to win last season's title.
The Wildcats toppled Cairns over two games in the semi-finals, before beating Wollongong 3-0 in the grand-final series.
Gleeson says his players will embrace the pressure again when they take on the 36ers, first up, in enemy territory.
"It's a funny thing - pressure can do a lot of things to teams," Gleeson said.
"It seems to make us play better. You saw that last year when the pressure was right on.
"We had to win games to get into the finals and then, in the finals, we went to another level.
"These guys know how to do that at another level. Some guys, it makes you better. And some guys, they choke."
The pressure will be on Adelaide, given last year's choke - when they finished on top of the ladder, only to be bundled out by the Hawks in the semi-finals.
Wildcats skipper Damian Martin spent last week in a moon boot to rest his troublesome left ankle.
Despite carrying the injury for most of the season, Martin was still named the NBL's best defensive player for a record sixth time.
Gleeson backed Martin to play a crucial role in the finals series.
"At the end of the season, he looked like a 45-year-old. Now he looks like a 25-year-old," Gleeson said.
"It's really good. He's bouncing around. It's the same energy level he had five years ago when I first got here.
"It's pleasing to have a full-strength Damo out on the court."
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