SHAUN Bruce’s first game back since injuring his ankle five minutes into game one of the Queensland Basketball League grand series attracted more attention than a regular match on Saturday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Horsham product returned to the court for the Brisbane Bullets against the Phoenix Suns in the final of three matches pitting National Basketball League sides against National Basketball Association teams.
After watching the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United go before the Bullets, Bruce said it was another special moment for Australian basketball.
He said it was great to be back out on the floor and around the guys after injury.
“The experience and the trip has been unbelievable,” he said.
“During warm-ups it really felt like I was in a video game; it was surreal to be out there.
“Once the ball went up, it's cliche but it really just felt like another game.
“They have some rule differences and the court is a little bigger than what we are used to, but for the most part there wasn't too much of an adjustment.”
By the time Bruce entered the game for the first time with a little under two minutes to play in the first quarter, the Bullets were already down 32-9.
After six minutes across the first two quarters, he played the final seven and half minutes of the final quarter to finish with three points from his two field goal attempts, two assists and four rebounds.
The Bullets showed grit to win the final three quarters, with the final score 114-93.
Bruce said the biggest difference between coming up against NBA players compared with NBL ones was their size and athleticism.
“To be in the NBA you have to have a unique body type or skill set and you quickly find that out once you hit the floor and have to adjust to that,” he said
“The Phoenix guys were playing to win – their starters played big minutes.
“They only have a limited amount of pre-season games with the NBA rules on how many they can play, so they were using it to get better and work on things they needed to.”
There was not much time for Bruce to recover as the Bullets boarded a plane home less than 24 hours after the final buzzer.
“Less then 24 hours after the game we are on our way,” he said. “Once we are home we will prepare to play Cairns in our next NBL game.”
