The regular season champions will host the series’ first game at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday, February 15, from 7.30pm.
Cairns will then host game two of the series on Friday night, from 7.30pm, and if needed, the Hoops Capital side will host game three on Sunday, February 19, from 4pm at Qudos Bank Arena.
Although some might be doubting their championship credentials following losses to Adelaide and Perth in the final round, Buford admits his team has learnt from those two road defeats.
“Defensively, we need to get back to who we are,” Buford said.
But he says he has complete faith in his squad and their systems, admitting they won’t be changing anything, going into Wednesday’s Playoff semi-final game one.
“Confidence is always high in this group, which has a lot of self-belief in their abilities and our game plan,” said Buford, saying he was super proud of both Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr being acknowledged during the recent NBL23 awards night.
“Sure, after clinching our spot as early as we did, maybe saw a little complacency creep in, as our mindset shifted a little,” he said.
“But our guys have been ready for this stage of the season for some time now and we’re all ready to turn it on and play some games that really matter.”
