First review: Dream Big is rare, gold dust for fans

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Behind the scenes, mic'd up and on the floor — that's what the NBL's new documentary Dream Big on Disney+ delivers in spades.

Dream Big is a retrospective of the 2024-25 NBL season and the stories that made it one of the best seasons in league history.

It doesn't have time for the broadcast view of the highlights we have all seen throughout the season, it gets you right up close and personal with the players, coaches in the locker room, at pre-game briefings, time outs, at floor-level, with courtside camera angles of the biggest plays of the season.

That's what makes it compelling.

It literally takes a different angle in its storytelling and editing to put fans right there, next to their favourite players, in the moment.

It makes the live broadcasts feel almost an impersonal birds eye view as Dream Big exposes the sheer volume of what fans don't get to see during the four 10-minute quarters of a basketball game. The first real "that's awesome" moment comes as the documentary shifts into play-off mode with Melbourne United head coach Dean Vickerman talks to his players during their pre-game about what they need to do to get the job done against the Wildcats.

The camera focuses on NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova as he works on getting himself locked in, ready to battle five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton. It's like sitting right next to the former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard.

Unprecedented access

Every coach is mic'd up and it's easy to tell Dream Big has been planned and produced from the opening tip of the season. There is no searching for footage to match the audio, it's a documentary a season in the making.

Perth jumped out to an early 28-19 lead in Game 3 and Vickerman was hot.

"Three threes already right now," Vickerman implored.

"(I can) live with the Pinder one, we don't live with a walk-up three with Bryce. Right, here we go!"

Three-point killer Chris Goulding was fouled at the end of regulation, knocking down clutch free throws to win it 113-112 to book a spot in another NBL Grand Final.

It was the last game Bryce Cotton would play for the Perth Wildcats.

Once the first semi-final is done, the documentary shifts its focus to the other match-up: the minor premier Illawarra Hawks and South East Melbourne Phoenix, who surged in the back half of the season under head coach Josh King.

Interestingly, the documentary-makers were required to blur much of what Josh King had written on his whiteboard before Game 3 of semi-final against the Hawks.

Given the access, it was obvious but understandable. Coaches keep their game plans tight and the reality is the Hawks aren't going anywhere in NBL26 and much of what he has written would more than likely be back as part of his planning to stop the defending champs next season or what he wants to do on the offensive side of the ball at the Phoenix.

After Tyler Harvey hitting the biggest shot of the season, the game winning three in Game 2, Hawks head coach Justin Tatum, walking back to the change room, said: "Series tied 1-1, it's going to be a dog fight, we're back in it. That shot right there is probably going to turn Tyler right up. That's what we need."

Dream Big starts out as a slow burn as it plays back the bigger stories of the regular season and gives airtime to the teams that didn't make playoffs including the New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans — as it needs to — but the gears change quickly as the playoffs take centre stage.

It is an absolute must-see for NBL fans, putting us right in the middle of the pressure-filled moments that made 2024-25 a season for the ages.

We all know the Grand Final series went to Game 5 and as Goulding said before the tip-off it was time to "embrace the moment".

It's what Dream Big does exceptionally well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Dream Big: The Stories of NBL25  will be on Disney+ on Friday, June 6 from 5pm AEST.