This week the Brisbane Bullets and Melbourne Tigers face off in a best of five grand final series that will decide national honours.

The series pits last year’s champions against the standout team of this season and one of the best line-ups to have contested the national league in recent years.

It’s a tough race to call but one Shane Heal believes the Bullets can win.

“I wanted to see the Sydney Kings win (the Championship) to be honest but now we’ll wait and see what happens,” Heal said this week.

“It’s going to be tough for anyone to beat Brisbane, they’ve had an amazing year and they’re probably the most talented team for a long, long time so I think they’ll win it.”

While the South Dragons were bundled out of this year’s playoffs, the team will be back bigger and better next year to give the Championship a serious shake, and Heal wants all basketball fans along for the ride.

“The Melbourne fans should stay with the Dragons, that’s what I think,” he said.

Heal returned to his Gold Coast home last week to undergo minor surgery on his injured knee. He will return to Melbourne for the club’s open-invitation awards celebration this Sunday, March 4 at Yarra Yarra Rowing Club.

The off-season will be a busy time for the Dragons star; Heal will spend the next few weeks in talks to finalise the new season’s team before jetting to the USA for a week-long internment with the San Antonio Spurs in April.

But he will track the Philips Championship decider with great interest and the knowledge that this time next year his own South Dragons are every chance to taste grand final glory.