Battle between Damian Martin and Gary Ervin looms large in Perth's clash with Adelaide Damian Martin (centre) will have a key defensive role to play against Adelaide's Gary Ervin this weekend. IN a battle between the NBL's top two teams, the match-up between star guards Gary Ervin and Damian Martin looms as being worth the price of admission alone. Ervin single-handedly dragged Adelaide over the line with a steal and layup inside the final five seconds against New Zealand last weekend, while Martin's early-season form for the Wildcats has been nothing short of outstanding. The offensive wiz and defensive dynamo will clash on Friday night when the 36ers (6-2) host unbeaten Perth in a much-anticipated match-up. Martin said keeping Ervin in check would be pivotal in the Cats recording a ninth-straight win. "In the four years we've both been playing in the league, he's as tough as they come in the point guard position," Martin said. If we can stop him, it goes a long way to stopping the whole team. You've got to slow him down in transition, because that's where he's at his best. Pick him up early and then make sure the bigs are behind you ready to play help defence, because one-on-one he can be impossible to guard at times. After a poor 2012-13 campaign, the 36ers have been rejuvenated under new coach Joey Wright, with Ervin and local guns Daniel Johnson and Adam Gibson pacing the side. WA product Johnson - who is averaging 17.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game - always seems to lift against the Cats. "You look across their roster and it's tough to pick any weaknesses," Martin said. We know if we don't play our best basketball on Friday night in Adelaide, they'll beat us. We're excited, not only because it's it a top-of-the-table clash, but because it's our hardest challenge to date. Having come off two playoff campaigns cruelled by injury, Martin is in career-best form in the early stages of the 2013-14 season. The Cats captain is averaging 7.1 points and almost five assists per outing, is shooting at an improved clip of 47 per cent from the field, and has resumed his customary position as league steals leader with nearly three per game. Martin said playing pain-free and alongside two talented imports had helped push his game to a new level. "It's the best my body's felt in about three or four years," he said. I had minor shoulder surgery in the offseason, and the achilles pain has completely gone away. So my body feels great, and then secondly, you look up the court and you've got (James) Ennis on one side and (Jermaine) Beal on the other. That's a pretty fun team to play in. We've had success over the last four years, but this year, instead of it being the boring bounce-pass into a lay-up, it's an alley-oop into a dunk. So it's still the same result but it does look a lot better for the fans. After the 36ers clash, the Cats return to Perth to take on Sydney on Sunday.