BOB'S BONUS: Draws set for March Madness
BOB'S BONUS: Our erstwhile US correspondent BOB CRAVEN knows only too well what this time of year means - March Madness! So here's a bonus update from our man on the spot on what's happening as NCAA basketball winds into its most exciting weeks of the (post)season.
United stands and it's hit the road, Jackies
MELBOURNE flexed its NBL Championship muscles today, inflicting a virtual go-to-whoa tale of woe on Tasmania in Game 1 of the best-of-five Grand Final, Chris Goulding leading a long-range missile bombardment which sent the JackJumpers down into the bunker in a smouldering 104-81 heap.
Record rout as Southside wins in a flyer
THEY had the Rolls Royce of Australian basketball, then watched a Mercedes drive off with the Rachael Sporn Medal as Southside left Perth choking on its fumes in Game 3 of the WNBL Grand Final Series, the Flyers' claiming their second crown but fifth overall including their history as Dandenong Rangers.
'Great escape' as Flyers send Final to a decider
A LITERAL last-gasp basket by Southside import Mercedes Russell last night forced the WNBL Grand Final Series to a deciding third game on Sunday in Melbourne as the Flyers flew the Perth coup 97-95 winners, barely escaping the desperate final minutes after leading all night.
Then there were two, United, Jackies for the crown
MELBOURNE versus Tasmania for the NBL crown. It's the best-of-five Grand Final Series most craved - other than the stampede of fans Illawarra corralled during its extraordinary season and post-season, or anyone living in Western Australia. Shea Ili and Jack McVeigh ensured we'd get it.
Brad&Boti: LJ to Olympics, WNBL Final, NBL Semis
THE WNBL already is into its Grand Final Series, Perth owning a 1-0 lead in the Best-of-3 Final. But the NBL settles its issues in a double-header basketball bonanza of Game 3 semi final deciders tonight, and Brad Rosen and I are down for it at our Brad&Boti podcast.
The odds don't look great for underdogs
SHOULD it really be a surprise come NBL playoffs time that suddenly a number of factors fall the way of our Melbourne, Perth or Sydney-based clubs? They run marquee programs in our biggest cities, regularly drawing five-figure attendances. Places such as Hobart or Wollongong can't match that.
Milton 'the monster" as Jackies tame Wildcats
DESPITE the outrageous intervention of the NBL's amorphous "Games Review Panel" which ridiculously and quite embarrassingly outed Tasmania centre Marcus Lee from its semi final Game 2 against Perth, Milton Doyle was an absolute monster as the JackJumpers levelled the series at 1-1 tonight in Hobart.
Hickey leaves a bruise as Hawks rally in G2
FOR the second time in their NBL best-of-three semi final series, Illawarra and Melbourne could not settle the issue in regulation but this time Will "Davo" Hickey, Gary Clark, Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling led their Hawks to a home 113-108 overtime win, sending it back to Melbourne for a decider on Wednesday.
That well? Yep. Atwell did that well and better!
PERTH Lynx are one win away from claiming only the club's second WNBL championship and first since women's basketball legends Tom Maher, Michele Timms and Robyn Maher clinched the 1992 crown after Amy Atwell and crew today blew Southside off its home Melbourne floor 101-79.