Basketball On The Internet.

WITH only six games in NBL Round 19, teams that split two appearances such as Illawarra and New Zealand, quickly dropped from the equation, leaving our Team of the Week to come from Brisbane, Tasmania, Perth or Melbourne.

Yes, a case can be made for New Zealand beating Illawarra or for those same Hawks backing up to beat Sydney in the Kings' own lounge room. But it was a 1-1 Hawks return and when New Zealand lost in Melbourne, it too had consigned itself to a 1-1 round.

Adelaide, South East Melbourne, Cairns and Sydney all lost their solitary shots at glory, leaving the aforementioned Bullets, JackJumpers, Wildcats or United as chief choices for the coveted weekly accolade, with its abundant riches.

It was no easy task separating the four performances. Brisbane, with its own post-season position at stake, beat an Adelaide 36ers outfit needing a win to stay even remotely alive.

But with the amount of losses and percentage working against them from before Scott Ninnis accepted the coach's poison chalice, the Sixers already showed the previous round against Tasmania that they had hit the wall.

The Bullets' win therefore was good, but not entirely unpredictable or out of the ordinary.

Tasmania smacking a depleted South East Melbourne, which additionally ridiculously had its coach Mike Kelly tech fouled out of the match was a case of "taking care of business".

Cairns was in a "must win to stay alive" situation at RAC Arena and was fighting the good fight, still alive 82-84 in the fourth quarter against a pulsating Perth.

The Wildcats were wild from there though, outscoring the Taipans 33-6 the rest of the way and overall 38-16 over the final period in what turned into a 117-88 rout.

Melbourne, laying in wait for a depleted New Zealand flying across the Tasman after a gutsy home win over Illawarra, also only did what it had to.

The Breakers were running on empty in the last quarter, unable to capitalise on United being teched for having six players on court and simply missing key open shots that may have made this closer than 94-81.

So all-in-all, the most impressive team in our quartet of winners and our Team of the Week had to be Perth Wildcats, now claiming our award for a stunning fourth time this season.

The Team of the Weak As Pi$$ then had to be Cairns yet again. Yes, there are visible fractures now in that team but to only muster six points against a 33-point avalanche after trailing by two with 7:48 left in the game smacked and smelt of surrender.

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET TEAM OF THE WEEK
Round 19 Perth Wildcats
Round 18 Tasmania JackJumpers
Round 17 Illawarra Hawks
Round 16 Perth Wildcats
Round 15 Brisbane Bullets
Round 14 Adelaide 36ers
Round 13 Sydney Kings
Round 12 New Zealand Breakers
Round 11 New Zealand Breakers
Round 10 Illawarra Hawks
Round  9 Perth Wildcats
Round  8 Adelaide 36ers
Round  7 Melbourne United
Round  6 Perth Wildcats
Round  5 Brisbane Bullets
Round  4 South East Melbourne Phoenix
Round  3 Melbourne United
Round  2 Tasmania JackJumpers
Round  1 Sydney Kings
 

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET TEAM OF THE WEAK AS PI$$
Round 19 Cairns Taipans
Round 18 Brisbane Bullets
Round 17 Cairns Taipans
Round 16 South East Melbourne Phoenix
Round 15 Tasmania JackJumpers
Round 14 Sydney Kings
Round 13 South East Melbourne Phoenix
Round 12 Brisbane Bullets
Round 11 South East Melbourne Phoenix
Round 10 Sydney Kings
Round  9 Adelaide 36ers
Round  8 Brisbane Bullets
Round  7 New Zealand Breakers
Round  6 Adelaide 36ers
Round  5 No Nominees
Round  4 Perth Wildcats
Round  3 Illawarra Hawks
Round  2 No Nominees
Round  1 No Nominees