Basketball On The Internet.

AH yes, the NBL got back to what it needed last night with a sizzling game that had tongues wagging nationwide, burying all the unhappiness of the past few days.

Adelaide's 99-98 win over Sydney was theatre at its best, high drama and excitement in equal measure after the first half had been something of a horror show for 36ers fans at Titanium Security Arena.

To come back from 25 down at 30-55, and 18 behind with a quarter to play gave the 36ers the record for a final quarter comeback in a 40-minute game.

Their 32-13 final period may not exactly have been the 45-11 last period of the 2002-03 playoffs that saw them come from a record 26 down to win in Perth, but it sits comfortably next to Adelaide's 48-minute NBL record recovery.

Put simply, Adelaide is the NBL's "Comeback King", be it 40 minutes or 48.

While magnificent for the 36ers and their best crowd of the season so far with 5,640 being taken through the roller-coaster ride, it was not so good for Sydney.

Coach Damian Cotter most likely will lose his job over it, with Kings management - which recruited this team, not Cotter, and right down to bringing in Al Harrington too - likely to find comfort in the shadows this time as they pull the trigger to install the American they've had waiting in the wings for a while now.

It also won't be good news for injured import Josh Childress who chased the refereeing crew back to the change-rooms, allegedly verbally harassing them. Really, the officiating wasn't exactly world class but the trio did include the best ref in the NBL.

There is sure to be an aftermath for Childress who maybe should have stopped and looked at the stats first where he may have noticed his team missed 15-of-31 free throws. And they made 2-of-10 in the final quarter.

If that wasn't a revisit to the "violet crumble" days, I don't know what is.

Their 39-point first quarter was the most points scored in an opening period by an opponent in the 380 NBL matches at TSA and all the others played at Apollo before that - 40 or 48 minutes!

Quite the achievement, as was Sydney's 64-point first half, a club record in a 40-minute game. Five Kings were in double-figure scoring at halftime!

I guess during the interval, Cotter somehow went from the best coach in the venue to the worst!

Adelaide's home crowds have been pretty amazing for a long time now, probably in this venue dating back to the 1994 Grand Final against North Melbourne.

But they certainly brought the 36ers home last night when they got a sniff of a win - miraculous though it would have to be - was a possibility.

Jerome Randle (above), Anthony Petrie, Mitch Creek and Ebi Ere were sensational in that final quarter, with some timely cameos from Daniel Johnson, Nathan Sobey and Brendan Teys too.

It was just what the doctor ordered.

Today: IT'S rare for me to change tips but, other than not being overly dazzled by how New Zealand beat Adelaide on Thursday, the fact Mika Vukona {injured} and Tai Wesley {stayed in Auckland with wife (over)due to give birth} are out of the Breakers team to face United in Melbourne today, I no longer think they can get the W.

Last night: 36ERS 99 (Randle 33, Petrie 23, Johnson 15; Petrie 9 rebs; Randle 6 assts) d KINGS 98 (Khazzouh, Harrington 18, Garlepp 16, Cadee 15, Thornton, Prewster 12; Harrington 12 rebs; Cade 5 assts) at The Fortress, Titanium Security Arena.