Basketball On The Internet.

WHY do those of us in the media love basketball people so much? Because, for the most part, they are candid and often even brutally honest.

Sure, we also get the self-serving pap and the "one week at a time" cliche, but mostly, our coaches and players are prepared to say more than most pro sports protagonists.

Sadly, the PC brigade at various basketball headquarters would prefer to muzzle our characters but, fortunately, they are largely unable to achieve that.

Check out some of these quotes the coaches gave in the fall-out of last round.

"Ah, we're soft," Taipans coach Aaron Fearne said in the wake of Cairns' last-shot home-loss to Adelaide.

"It's been there for a majority of this season. There's this underbelly with us. I'm not going to hide it, it's there. Good teams have that great killer instinct."

Fast forward to Wollongong as the Hawks see off Townsville for these genuinely incisive remarks.

"There's no frustration with our defence or our effort or our rebounding. The guys fought hard and that really laid the foundation for what was a great win," Hawks coach Gordie McLeod said.

"We got good contributions from everywhere and had great energy.

"We really handled the pressure and valued the ball a lot better. A big thing tonight was Adris (Deleon) getting to the rim and being able to collapse the defence. He didn't get a single turnover. We were able to move the ball out and get our perimeter guys going."

So how did Townsville coach Paul Woolpert see the loss?

"Defensively we were horrendous. We didn't follow the scouting report. Once we went small in the fourth quarter and started switching everything, we got it back to 10 points and we had effort.

"But the effort from our starting group wasn't what we needed. We needed a better effort than that.

"(Gary) Ervin was part of the problem. We weren't getting it done defensively. When we went with the bench and went smaller and started switching everything, that was when Gary was off the floor.

"I took Gary, Luke and PC out and we started playing better."

Sydney Kings coach Shane Heal didn't take losing at home to Cairns without some serious thought.

"We got 12 points up and then we went away from the processes and the things that work. We didn’t have the mental toughness to do it for 40 minutes and that’s been the story of our season," he said.

Back down to Melbourne where some ill-discipline - and not for the first time - sabotaged the Tigers against Perth.

"I think we won all the statistical categories that matter, but unfortunately the category we won that cost us the game was bone-headed moments," Melbourne coach Chris Anstey said.

"Two fouls after the whistle, a delay of game and a technical foul when we had the ball … Perth are one of the most disciplined teams in this thing and they didn’t have any of those moments."

Great, great quotes from just some of the men who WILL give you the answers.

One week at a time?

Every week, all of the time.


ADRIS Deleon claimed his second NBL Player of the Week award after sizzling performances in Wollongong's 1-1 weekend split.

The dazzling Hawks import had 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting in the 84-92 road loss to New Zealand, then another game-high 28 points, with five assists as Wollongong smacked Townsville 86-62.

For once, the PotW award was 2Easy2Call.


SPEAKING of coaches prepared to make real statements, Perth coach, The Sensei, Rob Beveridge, has put his hand up for the Boomers job vacated by Brett Brown post-London Olympics.

It's now up as a part-time gig but BA says it may expand to a full-time role incorporating the head coach job of the men’s program at the Centre of Excellence.

"Anybody in the sporting world would be privileged and honoured to be head coach of their country," Bevo told perthnow.com.au

"Leading your team into an Olympic Games or World Championship … the highest accolade is leading your country."


THE WNBL playoffs tip off this weekend with the semi final round.

Adelaide Lightning host Townsville Fire at Adelaide Arena on Saturday at 3.30pm in the knock-out semi final and Bendigo Spirit host Dandenong Rangers at Bendigo Stadium on Sunday at 4pm, the winner advancing to the Grand Final.

Both should be cracker games so if you're in those cities, get along. If you're outside those centres, tune in to ABC TV, which will show both games.


REVIEWS

Capitals v Waves (W)

WEST Coast's Toni Edmondson ensured Canberra's season finished on a low when she hit the game-winner 62-60.

Caps cap Jess Bibby had a final shot to save it but, like Canberra's season, it was a miss. Now the questions begin, the biggest one concerning the future of coach Carrie Graf.

As coach in residence at University of Canberra she has a bit on her plate and will make a decision on her WNBL future this week.


Breakers v Hawks (M)

NEW Zealand prevailed 92-84, Mika Vukona leading the way with 24 points at 79 per cent, and a big three-point play late which put the result beyond the Hawks' claws.

Adris Deleon had 33 points and Oscar Forman 21 at 75 per cent as Wollongong chased a big early deficit, making a contest before Vukona sealed it.


Thunder v Fire (W)

LOGAN's 11, 7 and 6-point quarters pretty much ensured Townsville would run out comfortable winners ... 63-38 pretty comfortable.

Olivia Thompson had a nice game with 12 points and nine boards, Mia Newley also with 12, plus six assists.


Kings v Taipans (M)

IAN Crosswhite did his best to lead the Kings (21 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks) in his late-season rebirth but Sydney could not hold out Cairns, losing 78-75.

Alex Loughton had a talent-appropriate game with 17 points at 78 per cent for the Taipans, Brad Hill with 11 points, 14 boards and three assists.


Boomers v Lightning (W)

RACHEL Jarry is WNBA-bound and showed why with 21 points in Bulleen's last-gasp of 2012-13.

Adelaide's four recent Olympians all were in double figures though, and rookie Steph Talbot also had 12 in a comfortable 88-73 win by the league's form team.


Wildcats v Crocodiles (M)

WOW. Is the final scoreboard at Perth Arena stuck at 80-52? That was the score a fortnight ago when the Wildcats whipped Wollongong and again this round when Perth pounded Townsville.

The Crocs went west with playoffs on their minds and a good previous effort but Jeremiah Trueman, Matt Knight and Jesse Wagstaff all went for 14 points, JT at a perfect 6-of-6 and Knightie with 13 boards to boot.


Flames v Waves (W)

WEST Coast started strongly (21-12 first period) but didn't win another quarter as Sydney won 76-60, similar to last week's 69-55 result between these teams in Alice Springs.

Ro Cox had a 14-10 double-double, Sarah Graham with a belated 21 points and Katie-Rae Ebzery 17.


Taipans v 36ers (M)

CAIRNS was ahead by 18 at halftime and doing it easily before an 11-0 run by the Sixers early in the third turned the game into a contest.

Adam Gibson and Anthony Petrie were terrific when it mattered and Jason Cadee completed the trio of Blazing brilliance when he struck the match-winning three with 2.3 seconds left for Adelaide's 71-68 breakthrough.


Lightning v Rangers (W)

JUST as Jason Cadee hit the winning shot for Adelaide in a 71-68 win, Suzy Batkovic was the match-winner for Lightning with her match-winning basket in a 71-69 win over the champions in Dandenong.

The match was every centimetre a finals-style battle, Batkovic with 22 points, 12 boards, one assist, a steal and four blocks to lead Lightning.


Tigers v Wildcats (M)

PERTH was supposed to run out of steam against Melbourne but in the last quarter, stroked an amazing 7-of-8 three-pointers, Tigers stars fouling out and the Wildcats seizing their window 83-79.

Jesse Wagstaff irritated the Tigers who lost focus - not for the first time in 2012-13 - as Melbourne let a big scalp escape with just a short back-and-sides.


Spirit v Fire (W)

TOWNSVILLE had a point to prove in Bendigo and came out firing with a 20-11 first period.

But it was the regular season champion Spirit which finished strongly, winning 66-57, Kelsey Griffin with a 19-11 double-double.


Hawks v Crocodiles (M)

OSCAR Forman stroked 6-of-7 threes in his 22-point haul, the Wollongong captain leading an 86-62 four-quarter shut-out of Townsville.

The Hawks had a season-low seven turnovers, sending the Crocs very much back to the drawing-board in terms of their finals hopes.


BEEF of the WEEK

IT is great to have NBL.TV but it sure can be aggravating. James Falleiro summed it up brilliantly with this email letter, which I happily reproduce and wholeheartedly endorse.

"To the NBL, Basketball Australia, State Associations, NBL Clubs, Perform Group and other basketball related recipients of this email.

In summary, this email details a problem I feel is effecting the league and its credibility and while lengthy, would appreciate any feedback, and more importantly any solutions to this problem.

The start of this season saw us enter a partnership with Perform Group that introduced us to NBL TV. I feel this has been one of the biggest steps forward the league has taken in recent times. Having access to all games at almost any time has been like the dream come true for long suffering NBL followers, and I am a huge fan of the concept.

However, the production and in particular, the direction of the broadcasts has been extremely poor - and it has nothing to do with budget constraints or even lack of experience. It is to do with common sense and an inability to listen to feedback, and act on it.

I, along with many other fans have emailed and tweeted nbl tv on numerous occasions about the problems and also made many comments on social media platforms about this. I have also just recently received an email from nbl tv mentioning that they recognise the problem (which has been ongoing for at least 4 months) but still no action has been taken and the issue continues.

This is why I am taking this step to write to you all, including the Managing Director of Perform, NBL, Basketball Australia, and many club officials. A copy will also be forwarded to many media outlets, as after 4 months, one would think a simple issue such as this would have no problem being fixed.

The issue is that many of the telecasts have become basically unwatchable, particularly, but not limited to, those from Wollongong due to excessive use of the baseline camera angle, constant switching of angles during play, and constant replays over live action. These three areas have been commented on widely yet nbl tv persists with all of these practices and has failed to make changes after many complaints from many subscribers on twitter and email.

The fact that the product is NBL tv directly effects the league's image and reputation. Many people I introduce to the product make comment of how poor the broadcasts are and relate it to it being the NBL's fault with the common comment is 'you never get things like this happening in NBA, AFL' etc, and I agree. So why do we have to put up with it?

Perform would not get away with this if they were covering any other major code in Australia and making these same mistakes - there would be an uproar.

We also have countless incidents of a team shooting the ball while the director has switched to a player getting up off the court, a foul being committed while the director is showing a shot of a fan or a cheerleader, or just missing the play entirely while showing a replay instead of waiting for a break in play. No one with knowledge of basketball would tolerate this kind of production.

There are proven ways to follow a game of basketball. Its why we dont follow a cricket bowler running in to bowl from side-on, or a tennis rally from the side-on position either. It would make you nauseas. AFL does not get shown constantly from behind the goals. There is no need to re-invent the wheel here to try and incorporate fancy angles.

As our endless tweets and emails through the nbl tv help section have had little effect, I am hoping someone in the basketball fraternity will actually step forward and do something for the fans and make sure the message is heard from those in charge at Perform Group. If anyone has any time to reply with possible solutions or plans of action, or just basically acknowledgment of this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for hopefully taking the time to read this. I feel that basketball suffers from a lack of passion, as if we had more passionate people involved in basketball and the media who actually acted upon these issues, then these types of problems would be stamped out in minimum time, rather than lasting 4+ months.

As mentioned I will finish by adding many comments from many passionate fans from basketball websites and social media and email responses I have received below. Please read through to get a broad insight into our views, as well as having a look at this video a fan made on the subject here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxDTuo9TRWM "

Kind Regards.

James Falleiro

Not a lot more I can add. James has said it all and from a passionate fan perspective.


 
Biggest Winners/Losers

PERTH was the NBL's biggest winner again this round, first manhandling Townsville 80-52 at Perth Arena in front of another five-figure fan following before heading east and coming back to beat Melbourne 83-79.

Back-to-back losses for Townsville made it the round's biggest loser, though Cairns' inability to stay composed against the 36ers after already beating Sydney similarly dented its finals dreams. Should make this weekend's PawPaw Purse-snatch epic.

ADELAIDE again was the WNBL's biggest winner, beating champion Dandenong yet again at Dandenong to leave absolutely no doubt the playoff race is at least a three-horse field.

West Coast won and lost on the road but, having completed another season in the WNBL bomb shelter, can only be the biggest loser of the regular season's finale.


PS

ADELAIDE 36ers icon Brett Maher, who before the NBL season tipped-off said the 2012-13 line-up was the best Adelaide team since the 1998-99 champion, has had to amend that again to the 2010-11 Lightning team.