Basketball On The Internet.

KEN Cole's audacious bid to buy the Adelaide 36ers from its current SOS (Save Our Sixers) ownership failed when he could not meet Friday's "put up or shut-up" deadline.

The San Diego-based Sixers' 1986 championship coach maintained he had the financial backing to pull off the sale but, as some suspected, many feared and others kept hoping-more-than-expecting, he fell at the final hurdle.

Less than two weeks ago, Cole was so confident he had the deal done, he contacted me on holidays in Hawaii anxious to spread the word, aware of the gloom surrounding Adelaide's NBL program and keen to again excite the fan and corporate supporters.

Thursday's email from him to the club was in stark contrast, saying he was disappointed his US financiers did not wish to proceed.

They were "reluctant to pay the $750,000 offered as an up-front payment" considering the Sydney Kings licence "appeared to be worth no more than $300,000 and the 36ers have not been able to generate a profit for a number of years."

He also claimed "another devastating negative that was a difficult question to address was the investors' perception of the stability of the National Basketball League."

It was actually Cole who made the $750,000 offer to SOS which, obviously, he should have cleared with his backers, one of which was an Adelaide-born businessmen whose name he confided and who I checked out independently last month.

That businessman is/was legit but perhaps his commitment never the same as Cole's which was overwhelming, the man forever grateful for the joys of coaching the 36ers in the 80s - the "happiest days of my life" - and eager to leave a lasting positive legacy.

Sadly for the Hall of Famer, that legacy will not have the final postscript he so craved. Those who know Cole well will shrug and understand; those keen to see him fall short again will be pleased. That's the world we live in.

When I mentioned Cole's bid on the blog here in Random Dribbles #15 on January 17, I was cautionary, having seen him fall short in equal measure to his successes.

I wrote here then: 'Wisely, (chairman and majority owner Daryl) Simmons and the remaining members of his SOS team are still also exploring other models for how to create long-term sustainability and viability for Adelaide's NBL club.

I say "wisely" because given Ken's health issues, my one great personal reservation and concern is he will not be able to sustain his own strength to see it all the way through and that now, back home in San Diego, his passion for the 36ers will be susceptible to his own daily challenge.

My fingers are crossed for him - and for all hardy 36ers fans too - but I reserve any optimism until some paperwork has actually been tabled and signed.'

Simmons and SOS held up their end and no-one should ever question his or his ownership team's commitment to keeping an NBL club in Adelaide.

That's why they, wisely, continued exploring the community model which has saved NBL teams in Wollongong and Cairns, while showing they were still willing to listen to a potential buyer as well.


POSED the rhetorical question last week, are any of the last three teams really in the hunt for a top-four spot? Pretty sure Cairns answered in the affirmative this round.

While Adelaide bowed out of speculation - do not dismiss the 36ers as spoilers though - after being thumped in Auckland, Townsville also showed that its terrific run over the second third of the season has come to a definitive end.

Yes, that's it - stick a fork in the Crocs now too - they're done.

Wollongong moved back to third by beating Melbourne in another great advertisement for our league, Sydney played a blinder to stamp the Crocodiles as luggage, handle with care, "Fragile" ... and also returned to its spot in the four.

So it took a week but Adelaide (8-17) and Townsville (8-16) can be discounted.

But after New Zealand (21-3 and certain to claim the regular season championship now), and Perth (19-6), there is daylight.

The Hawks and Kings are both 11-14, Melbourne is 10-13 and Cairns 9-14 but Round 22 could sort out the Taipans who are away to New Zealand and Adelaide. Sydney is at Perth, Wollongong at Townsville, while Melbourne hosts the Breakers.

It is going to go down to the wire, especially if Cairns can pull out a few more wins like this round's.


WOW. Wow. And wow. Townsville Fire did it again and now Bendigo Spirit had best beware as they square off in the league's historic first ever championship battle between teams representing regional areas.

Just like Wollongong and Townsville did in 2001 when they contested an all-regional NBL Grand Final series, now the WNBL gets its first and what a gem it promises to be.

After all, when all is said and done, Bendigo DID sweep 2012 champion Dandenong 4-0 this season so Townsville - on a roll and playing to its potential - should make this one a Grand Final for history.

Rangers boss Mark Wright was outcoached and outfoxed by The Fire Pharoah, Chris Lucas, who led his faithful to the Promised Land after scores were deadlocked 52-52 with a period to play.

What a last quarter! Micaela Cocks had 11 of her preliminary final-high 20 points at 60 percent (4-of-5 threes, 4-4 FTs) in Townsville's 26-12 avalanche which took it rocking into its historic first Grand Final 78-64.

Cocksy should follow courageous Fire captain Rachael Flanagan as Player of THIS Week but Townsville had great input from so many of its roster.

Jess Adair grabbed a game-high 12 boards, Jess Foley had 15 points and a game-high four assists, Cherie Gallagher remains enigmatic and Kayla Standish had 19 points, carrying Townsville offensively in patches.

The Fire scorched the Rangers defensively, holding them to 36 per cent shooting and so much of that - after planning and execution - is just about superior desire.

Dandenong had a great run in 2011-12 and looked "top two" for most of 2012-13. Yet when it counted, court-times were erratic, tactics questionable and some of the best talent assembled did not produce as a well-oiled machine when it mattered most.

Let's face it - Dandenong "did an Adelaide" circa 2011-12 - losing both of its finals matches for a straight sets exit.

But in no way whatsoever should any gloss be taken from Townsville's win. The challenge to win a championship from fourth was massive - three wins on the road against teams which all had the Fire's number during the regular season.

Beating Adelaide was big and now the Rangers? Who outside Townsville predicted that? The Fire now are "doing a Dandenong" circa 2011-12 and Bendigo will be in for one of the great Grand Finals this week.


NBL REVIEWS

Breakers v 36ers

MIKA Vukona's 200th game as a Breaker and Andrej Lemanis' 250th as coach culminated in New Zealand's 13th straight win, Cedric Jackson the architect and now, surely, almost unbackable favorite for the MVP as Adelaide fell away to lose 79-104.

A 28-15 first quarter by the Breakers had this looking grim for the 36ers but Adam Gibson, with three triples in an 11-point period, brought Adelaide rallying back from the brink.

With a pair of threes by Action Jackson early in the third quarter, the second becoming a four-point play, plus a Tom Abercrombie slam making it a 9-0 start - 51-46 now 60-46 - the game was on its way to being over.

The finality of NZ's 30-12 third period ensured it was.

Jacko finished with 18 points at 54 percent and four assists, Abers with 16, while Mika had 11 points and seven assists. Anthony Petrie continued his flourish with 16 for the Sixers, Gibbo and Stevie Weigh adding 15 apiece.

The win also marked New Zealand's 15th straight over Adelaide.


Taipans v Wildcats

CAM Gliddon, come on down. A week after draining the match-winning three over arch enemy Townsville, the latest version of the Handi-Cam delivered 26 points at 62 percent, with 4-of-6 threes, six rebounds, two assists and five steals as Cairns produced its biggest win of the season, 78-72 over Perth.

You know, with all the recent words and controversy over physicality and how the "refs should call the game tighter", the question was asked, which team would that hurt the most?

Jesse Wagstaff fouled out in under 18 minutes as Perth was called for 28 fouls. That is the Wildcats' single-game high this season. Just saying. (They also had 28 against Adelaide on December 9 but that game went into overtime.)

Here's an interesting fact which probably means nothing - you be the judge - but Perth is called for an average of 21.6 fouls on the road and 16 at Perth Arena. Again, just saying.

In more Handi-Cam news, the original, Cam Tragardh, had a 15-point, 15-rebound double - his boards haul the most by a Taipan since before Aaron Grabau had his singlet retired.
 

Tigers v Hawks

ADRIS Deleon produced another tour-de-force with 31 points, including 5-of-8 threes, seven rebounds, eight assists and a steal as Wollongong beat Melbourne 88-82.

Make no mistake. Both teams knew seven points was the key margin, which is what made Chris Goulding's driving basket which cut it from 80-88 to 82-88 so important, and also why the Hawks took a time-out with heartbeats left to try and fashion a play to push the margin back to eight.

As it stands, the season-series went 2-2 but the Tigers win it with a +1 points advantage. Talk about close! Yes, it will only matter if the teams are tied on win-loss record but with the Hawks at 11-14 and the Tigers 10-13, it's not outside the realms of possibility.

For now, it was just a great win for Wollongong, Larry Davidson's 14-point third quarter in a 29-15 period critical. Of course, Seth Scott (back) sitting the game out, Matt Burston collecting four fouls in 4:33 of action and Jonny Flynn hurting a knee, then copping a tech did nothing to help Melbourne's cause.

But, let's face it. Wollongong hardly owes anyone any sympathy this year.

Quick shout-out to nbl.tv caller Andrew Johnstone, and yes, the game WAS enjoyed by viewers overseas as well AJ. Aloha!


Kings v Crocodiles

LOADING the Kings onto his shoulders, Ben Madgen played one of his great ones to lead Sydney past Townsville yet again, this time 83-67 in a performance for the time-capsule.

With James Harvey joining the injured list, The Madge had to step up and he did, going off for 33 points at 59 per cent, with eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

Grafting a 12-point lead by halftime, Sydney's 20-7 third quarter made this academic and it came from the defensive end. Holding Townsville to 36 per cent, beating it on the boards - this is a win from which Sydney can take great heart.

Darnell Lazare (21 points at 70 percent) also showed the Kings are not giving up on their season.

Can you remember when everyone was picking Sydney for eighth? After what the club has gone through this season, the Coach of the Year race looks to be between Shane Heal and Wollongong's Gordie McLeod - though some rightly would point to Andrej Lemanis' sterling job at NZ.

Townsville has just run out of juice. An 0-10 start always was going to be tough to overcome and the Crocs did give it a great shot. But now, like Adelaide, they are reduced to the role of spoiler.
 

BEEF of the WEEK

WATCHING Adelaide last year (and again last week) bow out of the WNBL finals on the strength of a bad game (or two) and now Dandenong, it is surely time the league's constituents sat down and started talking "best-of-three".

Since the NBL went to its "best-of" finals format with the 1986 Grand Final, very few can point to a series where the "wrong" team came out on top. Hey, I'm not saying they have this time but that a best-of-three makes it more fair and allows you that one bad game.

Yes, we do love the football mentality of having to perform "on the day" and it works well for the NCAA tournament too.

But basketball in Australia has evolved with its own identity and "best-of" is a big part of that.

Now that the WNBL is going with a top four, then instead of its current Page (finals) System - 3v4 loser out, 1v2 winner to Grand Final and loser to preliminary final, KO semi winner v double-chance semi loser in prelim, winner to Grand Final -  two best-of-three semi final series and a best-of-three Grand Final series would bring the WNBL into the 21st century.

The semis would be 1v4 and 2v3, just like the men and the "double chance" for the teams finishing 1 and 2 would be the homecourt advantage in Games 1 and 3 of the semis.

That would have meant Bendigo v Townsville and Dandenong v Adelaide so we would not have the Grand Final we will this year and that would be unfortunate. But this season is this season.

The WNBL took on the recommendation of a BA-sanctioned review panel to let the AIS go but has not tabled any of the other recommendations. Best-of-three finals was one of them.

It's time.


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 to Townsville's current WNBL team.