Basketball On The Internet.

NINE games in and everyone's already a winner in the new NBL.

And you thought the coaches and players were just spinning their usual annual diatribe about how even this league is!

They weren't.

Townsville last night shocked the Kings 80-77 in the season's first truly thrilling finish. In doing so, the Crocs won their first game and just one round and two matches into Season 2015-16, ensured every team now has registered in the W column.

Consecutive turnovers down the stretch by imports Brian Conklin (a bad pass when he had committed into the air - incisively explained on TV by national coach Andrej Lemanis ... more on him later) and Jordair Jett (five-ankle shuffle) looked likely to scuttle hopes for a road boilover.

Pressure free throws by Dion Prewster and Julian Khazzouh had taken the Kings from 73-76 to 77-76, Jett's turnover giving them possession with one shot-clock left.

Crocs coach Shawn Dennis then pulled his masterstroke, subbing back 216cm Luke Schenscher to pressure the Kings' sideline inbounds pass.

Schensch did just that, forcing a deflection and coming up with the steal. Townsville then found Corey Maynard "unmarked" on the wing and the lefty let fly with a sweet three which never looked anything but net.

Down 77-79, the Kings took time-out, Khazzouh had a shot to tie, Conklin fouled after the rebound, converting one freebie for the final scoreline.

It was a gem of a finish, Jett, with 22 points and six assists, finally playing more like Jordair than Joan.

On the back of Illawarra's 21-point rout of New Zealand, the average winning margin through the first eight games had ballooned to 14.6 so it was great to see one go to the wire.

{And when you needed them in crunch time, it was the South Aussies - Schensch and Maynard - who came through. Just sayin' ...}

LEMANIS' debut as co-caller for FoxSports with Andrew Voss was a winner, the Boomers coach and three-time NBL championship boss of the Breakers giving exactly the type of informed, insightful commentary players rarely can.

I didn't catch the tip-off so I can't vouch for the early on-camera stuff and there's something vaguely disturbing about having your Olympic coach asking players questions at half and fulltime.

But his descriptions and predictions late in the game in particular took the call to another level.

Yeah. Let's have a lot more of "Voss and the Boss".

PS

GUESSING Andrej would have been handed his on-air shirt by Fox so maybe viewers judged his ironing skills harshly.

TO A TEE: Andrej...but not in the offending shirt.

Last night: CROCODILES 80 (Jett 22, Steindl 18, Conklin 11; Young 6 rebs; Jett 6 assts) d KINGS 77 (Khazzouh 15, Markovic, Cadee 12; Hill 9 rebs; Garlepp 4 assts) at the Kingdome.

Tonight: The 36ers are in Melbourne and unlikely to be able to end United's win streak at two, the Breakers in Perth and needing Cedric Jackson to be himself and Mika Vukona to suit, just to avoid a third bad blow-out.

Online

McNeaill questions ahead of United clash http://bit.ly/1Kc6M9a