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ROUND ABOUT: NBL18/WNBL19
TweetTHE NBL hath spoken. Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright and Perth Wildcats import James Ennis have cases to answer for their roles in the unseemly end to Friday night’s showdown of the big guns at Perth Arena.
The “Rumble in the Jungle” – thank you Steve Barrett – will have its aftermath played out this week with Joey charged with striking and Jimmy with attempting to strike.
The NBL had to be seen to act because the whole swirling inferno of very little was still not a good look for the game.
Colleague Simon Cameron wants to know though if someone gets suspended, will the NBL disclose for how long or will it stay consistent and make the suspension for an “undisclosed” period?
The sooner this is all cleared up and we can move along, the better.
ALREADY moving along are WNBL stalwarts Jo Hill and Melissa Marsh who played their respective farewell games after along and personally successful careers.
Now that Basketball Australia has decided acknowledging that sort of input is completely unnecessary, I am wondering if the Adelaide 36ers and the Perth Wildcats instead will introduce those players at an NBL game for their much-deserved kudos?
TOWNSVILLE versus Melbourne in the KO semi on Saturday and Bendigo hosting Dandenong in the double-chance semi on Sunday – that’s the initial WNBL playoff draw.
The Spirit-Rangers winner advances to the Grand Final, which it will host, while the loser will host the Fire-Boomers winner on March 2 in the preliminary final.
Now has anyone seen all the MVP votes because the pony express riders and a coach from Cobb and Co is waiting at BA’s door to take the word out to WNBL fans?
YEAH, NO KIDDING
LACHY Reid, come home soon. Anything, EVERYTHING is forgiven.
That is all.
And on a side note, could someone at NBL HQ occasionally read the incoming game reports?
The New Zealand-Cairns match report leads off with “The four-time defending champion New Zealand Breakers …”
Really? Four-time? When did that one slip past us all … not to mention slip past Daryl Corletto? (See DC? No-one really stopped the fourth title.)
Basketball On The Internet's Player of the Week
NO man is a (Rotnest) Island so Rotnei Clarke’s solo BOTI Player of the Week success has now become a double.
Rotnei blasted Townsville, scoring 13 of his game-high 26 points in the decisive third quarter.
Then he rolled out a season-best 39-point haul against the Kings in Sydney.
Sure, there were other good performances this round but nothing came close to Rotnei’s double, making him now a two-time Player of the Week.
PotW Winners
Rd 1 Daniel Johnson
Rd 2 Shawn Redhage
Rd 3 Chris Goulding
Rd 4 Charles Carmouche
Rd 5 Brian Conklin
Rd 6 Gary Ervin
Rd 7 Damian Martin
Rd 8 Mika Vukona
Rd 9 James Ennis
Rd 10 Mark Worthington
Rd 11 Rotnei Clarke
Rd 12 Adam Ballinger
Rd 13 AJ Ogilvy
Rd 14 Adam Gibson
Rd 15 Tom Garlepp
Rd 16 Steve Markovic
Rd 17 Steve Markovic
Rd 18 Rotnei Clarke
THE WNBL will reveal its PotW winner within hours but before it does, let me just quietly remind PLOCH the Pernicious to take ALL weekend performances into consideration.
I liked Gabe Richards’ effort against Logan, Tess Madgen did well but in two losing games, and Suzy was very good but shot at my percentage – a sweet, albeit confusing gesture on her part.
Jenna O'Hea had a 13-point last quarter and 29 in Dandenong's loss in Adelaide.
But it’s my gal Abs again for mine. She killed it against the Waves in just another All Star Five performance. But that might be too embarrassing for the WNBL at this point…
Reviews
Breakers V Taipans (M)
TOM Abercrombie was on fire, Gary Wilkinson continued his resurgence as a marquee player and Casey Frank had a dunk. What more do you need to know?
New Zealand won 96-78, effectively sliding a long knitting needle into Cairns’ finals balloon, the Taipans now having to content themselves as spoilers after wasting another season when the talent looked abundantly good enough for the post-season.
Capitals V Waves (W)
ABBY Bishop had 23 points at 61 per cent and 12 rebounds (four assists and two blocks too) to again drive home the absolute folly of naming All Star Fives three weeks out from the end of the regular season as Canberra surfed the Waves 73-50.
West Coast only had one quarter with less than double figures (the 20-9 second period by the Caps) which suggests great promise for 2014-15.
Hawks V Crocodiles (M)
AHEAD by 24 with a period to play, Wollongong put the cue in the rack to make the final 90-75 margin appear tighter than this game was, Townsville surrendering much too easily.
Rotnei Clarke had 26 points, Rhys Martin 16 and Kevin Tiggs 15, Dave Gruber with a 10-11 points-boards double as Wollongong kept its dream alive and Townsville joined Cairns as a spoiler for the rest of this season.
Thunder V Boomers (W)
MAKE no mistake, it took a lot out of Melbourne last round to beat Dandenong and push Bendigo and there wasn’t much in the tank at Logan, allowing the Thunder to close their home games on a 71-60 winning note.
Tess Madgen was the Boomers’ only double-digit scorer as Sarah Graham finished on a positive note and the team consoled itself in the knowledge it’s such a short drive to the glorious Gold Coast.
Wildcats V 36ers (M)
BILLED as the battle of the heavyweights, more interest focused on the post-match than the fact Perth gave Adelaide an 85-61 on-court lesson with James Ennis unstoppable and Jermaine Beal hot.
With Jarrid Frye cut and Gary Ervin shut down, the clash of the league’s best import tandem against a team effectively playing without an import went as you might expect, Anthony Petrie offering the most Sixers resistance.
Flames V Waves (W)
WEST Coast took its losing streak to 23 in Sydney as the Flames inflicted a 79-54 season finale on the visitors, who opened the season with such promise, beating Adelaide on the road.
Let’s describe the second quarter as a “dour, defensive contest” as both teams went 9-9 rather than the accurate reflection of why the Waves stayed in the bomb shelter and why Sydney will watch the finals on TV.
Kings V Hawks (M)
THEY are singing in those Illawarra highlands, of the team that came to town, ready to tackle the almighty King, and bring that sucker down.
It was Rotnei with the overflow and Kevin showing more, as the Hawks flew out as winners again, One-Oh-Two, 84.
Spirit V Thunder (W)
IT was Sara Blicavs’ 21st birthday so her Bendigo teammates rallied around to present her with a 97-68 victory over Logan to take into the finals, Gabe Richards with a 22-point, 12-rebound double.
Even with coach Bernie Harrower resting key players, the Spirit won every quarter, leaving Logan to ponder what fate awaits the only national league club based in south-east Queensland.
Lightning V Rangers (W)
JO Hill’s 351st and final WNBL game always was going to be emotional for Adelaide and it again showed Dandenong was not a team it feared or fussed over, winning 88-82.
Bear in mind, after a nervous Lightning start and early 10-6 Rangers lead, Adelaide seized control and never trailed again, leading by as many as 23 points before Jenna O’Hea, Nat Novosel, Kayla Pedersen and the three officials led a last quarter onslaught which at least made it entertaining.
Tigers V 36ers (M)
FROM tip-off it was evident Adelaide had come to play, its two leading scorers Gary Ervin and Daniel Johnson stepping up after stepping out in Perth, leading a convincing 99-82 win.
While the Sixers had lost their preceding two games by 46 points, this made it two straight losses by 41 for the Tigers suggesting a lot to do for the coaching staff in re-starting Melbourne’s spluttering finals hopes.
Fire V Boomers (W)
THIS was supposed to be the KO semi final dress rehearsal but Townsville, led by Suzy Batkovic’s 19-point, 14-rebound double, sent Melbourne home with a lot of work to do ahead of this week’s playoffs.
The Boomers ran out of steam with a 7-point third quarter and 11-point last - which even West Coast scoffed at – suggesting a lot of petrol tickets have been used up by Melbourne in this run to the finish line.
BEEF of the WEEK
THE NBL needs to legislate next season on how much and when music should be played at its fixtures.
Honestly, when I find myself agreeing with something Steve Carfino says on TV commentary regarding when music should be heard, you know the situation is beyond serious.
Some clubs have no idea where the basketball game ends and the rock concert begins, Andrew Gaze even pointedly remarking during the call of the Tigers-36ers game: “Whatever the time of this 12inch mix is sure getting a good run.”
Gaze gold.
What we DON’T need is the endless loud music coming at us.
The NBL should make it clear that even though we all agree we want the night to be an “event”, it still is a sporting contest first and foremost.
There’s a time and a place for everything. Even Bruce Springsteen knew when to hit an AC/DC song and when not.
BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS
WOLLONGONG easily was the biggest NBL winner last round, beating Sydney for the third time in succession this season and for the second time in Sydney – both firsts – and that was after sending Townsville packing. The Hawks are back in business.
HARD to say which team out of Sydney or Melbourne – both with chances to be upwardly mobile – were the biggest losers but I’ll settle for Cairns instead, the Taipans’ season shot.
ADELAIDE was the WNBL’s biggest winner, sending Jo Hill into retirement as a winner and leaving no debate as to which team is the most unlucky to be absent from post-season play.
DANDENONG was the biggest loser after yet again dropping a game it should have won, beaten twice by the Lightning and only beating Adelaide when Captain Floppy intervened at Dandenong. Losing form is rarely good form.
Online
PS
NZ guard Daryl Corletto says the new refereeing style is a deliberate Basketball Australia ploy to stop the Breakers winning a record fourth straight NBL title. DC also suspects Sydney losing to Wollongong and Melbourne dropping to Adelaide is a deliberate Kings-Tigers ploy to make the Breakers believe they can still make the top four. Those bastards.
