Basketball On The Internet.

YES, it could happen but while Cairns needed six results to go its way to sneak into the NBL postseason, Adelaide needs a mere two to fall into place for it to finish third.

Sounds easy, right?

Um, maybe not.

1: It must beat Illawarra on Friday at Wollongong and the Hawks' record will be 16-12, Adelaide's 15-12.

2: It must beat Perth in Perth on Sunday and Adelaide will finish on 16-12, tying Illawarra but moving ahead of the Hawks, courtesy of its 3-1 season series win.

While that doesn't seem like an impossibility, Illawarra is 10-3 at home, Perth 11-2. Adelaide is 4-8 on the road.

If you're wondering: "What if New Zealand wins its last two games?" it also would be 16-12 but in a threeway tie with Adelaide and Illawarra. In that tie, the final order is Adelaide, Illawarra, New Zealand.

The defending champion Breakers play Melbourne at home and away this round. They own the season-series over the 36ers.

If the Breakers lose both games (thus finishing 14-14), Adelaide only has to beat Illawarra OR Perth to go to 15-13 and come into the final four at fourth.

Should the Breakers win one game (thus finishing 15-13), Adelaide has to beat both Illawarra and Perth to get to 16-12 to again get into the four and would jump to third.

New Zealand finishes with two games against the first-placed team, Adelaide with two against the second and third-placed teams so it's no picnic for either.

Not too many would be backing the Sixers to win in Wollongong on Friday night, then back up to beat the Wildcats in Perth on Sunday.

In their favour is the fact on both occasions, New Zealand plays before them so they'll always know what they have to do to get in.

Essentially, for Adelaide to contest the postseason, it needs to win both games. It also can get in if it wins one but New Zealand loses both.

Unlikely? Yes.

Impossible? No.

Just remember too, if Melbourne drops both of its matches to the Breakers, Perth can steal first.

It only has to beat Sydney ... and Adelaide.

HERE'S the shocking truth about our officiating, which just dawned on me this week.

There's every chance - EVERY chance - it's been as dreadfully inconsistent, belligerent and as erratic as it is today for years now.

The outrage over the officiating today may just stem from the fact people are seeing EVERY game, or can, on television. That's never happened before and rarely, if ever, has the general public been more outspoken about the officiating's blatant deficiences than now.

Coincidence? I don't think so.

Again, the only people genuinely believing the referees consistently are doing a good job are the referees, their supervisors and significant others.

The rest of us remain regularly appalled.

PERTH forward Carley Mijovic went off for a WNBL career-high 34 points on Saturday but the Lynx couldn't hold off SEQ as the Stars pulled out a thorough 87-71 road win.

Mijovic hit 9-of-17 three-pointers, 3-of-4 two-point field goals and was 1-of-1 from the free throw line.

Nine triples this season is second only to Perth Wildcats' Jermaine Beal, who stroked 10 in a home win over Melbourne.

Congratulations to the Wildcats who now make it 30 consecutive seasons they have gone to the NBL playoffs, second worldwide to Maccabi Tel Aviv's 35 straight years in Israel.

CAIRNS' ongoing dice-with-death ended suddenly on Sunday in Auckland as New Zealand brought down the curtain 85-74.

After beating Adelaide, the Taipans needed six results to fall their way to make an unlikely surprise reappearance in the postseason but tripped at the first hurdle, the tough task of beating New Zealand in New Zealand. 

DOUBLE-TEAM: Cairns Alex Loughton breaks a 36ers double-team in Friday's win.

The Taipans put themselves on the tightrope with their 1-12 road record which included two losses to Sydney. What a difference those would have made in the W column.

 

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET, PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NEW Zealand superstar Cedric "The Entertainer" Jackson cleaned up the B.O.T.I. PotW award this round after leading his Breakers to important wins over Adelaide and Cairns.

Against the 36ers, Action Jackson delivered a career-high seven 3-pointers as the Breakers dominated from go-to-whoa, winning 106-84.

Jackson scored 31 points - one off his career-high - 7-of-13 dialling long distance, along with 10 rebounds, six assists and a steal.

SEE CE SHINE: Cedric Jackson tore the heart out of the 36ers.

In Auckland, Cairns was desperate for the win but Jackson again stood in the way with 15 points, 11 assists and six rebounds as NZ won 85-74.

Jackson's round return was 23ppg, 8.5apg, 8.0rpg, 1.0spg and he had one turnover across both contests!

If that's not worth a freshly toasted Vegemite and cheese sandwich, I don't know what is! 

NBL PotW
Rd1 Todd Blanchfield
Rd2 Kirk Penney
Rd3 Jerome Randle
Rd4 Corey Webster
Rd5 AJ Ogilvy
Rd6 Al Harrington
Rd7 Corey Webster (2)
Rd8 Kirk Penney (2)
Rd9 Tom Abercrombie
Rd10 Jermaine Beal
Rd11 Kevin Lisch
Rd12 Corey Webster (3)
Rd13 Daniel Kickert
Rd14 Daniel Johnson
Rd15 Kevin Lisch (2)
Rd16 Jerome Randle (2)
Rd17 Stephen Holt
Rd18 Cedric Jackson

WHAT a week that was for SEQ! Heads are still spinning and seeing Stars after the club was gone, then saved, then won two games on the road!

Right in the thick of it was Stars import Jordan Hooper who is this week's B.O.T.I. PotW after being instrumental in both successes.

Hooper had 31 points, 12 boards and an assist in the 89-81 comeback win in Adelaide, then 17 points, eight rebounds in the 87-71 win out west.

That's a round return of 24ppg, 10rpg, 1apg, 2spg. And the Stars are shining as never before.

WNBL PotW
Rd1 Tess Madgen
Rd2 Suzy Batkovic
Rd3 Sami Whitcomb
Rd4 Suzy Batkovic (2)
Rd5 Gabrielle Richards
Rd6 Carley Mijovic
Rd7 Katie-Rae Ebzery
Rd8 Cayla George
Rd9 Leilani Mitchell
Rd10 Suzy Batkovic (3)
Rd11 Sara Blicavs
Rd12 Cayla George (2)
Rd13 Gabrielle Richards (2)
Rd14 Suzy Batkovic (4)
Rd15 Cayla George (3)
Rd16 Jordan Hooper
 

YEAH, NO KIDDING

CAN you believe it? For the second week in the row there's nothing but compliments for our men behind the mikes.

Huddo and Heal were OK on the 36ers-Breakers fiasco, Vossy and Harvs had Illawarra-Melbourne covered while Matt Russell and Derek Rucker is a very compatible pairing.

The Pirate keeps improving out west, though there's still a few too many "we need..." for a truly unbiased call, and Brad Rosen is full of enthusiasm.

But (Casey) Frank(ly), the calls of games out of Auckland are particularly good. Casey Frank brings the right amount of insight, explanation and personality and is challengeing Derek Rucker for the #1 colour man ranking.

 

BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS

DEFENDING champion New Zealand went into the round with its back to the wall. Lose in Adelaide and the race is over. But the Breakers not only won, they won with conviction by 22 points, inflicting the 36ers' worst loss of the season. When the Breakers ended Cairns' hopes of postseason play, they not only had returned to the top four but become the round's biggest winner.

ADELAIDE was the NBL's biggest loser. It only had to find a way to beat New Zealand at home to close the door on the top four. It had the protection of a 15-point buffer but lost by 22, then lost to Cairns and now has painted itself into a corner. Even eternal optimists doubt they can win two games on the road this round.

WORTH GOLD: Mark Worthington was a huge thorn for Adelaide, again.

SEQ easily was the WNBL's biggest winner. It not only was saved as a club, with great promise for the future to boot, but came from behind to beat Adelaide, then stunned Perth - two great road wins that lifted the Stars into the top four. What a week!

SEEING STARS: Lauren Mansfield was huge for SEQ in Adelaide. Picture: TREVOR KINROSS

LEADING the league at one stage, Sydney Uni's home loss to Dandenong was huge and left the Flames as the biggest loser of the round. They also continue to head down the ladder, now on the sixth rung. Without Carolyn Swords, it has been a struggle.

NBL Round 18

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 106 (Ce Jackson 31, Webster 28, Pledger 17, Wesley 13; Abercrombie 12 rebs; Ce Jackson 6 assts) d ADELAIDE 36ERS 84 (Creek 16, Gibson 14, Petrie 13, Johnson 12; Walker, Petrie 9 rebs; Gibson 7 assts) at The Fortress, Titanium Security Arena. MELBOURNE UNITED 80 (Holt 23, Goulding 13, Kickert 10; Goulding 7 rebs; Goulding, Tomlinson 4 assts) d ILLAWARRA HAWKS 73 (Lisch 21, Ellis 17, Ogilvy, Coenraad 11; Ogilvy 8 rebs; 3 with 3 assts) at The Sandpit, WIN Entertainmment Centre. CAIRNS TAIPANS 95 (Worthington 24, Gliddon 19, Burston, Starks, Craig 10; Burston, Craig 6 rebs; Worthington 4 assts) d ADELAIDE 36ERS 89 (Gibson 21, Creek 18, Petrie 17, Walker 12, Johnson 10; Walker, Creek 8 rebs; Gibson 5 assts) at The Orangegrove, Cairns Convention Centre. PERTH WILDCATS 95 (Wagstaff, Jervis 23, Redhage 16, Knight 12; Jervis 13 rebs; Jervis 6 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 81 (Childress 30, Brandt 16, Cadee 14, Thornton 12; Brandt 7 rebs; Cadee 4 assts) at The Jungle, Perth Arena. ILLAWARRA HAWKS 104 (Lisch 29, Penney 28, Ogilvy 17; Davidson 6 rebs; Martin 8 assts) d TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 97 (Kay 24, Jett 19, Samhan 13, Schenscher, Djeric, Norton 10; Kay 15 rebs, Jett, Norton 4 assts) in overtime at The Sandpit, WIN Entertainment Centre. NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 85 (Abercrombie 19, Webster 18, Ce Jackson 15, Ch Jackson 10; Vukona 9 rebs; Ce Jackson 11 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 74 (Craig 15, Gliddon 13, Worthington 10; Loughton, Craig 6 rebs; Worthington 6 assts) at North Shore events Centre.

WNBL Round 16

SEQ STARS 89 (Hooper 31, Mansfield 21, Allen, Jarry 12; Jarry 14 rebs; Mansfield 7 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 81 (Mitchell 24, Standish 19, Ruef 13, Bowen 10; Ruef 16 rebs; Mitchell 6 assts) at The Slighthouse, Wayville Sports Centre. DANDENONG RANGERS 77 (Cumming 19, Blicavs 18, Scherf 17; Pickrel 9 rebs; Kennedy 4 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 73 (Ebzery 18, Tupaea 16, Tinkle 15; Tinkle 7 rebs; Tupaea, Moffatt 4 assts) at The Flame Retardant, Brydens Stadium. TOWNSVILLE FIRE 84 (Novosel 20, Gaze, George 16; George 11 rebs; Cocks, Novosel 3 assts) d MELBOURNE BOOMERS 60 (Garrick 24, Thompson 10, Kunek 8; Thompson 8 rebs; Madgen 3 assts) at M*A*S*H, State Basketball Centre. SEQ STARS 87 (Allen 20, Hooper 17, Ibekwe 16, Payne 14, Jarry 12; Hooper, Mansfield 8 rebs; Ibekwe, Mansfield 5 assts) d PERTH LYNX 71 (Mijovic 34, Whitcomb 19, Laney 16; Laney 9 rebs; Laney 5 assts) at Studio 54, Bendat Basketball Centre. TOWNSVILLE FIRE 75 (Batkovic, Novosel 15, George 12, Murray 10; Batkovic 12 rebs; Murray, George 4 assts) d BENDIGO SPIRIT 63 (Snell 20, Harrington 10, Oliver, Richards 8; Richards 9 rebs; Snell 5 assts) at Amittyville, Bendigo Stadium. DANDENONG RANGERS 73 (Pickrel 18, Blicavs 17, Cumming 14, Kennedy 13; Blicavs 8 rebs; Cumming 4 assts) d CANBERRA CAPITALS 69 (Montgomery 20, Stallworth 15, Bibby 13, Bishop 12; Stallworth 12 rebs; Montgomery 7 assts) at The Swotback, AIS Arena.

PS

LUCAS ... with WALKER