Basketball On The Internet.

NBL Round 8 closed on a potentially sour note when referee Jacqui Dover called United's Matthew Dellavedova for an off-the-ball unsportsmanlike foul after he pushed past Brisbane's Lamar Patterson with 3:18 left in a tense final period. Even the fact it was downgraded to an offensive foul was ridiculous.

It was a total, 100 per cent NO CALL but, just as this round started with a controversial and totally absurd USF on Sydney's Xavier Cooks which went a long way toward costing the Kings their match with Brisbane, this too was just another example of overly officious officiating.

It's as if there is another pandemic going on, the craziness of the USF and its "technical detail" over-ruling common sense or the ability of some referees to recognise trivial and irrelevant basketball plays for what they are - meaningless.

Whacking on a USF turns something minimal into something potentially monumental.

Fortunately in Brisbane this time around, Delly did not suffer the same fate as Cooks, who copped one for feeling with his hand as an offensive screen-and-roller rolled and Cooks' fingers caught for a millisecond on the guy's shorts.

Oh heaven help us! Bring down all the wrath of the heavens on such a vile rule violator!!

It was a bad call and upholding it made the league continue to look juvenile, amateurish and unable to admit a mistake.

Today, it admitted the USF on Dellavedova was spurious but then still placated the officials by giving him an offensive foul.

Yes, he raised his right arm into Patterson as he ran past him, the ball and the actual play already at the other end of the court.

Yes, Patterson wildly exagerated the contact but we have to accept that as "the norm" now, considering Deng Deng never suffered any penalty for his blatant over-acting fall to the floor, clutching his head and smashing the pine from a Vic Law head contact in Perth.

Years ago, referees far and wide fell in love with the charging call, that animated thrust of the fist becoming their favourite piece of showmanship.

Now it appears clutching the wrist above your head is the latest "love affair" call, common sense completely and utterly out the window. Basketball is the worse off for it.

  ROUND 8 (B) Wrap

NEWEST signing Brandon Ashley and initial marquee signing Mitch Creek combined for South East Melbourne to undermine Cairns' hopes of a road win at Gippsland's Regional Sports Stadium.

Idle due to health and safety protocols for almost four weeks and still minus Scott Machado and Mirko Djeric - Kouat Noi also out for good measure - the Taipans again showed plenty of fight and pluck. 

Tahjere McCall led the Orange from the front, accumulating 16 points, five rebounds and nine assists. But in his desperation to stay active and positive, he also tickled an unwanted "triple-double" with nine turnovers.

Creek led all scorers with 26 points at 64 per cent, along with eight rebounds and two assists. But his activity in the lanes was truly debilitating for the Taipans as he compiled a career-high seven steals, contributing highly to the Orange's whopping 23 turnovers.

Cairns remained alive, down 75-81 into the game's final minute but a putback dunk by Ashley put it beyond the Snakes' reach. 

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 87 (Creek 26, Broekhoff, Munford 14, Gliddon, Ashley 12; Broekhoff, Creek 8 rebs; Munford 4 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 77 (McCall 16, Deng, Kuol 13, Zimmerman 11; Zimmerman 8 rebs; McCall 9 assts) at Gippsland Regional Sports Stadium. Crowd: 2,634

* * *

UNITED guard Shea Ili should start being viewed as the "quiet assassin" for not only the overlooked work he does at the defensive end but for how often he is the spark that gets Melbourne humming.

That was the case again today as United fought back against the Bullets in Brisbane to be in touch 59-64 with a quarter left.

Ili coolly started the period with a 3-point swish and within minutes, United had the lead and was building it out to double-figures at 79-69 on a 20-5 outburst.

Jack White was in everything, Matthew Dellavedova returned to run the show and frankly, the Bullets looked gone. It's amazing what a couple of buckets by Chuanxing Liu can do, Lamar Patterson suddenly coming back to life and Brisbane rallying.

When Robert Franks scored after a pair of Nathan Sobey free throws, Brisbane was almost all the way back at 79-81, Dellavedova calmly slotting a 3-pointer to make this one safe.

It wasn't completely over though, Patterson going strong to the hoop for a basket and bonus free throw on a bogus foul on White to trim it back to 82-84.

When Jo Lual-Acuil aborted two free throws, Brisbane had a last-gasp chance to tie or win but Sobey rushed a pressured reverse layup and Anthony Drmic similarly rushed the rebound shot, thereby preserving Melbourne's unbeaten streak.

MELBOURNE UNITED 84 (Dellavedova 16, White 14, Goulding 12, Lual-Acuil 11; Agada, Lual-Acuil 8 rebs; Agada, Dellavedova 4 assts) d BRISBANE BULLETS 82 (Patterson 21, Sobey 18, Liu, Franks 10; Franks 8 rebs; Cadee 4 assts) at the Armoury, Nissan Arena. Crowd: 2,479

Earlier Round 8 match reviewed here.