Basketball On The Internet.

*FLASHBACKS, my weekly "lucky dip" where I just reach into my drawers of old Australian basketball stuff and transcribe whatever I find for you.

FOSSICKING around, I came across a copy of The Australian Basketballer for December-January of 1986. It's the one with a very young, very brunette Andrew Gaze on the cover, with plugs for the following: "The Private Clubs" | The Doctors of Dunk | NBL Goes to the Movies | Hunt, Referee of the Year | Finals Wrap-Up | and the big announcement: Borner Writes For Us! Volume Two, Issue Two, it sold for the princely sum of $2.50 and would have been inexpensive at four times that amount!

 

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE

WHAT a year it was! Now that everyone has had the chance to breathe in, reflect and take inventory on the NBL of 1985, there's only one conclusive conclusion fans of the big league can have - it was the best.

But before anyone spends too long basking in the glow of the NBL's watershed year, surely now is the time to consolidate the public support the league established in its "season of records" and build on it for 1986 and beyond.

You have to hand it to league director Tony King. He doesn't let the grass grow. "There were problems this year," he admitted candidly. "Fortunately, the successes far outweighed them but there are some aspects of the league which need looking at next year."

The biggest single beef heading in King's direction is the complaint from the majority of the NBL's participants over the gruelling nature of three-game weekends. Brian Kerle, coach of the league champion Brisbane Bullets, made the point mid-season that the three-game weekends were reducing the competition to a test of stamina, not skill.

Brisbane's grand final rivals, the Adelaide 36ers, did not exactly suffer from clubs having to play in Perth on Friday nights before facing the Sixers at Apollo on Saturdays. Though the Sixers too had their share of complaints after limping home 0-3 off their first road trip which had them in Sydney on Friday, Brisbane on the Saturday and in Melbourne to play Coburg on the Sunday.

Every club can spin a similar story but it's not a situation unique to 1985. There were similar whines last year that Melbourne was reaping the benefit of playing most of its home games on Sundays when its opponents were less than at their best. And in 1983, Sydney copped the same retort. (Melbourne finished the 1984 regular season with an 11-13 record so how much good the draw did it is debatable. Sydney completed 1983 with a league-leading 19-3 regular season mark. Come playoffs, the Supersonics were reduced to spectators before the semi final rounds.)

"They're out," confirmed King. "There won't be any three-game weekends next year. Of course, that presents scheduling difficulties. The season already is going to be a long one as a result of that, and also as a result of the Australian team's absence at the World Championship mid-year."

The NBL will in fact go into a month-long recess while the Boomers are away. The season will start on April 4, with the final home/away series concluding on September 27. (This year the season opened on April 12 with the grand final on September 7). The 1986 grand final won't take place until mid-October. Perhaps later.

"It hinges on whether we go to a best-of-three final series," King said.

The call for a best-of-three playoff format has grown from a whisper to a shout, right across the country. It makes sense of course and gives the NBL a point of difference as well. Apart from this year's final, in which Brisbane eventually made mince-meat of Adelaide's bullet-riddled corpse, the past two titles have been decided by a basket.

Cannons' supporters will remember only too well Canberra's gut-wrenching 75-73 win over West Adelaide which in 1983 gave the national capital its first champion, and the 84-82 struggle over Brisbane last year which kept the title in the city of public servants. Imagine if those championships had been best-of-three in nature?

Adelaide coach Ken Cole would probably argue the title may not currently rest in Brisbane had this year's final been decided over three contests. But considering the 36ers' regular season victory over the Bullets at Apollo Centre was by two points in overtime and they lost the return leg in Brisbane by 21 (a forerunner of things to come) it's hard to see Brisbane as anything but the champion in 1985, whether it was best-of-three, best-of-five or best-of-seven.

But that was 1985. Close NBA watchers will recall the Boston Celtics pounding the Philadelphia 76ers by 40 points (121-81) in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final. The 76ers won the series 4-3.

More recently this year, the Boston Celtics routed the Los Angeles Lakers 148-114 in Game One of the NBA "World Championship". The Lakers won the best-of-seven series 4-2.

The question lingers. Should the NBL's title be decided on one game?

"It's more than likely we'll go to best-of-three next year," King said.

"There's problems to sort out with it though. For a start, there's television's requirements. Then we'd have to go with a Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday type set-up to get the series completed. And what happens with a 2-0 sweep?

"And where would the three matches be played?"

Home/away/home seems the obvious answer but a formula still needs to be devised to determine on what basis one team receives the advantage.

"You can forget about the entire final series - the quarter-final and semi-final rounds - going best-of. That's still a little unworkable in a non professional competition."

Regardless, the best-of-three grand final topic is certain to be high on the agenda for the NBL's annual general meeting in February. And early indications are very strong it will be introduced in 1986.

Another topic worthy of consideration is the NBL's ruling which only allows players the chance of joining one club for the duration of a season. This year, the 36ers' American import Brian Devincenzi was caught out by that ruling.

"I moved to Adelaide with the intention of making it my home for a couple of years - of settling there," he said. But after only six games, the 36ers cut Devincenzi and replaced him with Mark Davis.

The ruling left Devincenzi out in the cold for the remainder of the season.

"It's a crazy rule," Devincenzi said. "I don't know of any other major competition in the world where that's done."

Devincenzi wasn't the first to get caught out by the rule, which isn't restricted to Americans.

A few years back, former Olympian Tony Barnett found himself in the same pickle when he quit St Kilda into the season, intending to join Geelong. He found himself on the sideline for the rest of the year.

"The situation is weighted heavily in favor of the clubs," said Devincenzi. "I mean, they can cut you and replace you up to the 60-day limit, but if you get cut, that's it - you're through for the year. That isn't right." 

No, it isn't. When he was cut by Adelaide, Devincenzi may well have proved a valuable acquisition for Nunawading, which was struggling with its American content at the time.

"The rule is there to prevent clubs stacking their teams toward playoffs," King said.

Fair enough. But perhaps the 60-day limit for clubs changing players also should apply for players changing clubs.

It's just another problem the clubs can wrestle with in February when the NBL tackles ways of converting 1985's success into 1986's glory.

 

THE NBL GOES TO THE MOVIES

You've turned into an NBL junkie. You're needing your fix of high-powered action and are suffering withdrawal symptoms waiting for the weekend. For a while, "Slam Dunk" on Channel 10 was enough to get you through the week and when Seven began showing the NBA playoffs with Billy Palmer and Graham McInaney (or is that McNaney?) you were really on a high. But now, even that isn't enough to satisfy you. "Man, I gots to have a shot." Hey! We know how you feel and relief is at hand, as always. The NBL, with its shrewd marketing and management and eager to cash in on both the basketball and video booms, has come up with the answer. The League is going to the movies, remaking several old classics and updating the latest releases. Already available and in stock at reputable Fred's Video Store are these fabulous releases:

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

An in-depth study of St Kilda's all-round workhorse Steve Brekke (G)

CAPTAIN BLOOD

Stand aside Errol Flynn. Newcastle's Ian Robilliard in the title role. (PG)

FIVE EASY PIECES

Starring the Hobart opening lineup. (PG)

FLYING HIGH

Strictly for kids. A far-fetched story about a Sydney-based identity who leaves a coaching job in Wollongong to wind up in Hobart, spending the bulk of the NBL season between planes in airport rest rooms. (See also "Amittyville Horror") (G)

GOLDFINGER

Adventure or misadventure? You be the judge as Michael Wrublewski shows off his Midas touch while leaving Sydney laden with fool's gold. (PG)

GONE WITH THE WIND

Featuring the backs of Michael Bruno, Reg Biddings, Mark Linde, etc etc etc (M)

IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES

Michael Wrublewski's back in another starring role, this time opposite Paul Coughter ... and we do mean opposite. (M)

JAWS

Starring Jay Brehmer in the title role. (Watch for Jaws II, featuring Ken Cole.) (M)

LITTLE BIG MAN

Priceless footage of Gordie McLeod posting up Cal Bruton, and vice versa. (Animated)

MISSING IN ACTION

Al Green recounts his memories of West's 1982 championship victory. (G)

MY BRILLIANT CAREER

Reg Biddings finally comes out of his shell to tell it like it is. (M)

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Starring Sydney's Tiny Pinder in a dual role, with Tony Wilkerson. (M)

NEVER ENDING STORY

An 8-hour epic featuring highlights of coaches talking "off the record" about NBL umpires. (X)

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR

Capturing the Cannons' arrival back in Canberra after the 1983 Final, with special comments by smilin' Bobby Turner. (A sequel is in the pipeline) (G)

STAR WARS

With the Frankston Bears at loggerheads. Featuring exclusive shots of walkouts, tantrums, even the odd raspberry! (With the sequel THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK starring Tony King as Darth Vader. Watch spellbound as the NBL gives Frankston the flick.) (R)

REVENGE OF THE NERDS

Not available for preview so we're uncertain whether it's about parochial newspaper journalists or referees. Our apologies. (M)

THE LIFE OF BRIAN

Brian Kerle returns from Mecca to Brisbane to be greeted as the new Messiah. (PG)

THE WAY WE WERE

A romantic look at the once mighty St Kilda, with cameo appearances by Brian Kerle, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu, Steve Breheny, Tony Barnett, Robbie Cadee, Phil Smyth and Brendan Joyce. (M)

THUNDERBALL

James Crawford and Leroy Loggins share top billing in a flick for slam dunk enthusiasts. (G)

WINTER OF OUR DREAMS

NBL chief Tony King is back, this time discussing record attendances, record results, record promotion, record coverage, and records, of all things. (Don't miss the soundtrack record.) (M)

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Ray Borner picks up where Boris Karloff left off, terrorising the countryside. (R)

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

Brian Devincenzi stars as James Bomb, trying his luck first in Sydney, then Adelaide. (M)

AGAINST ALL ODDS

This remake stars Danny Morseu and follows his comeback from a horrendous knee injury. (G)

AMERICAN GIGOLO

(Casting for this has not yet finished, with so many contenders for the lead role.) (R)

HAIR

One of the 60s classics, this time starring Phil Smyth, Cal Bruton, Mike Slusher and Barry Barnes. This film was directed and produced by Ronnie "The Rat" Radliff. (PG)

GODZILLA VERSUS THE SMOG MONSTER

The original was listed as one of the 50 worst movies ever made. This time it's a remake as a wrestling match featuring Peter Walsh and Andy Campbell. (G)

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN

Many US stars will appear in this one. The story of a series of men who cross the Pacific Ocean and suddenly lose up to five inches in height. (G)

BIGFOOT

Starring Dan Clausen with his size 14 runners. (M)

UNDER FIRE

A 15-minute short, starring the backboard at Brisbane's Chandler Stadium. Spectacular appearances by Messrs Crawford, Lewis, McDaniel and Pinder, with a memorable debut by local boy Sydney Mines. (PG)

THE DAY AFTER

Ten players and a couple of officials star in this wellknown tale of what it feels like after a game on the road. Hic! (M)