Basketball On The Internet.

IT was starting to look a little easy as far as predicting the NBL and WNBL top fours went.

Melbourne won nine games of NBL right off the bat and many had them pencilled in for a Grand Final berth.

But the contenders steadily have emerged and let's be honest, right now Perth and New Zealand - winners of the past six NBL titles - look odds on to meet at the thin end of the season's wedge.

Before Adelaide succumbed so meekly in Perth, I had them as the "surprise" fourth finalist and one who could upset United in a best-of-three semi.

But to be brutally frank, other than the Wildcats and Breakers, I no longer believe Melbourne is any certainty.

Illawarra, finally at full potency, definitely is well in this race.

And if you still like the 36ers to come home strongly - Joey Wright hasn't missed a playoff series with the club yet - then with the Sixers at 7-8, you also cannot completely rule out Cairns.

The Taipans are 5-8, with two games in hand.

They've got to get a wriggle on soon, for sure. But they're not out of it.

And with what Townsville has been doing - including beating Melbourne and Perth in their own venues - you know the Crocs will have a say in who actually makes the playoff quartet.

MAYBE my recent WNBL top four prediction was premature but despite the occasional unfathomable result, Townsville will be there and so too Perth.

Don't doubt the Lynx can win this - wouldn't that be insufferable if it was a Wildcats-Lynx double? - because they most definitely have all the right tools.

SEQ has to regroup now after doing a lot right early and Sydney also needs to take stock to halt the slide.

Yes, Bendigo is back in it - Snelly had 17 assists in two road games last round, pretty special - and Dandenong is a threat when it approaches the game with the right um, approach.

Melbourne is in disarray, Adelaide can cause a lot of issues down the stretch and once Stallworth suits at Canberra, the Caps will break the duck.

Let's settle back and watch it, imminently, on TV.

THE hapless Kings are back looking for another import with Josh Childress suffering another hand fracture, this time in the loss to Cairns.

Arguably the NBL's best player, he's out for a month again, having played just 21 of Sydney's past 41 games.

Truly, that sounds like a damn good reason to sack Damian Cotter yet again!

In fact, I think Kings management has Cotter on speed dial. When last I rang Damian's number, I got messagebank and DC saying: "Yes, I know, I'm sacked again. Don't bother leaving your name and number, I know who it is."

It's probably Cotter's fault Rolan Roberts got hurt too.

FLASHBACK: WAS this dunk Damian Cotter's idea too?