Basketball On The Internet.

THE NBL made it clear before the season tipped off it was going to speed up the game - no on-court huddles holding up free throw attempts the most obvious innovation. But when they stop calling obvious and blatant fouls just to keep the game moving along? That's what Round 4 threw up, sadly.

The round started with a paltry 26 fouls called in Perth's win at Cairns and concluded with 29 called in Melbourne's rout of Adelaide. (Bear in mind, it's four team fouls per quarter so 32+ for the game is nothing unusual.)

Like most, I suspect we're all for letting ticky-touchwood calls fall by the wayside but when a Sam Waardenburg is clearly bumped out of court over the baseline and the call is the opposition's ball, you don't have to be Einstein to know the instruction is to keep the foul count down.

As a viewer who finds players (and coaches) continually bitching and moaning at every call, or players constantly turning and twirling a finger to get a coach's challenge, as extremely tedious and farcical, I'm expecting to see much more of it given this obvious, albeit secret officiating edict.

Wouldn't just calling the foul when it's there and getting on with the job save everyone time? 

WHAT on earth was Cairns import Rob Edwards thinking on Thursday, trash-talking one of the NBL's all-time greats and prolific scorer Bryce Cotton during the Taipans' home clash with Perth?

Mate, you don't poke the bear, not unless you want to see him find touch and score a season-best 35 points at 57 per cent, including 7-of-10 threes on you.

Poor form though from Wildcats coach John Rillie to join in the exchange. Coaches bad-mouthing opposition players in-game should be an absolute no-no and only reflects poorly on the coach responsible.

Not talking here about a little fun sideline banter - Rillie wouldn't know what that is - but actively trying to engage an opposition player in a negative exchange is puerile rubbish and should be beneath a quality coach.

Edwards scored 24 points for the Snakes but on 11-of-27 shooting, his solo adventuring in the last quarter proving equally as costly as igniting Cotton, who also had Kristian Doolittle firing alongside him with 19 and 11.

But the umpiring left so much to be desired. No fouls on Perth for the term, going into the final minute of the last quarter? Are you serious? Nearly every player who went to the hoop was imploring the refs for the "and-one" on the continuous uncalled contact?

Is this what is meant by the NBL being claimed to be the Number Two?

ADELAIDE's destruction of Sydney was systematic and consistent from the early going, Dejan Vasiljevic leading the way and Montrezl Harrell thriving in the 36ers environment.

He has won himself more than a cult following and deservedly so.

But the play of the game - round? - was surely Isaac Humphries stretching to intercept a pass, dribbling down the floor on the break, changing hands on the dribble, spinning to the hoop and completing the play (below).

Don't see too many 7-footers not named Nikola Jokic doing that sort of thing.

While the Sixers played team ball, the Kings' love affair with the 3-ball was never reciprocated.

CONGRATULATIONS to the TV geniuses running - ruining? - the NBL's television product. At the Illawarra-Tasmania game, they replayed two different angles of Craig Sword fouling Tyler Harvey on a made three, with the vision on both actually excluding the point of contact. Top camera work.

Even better was their "NBL Mini" of the match with endless pieces of play doubled and even tripled-up on. Production values worthy of a pre-schoolers' class.

THE Hawks, meanwhile, were magnificent and glorious to behold in full flight as they inflicted the worst loss in Tasmania's brief history, a 33-point mauling in which they won every quarter.

Illawarra had six players in double figures (Sam Froling 21, Tyler Harvey 19, Darius Days and Will "Davo" Hickey 15, Trey Kell and Hyunjung Lee 10), with Lachie Olbrich (9) and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (8) not far behind.

Hickey had seven offensive rebounds of his own to the JackJumpers' 10, Milton Doyle held to a record low 4 points, Reuben Te Rangi to three and Anthony Drmic pointless. And he didn't score either.

Many of us hoped at Tasmania Te Rangi would turn back into the player who in one season won a shopping bag full of awards at Brisbane, before a largely meaningless contribution at South East Melbourne.

No-one expected he could fill Jack McVeigh's shoes but he isn't even filling his socks. Unless Scott Roth can find the key to unlocking a talent that has turned from a passenger at Phoenix into excess baggage at the Jackies, Te Rangi should start considering life after basketball.

DID my eyes deceive me or was there an unusually high amount of fumbling of the ball this round, as in players dribbling it and the ball bouncing somewhere unexpected?

Guys making moves and losing the ball in the process, even on a standard move. Was happening in every game, as was the one thing NO commentator is permitted to mention - slipping on decals.

Milton Doyle nearly killed himself slipping on one in Wollongong but he was no orphan across the round.

But we all know that issue will not be properly addressed until a stud slips, tears his ACL - or worse - and decides it is time to take legal action.

FOLDING like a house of cards against Sydney, Cairns left little doubt how important absentees Taran Armstrong and Tanner Groves are to their campaign. 

The only joy for the fading Taipans against the Kings was the time DP Alex Higgins-Titsha spent on the floor. He is going to polish into another diamond for clever prospector Adam Forde.

For Sydney, down Jaylen Adams and needing to bounce back from its lame effort in Adelaide, the game was the perfect tonic.

OK, I confess. I can't look at Tyler Robertson and not wonder if I put in my tax return. I see him and a chartered accountant springs to mind. But I love his moxy and his game.

Madam Threeball gave the Kings the cold shoulder against Adelaide but Shaun Bruce (6-of-6 threes) and Xavier Cooks (2-of-2) clearly wined and dined her afterwards and she was far more accommodating against the Taipans yesterday.

They were both career highs for Bruce and Cooks, though the latter was matching his previous best long range output from a much smaller sample size.

And Alex Toohey was another challenging for "play of the round" after rejecting AK Gak - leaving Acka Dacka thunderstruck - as he then took the ball the length of the floor for a fab finish.

AFTER Sydney's massacre of Cairns, great plays also emerged in Melbourne as United shook off the 36ers, shutting down Dejan Vasiljevic while relishing Chris Goulding's 450th game.

The perfection of Matthew Dellavedova's lob for Jack White's dunk and the majesty of Ian Clark's gem for Marcus Lee's reverse slam meant Showtime came early at John Cain Arena.

Sunday Dech started as if he was going to make Sunday his own, consecutive 3-pointers and an attack at Goulding's defence leading to eight rapidfire points.

But like the 36ers generally, he became a non-factor, finishing with eight, coach Mike Wells completely out of ideas after United tightened the defensive screws, holding Adelaide to eight third quarter points in a 27-point second half.

For the Sixers, Isaac Humphries again battled gamely but also was overwhelmed by Melbourne's depth. And just to finish for today, here's further proof of the competence, or otherwise, of our TV broadcaster.

Oh well, near enough. They're on the same team aren't they?