Basketball On The Internet.

IT’S a small world, right? So Nate Tomlinson’s career-high 15 assists against Adelaide moves him alongside Brian Goorjian – and a couple of other notables – who previously have achieved the feat for Melbourne Tigers.

Meanwhile Nate’s dad Bill, literally was assisting Goorjian when he was at Sydney.

(And, one suspects, when Bill isn’t attending NBA games, like Goorj he also has a gig in China.)

Nate’s 15 assists means he joins Nigel Purchase, who some believe may be growing a moustache for Movember after endeavoring to have others shave theirs off, as a Tiger to have achieved the feat.

Goorjian did it three times – and you thought he was just a shooter – as did Andrew Gaze who also holds the club record of 20 against North Melbourne Giants in 1995.

Though that was a 48-minute game.

By regularly finding hot-shooting teammates Mark Worthington and Chris Goulding, Tomlinson becomes the first NBL player credited with 15 assists in a 40-minute game.

“He is the glue that makes this team run,” Tigers coach Chris Anstey said. “He is a key to us defensively, and he gets us into our stuff offensively and reads the game really well.”

Tomlinson suffered food poisoning ahead of Melbourne’s match with Wollongong, obviously having mixed too many dishes.

DUAL-Tigers NBL title-winning guard Daryl Corletto will hit 350 games on Friday against Adelaide when he takes to the hardwood with NZ Breakers.

It will mark Corletto’s 73rd appearance for the Breakers, the club he joined in 2011 after a decade of solid service with Melbourne, to win an additional two NBL championships.

Iron-Man Corletto, 32, has missed just one match in 13 seasons of NBL and even that one wasn’t through injury but the result of a stomach ulcer from too many anti-inflammatories with a knee problem.

The Supercity Rangers also are glowing, having signed DC for the 2014 NZ NBL season, starting in April.

Corletto is a massive coup for the Rangers who finished their inaugural season earlier this year wedged firmly in the bomb shelter.

THE NBA and its Players Association have made a second $250,000 donation toward relief efforts in the Philippines through World Vision.

World Vision said it sent a flight Monday to Manila that included 5,000 blankets and 3,000 tarpaulins to help survivors build temporary shelters following Typhoon Haiyan, which has left thousands dead.

The NBA has been working with the organisation in various efforts in the region since 2009.

BRETT Brown's first NBA clash as head coach of Philadelphia against his former team San Antonio didn't end well today.

Even without Tim Duncan, the Spurs coasted to a 109-85 victory in Philly to take their record to 7-1 with the 76ers now at 4-4.

"That's the Spurs, and that's what we aspire to get to,'' Brown said, having spent 11 years as a Spurs assistant to Gregg Poppovich.

"What you saw was the extremes of a team that has been together and moves the ball and shares the ball and played freely versus the team that became static and stagnant and tried to do it individually.''

The Sixers had no rhythm offensively with players slow to recognise options.

"That's deflating,'' Brown said.

"And you go back to the other end and you have to chase them around. You know it's ping-pong. They are finding people. They make the right pass and they can shoot.''

Brown knew his team was in for a long night and a 31-13 first quarter by San Antonio only confirmed it.

The Spurs led 75-46 with 5:34 left in the third.

If anyone was in any doubt, now the 76ers can see first-hand what the blueprint looks like.

OK now and don't mean to be getting excited about very little but Matthew Dellavedova scored his first NBA basket today for Cleveland in the Cavs' 81-96 loss to Chicago.

TODAY's blog might be starting to look like a Melbourne Tigers' special but I have really been enjoying Chris Anstey's work - as a writer.

His weekly pieces at nbl.com.au have been well worth a read as is today's: http://www.nbl.com.au/article/id/1uj4d8ssuf34y1wxblo3yh5d0u

IT'S been a long time since the 2012-13 NBL Grand Final Series and that's the last time Perth Wildcats' centre Matt Knight was on the hardwood.

But he is back in action this week for Wildcats matches against Cairns and Wollongong after six weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury which required surgery to repair damaged cartilage.

With a good chance to train and "get right", didn't that bye come just at the right time for the 6-0 Wildcats too?

JAN Stirling is Hall of Fame bound.

Caught up with the coach of the Opals' 2006 World Champion today at: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/sa-coaching-great-jan-stirling-leads-local-contingent-into-basketballs-hall-of-fame/story-fnii09ki-1226758162180