Basketball On The Internet.

FOR a round of only five matches, it is amazing how many clubs had their hands up for NBL Round 7 Team of the Week consideration. Four, in all, excluding the only other winner, Tasmania, which did only what it needed to in taking care of directionless but also depleted Adelaide.

Perth was impressive in its start-to-finish demolition of New Zealand but then the Breakers played right into its hands by sticking with its cumbersome zone defence for far too long.

Yes, that zone and its elusive 1-3-1 into 3-2 alignments had worked a treat in getting the Breakers back into their previous games but as an opening strategy that left Bryce Cotton - BRYCE COTTON!! - repeatedly open, it was suicidal.

Playing without injured studs Patrick Miller and Bobi Klintman, Cairns' win over Illawarra was full of merit, Taipans players taking advantage of opportunities those absences presented.

But, with all due respect, it was only the bumbling Hawks that Cairns had to negotiate, and more clubs will do that this season than not.

The manner in which Sydney came back from near disaster to lock down Brisbane over the final three minutes, turning an 89-95 deficit into a 104-95 win - a 15-point unanswered close to this contest - was a Kings' execution to beguile and behold.

Jaylen Adams and DJ Hogg led the way, Shaun Bruce bobbed up and the Bullets went home wishing they played those final three minutes as well as they had the previous 37.

It put Sydney within a whisker of claiming its second Team of the Week honours after opening the season in style.

But no, it wasn't quite good enough when compared to what Melbourne achieved without key players and regular starters Luke Travers, Ian Clark and Matthew Dellavedova, and with centre Ariel Hukporti still hobbled.

Considering Chris Goulding was the only regular starter left, Jo Lual-Acuil the only other player competing for a starter's role and Shea Ili United's "man for all seasons" the team's mainstays, it was stunning to see them raise their levels yet again, and carry their team along with them.

Throwdown XXII was to be South East Melbourne's line-in-the-sand game, NBA All Star John Wall in the building to watch his club, along with a record Phoenix home crowd of 10,175.

But Melbourne would not be denied, its baby brigade all standing up - most notably Flynn Cameron - and when Goulding hit THAT shot to turn a 78-76 lead into an 81-76 buffer with 3:25 left, he tore the soul from any Phoenix fightback.

From about two feet in from the centre circle, even defender Craig Moller was surprised he let it fly, but it was just one of his six 3-pointers in a 27-point haul that ensured Melbourne United would become a second time Team of the week, this one for Round 7.

Our Team of the Weak as Pi$$ surprisingly is the New Zealand Breakers, whose flawed strategy and refusal to substantially alter their game-plan proved embarrassingly expensive in Perth.

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET TEAM OF THE WEEK
Round 1  Sydney Kings
Round 2  Tasmania JackJumpers
Round 3  Melbourne United
Round 4  South East Melbourne Phoenix
Round 5  Brisbane Bullets
Round 6  Perth Wildcats
Round 7  Melbourne United

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET TEAM OF THE WEAK AS PI$$
Round 1  No Nominees
Round 2  No Nominees    
Round 3  Illawarra Hawks
Round 4  Perth Wildcats
Round 5  No Nominees
Round 6  Adelaide 36ers
Round 7  New Zealand Breakers