Basketball On The Internet.

THE battle to grab the final two NBL playoff berths for the privilege of being executed in straight semi final sets by New Zealand and Perth has taken a twist, remaining wide open as we hit the regular season's penultimate round.

(Yeah, you've got me; always wanted to write "penultimate.")

Wollongong 11-15, Sydney 11-15, Melbourne 10-14, Cairns 10-15 and Townsville (hanging on desperately) at 9-16, legitimately are all a chance, contingent - entirely as it should be - on results.

If 12-16 is good enough to claim a top-four berth, then you better believe head-to-head match-ups are going to matter.

For example, Wollongong is home to Sydney, both one win from the coveted 12, the Kings ahead in the season-series 2-1 but both teams just intent on getting the win. For the Hawks that gives them a final home game next round against Adelaide and could move their record to 13-15, probably locking up third.

A Kings win puts them at 12 and within striking distance of third, only having to beat Townsville again, and at home.

Melbourne has it tough with the Breakers first. But if it can beat Townsville twice, and Cairns, that would make 13 wins and again, probably good enough for third.

To get that lucky 13, Cairns has it hardest, needing to beat Adelaide at home, Perth on the road and Melbourne in Cairns. Sure, it is do-able. But hands up if you would wager on it? (OK, anyone wearing an orange T-shirt can put their hand down now.)

It's more likely Cairns can get two of the three, which would reach the coveted 12-win mark, then probably mean head-to-head issues.

For the Crocs, the equation is easy - beat Melbourne twice and Sydney.

This is going to be some finish to a regular season, bearing in mind too that next week in the last round, Perth will host New Zealand in the Grand Final preview.

Settle back and enjoy the final bucking of this terrific ride.


JACOB Holmes has had better moments on a basketball court than his grab of Tyson Demos' leg in last round's Townsville-Wollongong encounter.

Cited for the incident - the verdict unknown when this went out - it will be interesting to see if the President of the NBL Players Association, if found guilty, is hit with a fine or a suspension.

An ardent opponent of the fine system instituted by the NBL's Resident Finemeister, Chuck Harmison, if he was served a $ amount, would he pay? If not, would he play?

Is a one-game penalty the answer? (Given the state of play, it would be a pretty severe penalty.)

Then again, will he be found guilty? Was there provocation? Does that matter? Can I pose any additional questions?

Um...no.


WNBL champion Bendigo has named its 2012-13 season MVP and had a veteran announce her retirement.

If you guessed Kristi Harrower for one of those two events, take a bow. She was a worthy MVP winner. If you also picked Kristi to announce her retirement, then you haven't been reading these articles very closely.

It was Chelsea Aubry - who stroked two of the Grand Final's biggest three-pointers - who announced she had played her last game and was going out on a championship note.

Aubry was farewelled with the club's Inspiration Award.

But WNBA import Kelsey Griffin was probably one of the great stories, having had her love of the sport and interest rejuvenated by the Spirit's program.


THE SEABL is looking to change its name next year and is running a competition seeking submissions.

Entries via email at media@seabl.com.au will be accepted until Sunday, June 30, with the winning name announced during the league's championship series on September 14-15.

Hey, if Europe can get away with calling its major winter comp the Euroleague, why not simply the Aussieleague?

Speaking SEABL, SA's only competitior, the Mount Gambier Pioneers, have been ultra-busy in the off-season, former 36ers' fringe players Matt Sutton and Erik "Easy" Burdon back as captain and vice-captain and several new faces into the team.

"We have been able to put together a very talented and balanced team for the upcoming season and I am really excited by our prospects," Pioneers coach Richard Hill said. Hill coached Eastern Mavericks to an SA SBL title and was an assistant with the 36ers during Scott Ninnis' coaching run.

Mount Gambier has signed 211cm Ben Allen of the Townsville Crocs who should come in extremely fresh after spending the summer resting.

The Pioneers also have signed athletic 204cm import Titus Robinson and bring back 36er development forward Jan Warbout. His former Sturt and 36ers teammate Tom Daly also comes into the team.

"We have two very athletic wings in NBL player Brad Hill and young recruit Lukas Blicavs and a very good mix of guards in Sutton and Burdon and the 36ers' Tom Daly," Hill said.

Versatile Kurt Russell also returns, while Matt Berkefeld and Mitch Mott have worked hard in the off-season to achieve huge improvement in their games, earning roster spots.

Mount Gambier is in Ballarat for its season-opener on Saturday, which will bring together in opposition second-generation SEABL rookie cousins Lukas Blicavs and Kris Blicavs.

Miners forward Kris Blicavs is the son of 1978 Boomers captain Andris, Lukas his nephew.


TALKING Ballarat Miners, former coach Guy Molloy, appointed the new Director of the Australian College of Basketball in January, is adding a women’s program to build on the momentum and success of the men’s program, now in its second year.

The College is the first of its kind in Australia, delivering high quality performance, training and education to selected elite basketball players through its innovative Diploma of Sport Development program.

Former 36ers coaches Phil Smyth and assistant Steve Breheny ran the program in its 2012 debut in Melbourne.

Female players now also can get their shot as the ACB expands. For further info, you can email beth.davis@basketball.edu.au or call 1300 859 880.


ALEX Pledger winning the NBL's Player of the Week honors means the Breakers now also boast having the most players to claim that accolade, the 215cm centre being the club's fourth recipient.

Cedric Jackson has claimed it four times, Mika Vukona and Daryl Corletto one apiece.

Not surprisingly, Perth is second with three winners (Matt Knight, Kevin Lisch, Shawn Redhage) but this fact MAY surprise you.

Sydney also has had three winners in Ben Madgen, Corin Henry and Ian Crosswhite, and Henry did it twice before injury prematurely ended his season. (So, in fact, the Kings have four weekly wins. Another surprise? How rarely The Madge has won it, considering how highly many of us have rated him at times in MVP calculations.)

Townsville is next with two winners - Gary Ervin and Peter Crawford. Adelaide (Daniel Johnson) and Melbourne (Lucas Walker) have one, though DJ has won twice.

And that leaves Cairns and when it comes to PotW winners? Yes, that is the sound of crickets you are hearing...

Big Al ("The Pledge"), famous for being able to lift heavy things, concluded Round 22 averaging 15.5 points at 63 per cent, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in New Zealand's wins over Cairns and Melbourne, bringing the Breakers' winning streak to 15.

That, of course, is largely why they stay at #1 in the NBL Rankings....

 
Rankings

This Week ... Prev

8 (7) 36ERS - Welcome home. Please take your usual bunks and lockers in the bomb shelter.

7 (6) TIGERS - Staring down the barrel but ball is still in their court.

6 (3) HAWKS - Kings, 36ers left and two wins would get third. But struggling a little.

5 (8) CROCODILES - Breathed life into their corpse and left with three winnable games.

4 (5) KINGS - Up a spot despite WA ambush, but injury toll may finish them.

3 (4) TAIPANS - Got the split and need at least another this round to stay fashionable. 

2 (2) WILDCATS - Smacked depleted Sydney, now get Cairns on a second leg. Too easy.
 
1 (1) BREAKERS - On track for a 25-3 season which says everything you need to know.



THIS WEEK'S TIPS

MELBOURNE needs to be at or close to full strength to take out New Zealand in Auckland. Unable to do it at home last week and with Tigers coach Chris Anstey already ruling out Jonny Flynn, cannot see a boilover.

Wollongong had its chances last week but lost to a Townsville team which Sydney had dispirited a week earlier! That said, the Kings worked hard with a very ordinary NBL-quality team in Perth and if they can get a body back, will give this a mighty shot. Sydney leads the series 2-1 and with a plus-18 points spread but the Hawks would be happy just to win and this will be the one they do.

Cairns managed to escape Adelaide's clutches last week and will be mindful they lost previously to the 36ers in Cairns. But with so much at stake, if the Taipans cannot win, they do not deserve to entertain playoff dreams.

Townsville hosting Melbourne is arguably the key game of the round. The Crocs lose and no combination of other results will make any difference. If the Tigers lose, they remain alive - barely - but must beat both Cairns and the Crocs in the last round and hope for some other results. As they say on Facebook's relationship status: It's complicated. It will be moreso after the Crocs win.

Sorry Cairns, Here's the situation. You beat Perth a little while ago and that probably erased any chance the Wildcats had of pinching top spot and homecourt for the Grand Final with New Zealand. That's issue #1. Then there's issue #2, the reality of having to play already, then travel while the Wildcats wait in Perth, shining up their knuckle-dusters. And then comes #3, some 11,000-strong emphatic phans roaring their approval, and influencing the less mentally tough of our officiating phraternity. That's three strikes - and the Taipans are out of this one.


JAY Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel walk into a bar. The barman looks up from where he is cleaning glasses, stares at them and says: "What is this, some kind of a joke?"