Basketball On The Internet.

BASKETBALL Australia has been pleasantly surprised by the degree of tangible support in south-east Queensland for cash-crisis-hit WNBL outfit Logan Thunder.

Today’s original “48 hours” deadline has shifted to the weekend and most of the noises emanating out of the area were that the Thunder “are close” to being saved.

But even if it does happen, the club assuredly will need some type of governance intervention after allowing itself to fall so deeply into dog droppings before someone finally smelt a problem.

Sure, the club had been late in a couple of payments to BA but, in fairness – yes, I’m still trialling it – if the federation shut down every club which missed a payment, Australia wouldn’t have enough teams left to have national comps, men or women.

As recently as two weeks ago, Logan administration was still sitting on the fact it would not have the money to compete in the 2013-14 season, while doling out assurances to the contrary.

Coach Jason Chainey was actively signing players with the club’s blessing, unaware the bombshell was going to drop.

It beggars belief.

Donors have rallied across the nation to help the club through its plight, with pledges of help coming from as far away as Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills in the NBA’s rarified air.

Players at rival clubs also have rallied, as has the community and the basketball world.

Fingers crossed overnight the Thunder hasn’t cracked and gets to play the 2013-14 season as scheduled.

DANTE Exum will NOT be the player Melbourne replaces Chris Goulding with while the 2012-13 All Star Game MVP recuperates from his ankle injury.

Widely tipped to jump college and go straight into the NBA Draft, Exum has not been considering the NBL, according to reliable sources.

LOGGINS-Bruton Cup holding Perth has split two preseason games in north Queensland, losing to Blitz runnerup Cairns Taipans and escaping the clutches of Townsville Crocodiles.

The Taipans won 102-99 with Cam Tragardh scoring 24 and Stevie Weigh following up his 11-of-11 against Sydney on Sunday with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Shawn Redhage scored 21 for the Wildcats, James Ennis 20, Jesse Wagstaff 13 and three others had 12.

But it was another 75 free throw fiasco, the refs clearly not getting the memo.

The Wildcats iced Townsville 95-91, Jermaine Beal stepping up to lead Perth with 20, Ennis with 16.

Imports Brian Conklin (24) and Josh Pace (20) led the Crocs, who play Cairns in Cairns on Sunday.

RACHEL Jarry is alive in the WNBA playoffs, Penny Taylor is a loss away from departure and so too is Erin Phillips.

Jarry saw action as Minnesota destroyed Taylor’s Phoenix Mercury 85-62  in the opening game of the best-of-three Western Conference final.

A lot had happened since the Lynx last played Phoenix back in July. The Mercury had a new coach, declared a fondness for defence and upset Jenna O’Hea’s Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference semi final series.

But at Target Center today, in front of 9,013 rabid Lynx lovers, Minnesota rolled on, a victory spearheaded by an absurdly dominant 21-6 second quarter for a 23-point halftime lead.

The Lynx scored the first six points of the quarter and the final nine while holding Phoenix to season lows for a quarter and a half.

“It was fun,” Seimone Augustus said after scoring 18 points and defending Phoenix star Diana Taurasi.

It was the Lynx's 13th consecutive victory over Phoenix and there was nothing unlucky about it.

“They kicked our (butts) in every aspect of the game,” Taurasi said, Phoenix having to try and find a way to change that at home on Monday morning, Australian time.

Phillips and the reigning champion Indiana Fever will need to return to Atlanta to advance past the Eastern Conference final after losing 79-84 to the Dream there today.

To keep the series alive, the Fever must win in Indiana on Monday.

The Dream are a win away from reaching the WNBA finals for the third time in the past four years.

Angel McCoughtry had 18 points for Atlanta, converting a three-point play to give Atlanta an 81-75 lead with 67 seconds left.

Tamika Catchings' triple cut th deficit to 78-81 with 42.4 seconds left to play but Shavonte Zellous missed a three to tie it with 18 seconds remaining.

McCoughtry  then sealed the deal from the free throw line.

Catchings led the Fever with 21 points, Phillips with six and two rebounds, two assists and two steals.