TOTW Rd7: United win for new contenders
TweetIT was very tough to go past Melbourne United for their second successful NBL Team of the Week honours after the defending champs took care of Illawarra and New Zealand in Round 7 and Matthew Dellavedova had the game of his life against the Hawks and Brian Goorjian.
But come on now. You know we're much deeper thinkers here at B.O.T.I. headquarters behind the tailor-shop in a CBD sidestreet.
So we took to greater analysis and thought which teams have been shut down for a while with COVID health and safety protocols and desperately needed "bounce back" wins.
Well, that was easy. Adelaide was humbled on the road in Cairns when it last pulled on its uniforms and Brisbane stumbled at home against a New Zealand outfit which had started the season 0-6.
Both had a little something to prove. To the Bullets first and their immaculate start against one of the championship favourites in South East Melbourne made their match a mockery.
The Bullets were out 31-6 at the first break - hit this link if you want to see how many records were involved there - and went on to spank the Phoenix 100-84.
That's Team oif the Week stuff if ever there was any. But wait!
The 36ers, who lost by 26 to the Taipans when Scott Machado, Tahjere McCall and Mirko Djeric didn't even suit for the Orange, had to wait 31 days for a shot at redemption. And that redemption would be against league-leading Perth!
And guess what? They belted the Wildcats, ahead 29-13 after one and en route to a tidy 87-74 home victory.
But not wishing to invoke catcalls of home bias by favouring the 36ers, for the first time the TotW award is being shared, by both Adelaide and Brisbane.
Congratulations for major bounce-back wins that thrust you both back into contention at 3-3.
Meanwhile the "Team of the Weak As Pi$$" was surprisingly activated in Round 7 too, with the Sydney Kings stepping up by stepping out.
Leading New Zealand 74-64 into the last half of the final quarter, Sydney went solo and the Breakers went troppo, finishing with an 18-1 run to the siren for a comprehensive 82-75 upset and one of the more feeble fadeouts in the Kings' history.
CELEBRATING: The Sixers and the Bullets become our first-ever joint award winners.
BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET TEAM OF THE WEEK
Round 7 Adelaide 36ers/Brisbane Bullets
Round 6 New Zealand Breakers
Round 3 Melbourne United
Round 2 South East Melbourne Phoenix
Round 1 Tasmania JackJumpers
BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET TEAM OF THE WEAK AS PI$$
Round 7 Sydney Kings
Round 3 Adelaide 36ers
Round 2 Not awarded
Round 1 Not awarded