Basketball On The Internet.

AND just like that, everything is wide open again!

Just when the NBL top four looked settled, Adelaide goes and beats United in Melbourne, and Perth suffers two key injuries.

Just when Townsville appears invincible in its WNBL home fortress, Dandenong slips in and gets away with a W.

(And not for the first time have the Rangers ruptured the Fire.)

Achilles ruptures appear all the rage, the 36ers losing BJ Anthony to one last round, Perth losing Earnest Ross to one this round.

And that came on top of losing Matt Knight to a broken big toe last week.

The Wildcats' big man cannot take a trick. You'd swear he broke a mirror accidentally kicking a black cat as he stepped on a crack walking under a ladder with the way his run of injuries has gone.

He makes Hagar the Horrible's Lucky Eddie look like Iron Man.

It means the 36ers and Wildcats are thinking/talking replacement players as the season heads toward the thin end of the wedge.

 

DUAL-Opals Olympian Jenni Screen made her WNBL comeback four games ago with Lightning so was wildly overdue to put her head on the line.

Yep. National television was the place to suffer a broken nose.

I asked News Corp library staff to check what year fearless Jenni last went without a head injury and, apparently, they are at 2001 and still looking.

You have to love the courage of our players but what they go through to get themselves back is even more worthy of respect.

 

NICE irony in the fact it was a few Melbourne "Tigers" who sat with the 36ers and helped plant the seeds of their win over Melbourne "United".

The Melbourne Tigers in question were assistant coach Greg Mellor and star defender Troy Chaplin of the AFL's Richmond Tigers who addressed the 36ers on how they went from 3-10 to 12-10 and into the finals last season.

Kind of ironic that Tigers would sew the seeds of United's shock loss.

Meanwhile in Perth, the Wildcats are scouring every island in the Pacific for another American, er, "local" to replace Earnest Ross.

 

Basketball On The Internet, Player of the Week

THE whole point of the Player of the Week award is to honour someone who really stood out in making a difference.

That's why this round's B.O.T.I. Player of the Week is one of the season's simplest selections.

Adelaide 36ers import Jamar Wilson lifted his team onto his shoulders at three quarter-time when they trailed Melbourne by 12 points, producing 16 of his own in the final quarter as the 36ers went 27-13 to win the game 91-89.

Apart from producing an equal game-high 22 points, he also dished a game-high four assists and snatched nine rebounds.

Whether it was his quarter-starting back-to-back drives, game-tying three, sweet dish to Brendan Teys or 7-of-8 free throws in the last seven minutes, Jamar was a star. And easily our PotW.

PotW Winners

Rd1 Scottie Wilbekin
Rd2 Brian Conklin
Rd3 Scottie Wilbekin
Rd4 Adam Gibson
Rd5 Josh Childress
Rd6 Jordan McRae
Rd7 Josh Childress
Rd8 Tim Coenraad
Rd9 Brian Conklin
Rd10 Josh Childress
Rd11 Jordan McRae
Rd12 Tai Wesley
Rd13 Brian Conklin
Rd14 Jamar Wilson

THE B.O.T.I. WNBL PotW is Townsville's centre Suzy Batkovic, despite the Fire finally coming unstuck at home.

Suzy went off for 30 points at 65 per cent, with 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a desperate attempt to get her team over the line against Dandenong, the Rangers prevailing 92-87.

 

YEAH, NO KIDDING

TIMING people, timing.

First quarter of the Boomers-Lightning TV game and the ABC's commentary team of Lori Chizik, John Casey and Rachael Sporn are busy waxing lyrical about Jenni Screen's great defensive abilities on the pick-and-roll...

Meanwhile on screen, Jenni is stranded as Tess Madgen is coming off a pick and stroking a three-pointer...

D'oh!

A few hours later and we get this on NBL.TV - a championship table for the ages.

Not sure if it was a competition - pick the errors in this graphic? - or just the usual stellar work we have come to expect of PERFORM.

Seriously now. Czar Nicholas the Marvellous clearly has way too much clout if his beloved Perth Wildcats can be in second place with a 12-15 win-loss record!

And how about those Wollongong Wolves? No wonder they're struggling, being a defunct soccer team. Maybe we need a Wolves-United fixture to draw a whole new audience?

For good measure, the Adelaide 36ers team starters were United's fab five...

Nice work from Tommy Greer on the United-36ers game, with his reference to a play resembling the "WWF".

OK. Not all of us are mad wrestling fans, I'll admit. But the World Wildlife Foundation sued wrestling's biggest company in 2000 and since 2002, the World Wrestling Federation has been World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.

Of course, Tommy may have meant they were mixing it up like a couple of lovable pandas... but I doubt it.

Back to the WNBL cover and apparently to close a quarter, Angela Marino drove the baseline and scored, "with a user friendly roll getting it to tumble". What does that even mean?

 

REVIEWS

Breakers V Hawks (M)

RHYS Martin brought Wollongong back from the brink in regulation, then fired on in overtime as the Hawks gave New Zealand a much more spirited fight than expected, the Breakers prevailing 98-91 in the extension. When Martin fouled out, Mika Vukona, Tom Abercrombie and Corey Webster delivered the daggers that left the Hawks again lamenting how close they had come.

 

Capitals V Waves (W)

WEST Coast looked the goods for a quarter, leading Canberra 20-18 after one. But with their best score in the next three periods 11 and Canberra's worst 18, this turned into an 87-52 Caps cakewalk. (What is a "cakewalk" by the way? Is it when you bring the cake in for the birthday song? I've always wondered. But I digress...) Abby Bishop enjoyed a 21-and-13 points-boards double and LJ helped herself to 15 points.

 

Kings V Crocodiles (M)

SYDNEY lost its fifth straight game and was held to the equal lowest first quarter score in its history - 11 - as Townsville won 98-89. The Crocs led 23-11 after one and finished with six players in double figures, Mickell Gladness with an 11-point, 15-rebound double. He also blocked five shots, for those keeping track at home.

 

Boomers V Lightning (W)

THIS got ugly early, any fears Melbourne might be suffering from rust quickly dispelled as Laurie Koehn ignited an initial rally before Rebecca Allen, Bec Cole and Company pushed the lead to 52-34 by the main break. After a Laura Hodges-led impression of resistance, Adelaide folded along the dotted lines as Melbourne won 96-66.

 

Taipans V Wildcats (M)

THE odds weren't good for Perth as it headed into Cairns. Down Matt Knight and Greg Hire, it lost Earnest Ross to an Achilles tear during the first half, Shawn Redhage fouled out in the last and import Jermaine Beal cramped too. OK. My commitments to Czar Nicholas complete, the Taipans doled out a terrific 91-76 beating, playing some of their best basketball, Shaun Bruce continuing his recent blossoming, Cairns throwing this season-series into the melting pot at 1-1.

 

Flames V Waves (W)

WEST Coast's woes continued in Sydney where the Flames also kept their fading finals hopes alive with a comfortable 80-55 win over the hapless visitors. Casey Samuels delivered a game-high 15 points off the bench and Sydney enjoyed a good spread of scorers, the Waves shooting at 29 per cent, barely good enough to shoot themselves in the foot.

 

United V 36ers (M)

MELBOURNE had this in the bag, Dave Barlow sinking triples to close the third with the home side ahead by 12. Then suddenly, Jamar Wilson caught fire, carrying the 36ers to the most unlikely of wins 91-89 in an ending full of drama (and slap forehead moments, such as Jordy McRae driving for two when Melbourne was down three... Um, Jordy?)

WILSON NO CASTAWAY: Jamar Wilson delivered the coup de grace.

 

Fire V Rangers (W)

SUZY Batkovic was a stand-out with 30 points at 65 per cent, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks but it was Dandenong which had the answers, causing a boilover by beating Townsville 92-87 in one of the WNBL matches of the season. Penny Taylor, Cappie Pondexter and Kath MacLeod all went off for 23 points apiece but it was a tip-in by Tegan Cunningham which clinched it.

 

Hawks V Breakers (M)

THE game was on a knife's edge again at 81-81 with heartbeats left before Cedric Jackson drove unmolested (or even contested) to the basket for an easy two, Gary Ervin jacked up a prayer, the Breakers nudged it out to 86-81 from the stripe and Wollongong had a consolation basket for an 86-84 win to New Zealand. Amazing how hard the Hawks can work and how easily they let themselves down.

 

Spirit V Lightning (W)

THERE was really only one way this game could go, it being Kristi Harrower's WNBL and playing career farewell. But Bendigo made sure of it anyway with a 7-0 start. Depleted Adelaide showed some pluck after halftime to make a game of it and even put Kristi at the stripe for a chance to score one last time, the 75-64 Spirit win almost an afterthought.

 

Crocodiles V Taipans (M)

DIDN'T see a historic 4-0 sweep of the Reptile Rumble coming for Cairns but the Taipans pulled it off in Townsville with a 78-73 escape. The Marksman was back to his best with 20 points at 75 per cent and seven assists for the Crocs but Cairns captain Cam Gliddon (14 points) came up trumps in the fourth quarter with a big three and a jumper dagger which not only cemented a finals spot - which was actually done a few weeks back really - but also consigned Townsville to the reality of playoff spectactorhood.

 

BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS

ADELAIDE was the NBL's biggest winner this week, coming from 12 down at three-quarter time to outscore Melbourne 27-13 in the fourth period. It was the biggest last-quarter comeback of the season and also biggest last quarter come-from-behind win in Joey Wright's NBL coaching career, keeping the top-four race alive.

CONSIDERING it was 12 ahead with a period to play and cruising - and with victory could have closed the door on its other nearest rival (having already shut down Sydney) - by losing to Adelaide, Melbourne became the NBL round's biggest loser.

WINNING in Townsville has become the sole domain of the home team, that is until Dandenong cemented its WNBL finals aspirations by beating the Fire this week to be the league's biggest winner.

TWIN losses on the road by the Waves and Lightning made them impossible to split as the round's biggest losers, Adelaide at least having a part of history to salvage from the weekend as the last team Kristi Harrower beat.

 

BEEF of the WEEK

THE NBL stats folks hardly covered themselves in glory this week, Mika "Vukonka" scoring 17 points with five rebounds and three assists for New Zealand against Wollongong yesterday.

Sure, it may seem a small thing but if the statisticians cannot even get a player's name correct - everyone knows it should be MIKE Vukonka... - why on earth should we trust their assessment of their steals or assists?

The NBL - so many things to fix ... so little time.

 

Online

http://bit.ly/1tZbZQU

http://bit.ly/1y30pnz

 

PS

WHAT he said.

What he really meant.

Dandenong Rangers coach Mark Wright, jubilant after his Rangers put out the Fire in Townsville.

SAID - “I think any team that wants to beat Townsville in Townsville has to play at an exceptionally high level.” 

MEANT - “We played at an exceptionally high level.”

PPS
Just in case you were wondering ... Josh Childress DID play for Sydney against Townsville this time. It just didn't make any difference.