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Wrap-Up #8: That's what NBA looks like
TweetYEAH baby. This is what we want to see - an NBA player playing like one.
Well held by the 36ers yesterday with just two free throws and one basket in the first half - and some frustrations to boot - Josh Childress went to work to lead Sydney past the Sixers at Adelaide Arena.
That's Josh, above, saying G'day to Luke Schenscher and making 4,708 fans at The Fortress have to admit the guy can sure play.
This is what we want to see, The Chill with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a slam worth revisiting. Real NBA players do it all you see.
Basketball On The Internet, Player of the Week
THE Human Vowel - Tim Coenraad - has romped to his first B.O.T.I. Player of the Week award after pumping Wollongong to its first win since Round 1, a 90-76 victory over its first victim Townsville.
Tiiim went off for a game-high 24 points at 65 per cent, with five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Or in Coenraad-speak - tweeenty-foouur pooints, fiive reeboouunds, threeee aassiists, aa steeaal aand aa bloock.
He had 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting in the first quarter to set the Hawks soaring to a 27-19 lead which translated to 50-36 by halftime. Coenraad is having a stellar season and would be in the All Star Five if it was announced today.
(OK. The Second Team. Josh Childress would have the small forward role in the First Team. ... No emails please Todd Blanchfield.)
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
NOT too difficult to pick this week's B.O.T.I. PotW for the WNBL after MVP favourite Abby Bishop led Canberra Capitals with a 31-point, 15-rebound double-double in a 76-60 win over Adelaide Lightning.
Abs also had three assists, two steals and a block to underpin another great win. Yeah, I know I'm biased but you can't argue with the numbers.
YEAH, NO KIDDING
DIDN'T take Mr Basketball, Steve Carfino long to burp one out ahead of the Perth-Cairns TV game last Friday, complimenting the Melbourne Tigers on how well they also are currently travelling.
For the life of me, I also cannot find any clear definition of the "Euro-step" Carf insists on calling any steps he does not recognise.
Now he's even got Mahersy doing it!
Last week a lay-up was called as the much-vaunted "Euro-step"!
I need to consult my Eurovision dictionary to understand this because it rapidly is becoming my Waterloo.
A brilliant basketball brain in Brisbane - no names necessary, you know who you are - took the trouble to inform me it is the one-two step through-or-between opponents. As opposed to the one-two step of a lay-up.
So there you go. Take two steps and you become a Euro-stepping champion.
Well done to Stephanie Brantz on the ABC at halftime of the Sydney-Adelaide WNBL game complimenting Leilani Mitchell on her "hot hand".
Leilani had two points at the time, off the half-closing lay-up she made.
(But then she did go on to lead the Flames with 16 points so perhaps Steph was just showing off her powers of ESP.)
I shall now Eurostep my way to the round's reviews and hope John Cleese doesn't notice...
REVIEWS
United v 36ers (M)
MELBOURNE threatened to repeat its previous 39-point blitz over Adelaide when Barlow and Kickert were stroking triples in a 15-5 start. But in the end, Melbourne needed big shots from Tomlinson and Walker and a massive offensive rebound from Wortho to preserve a 94-91 home win.
Flames v Lightning (W)
ADELAIDE opened with an 11-0 start but was outscored 66-43 the rest of the way and 37-23 after halftime, Leilani Mitchell leading Sydney with 16 points and Paris Johnson with her best game, pairing 15 points with nine boards.
Breakers v Kings (M)
NEW Zealand made it back from a double-digit deficit after a Sydney 14-0 run to eventually run out a 107-96 winner. Cedric was entertaining with 21 points, eight boards, eight assists, Sydney with three players scoring more than 20 points.
Fire v Waves (W)
OH my. West Coast was keen to show its beating in Townsville last time was an abberration. Um. No. And a nine-point first quarter was less a statement than a squeakment, the Fire eventually ruling 83-46, Francis with an 18-15 double, Cocks with 21 points at 80 per cent.
Hawks v Crocodiles (M)
WOLLONGONG needed this badly and with Coenraad blazing early and Ervin providing a spark, a 32-point loss five days earlier in Townsville was turned into an 11-loss snapping 90-76 home victory. It was party time at last at The Sandpit.
Spirit v Boomers (W)
KELSEY Griffin went for 22 and 13 but Melbourne looked better balanced and poised with the addition of Koehn and came up with an invaluable 73-70 road upset. It was a case of the traditional "all played well" for Melbourne with Cole scoring 18, Madgen 14 and Allen 11.
Wildcats v Taipans (M)
THIS was over by quarter time when Perth had a 31-10 lead - even more impressive than Melbourne's 31-13 lead on Adelaide a few weeks ago - and had Daniels doing his thing in an 84-66 home victory. Redhage showing flair with a behind-the-back pass to Daniels for the jam was fun for anyone not living in north-Queensland. Prepare the Cairns Zoo's scapegoat exhibit...
Capitals v Lightning (W)
ABBY Bishop had a 31-point, 15-rebound double and Canberra had its way with wayward Adelaide 76-60. A 40-22 second half told the story, ex-Lightning off-guard Steph Talbot also haunting her former colleagues with 16 points, 10 rebounds.
36ers v Kings (M)
IT was a record recovery in a 40-minute game for Sydney to turn around its 14-point halftime deficit and register an invaluable 90-83 road win over Adelaide. Childress was big late and Perry big early, The Madge important throughout after Mitch Creek's early foul issues limited his effectiveness against the Big Chill.
CREEK BURST: Mitch Creek was effective until hamstrung by foul issues.
Boomers v Flames (W)
MELBOURNE's 29-14 final quarter, featuring Allen (20 pts, eight rebs, five assists), Koehn (20 pts at 60 per cent), Madgen (10 pts, 9 boards) and Thompson (13 pts) left Sydney in its wake 83-77. The Flames led 63-54 going into the final period but missed Rohanee Cox who was out after suffering a broken nose against Adelaide.
Taipans v Crocodiles (M)
TRIGGER stepped up and Wilbekin had a sweet dunk as Cairns saw off Townsville 91-82. Blanchfield led the Crocs with 24 points in a match with 63 FTs, 16 lead changes and scores locked 21 times. Yeah, a typically hard-fought Reptile Rumble.
BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS
NEW Zealand took care of business against a surging Sydney and did it without its "Josh Childress foil" Tom Abercrombie. The win shored up first place for the Breakers who quietly become this week's Biggest Winner.
ADELAIDE had a chance to make a move last round but after shaving 36 points off its previous home loss to United, fell apart against Sydney in the second half to drop their fifth straight game. The 36ers now are 3-7 and the round's biggest loser.
MELBOURNE is the WNBL's Biggest Winner after taking out both reigning champion Bendigo and a Sydney team feeling good about itself after comprehensively beating Adelaide. Laurie Koehn was a significant pick-up.
SECOND-half fadeouts have become second nature for Adelaide which lost both road games last round after leading at the main interval. Once again the Lightning are the round's biggest loser and sadly for diehard fans, there appears no end in sight to the misery.
BEEF of the WEEK
OFF-court hasn't been the NBL's strength this season and it only has been highlighted again this round with officiating and statistics-taking very much in the firing line.
While the "Big Cat" - NBL Referees Manager Mal Cooper - was in the USA, his minions largely reverted to three blind mice status with some horrendous officiating across the league.
Ask any coach how he found the calling this past round and you are likely to get the eye roll, Michael Aylen having to carry his crew in Perth on Friday and then repeating the dose with Adelaide's dry-nappy duo on Sunday.
Must wonder what Anthony Petrie thinks when he drives into the key, gets buffetted to the point where he loses the ball and there's no call. I'm only singling out that no-call because just over a year earlier at the 2013 Blitz, Petrie set some sort of record, copping a foul from referee Toni Caldwell at 9:58 in the game - yes, two seconds after tip off.
Yep, the officials were over-calling to buggery as they tried to adjust to calling games of basketball again after years of the basketmaul unpleasantness.
But while the Mal was away, the malcontents were back at play, leaving players, coaches and spectators around the nation wondering just what is going to be called and which version of the rules the NBL is playing by.
That said, picking up a blocked shot should be the game's easiest stat to record. It's not as if you have to assess the validity of a pass/assist or anything. Or a rebound spilt among players.
A guy shoots it, a guy rejects it - easy.
So how the stats personnel can miss Mickell Gladness swatting away three - count 'em, THREE - shots by Torrey Craig in just one play phase and register the Townsville import centre with ZERO blocks is beyond ridiculous.
Recently the NBA stepped in when LeBron James was credited with a triple-double of 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while leading his Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The NBA rescinded one of his rebounds and one assist.
You see, it can be done. For Gladness to be credited with zero blocks in a game some are claiming he had as many as six, is a blight on stats-takers.
Sure, it is largely a thankless job but it is even moreso when they can be so blatantly wrong.
Over to you, NBL.
NBL?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Online
PS
WHAT he said. What he really meant.
Cairns Taipans coach Aaron Fearne after the dismal display against Perth.
SAID - “We've got to get some discipline and we've got to get some legitimate leadership from our older guys – from Cam (Tragardh) and our point guard (Scottie Wilbekin) has to be able to lead and run a group on the floor as individuals. I can't be controlling everything. We have to play with some discipline and we're not doing that. We have got away from doing the little things well like timing on cuts, but there are thousands of things we are not doing well.”
MEANT - “Let's be clear - none of this is my fault.”
