Basketball On The Internet.

THAT was just terrible. Conspiracy theorists had a field day as the officials made a complete hash of the end-game in the Melbourne-New Zealand showdown yesterday at Nonsense Arena.

The home fans sure loved it but this evening even the NBL admitted its refereeing crew had made a ginormous cock-up in awarding an unsportsmanlike foul (USF) against Corey Webster on the game’s penultimate play.

“During the final quarter, an unsportsmanlike foul was called against New Zealand’s Corey Webster.  The correct application of the rules should have resulted in the foul called against Corey Webster being called a normal personal foul, and not an unsportsmanlike foul,” the NBL released tonight.

“The referees at the time determined that Webster’s foul occurred immediately after a separate foul being called on Melbourne’s Majok Majok against Alex Pledger.”

The subsequent review revealed the time difference between the two fouls only was discernible by close scrutiny of the video replay.

So if the fouls occurred consecutively, both teams were entitled to two free throws, which, offset against one another meant possession awarded to New Zealand.

So yes, Breakers’ supporters, non-United fans and basketball lovers everywhere, you were right. It was a cock-up of gigantic proportions and the league is being proactive in preventing any repetition by implementing a new rule allowing scrutiny of the video replay in the last two minutes.

In the meantime, here’s some comfort for the Breakers: “The NBL is apologetic that this situation has arisen and is addressing the situation immediately.”

I’m sure that makes Dean Vickerman and his Breakers just so much happier.

NOW what about the elephant in the room?

You know, the fact Chris Goulding produced a memorable monster flop to draw the foul on Webster in the first place?

Should that not be discussed anywhere? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

So here’s something I found mildly amusing. The ref who called Webster for the USF? That was Tim Brown. From New Zealand.

Tim, perhaps you should have given a technical to Goulding for flopping, or at least issued a warning? But a USF on Webster?

The NBL is standing down two of the officials involved in the farcical conclusion which also included a largely phantom foul on Pledger to put Stephen Holt on the foul-line for what eventually would prove the winning free throw.

It still doesn’t change the result though, does it?

FLOPPING remains a huge problem and it is tragic today’s quality ballers choose to do it.

I suppose if LeBron James is the best player in the world and he does it, then you can’t blame today’s impressionable youths for following suit.

That’s why my basketballing icons are guys named Chamberlain, Jordan, Bird, Magic, Erving – or right here guys such as Leroy, Darnell or Rob Rose – and other players of that ilk and era for whom flopping was an embarrassment and an insult to their manhood.

But then, as recently as Wednesday in Townsville I watched with some despair as Perth’s Shawn Redhage posted up Crocs swingman Clint Steindl, wheeled into his move and hit Steindl smack in the middle of the chest.

Steindl didn’t flinch. And he didn’t get the call, either.

A few offences later and the same play occurred. This time when Redhage hit Steindl in the chest, he went down. Guess what?

Steindl got the charge call on the Perth forward.

So that’s why I despaired. When Steindl did it right, he didn’t get the call. Effectively, he HAD to fall to get the call.

You can’t cure flopping – or exaggerating - if your officials don’t call the game as it should be called.

It’s like Mark Bradtke used to moan that at 6-10 and being the man-beast he was, if he took a charge straight in the chest from a guard and didn’t flinch – as he wouldn’t - he never got the call.

NEVER GOT THE CALL: Mark Bradtke prepares to take a charge from Paul Rees. Good luck.

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET - PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

AS usual, there were some superlative performances over the round but two stood out, making selection of this week’s B.O.T.I. Players of the Week considerably easier than usual.

In the NBL, Hawks centre AJ Ogilvy was all over it, scoring 36 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including a perfect 14-of-14 from the stripe, plus 11 rebounds in the home win over Cairns.

The only time Illawarra looked vulnerable was when it strayed from giving him the ball.

Honourable mention also goes out to NZ Breakers playmaker Cedric Jackson who had a triple-double against Melbourne with 16 points, 14 boards and 10 assists after he had 11 points and 13 assists in the win over Adelaide.

The peanut-butter and plum jam sandwich is all yours AJ, if you collect it before Thursday by when I’m afraid some of the hungry hordes here at the B.O.T.I. basketball and antique furnishings factory might have devoured it. Apologies. You can’t get good help anymore. Just ask the NBL referees’ boss!

NBL PotW
Rd1 Todd Blanchfield
Rd2 Kirk Penney
Rd3 Jerome Randle
Rd4 Corey Webster
Rd5 AJ Ogilvy

THE women also had a number of grand efforts but after putting in a sub-par performance last round in the loss to Adelaide, Bendigo’s Opals centre Gabrielle Richards stood out.

Gabe led from the front in the strong win over WNBL-leading SEQ with 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including a perfect 9-of-9 free throws, and 10 rebounds.

She also blocked three shots and had a steal and an assist, just for the hell of it.

WNBL PotW
Rd1 Tess Madgen
Rd2 Suzy Batkovic
Rd3 Sami Whitcomb
Rd4 Suzy Batkovic
Rd5 Gabrielle Richards

 

YEAH, NO KIDDING

IT’S as if Fox has decided to take on the guise of professional wrestling and just look to see whether Corey “Homicide” Williams gets a reaction – good or bad.

There’s been quite a lot of both but I’m starting to fall into the “bad” category.

I mean, I love that he called out a few players who were dogging it but that quickly was cancelled big time by his only description of anything as “big time”. It was a “big time play”, a “big time shot”, he’s a “big time player”, that’s a “big time move” … “big time blah blah blah”.

Truthfully? That was a “big time yawn”.

The relentless self-promotion also wears thin. OK, we get that he was trying to “get ‘Antman’ trending on twitter” but the nonstop calling of Jerome Randle as Antman in the 36ers-Kings game was simply tedious.

Even in the post-game interview, all Corey wanted to do was tell Randle how he was getting ‘Antman’ trending.

Really? This is quality commentary? Hearing about how some woman in Perth still was harassing Williams for past alleged playing indiscretions in the West?

Can we stop with the “gangsta” nonsense and self-promotion long enough to actually add something to the game in progress?

It seems not, while Fox’s prevailing attitude appears to be: “Oh wow, isn’t Corey cool?”

Frankly, I’ll take Derek Rucker’s professionalism, knowledge and insight seven days a week, Brad Robbins has even called out former teammate Shawn Redhage for not keeping his feet and Tommy Greer knows what the rules are and can tell us in 20 words or less WITHOUT needing to resort to catch phrases and BS.

As one reader sent me: “Corey is definitely guilty of the homicide of good commentating.”

Then again, while he’s getting a reaction – and some are loving him – Fox isn’t likely to pay attention to how many do not. Like I said, it’s like pro wrestling. If you get a fan reaction, good or bad, you go up the rankings.

But unlike pro wrestling, fans here will simply turn off the sound or turn off the game which, I’m fairly sure, wasn’t the intent.

THE innovation of whacking a camera on a referee’s head was new and different.

But your telecast needs a smart director for it to be of value, and by smart director, I mean someone who recognises it maybe should not be used for live action.

Keep it in the domain of replays, which then definitely gives the viewer the ref’s perspective and may provide insight into why he/she made the call as they did, or how the ref saw that particular piece of great action.

ONCE again, I tuned in to Nine’s Sunday coverage to enjoy the less “rah rah” nature of Bill Baxter and Brad Rosen’s pre and post-game banter and was delighted last week was the template for good viewing.

Of the Goulding/Webster USF, I loved Rosen calling a shovel a shovel, saying he believe Goulding flopped and it was the wrong decision.

That was a “big time” call.

BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS

MELBOURNE United again was the round’s biggest NBL winner after Stephen Holt put on a first-half show, then Chris Goulding a second-half in the win in Sydney, followed by a largely “wind-assisted” win over the Breakers at home where, yes, they got all the breaks.

SYDNEY, beaten at home by Melbourne, then producing a record 39-point first quarter and a record 64-point first half before blowing a 25-point lead to lose in Adelaide – Josh Childress also on charges for his verbal spray at the officials post-match – takes out the biggest loser tag.

IN contrast in the WNBL, Sydney was the biggest winner after first comfortably seeing off league under-achiever Canberra before setting the reigning champion Fire alight in Townsville.

BEATEN by Dandenong in the Melbourne derby, then by SEQ in Rachel Jarry and Bec Allen’s returns “home”, Melbourne took a tumble to be the round’s biggest loser.

NBL Round 5

TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 89 (J Jett 22 C Steindl 15 N Kay 14 B Conklin 14; Steindl, Kay 8 rebs; Jett 5 assts) d PERTH WILDCATS 77 (J Wagstaff 19 C Prather 13 M Knight 12 T Jervis 10; Jervis, 6 rebs; Martin 3 assts) at Townsville Entertainment Centre. NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 98 (T Wesley 26 Ch Jackson 21 C Webster 20 Ce Jackson 11 T Abercrombie 10; Ch Jackson 10 rebs; Ce Jackson 13 assts) d ADELAIDE 36ERS 88 (D Johnson 20 E Ere 15 L Walker 14 M Creek 12 J Randle 12; Johnson 15 rebs; Randle 10 assts) at North Shore Events Centre. MELBOURNE UNITED 105 (C Goulding 31 S Holt 23 T Blanchfield 14 G Jackson 14 D Kickert 10; Majok 8 rebs; Kickert 7 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 94 (M Thornton 25 A Harrington 20 J Khazzouh 15 T Garlepp 11; 3 with 6 rebs; Carter, Markovic 3 assts) at Qantas Credit Union Arena. ILLAWARRA HAWKS 96 (A Ogilvy 36 K Penney 17 K Lisch 16 T Coenraad 13; Ogilvy 11 rebs; Lisch 6 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 88 (M Starks 20 T Craig 17 C Gliddon 10; 3 with 6 rebs; Burston 5 assts) at WIN Entertainment Centre. PERTH WILDCATS 85 (J Beal 16 M Knight 15 C Prather 15 J Kenny 12 N Jawai 11 J Wagstaff 10; Knight 7 rebs; Jawai 7 assts) d TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 77 (J Jett 13 C Steindl 13 B Conklin 11 M Djeric 10; Conklin 11 rebs; Maynard 4 assts) at Perth Arena. ADELAIDE 36ERS 99 (J Randle 33 A Petrie 23 D Johnson 15; Petrie 9 rebs; Randle 6 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 98 (J Khazzouh 18 A Harrington 18 T Garlepp 16 J Cadee 15 D Prewster 12 M Thornton 12; Harrington 12 rebs; Cadee 5 assts; ) at Titanium Security Arena. MELBOURNE UNITED 87 (C Goulding 21 S Holt 21 G Jackson 10; Majok 10 rebs; Tomlinson 4 assts) d NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 86 (T Abercrombie 24 Ce Jackson 16 C Webster 15 Ch Jackson 13; Ce Jackson 14 rebs; Ce Jackson 10 assts) at Hisense Arena.

WNBL Round 5

SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 68 (C Swords 17 K Ebzery 15 J Tinkle 12; Swords 10 rebs; Tupaea 4 assts) d CANBERRA CAPITALS 45 (S Talbot 19 C Wilson 8 R Montgomery 6; Talbot 11 rebs; Montgomery, Talbot 2 assts) at Brydens Stadium. DANDENONG RANGERS 75 (S Blicavs 16 S Cumming 15 A Pickrel 11 A Todhunter 11; Blicavs 9 rebs; 3 with 2 assts) d MELBOURNE BOOMERS 69 (T Madgen 21 B Smart 18 E Penaluna 10; Penaluna 10 rebs; Garrick 5 assts) at Dandenong Basketball Stadium. BENDIGO SPIRIT 84 (G Richards 33 B Snell 15 K Wilson 11 K Griffin 10; Griffin, Richards 10 rebs; Wilson 8 assts) d SEQ STARS 79 (L Mansfield 22 R Jarry 19 D Stallworth 11; Ibekwe 13 rebs; Mansfield 5 assts) at Bendigo Stadium. SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 73 (K Ebzery 24 T Tupaea 14 C Swords 14; Swords 11 rebs; Tupaea 4 assts) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 70 (S Batkovic 25 C George 13 N Novosel 10; George 14 rebs; george 5 assts) at Townsville RSL Stadium. SEQ STARS 78 (I Ibekwe 20 L Mansfield 17 R Jarry 14 N Payne 10; Stallworth 7 rebs; Mansfield 7 assts) d MELBOURNE BOOMERS 63 (A Kunek 17 M Garrick 15 T Madgen 12 E Penaluna 11; Penaluna 14 rebs; Madgen 5 assts) at State Basketball Centre. PERTH LYNX 65 (T Lavey 16 S Whitcomb 12 B Laney 12 L Tomlinson 10; Laney 11 rebs; Laney 6 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 52 (M Ruef 14 M Dombkins 8 M Yaeger 8; Ruef 12 rebs; Mitchell 3 assts) at Wayville Sports Centre.

Online

Joey Wright on how the crowd helped 36ers: http://bit.ly/1WHErUQ

Lynx leaves Lightning behind: http://bit.ly/1WKxBIK

TIME-OUT

IF Trevor Gleeson truly believed Brian Conklin’s unfortunate whack across Damian Martin’s face was the “dirtiest play he’s ever seen”, why didn’t he react in the slightest when it happened?

I can name seven other coaches who would have lost their minds had they truly believed that and even Josh Childress’ attack on Jesse Wagstaff last season had way more intent behind it.

Frankly I preferred Shawn Dennis' retort: "Opinions are like bums mate, everybody's got one" because he kindly amended it from the original: "Opinions are like arseholes, everybody's got one" clearly recalling my brother has a colostomy bag.