Basketball On The Internet.

IT was interesting feeling the tensions in the commentary box during the Illawarra-Townsville game on Saturday.

Having a three-man team isn't unique but the pairing of Andrew Gaze and Andrej Lemanis was a combination of oil and water early, at least until Vossy asked: "Are you guys going to fight all night?"

AJ Ogilvy got the waters boiling, Andrew suggesting he should be in Boomers' calculations, Andrej reading that as a BA Board member pushing an opinion on him.

A brief terse exchange followed, then another over a disagreement on a foul call.

The tension was way more interesting than the game at that stage, although Jarrad Weeks' slam dunk was definitely special.

The call of the Perth-New Zealand game was shambolic. Whoever is doing the commentary rosters at Fox Sports clearly is star-struck by Corey Williams' personality.

Whoever you are, get over it mate. Derek Rucker is who we want to hear and in Perth, Brad Robbins has been a find so save the $$$ and don't fly Homicide anywhere. Except Bali maybe.

This was Williams' halftime question to a fairly bemused Perth coach Trevor Gleeson.

"Hey coach Gleeson, I played wich you and I've been in games like this wich you. I know exactly what the tactics is. What, am I correct. I said you got to make sure Beal, you pick him up on that challenge, you challenge him on that backcourt, between him and Cedric Jackson. Am I correct with that?"

Um ... WTH?

It's 58 words, verbatim, and, to his eternal credit, Gleeson managed some kind of answer far more coherent than the question, or the next one Williams posed.

Gleeson's parting words were the gently chiding: "I can't believe you're getting paid for this."

Neither can anyone else Trevor.

With 56 seconds remaining and the game still delicately poised, Williams gave us the typically insightful: "This last 56 seconds are critical, critical."

Well thank Naismith our fabulous Captain Obvious was there to tell us poor viewers that. We'd never have guessed. I was about to grab the remote and try to find a Test Pattern somewhere but, fortunately, Corey kept me tuned in.

Just for the benefit of Williams and his compadre Dwayne Russell, Casey Prather's surname rhymes with bather, not with lather. I only know that because I was with Damian Martin when Perth's skipper clarified it with him for me at the Blitz (the tournament, NOT the ridiculously-named TV highlights show.) That's all it takes, a wee bit of effort.

That effort might also extend to the knowledge of most people in basketball now that Nathan Jawai particularly dislikes a certain nickname. You know, the one Homicide kept calling him.

THERE'S only one of this guy. He doesn't have a smaller double in Perth.

PS

YES, a WNBL TV deal is still "imminent". As it has been since Round 3.