This will be close as both sides will be missing key players. No Groves may not necessarily be a bad thing.

6ers by 2 in OT.

Should be good - I wouldn't expect Perth to have another bad shooting quarter like they did on Saturday so we need to keep that defense strong and deny open looks.

Sixers by 7 I reckon.

I will be there tonight and hopefully it's a 36ers win.

Perth should be fired up, but Sixers need to make the BMC a place to fear playing at.
Sixers by 8
Gilly 22pts 8ass and 7 reb
Balls with 25pts (18pts in first Half)
Burston with 12pts, 12rb and 4blocks
NG with 15pts 4/7 3 pointers
Holmes 8pts and 14rbs
Herbert 9pts, 3ass and 6rbs
Cooper 4pts, 6reb, 2blpcks and 2 blown dunks/layups ;)

aussie baller; if the sixers score 95 points and have 45 rebounds then expect a 25 point win.

sixers by 2pts in OT.

Like the 45rbs they got versus Perth on Saturday or the 91 pts they had versus Gold Coast??? ;)
Still Perth would have to shoot pretty bad to have that many rebounding opportunities.
Take 2rbs off Holmes, Herbert and Cooper.

Or we shoot really bad and rack up alot of offensive rebounds :(


Wildcats will be hungry, as much as I hate to say it Sixers defensively may well struggle for 40 minutes without Grooves IF the Wildcats hit their mid-range/long range shots.

Herb will once again be required to play his top notch D.

Expecting a very close one either way - wouldn't bet on a winner here. But gotta back Sixers at home in a game they want to win if they are serious about pushing into that top four and staying there. (same can be said for the Cats though, they really need to bounce back after a poor showing at home and for them what better way than against the same opposition, payback at their homecourt.)

Loving that these two games are on Fox!

please let it be true, PLEASE be injured Cortez and dont play.

I Hope TEZ is good to play, we really need him to find some form if we are going to make the top 4. His confidence should be up after his great last quarter on sat.

Apparently Balls will play (phew)

If we get Big Bird into the game & Gilly plays like he has the last 2 games we should win in a close one.

It is going to be a tough game as they will be fired up . Surely Schens. will put more pressure on Matty tonight.
Really glad to see the Cat not playing for the Cats tonight as he is one player that can hurt you espec.at the Dome.
Dj how will Sixers struggle without Groves defence as you must see something I dont .
Do you think waving his white arm bands around distacts them or something.
Even NG has jumped over him in his defensive play.

Adelaide 36ers Facebook group has confirmed both Tez and Ballinger will be playing

I can't see the Cats shooting that poorly two games in a row. If the sixers can match their defensive intensity from Saturday Night then they should be in good stead. If they come out lacking energy it could be a long night considering the Wildcats will be trying to make amends.
This is a real tough one to call. Adelaide make us believers one week then break our hearts the next. Expect a big crowd tonight see the Sixers get up by the bearest of marging.
Adelaide 87 Perth 86
Top Scorer Johnny G 24pts

Hey anon if you dont agree with someones post then post why you dont agree.
Nothing achieved by just coming out with a aggressive abusive post.

What about the music for tonight's game. Some obvious choices:-

1. What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones
2. anything by the Pussycat Dolls - preferably "Bite the Dust"!!
3. Pussycat by Gene Kelly (an old children's nursery rhyme)
4. Pussycat Meow by Deee-Lite
5. Pussycat on a Leash by Oceana

I'm sure there are many others!!

I hope the crowd clap Luke, no boo him like another former Sixer

I'll be clapping him... while still hoping Burston dunks on his head a few times...

'Bretts the man'
I was very critical of Grooves signing having watched him play like crap for the limited minutes with the Dragons and really did wonder if he could ever reclaim that form everyone kept going on about.

I took a back seat though realising everyone is working to a budget and that teams can no longer afford the luxury of chopping and changing so much.

As much as I don't think Tez is doing us any favours in offense and his PG abilities are questionable (I'd still like to see Herb moved to the 2 more and Tez tried at the 3 sharing minutes with Hill as the slasher - but than it leaves just Gilchrist as the PG). His defense has been pretty decent, for all of his offensive mistakes and shortcomings he has done a decent job defending, whilst no doubt Herbert is the toughest and smartest defender we have got Tez holds his own and if he wasn't playing that would be missed. It's when he gets the ball in his hands that things have been going pearshaped.

HOWEVER his last game was decent, his 4th quarter was good and he is apparently playing tonight so lets hope he continues to find his feet and form, cause even a half return of the form Tez will help the Sixers alot in pushing their season along.

What will the cheerleaders wear 2nite is the big question?

Go CHLOE!!! GO CHLOE!!!

Dont think it will go to overtime however had a dream the other night that was a one point ball game. But dunno who won! However a win tonight gives us good momentum going into next weeks game against Wollongong

cheerleaders!

There has been absolutely no mention of cheerleaders on here for AGES.

IMO, they are the best in the NBL. I am so sad that Karen has gone, she was a very good cheerleader. Although, as a slingshot operator.....

KAREN HAS GONE???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

she was there last week, my second favorite after CHLOE

As long as Chloe doesn't leave. Just watch her run back to her spot after her routine and u will understand.

just a final question regarding the cheerleaders...........

..... Do u think they like BALLS?

he is out captain after all.

Can't see Perth letting this one slip.
They need to sort out their half court offence which just seems to be a high pick and pop by Damien Martin who doesn't look to shoot and kicking it back to Redhage who tries to take his man off the dribble. He shoots a jump shot in the end though and can be contested.
Perth have trouble with TO's so Sixers can take advantage. If their perimeter game is half decent though I expect them to get the W.

Ill be clapping Schnesher, Im wanting him and Burston next year..unlikely but heck why not!

Loves Adelaide , loves the 36ers. Should do better on the Brett Maher Court.
I seem to recall on Saturday he sat down on 3 fouls , so we put Cooper and Burston on.
If we can go over there and win. We should win on our home court.

Does anyone know why Herber was subbed so early? Was he injured?

*Herbert*

Great to see the team intensely focused .
Jake is fired up and anything is possible when we play with passion and intensity .

25 18 Sixers way

When do we learn ? Ballinger and Burston on the bench at the same time , not cool . Here is a simple philosophy , have 3 of your best 5 players on the court at all times .
Good combinations are everything , Gilchrist and Ng or Hill work .
Groves and Gilchrist together do not work and we don't need them to .
Also we get up by 9 and then go helter skelter when we should be settling down and consolidating the lead . Frustrating .

Anyone got a score???

51-45 half way through the 3rd.

Cats making a move 59-54 perth

Same old story , fall into a rabble.
Sorry Cortez you used to be good but i look forward to next season when you aint jackin up charles thomas shit .

It seems after the bad start, we have outscored Adelaide by 10 point after the 1st quarter.

Perth are usully a terrible 3rd quarter team and a good 4th quarter team. so it's unusuall we had a good 3rd quarter.

Damo running the team really well it seems.

Why does groves have to have he's 2 good games of the year against us?

Cats 76 to 65 adelaide.

Redhage has come alive!!!!!!!!!!!

Another tip sixers . Instead of turning towards the hoop to grab a defensive rebound how bout searchin for your man and BOXING the fuck out .

Redhage's one man show. that why he is a Superstar

Perth has outscored adelaide by 24 after quarter time.

Nothing the sixers could do, perth hit alight from outside. Cortez played solid off the bench and Burston probably our best.

Bad luck guys, but the loss in perth has finally got perth back into form. best of to you luck to you guys for the rest of the season.

You gotta ask where was the D after the second qtr.
You also gotta ask why have Brad Hill on court, if when he is open and outside the arc, why not have a shot? More than 4 times tonight(i lost count) he was open and refused when less than 10 on the shot clock. If he is down on form/confidence, give him a holiday away! And the much publicised back court doesnt do much for me. Gilchrist holds onto the ball for far too long so your in single digits before passing. The other team, moves it around. Finally, do we know how to screen?

chill out people dont forget the 6ers were down 2 top players .shit give it a break .they tried but failed its not the end of the world .get jacob and herbie back and then lets see the score dont forget before the injuries we were 10 points up ANYWAY A VERY MERRY CHRISMAS TO ALL AND LETS HOPE FOR A MORE PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

Because no one passed to him.

Once Tez or Gilly get it in their head they can do everything themselves, Ballinger doesn't see the rock.

Loco, your spot on. Its all about 'us' with Tez and Gilchrist.

thats right Loco, cause bball isn't a team sport. NBA seems to be 1 on 5, so why not the NBL?

Shit it's hard being a 36ers supporter!

We were just a rabble, the Wildcats shot their freakin brains out in that last quarter but we were just playing jungle ball. I have never seen a full-court press have that much effect outside of the juniors.

Burston: Outstanding again, he could've had a lot more points if his teammates could recognize a god damn mismatch once in a while and give him the ball. But nah 'I'd rather jack a three than give it to the 7-footer against Damian Martin'.

Balls: Turnovers turnovers turnovers. It was like he and Redhage switched bodies. We had the MVP chant all ready to go too.

Herbie: The early bleeding and later poke in the eye hurt his minutes. Unbeatable on D when he was on.

Ninja: Shot looked a little flat tonight. Good game otherwise.

Gilchrist: Can't rely on getting to the line as much, he needs to finish those drives as well. Didn't pass or rebound as well as usual either. No MVP chant for him either :(

Coop: HUGE block on Redhage. Other than that it was a nothing game.

Holmes: Dominant early. Then injured??? He's possibly the best matchup for Redhage in the entire league so that hurt.

Hill: Will cop some shit tonight for sure. Already copped a fair bit from the fat loud-mouth behind me. He claimed to be a 6ers supporter but I beg to differ. At least Hilly rebounded well, his decision making on offense was nowhere.

Tez: Shot 10 threes. No good. Luckily he was knocking them tonight but it could've easily beeen another horror game. Start penetrating Tez.

Redhage: He's a dirty dirty little girl but that shooting display from the right corner was UNBELIEVABLE. Clear gamebreaker. First time in a while I haven't seen him turn the ball over like a... well... a Hodge, too.


Academy: Who is that monster number 5??? Christ! Adam Doyle was brilliant, looked right at home at this level.

Gilchrist and Groves once again cop the grunt while noone looks to Hill....4 layups missed and a GOD awful shot. Groves holds the ball to long yeh, but atleast he scores occasionaly.

We were down MASSIVELY on rebounds but once again we cant play 2 centres, and with schen in foul trouble and no holmes/herbert this should have been a guarenteed combo.

Ballinger as much as I love him, shouldnt be passing the ball in on a full court press, Cooper seems more confident. Its the one area I can critisize balls. He struggled tonight possibly not being 100% and up against redhage and Schens maked it hard for him to have 25 shots.

Ng came out strong and shooting then just seemed to fade, need to have some offensive plays to get him open..ofcourse we have no offensive plays at all so this is probaly unlikely to happen.


I just want a new coach, theres so much to be achieved with this line up. Im fed up watching the wrong lineup on the court when we really need to get on with it. Oddly the injuries in the first quarter actually made our rotations almost perfect.

As for Herbert, wat an unlucky game, 2 injuries both fairly unlucky hits.

Already copped a fair bit from the fat loud-mouth behind me<<=== If I was fat that coulda been me!! Hill deserves to cop shit, he doesnt know what hes doing on the court and Ninnis should know better then to ever play him, I'd rather see Molitor on the court

Skud we all know that you hate hill. He had a good game, Rebounded well took mostly good shots they just didnt drop and you say dont bag gilly or grove look at hill. gilly was disgusting tonight

bull Gilly had a bad game, but thats 1 bad game. Hill has ALOT of bad games, and missing shots like throwing them over the ring is an NBL fubar. As is his horrible passing, stop being biast that hes a South Aussie

Anon I couldnt Coach the 36ers but Im honest enough to say that to myself and others. But I do not tihnk that Ninnis is good enough to Coach at this level either. Course I am willing to put a name to my posts and cop the slack they may cop hmm.

beaniebear

The NBA has various rules that encourage game play to be broken-down into 1 on 1 type situations. The NBL (and any FIBA league) places greater emphasis on team play then the NBA which is significantly more about the individual.

My social team would do better against full-court pressure than the 36ers. Pathetic.

Losing Herbert and Holmes was huge though. I can't see Redhage hitting 305953 threes in the 4th quarter with one of those guys tailing him.

If Wagstaff dosent win ROY then there is something wrong. he is going to be a future Superstar. perth Future is in good hands.Weigh, wagstaff, williamson, lisch, Redhage.....

Thought holmes was gonna have a good one tonight and we miss herbie. Then they sunk all or most of their threes.
i didn't think Cortez Groves was our worst player tonight. (That's gonna be unpopular to say on here)

The thing is the Defence on Redhage in that 4th wasn't that bad. He had a hand in his face on pretty much all of those threes, but he was just unconscious. The D on Williamson, however...

He Polled 24 votes vs 48, I wouldnt call that good. Month before he didnt even rate.

Hmmmm yeah I think I'd call that "good".

I was hoping he'd start Burston or Cooper ,Herbert and Ng, on the game threads, this month.
He's done that about a week ago, so I'm happy.

Was it just me or was luke camped in the key for the whole 1st quarter and never got called for it. Don't really know what to make of this loss, they just caught on fire and it was game over. Final score was not a true reflection of the game, you have to think if we had really put the foot on their throats in the first when we were playing much better and not let them get some cheap baskets we may have been able to really make this one hard for them.

losing Holmes and Herbert said it all - the two guys on the team who lead with passion, intensity and hustle. They're the glue guys that make our team. Holmes also would have guarded Redhage when he was out there smoking us in the fourth. Cracks started to appear as soon as they left the game indefinitely. The 7/7 threes didn't help of course!!

Run an offence for 100% of the game not 50-60% and the open shot opportunities will happen. Can't solely blame Ninnis on this one, the 36ers were just as inconsistent under Smyth.

Perth did shoot the lights out with those 3's in the last quarter and the blow out was inevitable once the Sixers were behind with about 4 minutes to go, but there is no excuse for the poor play.

Burston did well, as did Ballenger despite the lack of opportunities, Groves seems to be getting a bit of confidence back and the loss of Holmes and Herbert did effect the rotations, and the defensive effort. Ng had a poor game and Hill maintained his very mediocre level off the bench.

It is becoming more and more obvious each game that a point guard that actually can control the offence is needed. Gilchrist may be worth persisting with, but not as the regular point guard. I know that it is the players on the court that score, guard, rebound, etc, but the Coach has to take responsibility for what the players don't do correctly and fix it.

When I saw Gilly at training feeding Burston Ballinger Cooper (and Schenscher) all looked good.

Cortez Groves - I love him dearly. But he's in a world of his own , most of the time... wanna grab hold of 'em both an' TELL 'EM.

If anyone remembers the layup Holmes missed in (i think) the 2nd qtr. That was a HUGE turning point. We had all the momentum at that point and I was feeling a Perth timeout coming up, then he missed it and they went on a 6-0 run. Then WE ended up calling the timeout.

D16, I was being sarcastic, but you've made my exact point.

Yeah the momentum swung when we hit 9 up .

We then tried to outpace them even though we already had half a Herby and a lost Holmes .

Surely there is an ebb and flow within the game to consolidate a + margin . Coaches Job is to substantiate that thought and delegate responsibility consistently to settle the troops . Jake was a massive loss tonight .

As soon as that does not occur we turn to manic drooling , losing off ball movement and patience , forcing shit off the dribble and jacking contested shots with the clock winding down , then forever backpedalling in D and losing matchups which lead to open 3's for opposition . It has been a curse for many years .

When we had Maher , Brooks , Mee , Sappers and the like to counter it was a feasible gameplan but we also in those days locked down on D to create the O flow . Best example was Magic playoffs , out harassed and thoroughly annoyed those farkers . Bless u Darnell .

All in all this season we have a lot of positives to build on next year and some objectives are being met with solid leadership from Balls , Holmes and Gilly .

Gilchrist will be better with a maturing structure + gameplan and a solid swingman who can finish emphatically and athletically .

Someone to box out and help Jake on boards would be a boon . Probably not a five foot rotund tasmanian beer swilling machine but then again he would lay a body at least .

Jeez , Jake is 6"6 , not super agile or upwardly blessed yet he leads the league in rebounding through judgement , positioning , body work and desire .

Ng has a role , needs more offensive freedom ( other teams would utilize him much better ) .

Hill has talent but seems to be mentally burdened or slightly shall we say casual . His ballhandling is high purse , ready for the easy pilfer .

Burston when fit is perfect fit for our frontcourt , A Rosell Ellis type to balance what we have would be Championship shit .

Adelaide Rollercoasters for 2010 title .

The Wildcats did a good job shutting down Gilchrist's penetration to the hoop.

It has been observed on this site before that he relies heavily on his right hand. The Cats often dropped a player in front of the basket to help Gilchrist's defender.

Gilchrist missed a lot of lay ups he would usually make because he was challanged when laying the ball up and often by Schencher or Wagstaff

Just some action points from last night:

* Rogers: I know he's injured and all, but the brace he had on his arm - I thought he could almost pass for a Bond villian.
* Bevo: Seems like he is creating his own "Ranga Empire" A few bloodnuts in that group now.
* Pitbull: Good strip in Q4, but over dribbles in offense.
* Back court: Seems every game now, the opposition double team the Pitbull and results in a turnover on the help - need to go back to the drawing board Scotty.
* Luke: Give him a woggle and scarf - camped in the key all night - all that was missing was the marshmellows
* Sam Harris: Made Luke look like a weakling - how many weetabixs does he do?
* Big Bird: Was the best big by a long way last night.
* Redhage: Was held well by Jake, how many red bulls did he have at half time?
* Murray's Ball: Laughed when all the kids ran on court to get a ball - the beefy security guard (#30) didn't know what do to. "Should I tackle a 5 year old to the ground?" You could seem him wanting to do it to someone
* Hollywood seats: Don't know who she was, but she can sit there any game
* Scotty: I know you were frustrated, but saying "Firetruck" very loudly at least 3 times is not a good look

Pity that both Holmes and Herbert went down reasonably early in the game. We were left naked defensively. Redhage only really broke out after those two guys were out. Skud, totally agree re Hill, have been saying it for a while now. Don't know when the penny will drop with the coaching staff though. Sure he takes open shots - problem is he rarely ever makes them! He's no jump shooter, that's for sure and when you consistently have problems with layups too? No good. Sure Gilchrist had a bad game, but he's had plenty of good ones and this team would be nothing without him, Balls or Burston. Speaking of which, the guys handling the ball really need to pump it inside more. Burston in particular was open SO MANY times and noone honoured him. Ballinger only taking 7 shots is a joke. Not a surprising loss under the circumstances though

Was sitting directly behind Redhage where he put up those 4 consecutive threes. It was beautiful and yet agonising to watch. His action was just clockwork and those shots were never going to miss. There was a hand in the face with each shot (although not enough to affect Redhage's action).

Does Ninnis buy his clothes at K-Mart? (seriously!!!)

If he wants to look smart, he should either wear a 6ers team polo or borrow something from Joey Wright's wardrobe.

Not having a go at the team in general, it's just that this issue has really stood out to me on the last few 6er tv games. It's a poor reflection of how th team presents itself.

Wow is all I can say! Some super hot three-point shooting from the Wildcats hammered in the nails that's for sure. Not many teams could take that hit and still come out on top.

The Herbert and Holmes injuries didn't help the 6ers cause either.

Yes Sixers and all us back to earth with a thud.
Most posters missed what I felt the big difference in the teams apart from Redhage 2nd half was and it was aggression both at the boards, look how many offensive boards and recoveries they had .
Also their defensive aggression which wasnt always legal but the refs thought so.
Also in 2nd half look how aggressive they were when got the ball in back half and were near the key to draw a foul on the drive or feed out to open Redhage etc.
Be great if Gilchrist would do that rather than lead into dead spot and stand there dribbling whilst they doubled up on him and then hold onto it until less than 10 secs to go .
The lack of aggression and real defence showed up after losing our best 2 along with Burston only ones that has any real D or aggression.
This year with injuries to Burston and last night to Holmes and Herbert highlights what I and many others
said we needed another strong body player rather than Groves right from setting up of team .
As another poster said a Rozelle Ellis type could have this team playing off for championship.
Wont happen and Groves wont be replaced after landing some of his wild shots last night.
Not going to stop on this guy as he annoys the crap out of me and although not as big fan of Burdon as other posters, but least Burdon could get Ballinger and NG for open shots as Groves has no idea about teamwork or when to drive or shoot and keeps losing the ball . His defence is Bl---y awful .
Think I am wrong look at replays when he is on and when off to see how much better team operates whilst he is not on.
I dont agree this 1 on 5 crap either that Gilchrist , Groves and Hodge play and dont believe that it works in NBA either having seen Bryant live get 41 points 4-6 weeks ago as he got it with his undoubted skill and teamwork and no way did he hog the ball.
Basketball is a team game but yes you need a star like Kobie or Brett to put the icing on the cake and Groves is no star and necer will be

Bretts' I'd put it more like this: the Wildcats offensive boards in the first half kept them in the game, but it was their full court pressure and unrelenting defence in the second half that turned the game. Gilchrist barely had a sniff in the 2nd half - the Cats just refused to let him settle and our offence paid for it big-time.

K-Mart?

I think he's actually not too shabby. I have seen worse

More like Target you reckon?

More enphasis should be spent on D than Scott's clothes...and to be honest, i think the owners have a say in what he is wearing...
SOS are all business men, and would expect the same from Ninnis!

All you have to do is look at Perth's shot chart.
Massive difference between the first and second halves.
It was inevitable that they were going to turn it on, but I didn't think it would be so emphatic when they did.
In the last quarter, they shot 13 of 16 from the field, including 7 of 7 3pointers.
We could have done more, but without our 2 best defenders and with them as hot as they were, we didn't have much of a chance.