What a cracker of a game we have tonight to kick off round 19! The Breakers will be keen to retake top spot and the Sixers have won 7 on the trot to storm into the Top 4 like US Forces storming into an oil rich nation. The Sixers are due to drop one soon and if it is this game I won't shed a tear because I’ld rather this game dropped than one in the finals series.

Melbourne (dis)United will be watching this game closely too. A win to the Breakers will make for a very interesting Sunshine Swing this round, a win to the Sixers and they might as well take the 20-0 forfeits and save the airfares.

The Sixers have won over in the land of the long white sheep before and like Mystro says, the Breaker Boys need to bounce back after getting slapped around by the Crocs. The Breakers are playing well as a team and the guy who has got both hands on the most improved trophy this season is Corey Webster. He has quietly gone about his work and no doubt his mum has already cleared a spot on the mantle piece for it.

There are a few mismatches when these teams play and the coaches need to recognise and take advantage of those mismatches when they present themselves.

I'm not fussed if the Breakers win, just so long as there's not a dinosaur on court at half time. It would be un-patriotic for me to tip the Breakers, so I'm going to say "Let's make 8 great" Sixers

Hang on, something's not right here.....

Jack, you didn't start this thread. Its just not cricket.

Would be nice if Sixers could do Taipans a favour and get the win but I don't think they'll be good enough in NZ. Prove me wrong!

HoldenV8, just giving the home town boys an opportunity

"HoldenV8, just giving the home town boys an opportunity"

Should read: I was still in bed working on a crossword

Didn't start thread and didn't "pre-blame" the refs. What a crazy world we live in.

Home court advantage through to the end is handy, so I think NZ will be working hard to get this. Plus Adelaide is due to miss a beat. I've bet on NZ straight and on the -3.5 line, but wouldn't be unhappy to lose and see Adelaide get a very tough game.

A loss for Adelaide might keep them realistic and be a good reminder of the work required heading to the final stages. A win could breed complacency, but also terrify the other three teams.

What a rollercoaster for Adelaide. They got Motum and many would've thought "here we go!" Then there was a significant slump. Now they're firing, and added yet another piece.

As they say around the traps, dis gon be gud.

would rather drop this one to NZ and win the one that counts, have this superstition or belief that you can't often go unbeaten and win the lot. rather see the run end now then sweep the rest without lost so NZ in dble OT by 1.

Stiff competition over the next few weeks to get interest in the NBL:

Cricket World Cup starts Saturday.

Super Ruby starts tomorrow.

Expect the Breakers to win this one at home. Breakers by 5

Huge game. Looking to Jackson to bounce back with a big one. Breakers by 3. As a cats fan I hope they flog the hell out of each other :P

Think the 6ers will win this one with a bit of ease. NZ looked really bad against the Crocs and few weeks back against the Kings too. Seem really slow or flat to me. Where as the 6ers are busting the ball up court quick smart off any outlet and with DJ waking up last round, I dont see why this wouldnt be much the same uptempo stuff from the 6ers. Team got in few days ago, nice a rested and by all acounts are very focussed on what is ahead of them. 6ers by 12+ will run NZ off their feet.

Hopefully Wilson gets the defensive job against Jackson from the start. Last game Jackson destroyed Gibson before Wilson slowed him down. If Jackson has an average game it will give the Sixers a good chance to win this game.

Sixers best chance (like any team playing NZ) is to get Vukona and Ibekwe in foul trouble, which isn't too difficult to do.

Kobe24 ure got to cut down on the good stuff, you win in a row and u think ure team are world beaters

Tough game, but NZ have lost a couple unexpectedly.
Perhaps it means "more" to NZ, they are fighting for 1st spot, whereas I think Cats and 6's are set.
However, given the real possibility of meeting in the semis, both teams would like the psychological advantage of winning this one.

Again, im nice and confident Adelaide will win. No drugs required to form that opinion.

I'll be interested to see how Wilson goes against Jackson as well. He definitely did a good job getting into his head last time around. I think that match-up is as important as any, given both teams match-up so well in the frontcourt.
Adelaide is the form team of the competition at the moment, no doubt, but the Breakers at home coming off a loss is a tough one to call. They seem to bounce back well from losses.

nothing wrong with backing your team but history dictates that they have their work cut out for them to win at Vector especially with the Breakers coming off a loss.

Tom Abercrombie has been called out by his Coaches for being too passive offensively and his team mates kicked up the ass for not putting it in his hands, expect him to be aggressive off the bat instead of his often let the game come to him approach.

pretty sure 36ers won last time the teams played in Vector

And how many times had they won there before?
you talk like it was a regular occurrence...

Muzz Buzz is correct. The last time Adelaide played at Vector we won.....Ervin's steal of an inbound pass and drive to the hoop gave us a 95-94 win in Round 6 last season (15 November 2013) in front of 7,470.

The Breakers have been a little off the boil as of late. This should be a good game and I'm predicting a 36ers win by 5.

History is out the window with this one. 6ers are as talented as they have been for years and years.

Breakers have got just as much talent

Slow start by the 36ers, down 8-0 after only 1:26. We took the lead 28-26 with 1:11 left in the first on a Motum 3, then Gibbo followed up with another 25 seconds later.

Adelaide scored the last 9 points of the period to lead 31-26 at the first break.

Sixers looking good after 1Q. Breakers have to hang tough. CJ driving into contact too much and not getting calls or coming up with the play.Turnovers hurting Breakers. Sixers have shot well and hope they dry up.

Big scoring 1st quarter?

breakers got smoked by the crocs last week and are getting smoked again on their floor this week. The wheels might be coming off reall quick.

lol CJ breakers complaining about the 6ers free throws off flops, says the guy who was the master of milking fouling and flopping his way to the line.

Half time score;

Adelaide 54 to 47

Has anyone ever noticed on FIBA live stats, they always have "VUKONA" in caps and the rest of the players are all in lower case.

This game has a finals like feel.

And a low scoring second.

Scrappy period though, from both teams, though the refs are up to their "usual standard". They seem whistle happy tonight.

Adelaide lead 54-47 at the half.

DJ has 11 points and 6 rebounds. Wilson has 13 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound and Gibbo has 7 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds.

For the breakers, Corey Webster has 16 points and 2 rebounds. Abercrombie has 10 points and 3 rebounds while Pledger has 6 points.

NZ lead the rebounds 23-17, assists 12-9 and blocks 4-1. The 36ers have shot 21/38 (55.3%), the Breakers 18/42 (42.9%). From outside NZ are 6/14 (42.9%), Adelaide are 2/8 (25%). Adelaide have hit 10/13 (76.9%) from the line, NZ 5/8 (62.5%). Turnovers are hurting NZ, its currently 9-5.

CJ Bruton doing commentary......he's not bad actually.

Great game, Wilson alternating brilliance with sheer idiocy to balance his efffective result.

Cmon sixers!

Wow Wilson is doing a number on CJ , Carter and Webster. CJ having a mare. and can't get anything going.Ominous signs.

Looking good, great scoring spread for the 6ers, love DJ having 11 and 6 off the bench. If they can fire up to start the 3rd like they did in Syd will be very hard for NZ to do much. Must feel great to be down early and have the confidence to know your not going to rattled.

Cj finally got a open layup. The momentum is slowly turning. Need to keep up with the D.

3rd quarter time

Adelaide leads 73 to 62

scores level with 1.56 left

c-h-o-k-e job

What a game!

WOW !!!

Action Jackson has a triple double. 11pts, 11 Assists, 11 Boards......nice work

Say what you will about Wilson, he's a good guy to have the ball when the game is on the line

Don't get why Wilson gets so much hate on this forum, he's arguably the MVP of the team since the team has gone on it's winning ways. Hope they can close it out.

Adelaide win 93 to 88

Wilson is awesome especially in a fast paced system.

You were saying ronny?

Breakers had that won, and fluffed it.
Adelaide steadier when the game was on the line.

Keeps everyone guessing as to the exact play-offs in the final 4, and shows that NZ are vulnerable.

With the dominance NZ were showing earlier in the season, I was worried that the finals would become predictable. But their recent form (and Adelaide's late run) makes it very interesting.

NZ came back strong in the last, even taking the lead at one point. But.....

ADELAIDE WIN 93-88!!!!!!

If Melbourne lose one more game, the top 4 will be set. Taipans tomorrow night in Cairns, Crocs on Saturday in Townsville.

I can't see them winning either TBH (one at best) so I think that the top 4 is set, just need to work out who finishes where.

Melbourne now have to win their last 4 games and hope Adelaide drop a game to Perth( H) or Wollongong (A)

Adelaide will choke come finals time

"Adelaide will choke come finals time"

I don't know what happened to allow NZ back into that game (and the lead) But if anybody choked in the dying minutes it was The Breakers

Anon, based on what? 36ers are the team to beat. Im not surprised they won but very happy. Ive seen enough 36er teams to know the great ones from the good. Great teams close out games on the road like that. Theres your title favourite right there.

36ers looked very confident for much of the game and seemed very unified, like they've all bought into the team plan. Wilson with 28 points at 52% - very impressive. Great support from Motum and impact game from Johnson.

Melbourne have got to be watching that and thinking "We're screwed."

Haven't seen an Adelaide team looking that coordinated and purposeful in a long time.

Interesting to note that Joey locked it down to an eight-man rotation. Usually teams do that in the play-offs, I would've thought?

If anyone is going to choke come finals time, it's Cairns.

Wilson brilliant in the end. He and Gibbo worked really well together tonight and great input from Motum and Johnson when it mattered. Glad Joey didnt use the whole bench, that would have cost us the game maybe. Well coached Joey. Gibbo 10 rebounds and DJ 8. We just won that count in the end. This team is amazing together.

Great all round never stop game. WOW!

Go Sixers!

Hey ronny were you playing with yourself when you had your little c-h-o-k-e????

field Goal percentages
Adelaide 35/69 51%
Breakers 34/83 41%

3 point percentage
Adelaide 3/13 23%
Breakers 10/23 43%

Rebounds
Adelaide 36
Breakers 37

Turnovers
Adelaide 13
Breakers 13

I'm trying to find a reference to anyone claiming Adelaide would finish minor premiers anon. Can't find it anywhere.

Adelaide were clearly good, so I don't think we can write this off to simply NZ being "crap."
Upcoming game in Perth will be a good measure, of how well they bounce back, and where Perth is at relatively.

Cedric, although an off shooting night had a tripple double. 11pts, 11rebounds and 11 assists.

Realistically I think MU's hopes were sunk somewhere in the past few losses. Cairns should lock down the minor premiership tomorrow night.

Adelaide should finish on 16 or 17.
I can't see Perth finishing on less than 16 or dropping the split, so I suspect the final four may be just about locked in.
(Ironically beat NZ probably means 6's won't face then in the semis.)

Perth need to pull something out on Sunday, because they will probably face NZ in the semis, and haven't beat them all season.

Adelaide better off finishing in a position to play cairns ? I would be quietly confident against cairns and would love to see Perth and Nz slog it out in the other series. It really is game on isn't it.

Cedric Jackson, a point guard, with a triple double. Who does he think he is, Magic Johnson?

Nah seriously, that's a good effort in a losing side, especially considering he had a horrible shooting night (4/18 @ 22%).

The 36ers ALMOST choked in the last, but in the end they showed more composure when the game was on the line then the Breakers did. Gibbo, Motum and Wilson the usual suspects who were cool under pressure.

Big game for Perth and NZ on Sunday, pity its not on TV (Ten are showing Kings vs Hawks.....).

Wilson has copped a lot of flack on here from posters, myself included in that. But I can't deny the impact he's having with the 36ers. 28 points tonight, 10 more than our next best (Motum). Although Jackson ended up with that triple double, I think the win and his points tally gives Wilson the nod in this one. He's definitely going to be an league MVP contender and I think he could quit now and still win the Mark Davis Trophy as 36ers MVP.

"Adelaide better off finishing in a position to play cairns ? I would be quietly confident against cairns and would love to see Perth and Nz slog it out in the other series. It really is game on isn't it."

The irony is that I think Perth would (also) rather face Cairns. They have a terrible record in finals against NZ, and have yet to beat them this season.
Yes they have also lost in Cairns twice, but both without Knight and Hire.

Melbourne now have to win their last 4 games and hope Adelaide drop a game to Perth( H) or Wollongong (A)

JOEY cool as a cucumber. He knows this time he has the roster he needs and so does the team. Turnovers in the 3rd and not a whisper of defeat, just purpose. Great Basketball right here in Oz... Awesome.. Awesome.. If this is how finals are going to play out, it will be one hell of a finals series..

GO SIXERS, GO...

Weird comp when the 3rd/4th ranked teams would prefer to play the minor premiers in the semi finals haha

Yeah, although having just taken them down in NZ, I shouldn't imagine Adelaide would be TOO scared of The Breakers.

Got to often you could say that the guy who got the triple double lost you he game - but in this one I think it is true.

That said Websters' effort in a losing team is player of the week worthy.

Cats for life, where you at champ. Just remembered you were mocking me for thinking the 36ers would win. Cant wait for next Friday!

Geez, after 7 games there would have been some real criticism against Coach Joey, now the 36ers are again achieving damn fine results.

Is finnishing the season with 10 straight realistic? i think it is Perth at home and Wollongong away are both winnable,

I hope we treat every game from here on in as if its a final, we will be tough to beat if we bring our a game everygame.

Adelaide clear championship favourites IMO.

This team is legit.

As a breakers fan, i'd like to think we lost it. But i can safely say ADL are IMO simply better, more talented and more skillful.

Johnson, Wilson, Motum, Petrie, Schen, Gibson, Creek.

I mean come on..thats an unbelievable 7 man rotation there.

Im saying, this is the most stacked 36er team from 1 to 10 I've seen in 20 seasons being a season ticket holder. The inclusion of DJ was so lucky, but it takes some luck and timing to win titles in sports sometimes. Def favourite for the title imo too.

I hate to say it but 36ers are looking impressive at the moment. The scary thing about the team is that they are winning big games on the road which is danger for the top 2 teams with home court advantage over the finals series.

^^^ Anon same crowd calling for him to be MVP ^^^

One of those games where you don't understand how the losing side got back in front ... and also don't understand how they lost it from there.

Great game, the Sixers looked so confident especially Jamar. Three massive wins on the road this season against the three toughest opponents at venues traditionally very hard to win at speaks volumes as to how the Sixers have got it together in the last half of the season. I haven't seen this for a long time and it must give them tremendous confidence going into the finals.

The defence still needs some work but we just have so many weapons on offence it's a thing of beauty as a Sixer's fan.

Props Sixers, def a legit shot at the title and deserve to be the current favourite although I wouldn't write off Cairns just yet.

Yep, we've won 11 of our last 12 games, and our last 6 away games. And we just beat the top team away.
If that's not winning the big games, I'm not sure what is.
New Zealand were 10-2 before last night at home.
Maybe NZ are a spent force? They were top of the ladder. The best team in the league to that point in the season. They don't have injuries (well, Pledger, but he's been this level of injured since round 1).
No, we're not popping the champagne just yet. But considering we were pretty much the bottom team a couple months ago, it's probably fair that we have some optimism. Considering we are far and away the in form team in the league at the moment. And we're beating every team, at home or away. Maybe the run will end. It probably will. But at this point in time, we have the best shot we've had at a championship since a new import called Willie Farley was running around in our jersey.

The top 4 are all legitimate contenders for the title. Should be a great playoff series, would be nice to see best of 5 game series given there are no losers making up the numbers this year.

They have won ONE "big game on the road," after doing their best to lose it in the last quarter, and exactly how "big" it is remains to be seen.

Sixers are most likely to play Cairns, one of the best defending teams so thats going to be a tough test. So even if you get past that youll either face a very tough Breakers or even tougher Wildcats and the roadtrips will kill you.

Haters will deny where ever they can Isaac haha No matter how sound you make. Other teams would be freaking about playing Adelaide now in a 3 game series.

Only way some haters will acknowledge the 36ers is if they beat Adelaide in Adelaide

Anon#922 they also beat Cats in Perth. I'm a Self confessed one eyed wildcats fan but even I can see this 36ers team is legit,. I wouldn't want to be facing them in the semis , home or away.

"I think that might be paul who does that ;)"

Haha! Well, he deserves a man-sized name! He cost NZ the game tonight though with that silly foul on Motum and missed lay-up. He's won them more than his fair share though so I'm sure all is forgiven.

What a brilliant game that was last night, the level of talent on show really was extraordinary, Wilson, Gibson, Johnson, Webster, Jackson, Abercrombie and Ibekwe all had patches where they just showed their class.

Credit to the refs too, they called it like a playoff game and maintained the balance between whistle and flow pretty well (awful no call on the Jackson drive near the end though!).

I would love an Adelaide v NZ GF because they both have such great athletes and play really attractive basketball.

Sixers just have too much firepower for all the other teams with the inclusion of DJ. They also tighten the screws on D just enough and at the right times for them to win.

The most confident and united ( unlike Melbourne) team we've seen for a long time. They look like they realy enjoy playing together and for the coach. They play exciting, agreessive, fun basketball. Fun to play and to watch. (Why would any player want to leave at seasons end?)
IF they don't win it all, it wil be because someone played really well against them TWICE!
The only concern is despite looking great in every game (since Jamar took over for the last quater against Melbourne) every game ends up tight. Our offense is great and our defense is so agressive it does allow opponents to score.
Any team prepared to fight it out ( like Hawks, not like Melb) seems ot be able to get back into a game and give themselves a chance.

swish...

i am sure those last 1/4 fade outs have been highlighted by the coaching staff and is certainly something i am sure they will work on...

it is scary how good this team COULD be...

Who would have thought that they would have been in this position at the start of the season...

certainly not me...

Bring on Perth...

one more win secures top 4 2 wins could possibly get 3rd

Grovemister, I would say the top 4 is already set. With Knight back Perth are getting wins again, Adelaide is on a roll and Melbourne are playing like its already lost this season.

Even if Adelaide happen to drop both remaining games against Perth and Wollongong, Melbourne have to win everything. They have the Sunshine Swing starting tonight in Cairns (can't see the Taipans losing) and tomorrow night against the Crocs who have beaten them recently. I can't see United winning even one game this weekend, let alone both.

IF perth lose to breakers AND Adelaide.... could 36ers still get third if they beat wollongong as well?

noting Perth's LAST game is at home against a somewhat also inform Townsville possibly playing their last game...

I think it's fair to say my sledging got the team over the line. Disappointed with the crowd after all the hype they receive though

"Muzz Buzz A couple of hours ago 09:18 13 Feb 15

Only way some haters will acknowledge the 36ers is if they beat Adelaide in Adelaide"


OHH yes it would certainly be a game for the record books , I see the heading " Adelaide Beats Adelaide in Adelaide " LOL

Adelaide should be the team to beat from here on. Perth are clearlky inferior to last seasons version and the Breakers and the Tapians are nowhere as good over a 3 game series even with HCA.

'IF perth lose to breakers AND Adelaide.... could 36ers still get third if they beat wollongong as well?'

Yes. We're even on wins at the moment. They have one less loss. So we need to beat them and beat Wollongong and they win 1 or 0 games. Or we need to beat them by like 35 points to get the season split.

It might come back to bite me, but I think we may prefer to be 4th then 2nd or 3rd

Although they have aged me by a couple of years, I like the fact Adelaide have closed out those close games (and there have been a few of them in this winning streak).

It doesn't mean they will win the championship but its shows they have a "willing and able" mindset which a championship team needs.

I also agree with an earlier statement that the finals should be absolute crackers (so long as Melbourne don't miraculously fall in and push either Adelaide or Perth out).

ronny, how can you comment that Breakers and Taipans are nowhere as good over a 3 game series?

They have been the most consistent teams all season. Sure, Adelaide's on a roll and the team to beat at the moment but the other top teams are still classy units. They may have the odd bad game but have generally shown an ability to recover by the next game (Perth's January excepted).

Never flirt with winning form.

We are clearly the form team at the moment, who the other 3 are no doubt fearing. We should be confident of beating anyone (which we have to do to win the title anyway), so keep the pedal down & win every game.

I cant believe there would be any thought in Joey's mind of losing to play Cairns....Boomers anyone??

Huge turnaround considering where we were mid season. Credit where credit is due, great job by the club.

GO SIXERS

Some ominous signs from Johnson last night too, this time against a quality frontcourt.

Kobe24 I'm here buddy, what ever I say u will just find some come back any way. If my lose tonight then Perth are in for there 29 consecutive play off appearance on row. It's called consistency over a period of time that ure ball club hasn't.

I'll get excited to if my team one a few extra games, prob can't fit any more spoon's.

If u win good luck

Hopefully the club can keep this roster together for a full season next time around. Would be more confident if they were going to head through with HCA in two series.

Sixers are hot right now. Would like there chances against Cairns in playoffs rather than Breakers. I still think Nz are the team to beat

cats4life, your post lacked a certain man-ing up to admit you were wrong to mock Kobe24. Generally when you mock someone you open up the possibility of embarrassing yourself by being wrong. You were, so take the hit on the chin buddy, don't respond with a "well screw you anyway, we're successful, 29 seasons blahblahblah".

As you bring up the point, yeah, being the one club in the entire NBL to consistently have a cashed up owner over 30 years generally helps with stability both on and off-court. I wish every club had that, it would be great as a basketball fan, but it's not the case.

Last point, is it really that hard for you to type a post without slaughtering the English language? You don't have to be perfect by any means, but you could easily make it less irritating to read.

Yeah cats i expected so much more from you... Guess u cant even argue with a nice win streak and best form leading into the playoffs.

Don't push it lol

Cats4Life...while your team might be consistent with 29 straight play off appearances and the most successful with 6 championships some would also consider them to be one of the biggest underachievers with only 6 from 29.

Don't know if anyone said it yet, but well done V8, u called it by 5 pts in the preview. I wouldn't mind getting some tips off u to have a little wager next game!

Thanks stevo, I'd forgotten about that 5 point prediction LOL. It was honestly the first number that popped into my head.

Shoulda put money on it......

For the record, to win the season split over Perth, Adelaide need to win next weeks game by no less than 28 points. So, unless we do that or we end up with a better W/L record than the Cats, I'd say we're probably going to finish 4th at the end of the regular season. Whether that means we play Cairns or NZ remains to be seen. Either way we'll play one of them in the Semis.

U love it! Like I said, I man up any time, it's not like ure killing are u? Fair enough u beat top four teams away, u beat Wollongong just twice with a home cooking call.

Beat Perth minus knight, ross just got injured and hire 1st game back in to months.

Beat Sydney at home and away with one game no j chill brandat walking wounded.

Mu away with Townsville and the hawks did as well, I ain't saying your crap, just saying that it has been a bit of a lucky streak. Breakers missed a few easy ones and u guys hit some tough shots. If u played again to night I reckon it would he a different result.

Under achieve over achieve u can't deny our club, only gf we got blown was against the kings at home. I'm here all night if u want to start going into history of the cats.

Cats4life, please please please can you spend all night brushing up on how to use "you" instead of excessively typing "u". I'm not against the occasional abbreviations but there's a line between "acceptable" and "making people want to destroy their computer screens".

Please remember there are people trying to read your posts (for better or worse).

And from a Perth vs Adelaide point of view, live in the now, the past is the past. If Perth beat Adelaide, so be it.

Not every one is privileged to have English skills, u still understand what I'm saying any way, may be u have the best teacher's as we'll as basketball team!

KET : this is the internet, the home and creator of abbreviations.... Who on this planet woukd not be able to interpret "you" from writing "u" ..... That could be the most retarded comment I have ever read .

I got alot of respect for nz, but u guy's must spend half the training session getting ure towl waving to perfection!! Maybe concentrate what the joey is saying then u might win games that u should.

At least joey sharpens up as a coach.

All due respect, I guys as a great club! Just don't pick faults in others when ure team is not winning. The flopping and the refs at our home game's and bka bla bla

If ure team was as consistent as ours then u to might of had cashed up owners, don't see vlahov and longley cashed up

^ you're not a Perf fan by chance?

Is it the finishing 4th that has Adelaide fans feeling so inadequate? Get over it.
The season is played over 28 games, So the Breakers, Taipans, and Wildcats ALL did better than you. Yes theire dicks are bigger, deal with it.
Truly funny thing is that if it was only played over 14 or what magic number you wnat to fixate on, you wouldn't even have made the finals.
You finihs 4 you play Cairns, thats how it works. Those three games are the only ones that matter.

@Tornado,

No, seriously, 6 titles from 29 appearances is a really good strike rate, given the number of teams in playoffs was sometimes much larger than it is now.

A good-faith argument against it is utterly impossible.

You can't discredit 29 straight finals and 6 championships no matter which way you look at it. It's better than any other statistic you throw out there. I don't think any team or fan out there can say there team is favourite to win the championship. Come finals , no streak, no record is relevant. Any one of the current top 4 is capable of winning it this year , home court advantage or not. Save the victory speech for next month ;)

Cats4life, your posts are actually hard to read sometimes. The use of abbreviations, typos and general bad grammar means that we have to spend more time than necessary trying to decipher what you say.

Please don't think your posts are that worthwhile that you need to rush to type them.

Cats for life is the life line of this forum. So entertaining and delusional all at once. Perf, well played Jack, thats funny!

Ahh the finals are gonna be fun!

Kobe24: finals are gonna be insane !!

Yeah Train, last year was more of can someone possibly upset the Cats, this season, its so much more even across the board. Sportsbet are going to be pulling out hairs trying to call it.

Uwe I feel sorry for you, you can't even compare what Perth has done, throw in 12 000 + crowds, Adelaide u wii never know. Imagine if we had $10 tickets? We need to play at subi oval.

Maybe call the NBA and play on the play offs there, seeing u guy's are that good we might gas have the trophy in Wollongong waiting for u guy's.

Shoosh, that'll do Cats, that'll do.

Great counter point!

I really really really hope it's a Cats vs 36ers final :P just another chapter in one of the greatest rivalries ever in the NBL

Huge nerves about finals. I had thought we weren't going to fire a shot, but we do seem to be recovering from that January debacle. I had also thought NZ were shaping up to be invulnerable, but it looks like they've actually screwed up top spot and Cairns will take it instead.

In particular, NZ are losing home matches (Kings, 36ers) which is a considerable surprise. So all of a sudden, everything is pretty finely balanced and any of the Top 4 are in with a shake.

Tipping Cairns to take out a maiden title atm. Double HCA should do the trick in crunchtime.

Do you want the NBL to give a special trophy "best streak before the finals"?

OMG, please no. Last thing we want to see is Schenscher without his pants...

Sixers look very good. Rode out a shaky spot in Q4 by holding their nerve and staying calm. Wilson has always impressed me as a 1 on 5 type player turned it on just at the right time. Johnson has been a great pickup. His scoring ability is just what your guys need.
Joey Wright has fitted together the pieces he needs. Just enough of Schenscher, Johnson, Wilson, Gibson without relying too much on one guy (Wilson aside). Moving into finals with a good set up.
Breakers look like going the other way. Rely too heavily on Jackson (penetration, outside game has gone), Webster, Abecrombie and the 3 ball with inside games of Pledger and Ubekwe underplayed esp. when % play required, to end a drought, or to stay in touch.
Pledger obviously injured but Ubekwe can take every other big guy in the league 1 on 1 from 10 feet facing the basket. Yet he doesn't get the call often enough. Unless CJ gets lucky from downtown I don't fancy our chances.

People mention Rhys Carters form offensively steadily falling away as the season rode on yet Mika Vukona has been fairly average for the second half of the season offensively and no ones really said anything. He's missing lay ups and easy ones around the paint and that was the difference between winning and losing in this one.

Corey Webster found his shooting touch now NZ needs Carter & Jackson to do the same and then opposing teams will be inbounding the ball and not pushing it up the court in trans making things a lot easier defensively than they have been while a large portion of their outside shots have been rimming out.

HOME TEAM
C. Jackson: -7
C. Webster: 15
T. Abercrombie: 1
M. VUKONA: 4
E. Ibekwe: 1
R. Carter: -18
T. Wesley: 1
A. Pledger: -6
D. Bailey: -10
R. Te Rangi: -6

ROAD TEAM
B. Motum: -2
M. Creek: -5
A. Gibson: 8
L. Schenscher: 10
A. Petrie: -2
J. Wilson: 10
B. Teys: -4
D. Johnson: 10

Those +/- are exactly why they can't be trusted in isolation.

So Jackson has a triple double yet is -7.
Motum comes up with some big plays down the stretch, and has a reasonable game -2.
Schenscher is reasonably ineffective for throughout +10.

Jackson 4 of 18 that's probably why he was minus 7.
Wilson outplayed him big time.