
Sixers Fan
Years ago
Round 1: 36ers V Breakers, Oct 7
What's everyone prediction for this years curtain raiser to the exciting season ahead. I reckon Adelaide by 7. DJ to go for 20+.
Sixers Fan
Years ago
What's everyone prediction for this years curtain raiser to the exciting season ahead. I reckon Adelaide by 7. DJ to go for 20+.
Sixers Fan
Years ago
Also now that the Sixers tickets are done through Ticketmaster and it looks really full on the seating map, get behind the boys!
LV
Years ago
It depends who's playing: Abercrombie, Pledger, Ebi.
If Adelaide is a full strength then I tip them to win regardless. Yes, the Breakers have a great system but Webster is their class go to scorer. Without him, I think the 36ers will run and gun and outscore them.
Is Ebi playing? Based on the words of Joey Wright it was no big deal at all, if he isnt playing with that calf this far along id say its a bigger issue than they tried to sell people on.
Hendo8888
Years ago
Do like the new Ticketmaster seating. You can select specific seats, rather than just a section. Which is nice.
I'm hoping we win, should be a close one.
KingJames
Years ago
Ere is playing as indicated in the paper four days ago.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/adelaide-36ers-import-ebi-ere-says-he-will-be-fit-to-go-in-nbl-opener-against-nz-breakers/story-fnii09ki-1227552747229
Then adelaide should win. Breakers seem very fragile at this point, losing Webster is going to be huge, and even if he plays, Pledger will struggle with the pace the 36ers will run at. 36ers by 12
mystro
Years ago
From what I heard NZ will rest Pledger until the Crocs game and take teenage DP & UK recruit Tai Wynyard in his place and Abercrombie is being rested also until the Crocs game with TeRangi & Bailey covering is role.
New Zealand will be playing small ball with Tai Wesley at the 5 against Adelaide.
Keeping up with Petrie & DJ will not be an issue.
Ced Jackson/S.Ili
E.Bartlett/S.McDonald
R.TeRangi/D.Baily
M.Vukona/T.Wynyard
T.Wesley/C.Jackson
My prediction is 36ers by 10 hope that's ok with you mystro ;)
Tyrell
Years ago
People under-estimate the Breakers but I think (bias aside) that they will get up in this one. Charles Jackson to step up and finally show his worth.
TeRangi was quite good last year in the early games before Abercrombie returned.
What could you pissibly be basing that import stepping up on? That is the definition of biase he has been woeful
LV
Years ago
Charles Jackson had a great stat line in their last game at the Blitz.
He did play well in the Breakers last Blitz game but was woeful in their first two. They'll need a big game out of him with no Webster and possibly no Abercrombie or Pledger.
If they all don't play you have to think 36ers comfortably.
Mystro
Years ago
Charles Jackson put up good numbers at Tenessee Tech and put up decent numbers for Philly in the NBA summer league.
He'll find his feet, he's played about 5 meaningless games in a Breakers uniform to date. All the armchair critics were quick to judge Ibekwe last season and then just as quick to jump on the bandwagon when he hit the championship winning shot.
Cedric Jackson is the only import NZ will expect a big game from.
Bartlett will have a licence to put shots up as will TeRangi and McDonald otherwise the ball will be going inside to Wesley on the block to take advantage of DJ's stellar defensive qualities while Petrie & Vukona wrestle for rebound position.
A lot will ride on how well Bartlett and TeRangi shoot from outside for NZ.
If they can't space the floor Cedric won't have a lot of room to operate.
Jack Toft
Years ago
Absolute banger of a game to get the season off to a start!
Lots of variables going into the game with teams as well as form. The form in the Blitz is no indication of what it to come.
Ebi "Bane" Ere will suit and you can't tell me the Sixers aren't looking good with the changes made in the off season. DJ will be the go to man for them in the key, but I look forward to seeing Diesel getting some quality minutes while DJ has a break.
The Breakers might go home with a loss, but what becomes of the broken hearted?
Sixers by 6
Train
Years ago
"The Breakers might go home with a loss, but what becomes of the broken hearted"
Hahahaha God I missed your write ups Jack Toft. Nice work , keep em comin
XY
Years ago
I just can't wait for this one to get started. Have been counting down the days for months!
peterJohn
Years ago
McNeail carrying a shoulder injury and may not start. Ere may be promoted to starting lineup. today's Advertiser.
ps - good to see half the back page and full page in the sports section devoted solely to NBL
NBL #1 Fan
Years ago
Adelaide by 4 with it being after an over time period.
Summary of predictions in this thread:
My team will win just because
Hendo8888
Years ago
That's about what it comes down to in Round 1.
Blind hope, with no form guide to go off.
maxymoo
Years ago
I'm on Adelaide - it just feels like a game to settle in for NZ and can see 36ers getting it by 5-7
XY
Years ago
Reality is you have to beat a team missing three starters. Pressure is on the Sixers even if first game uncertainties are factored in.
Pressure on the sixers to go 2-0 no excuses they are facing depleted Perth and NZ teams
Matthew
Years ago
If you can posts scores here that would be great. Still at work and most social media are blocked.
Scott
Years ago
I know the box score is up and this is gonna sound dumb but are there confirmed starting 5's?
Matthew
Years ago
That's also blocked for me Isaac. AS is the nbl.com, news.com.au ? and many other normally easy to access sites at work. Strangely I can still come here.
Scott
Years ago
Matthew, live scores are on theroar.com.au here:
http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/10/07/adelaide-36ers-vs-new-zealand-breakers-nbl-live-scores-blog/
AngusH
Years ago
Cedric Jackson going to need a big night tonight, me thinks...
MACDUB
Years ago
ADL should win.
No Webster, Abercrombie and Pledger.
One minute into the new season already so many broken plays/ugly shots. Argh NBL
Two minutes in and I already feel the in-game music has been overplayed.
Scores would be handy now that some shots are finally starting to drop
MACDUB
Years ago
The nets are frustrating me. No swishes. Seem like those heavy ones.
Charles Jackson won't last long methinks.
LK Group next up is to get the clubs in line, maybe standard rings/courts/MUSIC/etc as Sixers for example are dragging you down.
MACDUB
Years ago
Sobey is an athlete.
I don't think people realise how athleic he is. He is also 6"3ish.
People talk about Gliddon, Norton and talked about Greenwood.
Sobeys ceiling seems much higher IMO.
How did McDonald after years and years of no NBL play after his desperation stint with the Slingers all of a sudden is with the Breakers?
MACDUB
Years ago
Its a great question. Usually i would have said because they couldn't find any other local PG..
But they could have got Jarrod Kenny instead which would have seemed much more logical.
Mystro
Years ago
Charles Jackson will be fine playing energy minutes behind Pledger.
Breakers need to box out and need crisper passing offensively instead of scrambling to gather.
MACDUB
Years ago
Mystro, Pledger's health and fitness is going to be in doubt for probably all his career. We probably need someone with a bit more offense.
Our lack of shooting is very worrying (though we are missing one excellent shooter and another very good shooter tonight).
AngusH
Years ago
Yeah, NZ need a 2nd import who can give them a bit more than energy off the bench this year, IMO.
AngusH
Years ago
Oh my, Ebi Ere!
Going to be interesting watching him defend some of the better guards in the league on the other end of the court this year, though.
LK should look into NZ tanking the opener. boring blowout not a good start
DaHuzyBru
Years ago
Charles Jackson: gets a rebound, yay. Wait, nope, turnover...
MACDUB
Years ago
Vukona looks quite slow and lacking his usual speed and sharpness.
Age and high usage over the past year finally showing?
AngusH
Years ago
I don't think NZ can afford to sit Cedric Jackson... this lineup is terrible.
AngusH
Years ago
Hodgson looks great, wouldn't be shocked to see him starting sooner rather than later.
Turn it up. They're missing some useful players
No Ebekwe and Webster as well as not signing Kenny = death of NZ
Mystro
Years ago
NZ have 3 starters out and are playing 2 development players, I wouldn't read too much into it.
The disturbing thing is they are getting bullied and cannot box out and are getting killed in the effort areas.
No Abercombie, Webbster and Pledger= terrible team.
Callisto 75
Years ago
Breakers missing Webster big time have nobody who can create.
Regardless of the blowout in the first half it has been an entertaining game. Not the nicest looking game but some big plays.
Ere shooting stroke on point tonight, but I don't know what he will bring if he has an off shooting night. Let's hope Wright uses his right.
MACDUB
Years ago
Yes were missing some fairly good players but no excuses.
Our starters have played equally bad - too much fouling.
Our current roster has sadly moved away from all the things that made us so good previously. Hoping its just this game but certainly not good.
The teams Tht were off the pace like Perth, Kings and the United all got better and NZ is going backward
Tyrell
Years ago
Hodgson looks great. Breakers severely undermanned and in massive foul trouble early, and just lacking seriously in the effort areas. Not reading too much into it, but expecting a much better team performance in next game. Also, what the heck is with trying to go one on one- really need some direction.
Finally, Charles Jackson looks way out of his depth- bring back BIG G!!!
Unless they get someone to cover Websters loss ho is a scorer even if they get Ambercombie nd Pledger back it's not going to be enough.
Hodgson excellent that half.
Oops sorry I take that back. He was enormous.
maxymoo
Years ago
Why would you risk Kenyon in a game that you have under control?
AngusH
Years ago
Best way to stop a run is to sub back on Hodgson...
Tyrell
Years ago
Wilkinson is a volume scorer- get him in and get jackson out?
MACDUB
Years ago
With Creek on the roster is Lucas Walker perhaps a little redundant?
Hodgson is an absolutely amazing grab.
AngusH
Years ago
Yup, Creek has most of Walker's strengths, minus the foul troubles.
Hodgson has the potential to be even better than Ben Allen
AngusH
Years ago
Nice alley-oop and then hustling back to block Johnson from Charles Jackson.
Adelaide's arena has an unusually high ratio of aisle space : seating space
Blue vs Blue
Could've been better colour co-ordination with the uniforms.
AngusH
Years ago
Yeah I was thinking the same thing re: the colours... I think that blue is too dark for an away jersey. Not a fan of NZ's jersey's at all, to be honest. Looks like they should be out there kicking balls around with Hugh Greenwood.
I didn't really rate Adelaide's chances this season but there's some potential there for sure.
AngusH
Years ago
Horrible call against Jackson there... where was the foul? Typically horrible NBL post-d call there.
The blue team was heaps better than the blue one
KET
Years ago
Yeah, that was silly, Breakers should have played in white
Kobe24
Years ago
Dead rubber type of game in the end. But that nz roster even at full strength wont do much. Webster is too big a loss. Ebe looked better than id belived he would be, but has a lot of weight to lose still. The big boy is a potential gold mine! Thats the big news!
koberulz
Years ago
The Breakers don't have a white jersey, just their usual home black and the one they wore tonight. Of the two, I'd say they wore the correct one for the circumstances.
Nathan of Perth
Years ago
Great performance from Adelaide, brutal second quarter. Few questions for the Breakers to answer over the first quarter of the season.
joshuapending
Years ago
I hope the scoreboard is broken as I can't stand it not having them available. Use one of the replay screens. Good game after a shaky start, nice that we also got to rest some guys at the end as well.
I'm reserving judgment until Saturday night. NZ missing Abercrombie, Pledger and Webster so there is the win for them right there. Great game but chill everyone.
Ballin Fan
Years ago
Great to see some 36ers players get around Hugh Greenwood after the game.
LV
Years ago
Breakers less two of their main scorers were always going to struggle to keep up with this Sixers line-up
Great little cameo from Ebi in the second there
The story of the game is Hodgson. With this year's crop of NBL bigs they need him to be competitive in the paint at certain times, if they are to challenge for p layoffs. It looks like he's more than capable of that
Breakers looked as good as they could do with that roster. Is abercrombie and pledger really going to make all the difference? Nope
Mystro
Years ago
Abercrombie is one of the best shooters on the team so yes.
NZ played small ball and then forgot to box out and got smashed on the boards.
They also put up way too many 3's when they clearly weren't falling and everything looked sloppy, passing shooting & offensive direction along with their inability to stop Adelaide.
Kudos to the Sixers, they controlled the tempo and made their shots.
KET
Years ago
36ers played messy and absolutely terrible in the first part of the first quarter. If NZ had actually hit its shots, very different outcome would have occurred.
It's hard to judge too much since it is the first game, but no team has the benefit of a slow start in this years epicly even competition.
Breakers were missing 3-4 players, so it's hard to judge the game again on this basis.
The Good
» That second quarter. Great basketball to watch. If the 36ers can play like that more often and during larger parts of the game, expect to see the 36ers competing against the best.
» Hodgson. He was so damn surprising, he had me on my feet. The 36ers visibly sucked when he was on the bench and when he was there was sudden scoring, rebounding and those blocks were simply great to watch. What a start!
» Ebi Ere. Doesn't look the most athletic bloke out there obviously, but he had energy and nailed those shots. Ooh-ahh, Ebi Ere.
» Sobey. Some really good effort plays, good layup and three point shot, a nice block, this guy is another good pickup.
The Bad
» Defence, particularly perimeter defence was not great. Left NZ wide open.
» Those classic 36ers third quarter starts - no matter how good Adelaide are playing, they have to have a woeful third quarter start, they've been this way the last 25 odd years. Some things never change.
» I don't really see the point in Lucas Walker yet
» Johnson (except for that nice three point shot). Struggled particularly in the first half, he looked more like the backup big and Hodgson looked more like the star. Nothing concerning to be made of it, just dusting off the cobwebs. He likes playing against Perth, we'll see how he goes on Saturday.
Overall, happy with a win, and such a large win. There will always be negatives regardless of victory size, and it's hard to read much into them after the first game. Very bright efforts by the youth show real potential for Adelaide to have a good season. Bring on Perth!
I'm not sure if Creek has made it through a full season yet.
Also, I think Creek and Walker can play minutes as small ball 4s. This will be handy when Petrie is hurt or in a form slump.
Having depth in the NBL isn't normally a bad thing.
But if Webster is not returning then they are screwed with this roster as it is. Abbercrombie is a good shooter but never went to frnachise player level... i doubt that charles jackson will make it to round 5. If he does breakers probs wont make it to the playoffs. Im basing this on how bad they looked and what they had to come back, i hated him but need a Wilkinson type who was a pro scorer.
NBL & 36ers, if you are going to do something, ie give out free t shirts, maybe make sure the t-shirts are the same colour as the 36ers uniform. This would ensure a sea of colour instead of some royal blue shirts/jerseys & some dark hard ball t shirts... Also some of the t shirts were dark blue, some were black...
Bear
Years ago
It surprises me how many people (commentators and supporters) are surprised when an Australian US college player comes back to the NBL and shows he can play!
At D1 or D2 level college, after 4 years or so and gaining all that experience, knowledge and conditioning in the home of the sport, why do we act surprised?
Good for Hodgson, it was an impressive debut, but no real surprise to me...
Not the most inspiring game overall to start the season, however it was a bit of a blowout so that would have been part of the problem, still some good highlights that I am sure Foxtel/Foxsport can promote.
NBL #1 Fan
Years ago
Crowd was rocking. Good to see a decent turnout. Breakers looked lost without their star who is trying to get into the NBA. Early days though so improvement should be expected from them.
Great win by Adelaide, a good team, although they seem to lack some quality depth. If they get off to a good start then that should hold them for the finish. Adelaide should be there abouts challenging for the top four.
Callisto 75
Years ago
More positives than negative for the Sixers last night. They have a deep team that can run. DJ and Gibbo are the main stars. Extremely impressed with Hodgson and think he will be starting next to DJ soon.
Can't read too much into that for the Breakers without Pledger, Abercrombie and Webster. But thought they were undisciplined and got into foul trouble. They lack scoring as no one can create for themselves at the moment and if Webster makes the NBA would get rid of Jackson for a gun scoring import. But thought that Charles Jackson went alright in limited minutes last night.
Isaac
Years ago
Defence, particularly perimeter defence was not great. Left NZ wide open.With Jackson and Vukona, I imagine that was a game plan. Jackson shot 28% from three last year and teams will often play those odds. Cedric shooting a three is likely one of the less effective things the Breakers can do coming down the floor and mostly negates his strengths.
Was a good time to get the reigning champs while they are very undermanned.
Loved Hodgsons debut, DJ, Ebi, Gibbo, Teys, Petrie all very solid and just did what was required to get the good win!
KET
Years ago
I'm not sure whether it's a good game plan, or a bad indictment of slow defensive rotations. Depends how we go in other games I guess
Bear
Years ago
Isaac I think that's spot on, the Breakers have relied on those guys doing what they do best and it then creates for the others to do their thing.
Without Webster's shooting ability they had to go outside their comfort zone and added to this missing Abercrombie and Pledger created massive holes in their usual system of play.
The 6'ers came away with a win against the previous champs, can't take that away and it is always good to get an early win, but it is only round one...
paul
Years ago
Adelaide did what they had to do. With NZ only having 3 main rotation guys from last year's title team they were always going to struggle, and the 36ers made the most of that, even though they are still a long way off their best.
Adelaide have a very athletic and versatile team, I'm looking forward to watching them play in more competitive games.
MACDUB
Years ago
Most disappointing thing about last night was seeing us (the Breakers) being outworked and out-hustled.
Hustle and out-working our opponents has been a staple of our success for the last few years but it was non-existent last night.
I like the look of ADL this year because they look very balanced. Last year, the offensive output was heavily reliant on Gibson/Wilson having fairly big games.
This year, you can share the scoring load and have a lot of genuine threats which spreads the floor and opens up a lot of space - Gibson, McNeil, Ere, Johnson, Hodgson, Walker.
Offensively, ADL will be the real deal if they run fluent offence with good ball movement and create short and sharp rotations with Sobey being the energy guy off the bench.
LV
Years ago
Watched bits and pieces of this game. Points that I've taken away:
Adelaide:
- Adelaide go 10 deep. Hodgson and Sobey look more than capable of playing a role off the bench.
- Adelaide’s group of frontcourt players has a nice, even balance to it- Hodgson has serious size, he operates near the basket and appears to be a strong rim protector. The right player alongside Petrie and Johnson who can both score from inside or outside, then Walker and Creek who are super athletic guys and will consistently create a contest on the glass and attack the hoop.
- This Adelaide team is fast, athletic and mobile. Well suited to Wright’s coaching..
NZ:
- Charles Jackson is still a real question mark. It was a mixed bag for him- he did some nice things at both ends, but at other times I felt he was too soft and isn’t enough of a physical presence at the defensive end. It won’t get any easier- they’ll need to ease Pledger back to match fitness in their next few games as they face Conklin, Childress and Khazzough and Ogilvy. Jackson needs to protect the rim.
I didn’t see any reason to change my prediction from before the game- hard to see NZ winning the championship if Webster doesn’t return. They’ll probably miss the top 4 without him.
Callisto 75
Years ago
Agreed LV can't see New Zealand making the four without Webster unless they get a gun import or gun Aussie
MACDUB
Years ago
Yeah, Webster's production is huge to this teams championship hopes.
Don't think they"ll be able to get a stud local (gutted that Penney is with the Hawks).
They will need a stud shooting guard - but that is a mission in itself.
XY
Years ago
They will be solid without Webster once they have Abercrombie and Pledger back - it is not all doom and gloom.
That said, they look less potent than last year with a chucker like Bartlett playing such a big role.
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