Always.

United by 7

Warrick is out apparently which will make things a little more interesting. If the Cats can get Majok in foul trouble early they should be able to dominate the boards and be in with a shot.

Wonder if we will see Martin or Prather this week ?

The email said nothing of the sort. It just listed everyone on the "recovery report", regardless of their status. If you go to the page on the website, both he and Prather are listed there as 'subject to test'.

But Schenscher isn't listed at all, so I'm not sure how accurate it is. And I still don't understand what's going on with Odigie, given he was never actually signed.

I would say Perth are as well situated to guard Kickert as any other team. Kickert's a finisher, it's about your defence limiting the 'starters'. Can't wait for this game, shame about the injuries but both teams have good depth.

Yup, looking forward to this one, maybe an early preview of the final series, but I am speculating here...

Because it is in Melbourne I think they can unite for long enough to get over the wild men!

If Melbourne shoot as they have during the other games this year, should be a comfortable victory. Majok Majok will need to play big, foul-trouble-free minutes for them, though.

What colour are the seats in the stadium? This game is stupid. I predict a four point blowout.

Nice TC!

This could definitely be a playoff preview. Barring injuries these two should make it, but there's such quality at NZ, Adelaide, Illawarra and Cairns (if they re-sign Wilbekin and their jumpshots) that i think its a bit early to predict GF matchups.

Its SC, paul.

Sorry Cuss!

No worries GWB.

Haha! That's Clintdogg to you thank you very much.

United by 10, too many guys that can light it up.

United may be 5-0, but 3 of their 5 wins have been very competitive matches, and the Cats are their biggest challenge yet. As has been pointed out, the Cats excel in rebounding and making their opponent defend around the hoop- two areas which have been weaknesses for United.

The matchups are exhilarating! In no particular order:

- Stopping Beal is the key- he's the Cats most important player. We saw this last week when he couldn’t buy a basket on Friday night and then put in an elite performance on Sunday. He’s the engine room of their offense and their most potent individual scorer. He is the jam in their hot jam donut, so United better stop him.

- And if Beal takes him apart then Goulding better be even more impressive up the other end! Fight offense with offense- that was the Andrew Gaze way, so if Goulding can go off for 30 I won’t be fussed if Beal gets 20. Bevo might be sitting in a hotel room in Perth, watching on and might think to himself that it’s what the fans want to see....

- Let’s hope Martin plays. Holt looks like a stud, but you can’t even think about calling yourself a gun NBL point guard until you’ve been defended by Damian Martin or gone up against Cedric Jackson. Tonight is the first challenge, Sunday week is part 2.

- Majok Rodman has excelled so far this season, but how will he go against the triple headed Perth Ness Monster of Jawai- who is yet to fully stamp his authority on this league, and that’s a worrying thought for opponents- Knight, who was dominant last week, and Jervis who might be the best third string 5 man in the history of the entire NBL?

- Knight and Kickert- two equally talented players with completely different skill sets.

- But, these matchups might not even eventuate- will Demopoulos look to protect the hoop and expose the Cats lack of outside shooting by running a zone? Yes, I know the Cats shot the lights out on Sunday, but even the most optimistic Cats fan can’t expect Greg Hire to knock down a couple of 3’s again this week? Another danger here: I find that running a zone makes it harder to locate an opponent, put a body on them a grab a rebound. This especially applies to players like Hire- who make a beeline for the basket and crash the O boards from the perimeter, and might find that easier against a zone than a man. But whichever defence they play, the fact is all United players must crash the boards with serious effort, every time. Otherwise Perth could dominate them on the glass like they’ve already dominated some other teams this season.

Very early days but so far these two looks like the two teams to beat. Grand final preview? Who knows.

Bring it.

I apologise paul, my last comment was completely uncalled for.

Kickert is the toughest matchup because of the pick n pop threat. Cairns switched every pick featuring Kicks, but their big men are more mobile than Perth's. I'd still switch, because the alternative is leaving Kicks wide open at the 3 - not ideal.
Wildcats can bring in Wagstaff and bring Jawai off the bench

Especially with no Warrick, Perth are going to need Jawai to stay out of foul trouble, because Jawai on the block is the one big advantage they have. Majok is a great rebounder, but neither he or Kickert can defend Jawai on the block.

"Haha! That's Clintdogg to you thank you very much."

Hahaha I'm tipping the Blowout Troll to be Clintdogg

With the amount of injury worries the Cats have, I heard James Crawford is making a comeback for Saturdays game.

oh that was so funny

I believe that.

This hardball stuff is taking it's toll on players to be honest, so many injuries already to key players..

Damian Martin is confirmed to suit up. Prather still out.

Cats by 7

JasonC

Last time Damo had a leg related injury he did nothing but shoot 3's in a moon boot. He shot around the 40% mark and the Cats won a championship.

I wonder if he has been jacking up 3's during this injury...if so go ahead, sag off him :P

:O

JasonC in the house!
That's a bad omen if ever I saw one.
United by 20!
:p

Interested what the starting 5 will be. Could go with Beal at SF, Martin, Kenny backcourt. I'd think about starting Wagstaff at SF, And really crash the boards - Blanchfield isn't a threat to beat him off the dribble.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kenny starts for the next couple of games with Martin coming off the bench for about 20-25mins a game.

Wagstaff deserves to be starting over Redhage also.
Kenny, Beal, Wagstaff, Knight, Jawai

I agree that Redhage hasn't been in starting five form but I cringe when I hear someone say that Wagstaff deserves the starting spot.

Two very soft fouls on Shawn. Very soft. Didn't even touch him.

Refs. Put your whistles away.

Redhage did not get touched at all with his second foul.

What an effort by Majok!

This has been an awesome first quarter.

Except the Reffing.

I understand the concept. Calling it like this leads to high scoring bball. LK might have made a directive to that effect. But they need to adjust the pendulum back a bit towards the other direction and let them play a little bit.

Perth play a pretty damn good quarter and find themselves down 6.

The talent on this United team is crazy. They stroke the 3 ball so damn well that they can build leads so effortlessly.

Reminds me of the All Blacks ;)

Anyone able to post a score update? Live stats is not working nor is score appearing on NBL front page.

Thanks

Refs are really going for Melbourne tonight.

I refuse to use what happens or doesn't happen to Redhage as a measure of the refereeing.

He throws sneaky elbows and/or is very sneakily physical - so why be surprised that he gets called for what looks like nothing at all. Refs are in a better position and have caught onto him.

live stats now working - thanks

Another point re: the refs..the refs do a really good job of coaching the players.."hands off"..."hands out". They give them plenty of warnings.

So although some calls look soft, what gets forgotten or lost is that generally the refs have given them a warning and told them to get their hands out.

Players should also take responsibility. Its stupid when the ref is telling them to get their hands out and they keep their hands in and then complain when the ref blows his whistle!

Corey has nothing on Derek Rucker as a commentator.

So am I the only one seeing the Wildcats hold and grab and push every single play? Yet United have more fouls.

Seems odd.

Redhage got called for two fouls that obviously weren't there.....

...but so did Majok.

Goulding got ball on his first foul and his second was as soft as anything.

Holt got one in the post against Redhage where he barely touched him.

This refereeing is ruining the game.

And I'd love to see a replay of Blanchfield's second, which saw him benched for a quarter.

I don't think I have ever seen Kickert not complain on a foul

Anon, free throws that's why.

17 attempts to 4. Perth have got 14 of their points from the line.

My biggest issue is the non-calls Perth get away with

They get the benefit of the "doubt" more as defenders than any other Team. Call the game consistently.

Melb missing Warrick's rebounding.

They should call him Corey "pesticide" Williams, his attempts at humour are toxic and who publicly acknowledges they find Adam Sandler funny these days?

Thing is, this ugly, grind, foul all damn game is not a good product to watch.

I think the fresher United will more then likely run over the Cats in the last quarter. As for the refs? It is not anywhere as bad as some here are carrying on about.

I don't think Jawai can get any quicker. I think he is at his prime right now. He has had weeks to get fit and I think he is trying his best at this point in time.

What we saw in Cairns was many moons ago and doubt he will get back to that because he is much older these days.

Incredible contest. As I've said- apart from the reffing.

Great to see guys like Tomlinson, Hadzi and Hill all nailing three's and playing a role. Holt has handled Perth's pressure, apart from that one ugly turnover, very well and I love his dual ability to weave to the hoop and/or pull up for a 3.

The story of the game for me though is...MAJOK MAJOK!!!! Love it.

(Too bad the refs sent him off the court with two non fouls).

Jawai is doing what I suspected he might- finally have a good game and take advantage of his size advantage. Feeling ok about the $2 I put on him to top score at odds of 21....

Great game. Bring on second half.

I'm sure the 106 points in the Hawks game showed Perth can more then adjust.

Interesting 1st Half.

Jawai getting great position but finishing at a low %

Phantom fouls on key people for Mel.

Then lots of contact let go on ball handlers, which plays right into what Per want to do. Every one knows they want to ugly it up. Yet they are allowed to do it. Why?

Be interesting to see what Bubbles does in the 2nd half after having to sit for a soft 2nd foul.

Aiight?

Don't know about that foul on Majok....

AIIIIIGHT!!!!

There's a drinking game somewhere there.

Memo Larry:

The NBA season started yesterday.

Get these refs in order if you want people to keep watching NBL right now.

NBL Coaching Drinking Game:

1) Demopoulos patent "AIIIGHT": 1 shot
2) Coach says 'sh!t' live in huddle: 1 shot
3) Coach says 'f!ck' live in huddle: 2 shots
4) Homicide Williams tells you to 'belie' dat': 1 shot

Goulding playing like this, good luck stopping that.

Goulding is like the JR Smith of the NBL, that year with the Knicks. 'No JR, no JR... Yes!'

Not sure if I like Corey Williams as a commentator. Seems to be a little bit of bias about him also.

@ anon 9515: prob because Melb's shots are threes, fastbreaks, or step back Js.

'you better believe that'

Jawai was in the paint for 5+ seconds on that last play when he just scored.

I got money on him to top score, so I don't mind so much but come on refs....

Majok gets his 4th.

Finally gets called for a foul that he actually committed.....

No offense to redhage, but he looks done.

lol @ Homicide... refs coaches can get away with the blue language, but not the commentators....

Twice!

Melbourne's players are actually trying to box out, there's two problems:

1. They just arent very good at it.

2. When the ball does go up, and they've already made half an attempt to find their man, they just don't go for the ball with enough intent. I believe they call this "effort" , "Hustle" and "energy".

Perth are the best rebounding team in the league, that's the real issue. Most teams have a couple of guys who hit the glass, but Perth have 3 or 4 on the court at any one time.

I had to laugh at the holding foul on Redhage in q1. I thought, "who would hold an old coge like?"

Look at Jawai holding and pushing Patton on that last play.

United have so many extra gears... going to be hard to knock off if they stay healthy.

You haven't really joined the NBL until you've faced the pressure and grind of the Wildcats.

So far Holt and Majok are doing very well.

Let's see if they can keep their lead, unlike the Hawks on Sunday.

Somehow Jawai doesn't have a block to his name. Pretty sure I saw him destroy Kickert once.

AngusH,

Also take a shot every time Gleeson holds his hands out and complains at a ref's call. Another shot for any reference to CG43 or Dolla (cringe). Also finish your vessel each time they show Archie Thompson in the crowd ;)

On a serious note i think the way to nullify Martin's defensive impact is to push the ball. In the half court set he is so good at "jamming" players up. Holt has used the trans/semi trans to attack him and free space up.

I don't know, what's wrong with 'Homicide'?

They aren't rebounding and it's pissing him orff, show me something man, I love it, so colourful...

Dwayno on the other hand thinks Jackson is scared out there, really, wake up Russel, he ain't scared he is actually doing his hardest!

Perth need more scure outside shooting and Beal to fire to beat United...

Liking Homicide's praise of Tomlinson.

He doesn't put up big numbers but he is a decent floor general to have coming off the bench.

Beal is the key for the Cats. He needs to step up and his some big shots.

IMO Holt. He is the more complete player. That's just my opinion though.

Gotta say I do like Homicide as a commentator, PG-13 language and all.

Holt is a really good fit for Melbourne's style of play, but if I were picking a PG for my squad down the park, I think I'd go with Wilbekin.

Scary to think this is Holts' first real pro gig (not including D-League). He is only 23!

He has a maturity and level-headedness to his game that far exceeds his pro experience.

Understands his role perfectly and doesn't try to do too much.

He is probably one of the most efficient players in the league. Barely needs that many touches to put up some nice stats.

This is one of those stagnant, no-sets phases for Melb... not really running much outside of basic picks.

Beal wow he has been way off the mark.

1 shot!

Yeah Melbourne's offense has a lot of picks, a lot of isolation... reminds me more of NBA than NBL.

Beal has come to play in the last quarter. Bring it.

Hawks game all over again. Perth turning it up to another level

Mebourne is a great team but they need to move the ball more.

Nice baseline pass by Holt.

Blanchfield really shoulda hit Majok there.

Goulding hit the shot, but not exactly inspiring play-calling after a long patch of no offense/quick shots.

Perth are bringing Perth pressure. This is what United has to learn to deal with if they want to live up to their favouritism.

And yes, more ball movement is a must.

Goulding flopping like a pro!!

I'm getting sick and tired of these 2 points blow outs...

What a game. two great twams going at it.

#spygate if MElbourne are watching the broadcast.

Both teams have a lot to learn from this game, regardless of what happens in the last 20 seconds

United- long contested two's aren't your best shot. Move the ball more.

Perth- More spacing needed when they give the ball to Jawai. Maybe more time for Wagstaff would have helped here. He has been on fire from outside this season. Why'd he only play so little time?

OH......MY.....GOD!!!!!

Shawn Redhage!

Two AIIGHTS in 2 seconds, Demopoulos firing 'aiights' like his squad fires jumpers.

Duno why players settle for so many jumpers these days. Attack the rim more.

Oh my lawdy lawd

YES HOLT!

Why did Wagstaff wait before grabbing the ball?? Did he think the clock didn't start until he grabbed it..slight brain freeze there.

Yeah on the replay it looked like Majok got a piece of Beal on that last shot... tough situation for the refs there, though.

What a game. Holt was the difference in the in the end.

Wow. What a finish.

As a pure contest and a fight down the stretch, that's the best I've seen this season, including the Hawks game on Sunday.

These two teams could well meet again this season not three more times, but six.

Majok Majok is close to Melbourne's MVP. Honestly, if you take him out of the team compared to taking someone else out- it's not a stupid question to ask if Majok is actually the most important to their structure. If Goulding misses a game then Holt can do many of the same things he does, Tomlinson is a capable floor general and there's plenty of guys to pick up the scoring slack.

But no one else does what Majok does inside the paint and on the glass. And we saw that tonight. I hope all of those people saying Warrick has been under utilised were watching this game....

And yeah Majok fouled Beal on the last play.

But after getting 3 phantom fouls and having to sit extended periods of the game on the pine, it was about time Majok got a call going his way. It was also about time Jawai got called too.

Although of course I agree that inconsistency from the refs is not kocher.

Majok played really well tonight, but Warrick is one of the best players in the comp, and would probably average 10-12 boards in 30 mins, while also being a threat to top 20 points.

Warrick doesn't play physical defense though. For example, Majok is better at denying the entry pass with good footwork while bodying up his opponent. Warrick is going to block more shots but Majok makes more of a consistent contest and uses his body better. I hope I'm wrong about this- but I doubt Warrick would do as good a job defending Jawai in the block as Majok did tonight.

As for rebounding- Warrick has been rebounding too but he gets rebounds because of his athleticism, whereas Majok gets rebounds because he boxes out. Aside from actually grabbing more rebounds, Majok's approach tires out opponents more and takes up more space in the key.

Majok's wing span is 7'3- same as Scottie Pippen.

I think tackle is a slight exaggeration... He seemed to have got a piece of his wrist on that one replay.

Not sure what annoyed me more, the way the refs let the game get uglier and uglier as the game progressed or the woeful effort from Homocide.

Well, I enjoyed the excitement generated by this game, lots of drama and a heart stopping ending. Game had everything, controversy and tough play, yes inconsistent calling and frustration but we must be getting used to that by now...

I got a few things from the game, most notably that if these two can get over a resurgent Breakers and a high scoring Hawks I think a final series between United and Wildcats would be something else.

I am not sure who would win, but either team is capable of defeating the other, why not a 5 game final series to top off the new NBL?????

LOL @ anon. You mad bro?

Cmon, no way the refs are going to make that call in the boss's building.

Solid win on the road (according to Homicide), despite the adversity Melbourne constantly faces (according to Bubbles).

Livestats worked for this game, but the TSV-ILL box only came up sometime tonight after last night's game.

Boo hoo to Perth fans complaining about fouls not being called.

Why did Wagstaff wait before grabbing the ball?? Did he think the clock didn't start until he grabbed it..slight brain freeze there.

Great game between two good teams.
Got a bit messy in the lst quarter, but produced a nail-biting result.
A lot of positives in there for both teams, but in the end only one gets the points.

I think one of the differences was that MU fouled when they need to, stopped Jawai (and others) getting easy baskets and made him shoot free-throws, whereas Perth just kept giving up soft fouls.

One thing I like is that MU have gone straight out and signed an injury replacement. Hardly like for like, but he came them a few minutes and a couple of points.
Damo was injured for over 2 months and the Cat's didn't replace him. Prather has now missed 3 games, and nothing.

3-point shooting was shocking from both teams.

Knight and Jawai really starting to work well together. I think they need to use Jervis more to keep that dominance.

The heroes of the Hawks game; Beal, Hire, & Wagstaff, were very quiet tonight. Between them, 1 from 11, from outside.

I'm not complaining. Can't shoot 35% from the field and expect to beat such a great scoring team. The bad call didn't cost the game.

Despite it being a loss, Perth can take a lot positives out of this.Holt is a damn stud who I think will cause matchup nightmare for most teams.

I don't think Melbourne are going to shoot that poorly that often, though. Missed a lot of good looks.

Why did their second best (??) Outside shooter in Wagstaff play so little? That surprised me.

But oh yeah, I see what people mean, Goulding = "Flop King"

Damien Martin Will be better for the run and Prather coming back will make the Cats stronger.This is a team that has played 3 games in 6 days and two of them were on the road. I thought they would not be able to keep up with the fresher United and despite shooting a horrid 35% from the % and 21% 3pt line they pretty much had the game in the bag in the last 20 second before the Holt shot so despite the loss it's not all doom and gloom.

FWIW - live stats started part way through the second quarter.

Goulding can NEVER be the Flop King in a League where Redhage still plays, NEVER.

Anon you seem a tad upset. If the league is so poor then maybe find another league to follow? Cant win them all, perth have had many solid efforts from the refs over the past few years. Another close finish great for the league... pity it wasnt higher scoring but 1 basket game is nice to watch.

Bit of a shame to see all of the negative comments. The atmosphere at the game for a weeknight was great, with the crowd on their feet for the last minute.
Each team and the refs had their moments but overall awesome live game

Yeah Dazz Goulding is next in line to the throne... but its still Redhage's crown.

Chilled just angry perth fans, anytime your team loses and its a road game they get first access to the thread. Passion even negative is great for the game. People actually care and its only round 4 or whatever... great signs.

Melbourne are nothing compared to Perth. Perth just didn't get the shots to drop. If they had Perth wins by 12.

Melbourne got mauled in the paint.

Melbourne are nothing compared to Perth.

LOL, no, actually, they're better because they got their shots to drop.

And won...

Perth wilburs... just dont man its not a pretty look.

PW, when you have to say that your team would have won if they'd just got their shots to drop for several years, you eventually have to accept its because they aren't a great shooting team.

So the Team that shot better would've lost if the poorer shooting Team had've shot better than them?

In other news, water is wet.

Always a good day when Perth lose. Well done United.

Problem is, Perth Wilburs, that the Cats did the same thing last week and lost to.... wait for it....The Crocs.

The Cats just aren't a great jump shooting team. No surprises there.

But a fully healthy Martin will help. Looking forward to next time.

(To clarify I mean a fully healthy Martin will help *with their overall game*, and defense on Holt, not with their jump shooting)

I was at this game and it was a great finish - entire building out of their seats for the last minute. Great finishes like that can only be good for basketball in Aus.

For probably 5 minutes in the last quarter though (it felt like a lot longer), it was pretty miserable at the offensive end for both teams. I was there with a mate who hasn't been to a game in a decades, and he was asking out loud why United was running iso's for Goulding for what seemed like five consecutive possessions in the fourth. No one else on the court was even cutting - they just stood still and let Goulding shoot contested jumpers.

Granted, United came away with the win in the end but clearing out for Goulding in a tight fourth quarter isn't a balanced offence, IMHO.

With Prather back perth will get someone besides beal who can attack the basket something they lacked tonight.

Kenny should have had time. The buzzer sounded with 1.2 seconds on the clock.

That's what I thought too.

If kenny had missed he wouldnt have been able to return to WA!

Really enjoyed that game even though my team lost. There are positive signs for Perth and that is they are showing they can compete with the best teams in the league.

Well done to Melbourne though, they made the play that matters. For those saying Perth should of won that if there shots dropped, you could also say United should of won comfortably if Goulding and Majok didn't get into foul trouble and Blanchfield's shots were dropping. Game didn't play out like that. Cop it in the chin and move on. Another great game coming up on Saturday. Dunno if I can handle another nail biter lol

Great game to watch, and enjoying Melbourne's style this year. Only negative is that flog, Eric Hollingsworth getting involved in the players celebrations after games. His job is a physical trainer, nothing more, and after being sacked as the Aussie athletics coach, I'm amazed he shows his face in public at all. The game is about the players, not you Eric!

Yeah I thought it was a great contest.
Hopefully it came across well to neutrals too. It certainly wasn't high scoring, and it included a lot of missed shots, but that didn't make it a poor spectacle IMO.

Luuuc, as a neutral, it was a super first half, a brilliant mix of internity, physicality, skilled offence and good D.

While the intensity was really high in the second half the physicality seemed to take its toll, both teams got lazy offensively and settled a lot, missed a lot of open looks and the entertainment value waned. But the last few minutes were superb.

With both FIBA and the NBA, they both know many more people see highlights than full games. Whether that's the case with the NBL I'm not sure because they don't get a lot of love from TV stations and highlights are hard to find, but that game certainly provided a great highlights package.

Can you imagine the Cats,United, Breakers and the Hawks matchups in the payoffs?. It's going to be a great playoffs series. Four equally matched opponents duking it out!

LOL! Blowouts galore more like it.
NBL: National Blowout League. LOL!

Time to intro Best of 5 Grand Final Series, more profit.

Remains to be seen what happens when & if Prather returns. To date I have not seen him do what the cats claimed he would, but he looks like a capable SF. (Although "small" is somewhat of an understatement.)
So say we get back to a starting line-up of NJ, MK, CP, JB, & DM. The problem remains the logjam of bench talent all trying to backup the 4 spot. (Redhage is definitely bench talent at this point.)
In some ways I don't mind Hire & Wagstaff backing up the 3, but unfortunately their 3-point shooting is on and off. Last night Beal was off too, and on average he only hits around 33%. And there's still nobody to backup Beal off the bench.
Problem is I suspect some of these "off nights" are simply the result of defensive focus. Opposition teams know that they need to stop Beal, and act accordingly. In that scenario you needed the "unguarded" player to step up, and we don't have the players to do it.

Defence was definitely responsible last night. Gotta give MU credit for that.

Beal & Wagstaff are both very solid 3 point shooters. Beal is always going to be a bit streaky, because he gets very few open looks. He's nearly always having to take his shots either on the move, under pressure, or from a long way out.
Wagstaff is money with his feet set or in rhythm as a trailer, but his percentages go down the toilet in a hurry as soon as he is forced to rush his shots.

"The clock didn't start until he grabbed the ball. That's the rule. Was a really smart play."

koberulz, yes you are right. brain freeze on my part. It just looked wrong/weird. For some reason I thought it started once it hit the ring.

I've not seen Wagstaff rush anything this season. He seems to be doing everything in slow motion.

Surprised that more hasn't been said about the end-of-game buzzer.
It sounded when Kenny still had possession of the ball, about to pass it to Beal. Beal actually got his shot off before 0.0, but I can't imagine his care factor about it would have been high considering he would already have heard the buzzer sound by that point.
What was the go with that? Was the Foxtel on-screen clock wrong?

AFAIK, the foxtel clock isn't synchronized with the actual game clock (I know it's hard to believe that a professional league wouldn't have it).

Here's my recap of last night - wrote some things about the two calls at the end

http://wildcatsviews.com/2015/10/30/perth-wildcats-narrow-loss-to-melbourne-united/

No, he didn't use that call/no call as a reason for their loss.

Still better than what I could write.

DeAndres Review: The Wildcats would have won if they scored more than United. They didn't and they lost because of that. The End.

Interesting @Wildcats views, do you think Nate Jawai might have gone and sat next to Dollar Beal in the change rooms afterwards and said a few things in relations to the game?

Maybe some mention about passing in to the dominant big man when the game is on the line, or something along those lines...

Even if the Foxtel clock wasn't in sync with the game clock, it still started roughly when the game clock should have started. Maybe a couple of tenths late.

I've captured the final couple of possessions; I'll throw it into Premiere/After Effects and see what timings I come up with later.

A shame the NBL doesn't have a feedback for fans who care about the game, who actually want to go and see the games or pay for subscriptions to NBL Live, etc.

Not one reply to any of my emails.

I've seen Nate fire up a few times when he hasn't had the ball passed in but on that play I don't see where he could have got the ball. He wasn't in great position and the help D was too close. The shot from Beal was poor and he didn't seem to be aware of the shot clock either so maybe thats why he was pissed.

"Maybe some mention about passing in to the dominant big man when the game is on the line, or something along those lines..."

You think he would have told him to pass it to Matty Knight more?

Again, loving the scheduling..

Next thing will be making the season longer. March Through September is a bloody long wait in between.

They need to extend the payoffs to best of five to extend the payoff for fans

Teams to play each other 5 times instead as well.

Then Best of 5 for Grand Finals only maybe.

I actually quite like best of 3 for quarter and semis, some of those 7 game NBA series are so long..