Because of the points differential for tie breakers at seasons end. Unlucky.

I probably wouldn't say bad luck, more like bad management (of funds).

If you throw money on something, you should be prepared for these types of things. And account for them. That one's on you, Mortan!

I wish teams would try to score whenever they have the chance. Up with 5 seconds left, launch a prayer anyway. People are paying to see basketball, not someone dribbling out the clock.

Couldnt agree more.

Teams should always try launch prayers whenever they get the chance. Hate this whole 'protecting of the shooting %'s crap'.

If it was a two point game at the end you'd wish you had an opportunity to throw a prayer..so why not take that opportunity whenever you can get it.

Noticed Jason Cadee wasn't keen on throwing the hail mary at 3qtr time until the siren had sounded...

Guys Basketball Etiquette you just don't take a shot when the game is over an there is less time on the game Clock than there is on the shot Clock.

Anyone who grew up playing the game with a Coach with values and principals will tell you that. Not even in Rec League I do not lim eit.

It is like Mankadding a batsman in a game of cricket IMO.

Screw the etiquette, I think it's silly. And 0.1% > 0%, so why not.

In the NBL it is important to play games out especially with tie breakers. In other leagues when it isn't agree it is bad etiquette.

For me its totally illogical that teams don't take the long prayers at the end of the quarters.

As mentioned, you should take any opportunity you can to make a bucket..even if the %'s aren't on your side.

What if your team loses by 2 or 3..

By not taking the prayer your basically saying that the game won't be close enough at the end for it not to have an influence..even though quite a few games are decided by a couple of points.

Agreed, take the shot, if your worried about percentages your heart is in the wrong place. Etiquette is so over rated, and in this league like people have said point spreads do come in to it. As for line betting, bet your hating corey Maynard right now for that last jumper haha

It's a bit ludicrous to use etiquette as a reason not to take the shot in a sport where professional fouling is acceptable and used as a tactic. Take the shot, every time.

Remember THAT game between 36ers and Cats when Ervin went nuts and Greg Hire for taking a shot in the dying seconds of the game lol

But yeah I'm all for taking a shot no matter how far in front you are. We are in a league where the points spread and pts % can determine where you finish on the ladder. Imagine missing out on the minor premiership spot and a home final because you were up by 20 and didn't want to hurt a teams feelings by taking that last shot.

The etiquette thing is pretty stupid and comes across as a bit of a "sore loser" impression IMO.

using etiquette as an excuse than can be turned around saying "oh if a team is down 20 with 2 mins to go, we should stop the game because there is no point"
people pay because they want to watch a game of ball not some soft bs

The etiquette thing is total BS.
It should be totally up to the team with the ball as to whether they want to score or not.
For most of the NBL season it's a no-brainer that teams should strive for the biggest winning margin they can get.
When it's at a stage that it no longer matters, then do what you like. I respect going for more points. Scoring points is fun! I also respect a team that holds the ball up and dribbles out the clock, because why risk an injury for meaningless points.

But anyone who gets upset about an opponent who tries to score a basket on them in a game of basketball is just a tool. Exhibit A: Gary Ervin.

etiquette what crap. fans pay to see a game and scoring is part of a game. Players like to score also.


By the etiquette theory, if you are 20 pts up you in the last Quarter you shouldnt score again as the game is over.

Game should be played out as determined by the team with the ball. If the losing team does not want to be scored against, PLAY D.

Whats the etiquette ruling if a team is up by 20 points and gets a fast break with 5 seconds left. What should the player do. Does he dunk it? Or just go nah that just be bad manners. Stupid.

teams can never replicate game pressure at practice, no mater the score or the qtr they should always put themselves in a position to execute under pressure, even it means calling a timeout with 20 sec to go up 10 or down 20, its all learning under game pressure,

saw a junior girls game last night, losing team called a time out with 40 seconds to go down 12 to give the girls a chance to execute a side ball play under game pressure, winning team did the same up 12 with 20 sec to go, both experienced coaches been around a long time, they both knew way they did it and there was no issue at all.

I agree with the last few posts, teams can do whatever they want.

I agree with the last few posts, as well as the one directly before mine.

What's even more annoying than this is guys who intentionally launch a half second after the buzzer at qtr/half time so the prayer shot doesn't affect their percentage but it looks like they tried to get a shot off but weren't quick enough.

Would have loved Greg Hire to come in and drain a 3 at the last second on the Hawks on Sat. ;)

Will then dub him the "Salt Rubber"

Playing Devil's Advocate a little bit here, I have no problem in the sportsmanship of a player not jacking up a last second prayer when the game is done and dusted.

Players are the ones who determine this, so if players in that league or level of competition self-determine that it isn't done then it isn't done.

I for one like to see last seconds wound down and players shaking hands in recognition that the game is over with no chance to change the result in the dying seconds.

That's the point missed here I think, it is the dying seconds, not last few minutes, so no point in showing off or looking like a dick at this level, just like no point in looking like a spoit brat at the lower or junior levels.

If the players all encourage it, for whatever reason, then fine go and jack up that last hero throw, but it's the players who determine this at the time - no one else IMHO...

Some good points there Bear, although in comps like the NBL where points differential can be important I'd imagine some coaches instruct players to play until the final whistle.

To be honest, I see no point in *not* playing out the final seconds.

I mean, what is the reasoning here? That the result is beyond doubt and so we shouldn't be a "hero" with 10 seconds to go? Well, where do we draw the line here? If there’s 15 points the difference then do we stop playing with 10 seconds to go, or a minute and a half left? What if there’s 25 points the difference?

Why not just play until the final siren and then shake hands? Isn’t that far simpler?

Another reason: We fans pay top dollar to watch the best basketball players in this country, so they should do the right thing and play until the final siren.

Likewise, I pay good dollars in tolls/parking/Rego/Game fees to play in weeknight bball comps, so just play it out, boys. That’s what we’re here for.

Sure, if every other player on the court stopped dead in their tracks then I wouldn’t try and grab the ball off an opponent and try a half court shot. I’d respect that for all intents and purposes, everyone else had stopped playing. But I do question why they would do that in the first place, and I’ll never be the first guy who stops before the siren sounds.

Why is it a facepalm?

Seriously- Why is it "bad sportsmanship" to keep playing once the game is “done and dusted” (as Bear put it)?

If that is the case, then it's equally unsportsmanlike to put a shot up with 30 seconds to go in a lopsided game. It’s impossible to make up a 20 point margin in 30 seconds. So if we’re basing this on when the game is “done and dusted” ..... and who gets to decide that?

As I said- I respect the decision of the majority. If my opponent wants to stop playing, I’ll go along with that etiquette in that moment. But I still think it’s totally unnecessary.

Shake hands after the game ends. When the game ends, stop playing the game. Easy.

It's an interesting topic for me. I had a run in with a team mate a few years ago where he stopped playing and I was told him to keep playing.

I've played high level juniors and high level weeknight ball and I'd always just thought the typical scenario was that the game loses intensity gradually and descends into "junk time" depending on the margin. But I'd never seen someone literally completely stop playing with time on the clock until this one night.

I told him to stop pretending he was in the NBA and play till the buzzer. A few weeks later I hit a meaningless half court shot on the buzzer (in junk time, others hadn't stopped). And I may have let him know I enjoyed that.

I've softened my Stance since then as its happened a few times and its not worth arguing about (my teammate and I still play A grade together).

It depends which stadium and area you play in, I think. But yeah, until a few years ago I'd assumed this only happens in the pros, where the winning team wants a few extra seconds of adoration from the crowd and no one wants to get injuries. It was only then that I realised social players do it too and that its a issue of sportsmanship for some ppl, not a cut and dry issue of playing to the buzzer like I had always thought....

I for one like to see last seconds wound down and players shaking hands in recognition that the game is over with no chance to change the result in the dying seconds.

That's the point missed here I think, it is the dying seconds, not last few minutes, so no point in showing off or looking like a dick at this level, just like no point in looking like a spoit brat at the lower or junior levels.

This supposed etiquette is just nonsensical.

Sport is a competition. I cannot think of anything more disrespectful to the spirit of competition than intentionally not trying. These are competitions that rely on more than just the W/L result column. The NBL is a professional competition at that, so you expect teams to compete for the full 40 minutes.

The existence of sports betting makes any attempts to preserve a margin, as happens when just dribbling out the clock, all the more suspicious and all the more potentially unethical.

Where did this silly idea that dribbling out the clock is somehow showing respect for the losing side? It disrespects the opposition, it disrespects fans who pay to see action and both teams trying for the full 40 minutes, and it disrespects the fundamental principle of a sporting competition.

Was going to say pretty much exactly what rjd just said.

Good points rjd. Obviously the issue is 10 minute quarters. If they were 12 minutes there'd be extra time for players to wind down.

What's this "etiquette"?
One of the greatest finishes to an already won game was back in the 90's, I think it was v the Tigers, Perth got the ball back with seconds to go, and Matt Earp threw it one-handed from around half-court and drained it.

Apart from potentially making the playoffs?

Why anon?

bring in the mercy rule, stop the game when one team cannot win!!!! LOL

Not scoring is crap, play it out, last min the same as the 1st min!

Even more crap is teams fouling when 10 pts down and 20secs to go, that drags the game out for another 5 mins with foul shots.

It's weird, peoples points of view.
To me, standing there bouncing the ball, effectively saying "haha we've won already, we don't even need to try" is disrespectful in my opinion.
Play to the buzzer.

If it's so crucial to play out the clock at all costs, because the last minute is as important as the first, playoffs are on the line and the rest of it - why then pull your starters and play the bench when the result is beyond doubt?

If it's so crucial to play out the clock at all costs, because the last minute is as important as the first, playoffs are on the line and the rest of it - why then pull your starters and play the bench when the result is beyond doubt?

I also think it sucks in blowout situations for the bench players who rarely get an opportunity. I always liked to see those guys have a go, whether it is garbage time or not.

Garbage time would be about several minutes, in a blow out game you would still expect your bench to go out and try hard, see what they can do in a short time.

Last few seconds is not garbage time, it is game end time, two different things, I would expect to see bench players also wind down the final few seconds in that case...

What, and potentially miss the playoffs as a result?

Particularly this early in the season it's impossible to know which teams points spread will count against, so a smart team will keep trying to score.

Remember, an Ian Crosswhite triple when a game was over mid-season effectively got the Kings into the playoffs over Melbourne in 2012-ish.

Would've been 2013. That's the only year the Kings have made the playoffs since 2008.