There are so many good shooters there that there is always one firing.

Live by the three, live in 2015.

United's plan B if they can't make a shot:

- Iso Warrick in low block

- Clear out and let Goulding go one on one

Those are both good options to get a bucket

And yeah look many ppl wondered what would happen to the Warriors when Curry, Thompson stopped hitting shots. They found a Way.

The sheer number of good scorers and shooters means cumulatively they are hard to stop. Hill isn't traditionally an outside shooter but has been knocking threes every night after being left wide open.

Iso-ing Todd Blanchfield and letting him go to work is one of the most efficient options in the league and it's like their fourth or fifth option. I'm sure they'll be fine on the offensive end...

Said 2 years ago that Blanchfield is a man to watch and when DJ left I was on here begging Sixers to grab him and here we are with him killing it. Geese I'm good at picking them.

Yeah you are right Mick- I was just replying to the OP

New Zealand and Perth represent a challenge to United because they are both great rebounding teams. Both have depth, size and talent in their frontcourts.

United escaped with a nail biting win against Perth and is yet to play NZ- which is why all this hype about United is getting slightly overblown. Most of it is based on work United has done against the two bottom teams!

GEESE

...couldn't resist

Seriously though, if the game slows down a la in the playoffs/when they play Perth and (as you'll see on Sunday) New Zealand, I wonder how they will fare. They had me baffled tonight playing at Sydney's pace, but as soon as they started connecting on flashy shots, their energy lifted and they started running. I reckon if they have a bad shooting night then they will be a little less inclined to play quickly. Seeing shots fall through the hoop is where Melbourne get their mojo, nowhere else really.

I have my reservations about this team but you can't deny the star power, depth, balance and attitude. Best in the league at the moment. Still, I'm backing NZ for the championship (backed them as soon as Webster came back). And I reckon they'll give Melbourne their first L on Sunday

You also have to remember that they are currently beating everyone without Warrick and Barlow. Their 2 main guys who give them another avenue to score.
Not sure what the story is with those 2, but they have 2 big names out and still look almost unbeatable. They have such a scary roster this year.

Hendo, Barlow is out for the season per Demopoulos and by the sounds of it there's no definitive date for Warrick's return. He should be getting a scan in the next couple of days if he hasn't had it already.

Before last night, Goulding's 3P% was under 35% from memory. They were still winning. Bench seems exploitable though.

Want to beat United, here's how to give it a CHANCE:

1. Take away their second chance points.
2. Dominate your 'O' boards and give yourself those second chance points.
3. Hurt them inside and stay with them all game.
4. Try not getting into a 3 point shootout, but create good open 3's and take them.
5. Pick your poison and trust your game plan.

NZ and Perth are disciplined, mature teams with strong low post and inside scoring options. Two of the strongest rebounding teams in the competition.

They are the ones who could pull off Bear's game plan.

Although I am looking forward to the rest of United games against 36ers and Hawks. Man are we going to see some shootouts this season. We're still just at the beginning.

2. Dominate your 'O' boards and give yourself those second chance points.

I keep waiting for the night Melbourne don't knock down all those contested threes, but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen.

Goulding is like the JR Smith of the NBL - I'm a lot more concerned when he pulls up on a contested three than I am when he's wide open.

Isaac- Majok is only playing 20 minutes or so per game. If you look at per minute stats across college and his first season and a bit in the pros, I think you'll find he's more foul prone than average.

@ anon they shot a lot of contested 3s. I couldn't give you a number, but I would say that most of Goulding's threes in particular were contested, at the very least. I think he got maybe 2 clean looks with no defender in front of him. For anyone else in the league they are 'bad shots', but not for an MVP-form Goulding.

Most of Holts were coming off screens, but were far from what I'd consider open looks. Cleaner looks than Goulding, but still not 'open' looks.

Kickert created open looks every time he got someone to bite on his pump fakes at the top of the key and found guys like Blanchfield and the replacement import (his name escapes me) though, for sure. It's the most underrated part of Melbourne's offense.

You can break United's shooters into 3 groups:

1. Holt and Goulding (but in particular Goulding) are the types of guys who shoot off the dribble. They’re liable to pop a 3 at any moment. Think of Lanard Copeland, Ebi Ere. Playground shooters. But both can catch it and shoot too.

2. Kickert and Blanchfield are both reliable catch and shoot players in the same vein as an Oscar Forman. They don’t have to be wide open but they do need their feet set.

3. Then you’ve got Tomlinson, Hill and Hadziomerovic who have all been hitting the wide open looks they’ve been getting as a result of ball rotation or the other guys being double teamed. And last night Jackson added himself to this group.

It’s not surprising at all that this group is breaking three point records. It was clear from looking at their roster that them and Illawarra would both be hitting huge numbers of threes this season in terms of pure volume. Although it’s exciting to see exactly how well it’s all fitting together and the consistently high percentage they’ve managed to drop.