Hmm... yes, should go for the safer -15.5 for $1.40 or the -21.5 for $1.65... decisions decisions...

Good idea starting a thread before the game though, don't want to anger the Post Gestapo by starting one afterwards!

The Kings guards are gonna get so run over by Damo and Beal it's going to be very painful viewing as a Kings fan... I wouldn't be surprised if Thornton goes off at half time crying and doesn't come back on in the second...

Hope they play the Wildcats Rap video on the screen to get us pumped, a shame it was created before Vlahov and Grace joined..

Kings punch above their weight with Childress on the floor, especially when he runs the point. Perth are in cruise mode at the moment waiting for the home cooking to come their way - they could get a big surprise.

Anyone can beat anyone as we've seen, but hope Heritage Round provides extra motivation and focus for the Cats.

I don't think Perth are in cruise mode at all - They know what's at stake here and desperately need a win.

What difference does it make when the thread is created?

Gleeson should shut his mouth. He is forever giving other teams/players motivation to perform aka stick it up the Wildcats.
Just shut up and fart Trevor.

He doesn't really say much, just "The Red Army will be all over him"...
Personally, I hope he's wrong.

Childress and Wagstaff collided, it was a bit rough, and Childress had a bit of a brain-fart and shoved Wagstaff (with a raised forearm.) He got kicked out and suspended, served his time. He was new to the league, still feeling his way, had probably been told it was a tough league and didn't want to back down, and he over-reacted.
Since then he has been a great ambassador for the league, the game, and his team.

I contrast that to Conklin who behaved like a thuggish prick before, during, and after his collision with Martin.
I was more than happy to boo myself hoarse against Conklin, I won't being doing any of that for Childress, and I hope nobody else does.

I always get nervous when we rest players. Seems to send a signal to the other players that we're not too worried about the game, and those results are never good.
This game has "MUST WIN" written all over it. We CAN cover Knight's absence, but everyone else has to be on their toes, and others need to step up especially on the boards.

I worry when we rest players too. But in the case of Matty I guess you can't take any chances.

As for Trevor, he's probably on the money predicting a hostile reception for Childress from the #RedArmy.
The Cats crowd doesn't need much of an excuse to target a player at the best of times, so the Wagstaff incident the last time he was in town is more than ample reason to give Josh a hard time.

lol... Anons needing to get a life worrying about when a thread is created...

I'd forgotten about Jordan coming on board, it will be interesting to see how he is used and matches up against Jervis and Jawai... Will be a good learning experience for him I think, and he's got five fouls to burn, so opefully it's him who picks them up and not Tommy or Gus...

As for the no shooters comment, I think we can all agree that is any team needs a boost to their outside shooting confidence, it will most likely come when playing the Kings... terrible perimeter defence and didn't Wagstaff outscore us in the last half in Sydney? ugh...

"I think we can all agree that is any team needs a boost to their outside shooting confidence, it will most likely come when playing the Kings"

Haha, so true!

That pass to Wagstaff on the sideline is justice for the stupid number of times the Wildcats get up off the bench and just stand there.

Jawai loves been physical when he is on offense and uses it extensively

But hates when players are physical back.

Seems good at dishing it out but can't take it.

Lights out in the third. Good night Sydney

After that pathetic 1st quarter and a few minutes into the second thanks to Prather Perth look a little better. Still long way off the mark from the Hawks.

Cats still look very ordinary to me.
Somehow the kings are managing to be about 30 points worse than very ordinary.

This is worst then the Hawks thumping. The Kings after quarter time have looked awefull

Another game 3 v 8 that's a killing. Kings nothing to play for but once again it shows the lack of depth in this country of basketball talent. Roll on the finals. These round games are a farce

How does a coach NOT get a tech foul for running onto the court, snatching the ball, and using it to argue with the ref?
The guy is a tool, and and embarrassment to not only the Kings but the League.

WTF was Garlepp doing when he whacked Hire in the Chops? Probably should have been a foul, I guess, but couldn't really understand what he was doing. Ball nowhere near them and going the other way, Hire sitting on the floor, and he just randomly throws his arms out.

Now that we know you sit on the baseline behind the basket when watching games, can you tell us which way you face?

Sydney and Perth can keep Garlepp/Jawai. Please.

Anonymous you're 100% on the ball there!

Kings need an overhaul. They need a quality point guard to run the show & a BIG roster overhaul. It'll be a devastating loss if Garlepp goes, he's the glue right now that's keeping them respectable.

Coach needs to blood all his development guys this season to give them a taste & take a look at what's in store for next season. Give the 6'9" dreadlocked kid a go.

And give minutes to the guys that play with heart consistently. Brandt has been impressive this season, but needs better D around him to help him out... I'm hoping the Kings change it up for the last few games & stop being on the end of blowout scorelines.

The Kings suck. That is all.

I haven't seen much of the Kings this season, and was really surprised by the 2nd half collapse.
They got off to a good start, and I would say had the better of the Cats for most of the 1st quarter, then at least stayed competitive in the 2nd. At half-time, I still thought we had a game on our hands, but in the 2nd half the Kings just collapsed.

Nice to see that Tommy Garlepp has finally found a home and come good, he was very consistent last night, but it was as though everyone else just forgot how to execute.

Anyone catch what Nate did to earn the tech?
I barely saw the original foul, and didn't see the follow-up. Did he mouth off at the Ref?

He talked back to the Ref.

"You can't win in this league without an American offensive creator in the backcourt."

You can but you have to have very good locals like Brisbane in 07 (Bruton, Black and Gibson) or the Dragons in 09 (Gibson, Ingles and Carter).

The NBL really can't afford Sydney to continue like this. LK would be well aware of this.

Goorjian was a good coach, but I wonder how much of his teams' success came out of the fact they were star studded sides which blatantly abused the salary cap?

Sure, although plenty of Sydney sides before him also made a mockery of the salary cap (IIRC it was Sydney that started the trend of taking the piss) without success resulting from it. At least Goorj got some titles to show for it, so he must have been doing something right. (Being the Boomers coach at the time also helped with recruiting of course)

Looking at my first Kings championship framed thing, I wouldn't say that that team was star studded... Hammer, Matty, Chris Williams were top quality, but I wouldn't say Kavossy was a super star, although very good, neither was Melmeth or the likes of Boodnikoff, Stiffy or Sheridan...

Seriously? That team had all bases covered. True, it wasn't one of the absolutely loaded teams in NBL history, but the mix of superstars, stars, shooters, bigs, defenders etc was very good.

Williams ranked third in the Euroleague efficiency ratings in his only season (which is how i believe they determine MVP). He cut up that competition, he was truly world class.

@Paul, I didn't say they weren't extremely well balanced, I said they weren't star studded... You're right they had a great mix and as Anon said above, Goorj was great at getting the right mix of players (and then getting the best out of them). Something that is a glaring weakness in the Kings this season, and in fact, since they came back into the league, because they have the wrong people picking the players... They pick the wrong players and interfere, then wonder why they can't get the best coach available...

They need to advertise the job now, state clearly that the successful candidate will have X, Y, Z players available, but will be able to pick their team with no interference. Do it now, so then they can hit the ground running by the end of the season, be familiar with existing players, retain who they want before the FA period opens and then chase who they want at the start, or before the FA period begins... I keep saying it and I feel like I'm Dumbledore at the end of Goblet of Fire banging my head against the wall of the MoM, but I'll keep saying it until someone listens, I guess...

"@Paul, I didn't say they weren't extremely well balanced, I said they weren't star studded"

I think they were pretty loaded, not all-time greatest loaded, but a 'big four' of Williams, Nielsen, Franklin and Heal is pretty darn good when they have great role players around them.