NZ looked pretty good against Adelaide. They moved the ball around and found good shots and more importantly their defence was solid. I can't see Cairns giving NZ so many open shots like Adelaide did with their zone and going under the screens.

NZ to take this one at home for me.

Oops , ^ that was me

Not a given, but Breakers only need to play with the same confidence they played against Sixers earlier this week to claim this one. Cairns will make it tough though. Worthington is on fire and will try to dominate whoever tries to mark him. I don't think we have anyone who can handle his inside outside game.
Pledger and CJ should be factors but who knows which Webster will show. Either way I think Cairns will rely on an 80 point, half court set offence, get the ball inside and shoot 25 free throws, type game to have a chance.
Breakers start favourites but will b pushed.

This gives the answer to a three-way tie (or any tie involving more than two teams):

http://www.nbl.com.au/featured-news/r18-report-taipans-scrape-home-but-lose-sixers-series/

Cairns would have to play a lot better than they did against us to beat NZ. Everything is against them, travelling, shorter rest, NZ home crowd and they would have to shoot the lights out from the three and get that percentage up from 25% to around 55%

Most likely NZ will blow them well away.

An upset would be nice though!

You'd expect NZ to win this given Cairns' travel and a bit of confidence from Weds, but this season has been good at delivering the unexpected.

The Breakers are at their best when they can run out off defensive boards, Adelaide's quick shooting playing into their hands there, so if the Taipans can play controlled offence and have their d-trans set they'll be a real chance, as NZ's half-court offence hasn't been great of late.

Re the three-way tie-breaker, Cairns will go through if the teams are tied on 14 wins:

Cairns 5-3
Adelaide 4-4
New Zealand 3-5

Gee the lighting is weak.

Hard to see what's happening on the tv!

Wow, taipans are shooting the lights out.

Wortho with some nice moves! Lol

The ball does blend in with the floor at NSEC.
It's also blending in with the bottom of the net from Gliddon atm.

Here we go again with the lazy disinterested shitful breakers

Same shit every night with these dopes.. Just sit back and let the opposition run up a double digit lead..

Cedric Jackson you fucking corpse

Cairns are playing great. Shots are dropping and forcing NZ into tough shots.

Breakers get back within four now watch them slip back into full dope mode

Flop warning for Gliddon. OMFG!!

Wortho. Lol!

Think our season is 8 mins away from being over. NZ won't lose from here.

Breakers will doze off and open the door

Lol

6ers stink

So the only away win Cairns had this year was on that ridiculous 3 Starks hit on the buzzer against us.

You mean the one where DJ didn't get a hand up? Yeah that's the only one smh. Said it all along early season fails will cost teams in such a close comp!

KingPodge hasn't even posted in this thread mate. Not sure what your problem is.

I looked him up. KingPodge has one post since October. This Anon troll is a special kind of stupid.

Interesting to see where Cairns goes from here. Lot of vets on that team - do they all come back?? Not sure of any injuries but Burston seemed to fall away a bit as the season went on and Tragardh and Loughton are shadows of what they once were.

Starks you'd think would go, Craig seemed to be a lot better starting - could be poached? Bruce has come along nicely though.

Is Fearne on a long-term arrangement up there? Could Gordie step up to the top role, or possibly leave?

Lot of questions..

Even that version of King Podge has 2 posts since December 4. One about blood pressure, one about having a Big Mac.
You really hold grudges hey?
Link me to the post that you're so hung up about.

Breakers finding some form at the right time after playing terrible through january and almost throwing their season down the drain. The next two games against Melbourne will say a lot about NZ's title credentials despite probably not deserving to be in the conversation or play offs.

Wouldn't want to play the breakers in the first round, so I hope United can win one of the next two games and perth finish second.

hahaha getting trolled without even commenting. I guess i'm kind of a big deal.

Anon, go take your meds and have a lie down....

Nice try Dave...

#SpecialKindOfStupid

Breaks my heart as a 36er fan every time I see Torrey Craig play, they man does all sorts of things to keep his team in a game.

Kobe24 - he doesn't do alot of complaining either, some of the 36ers seem to spend more time complaining than worrying about what they are doing on the court.

Yep very noticeable, plus he is comfortable coming off the bench. The man is a professional baller, wish we had him instead of a guy who gave us 4 games. Craig is a game breaker type with all the things he can offer imo.

agree. I hope he's back here next season, he's only going to get better.

Yeah at this point he is one of my favs to watch, so as long as he is in the league ill be happy!

Lol @6ers antagonists

Warms the heart!!

So all this hype about Wortho....he joins a grand finalist from last season, and the following year they don't even make the playoffs.

Last season he was skipper of a stacked team that completely capitulated in the second half of the season.

Prior to that, he was very ordinary for a very average Melbourne team

A year or two before that, he was in a stacked Blaze team that didn't come close to its potential. Not sure if he was in the leadership group, or if they even had one, based on the off court issues they had.

Something isn't right here. Whether he continually makes bad decisions by signing with whoever is going to throw the most money at him, or he is actual cancerous to a team environment, or a combination of both, he's probably the most overrated player in the NBL in the past decade. It's great he puts up good numbers at times, but he's also a head case who can let his personal battles and vendettas get in the way of team success on any given night.

I think he was a 'anything you get out of him this season is a bonus type' at the Taipans, but agreed besides early success at stacked Kings team hasn't been known as a true winner. Been paid as such though ;)

Well at least he's available to commentate the playoffs again...

Anyone but Brad Rosen, painful the way he feels the need to explain every basketball phrase and rule, when the refs cant get the rules right themselves! Guess one thing Wortho would do is call it how he sees it, wouldn't be afraid to call out the refs.

Wortho is a ham but who here can say they've guarded Kobe Bryant at the olympics.**
Total respect.


** notwithstanding Kobe hit like 25 points in 10 minutes of said guarding. Lol

"Said it all along early season fails will cost teams in such a close comp!"

Rarely a truer word spoken.

Torrey Craig is signed to play for the Southland Sharks this season I believe in the NZNBL. Athletic multi faceted player who plays both ends well and as mentioned doesn't sook or mind doing as the coach asks even if it means coming off the bench.

He's a super role player at NBL level. Seems like he's found a niche playing 9-odd months each year in Aus & NZ leagues, and I don't think too many are sad about that. How good were his blocks tonight?!

His (Craig) never give up attitude is awesome, especially on that chase down block on Vukona.
Alex Pledger is playing himself into some form and will be valuable in the finals with Charles Jackson able to bring energy and enthusiasm off the bench for NZ.
Do you think Tai Wesley is in the discussion for 6th man of the year?
Tom Abercrombie apparently isn't a feared shooter, their must be some pretty brave teams in this league because he stuck a fair few daggers in the Sixers and Taipans.

Haha! A commentator the other day said he wasn't known for his three-point shooter. Apparently he's had five 40% seasons in the NBL anonymously!

Pledger is looking great, diving to the hole like he did in 2012/13 when Jackson and Boucher just found him time and time again. His defence is probably more important though, such a big presence.

Anyone else find Charles Jackson to be quite funny and humours with his excitement about any play? Its not a dig, he just makes me laugh with his goofy demeanour.

I like an import with some personality and energy ie: Gary Wilkinson. But yes he does come off as a little goofy but seems to have fitted into the playing group well and was one of the guys who played well through Jan.

Yeah unlike Wilkinson though he doesn't rub me up the wrong way. not sure what it is, but I like his game from where he was at the start of the season.

He just kills any opponent who won't work as hard as he does, and then he rarely tries to do anything he's not capable of.

Wilkinson was a similar type to Petrie or Worthington. Rubs you the wrong way as an opposition supporter.
Jackson is just a fun character to watch. Not the most talented, doesn't really have much actual basketballing ability, but he just brings energy and effort to the game.

Hey man, what have you got against talents like catching and dunking?!

Fearne's coaching today slipped back to old habits of benching players who were hot (TC and Gliddon).

Anon you have no idea what kind of money any player is on. Your ASSumptions are wild speculation.

huh? you brought up the money issue.... I was suggesting, accurately, that you're knowledge of player salaries is tremendously lacking...... Unless you are Wortho and then I'd cede to your inside knowledge on the situation.

And remember correlation doesn't equal causation. Saying that Wortho's appearance at a club signals its demise over simplistic. You don't keep getting signed by clubs if you are an asshole to coach/play with.

"I've noticed the same about him wherever he has gone post Goorjian there is a trend downwards wise."

Melbourne Tigers went from 12-16 and missing the playoffs to 15-13 and G3 of the SFs after Wortho arrived there.

Gold Coast had a down year with injuries after he arrived but then bounced back and took a very good Perth team to G3 in the SFs.

paul with the fact bomb! boom!

haha anon, the only thing being deflected are facts by your supercilious ignorance.. #HateHard