Toss a coin. Melbourne could bounce either way after the Cairns loss, Long in particular.

Refs suck as usual. Foul on Bogut was a Trimble flop...(who is a massive flopper)! Great game by Barlow so far.

Melbourne playing some matador D on the perimeter. Ware just blowing by Melo like he isn't there.

Great game Barlow. Huge impact for Melbourne.

Great game Barlow. Huge impact for Melbourne.

Interior D for United just woeful today. That's been the story of the game.

These referees are terrible. So many incorrect calls and seem to be guessing most of the time. That ethnic looking ref has been crap in every game I've seen this year. Surely better refs calling c grade

Funny how all these complaints about ref calls were not there when Sydney lost to Melbourne in melbourne on ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC 4th quarter calls. How does a taste of your own medicine feel melbourne fans? You sound as salty as Big Trev at Perth. Just waiting for all of the Sydney are buying a championship comments now.

I was looking forward to a good contest, but it was destroyed by the refs.

Agree the refs were terrible but united's defence is worse . Time after time sydney were given open lanes

Yep, Sydney were beating Melo off the dribble, getting inside, and then scoring or drawing fouls at absolute will. I did think the Kings got a Perth-esque 'homecourt benefit of the doubt' on some calls, but I don't think that was the difference. Kings approached the game like United were undersized which, with Long's inability to defend at the rim without fouling and Barlow's inability to match Tate physically, they kinda were.

Prather looks rusty and should not be playing PG but I think they really miss his ability to penetrate with the other guys they have on the roster.

Not even close to the worst refereeing performance this season, let alone 30 years.

Although I want to watch the replay again. Bogut did definitely flop, no question, but seen that same thing called god knows how many times by NBL refs.

As a united supporter whingeing about refs is counter productive .Our defence is s joke . When you start coaching kids the first thing you do is teach them to be accountable on defence .United are not

Great to see Purchase get some minutes.

Couldn't have said it better myself 778067. With that type of rational thinking you mustnt be a diehard melbourne irrational fanboy. Way better insight than that idiot Corey.

Saying the Kings had the refs in their backpocket ignores the heat the Kings were putting on the rim. The first Q where United racked up a ton of fouls and the Kings a ton of FTs, at one stage (maybe 5-6 mins in), the Kings had not take a single shot outside the paint. The two times in the game where United began to chip away at the lead were the times the Kings went away from that and started becoming perimeter orientated. Seems to me that's the way to beat United this season, take advantage of the weak perimeter D to attack the basket and draw fouls on Long or score easy baskets.

Kings game plan strategy "take the ball to the hoop" exposed Melbourne's porous defence.

lol... back pocket, alright...

Tate was great again today, Mr Consistency has been the team MVP this season hands down... His ability to take Barlow out of the game was as key as Casper being able to get the basket at will...

Bogut being able to have a single-single and still win, while only needing to play 20mins will pay off in the long term...

Lisch coming back (when?) will just make them more dangerous, but being able to fit both him and Cooks into an already stacked line-up will be tough and hopefully it's not reminiscent of the Kings replacing an underwhelming import a few seasons ago when they were top of the ladder in the first half of the season to only go tits up by the end...

I'm very glad the NBL is doing so well atm, is what I dreamed of back in the 00's when I was a volunteer at press conferences after games with 2,400 people, and doing game write ups, player interviews and MP3 packages for the Melbourne Tigers

Life circumstances change, and where I used to go watch NBL every week or two, I haven't made it yet this season

But if reffing like that continues , I'm nOT sure I'll bother

Fairly sure I tuned to Viceland to watch basketball. Now nearing the end of the game, Barlow just fouled out and I'm wondering if some netball umpires turned up at the wrong stadium and nobody realised

"Administrative error" perhaps

And don't get me wrong, Sydney thoroughly deserves to win, and by a large margin

I'd rather see basketball reffing and Sydney win 106-90 instead of netball with 125-103 or whatever the final score ends up being (still 7 minutes to go as I write this)

Cos, you aren't allowed to...

- Compete for a rebound. Refer the foul on Walker

- Touch an opponent. Refer the foul on Newley drawn by Goulding

- Defend a guy driving to the hoop. Refer Barlows 5th

However, you are allowed to engage in theatrics and you will often get rewarded for it. Refer myriad of examples, eg

- Taylor drawing the foul on Goulding,

- Trimble acting with regularity because that's what the NBL refs have taught him he can do. Kicking his legs out purely to draw fouls. And then getting frustrated on occasions when the refs don't actually call the softest of contact!

-Long trying to box out Bogut and this 7 foot, broad shouldered, 15 year NBA veteran and all defensive teamer hitting the deck like he just got nailed by a Barry Hall shirt front. Bogut is smart, it hasn't taken him long to learn the NBL way.

Just when this comedy of officiating malady couldn't get any less palatable, they found a way to ping Goulding for 2 fouls on the same possession.

Way to ruin what should've been a good game

Just after writing all that, turn the game back on. Foul on Louzada, Smith Milner going to the line for a 3 point play

Watched replay 3 times, can't see why Didi got a foul

Ruining what could be a good display of basketball by turning it into netball

Hoops Capital lol