There's a lot to be said about the banter from the Bogieman. Apart for the last round or so there's something not quite clicking in the locker room of the United team.

I think it will be hard for them to bag a W in Sydney with Sydney playing so well at home.

If Chris Golding can find a phone booth and transform into CG43 they might have a chance of snaring a win. "faster than a Cairns fast break, more powerful than a charge in Perth. Look, outside the arc, is it a bird, is it a plane, no it's CG43"

Based on the regular season matchups Sydney wins easily

If CG catches fire, it could be the catalyst.

Agree Barlow is an X factor.

Another X factor- Bogut's health. The official storyline is he was resting up for the playoffs. Is he really now 100%? 80%? 60%? I think they need him at a certain level as Long- the best version of Long- could destroy Kickert and that might be a game changer.

Provided Long concentrates on the game for the whole game, then I'd agree. However, if he lets the refs get into his head, then I’d hand it to Sydney no matter which CG43 turns up.

Disclaimer : The game is not played on paper.

On paper, MEL matches up to SYD well.

Long is the perfect foil for Bogut, he is athletic, long and has range.

CG43, Trimble, McCarron and Illi are as good as Ware, Lisch, Bruce and Didi.

But Sydney just play better.

I am hoping Vickerman is good enough to figure something out for Ware.

Long is definitely not the perfect foil for Bogut. Long turns into a jump shooter whenever he is matched up against anyone bigger than himself. He can make the 3, but any time he is out there shooting those instead of crashing the offensive glass or hanging around the rim looking for lobs is OK with me.

United have enough offensive talent that they can win the series - any of the 4 teams in the semis are a shot - but they don't match up particularly well with Sydney. Tate has eaten Barlow alive this season and Ware has treated Melo like he's not even there on defense. So, it's definitely possible, but we'll see -United definitely caught some form down the stretch.

Hi Everyone,
Please all agree or I will be forced to lock this thread.
Different opinions will not be tolerated as they can cause insults and debate.

Thanks

Game 1 - Kings win comfortably.
Game 2 - United win in a close tussle.
Game 3 - Kings win in double overtime.

[Sydney will attack the rim relentlessly. Melbourne guards can't prevent it, and Long will either pick up quick fouls or let Sydney score at will. Won't matter what he does or doesn’t do at the other end.]

Yep, big challenge for United staying out of foul trouble in this series

United's D has ranged from woeful to, at times, decent. But I'd say the decent trend has been towards better.

They need to continue with that decent D, constant commitment and the right rotations,

They also need refs who DONT call every little tiggy touch wood foul, and fouls against guys who jump straight upwards and the offensive player forces contact. That's what happened in some of the Sydney- United meetings this season.

Recent* trend has been towards better

Melbourne to copy Perth's formula of on ball screen and floater - wins in 2 games. Kings still left wonder why they can't defend the on-ball all season long.

How many times did Kings beat a team with effective on-ball and legit shooters - ie Perth?

Anon 288: Touch wood

Southern states it's ticky touch wood.

Northern states it’s tiggy touch wood.

In NSW, the school playground game is "tiggy".

In NSW, it probably evolved from that.

Dunno where the “ticky” comes from though.

It could be championship deciding, and season defining.

This could even be where the “locker room issues” come from. Imports probably on another tangent with “tag”.

I’m on team ticky.

Hope I'm wrong but Sydney will do to United what United did to Sydney in last year's semi final

Pay up big and get the big dogs. Or, the little big dog, Casper Ware

United to get well beaten by the big spending Kings. United to be destroyed by their own former hero who got a better offer. How humiliating this will be!

Bogut has pumped this up, let's hope United hits some shots like Cairns did and we get another classic

Massive choke job and massive coaching blunder by Vickerman. As much as I like him as a coach he needs to admit that he cost his the team the game.

Taking Trimble off and then letting Goulding & Barlow start jacking up wild threes was the only way the Kings could get back in it.

Very embarrassing game even though it was two years ago. Many teams could learn from this game.

[Yep, big challenge for United staying out of foul trouble in this series

.......

They also need refs who DONT call every little tiggy touch wood foul, and fouls against guys who jump straight upwards and the offensive player forces contact. That's what happened in some of the Sydney- United meetings this season.]

A prescient comment given what happened in Game 3