Go cats, first game was one of the all time greats, if Taipans win today it is prob fair that they push it to 3 as a clean sweep is probably unjust the way they preformed in game 1, hats off to them, but go WILDCATS!!

Is this on viceland?

Cats would be confident!! Cairns shot the ball out their ads (over 60% from the feild) and the cats still won.

Only ESPN for TV.

Actually it's appeared on the TV guide now for Viceland.

John Casey in commentary. Nice!

John Casey on the mic. Offset by Heal and Homicide though.

Plumlee dunking everything.

LOL dat Kenny showtime. Too bad the shot didn't drop.

Wow, don't think I've ever seen Jawai that active defending the perimeter

Can't wait for next season with Oliver in red.

What a quarter by Cairns, including a 16-0 run.

Cotton cold on zero points.

White will be replaced with Oliver for sure at the Wildcats

Wilburs is it a done deal?

Cats not getting anything going on offense, their sets look half arsed to end in a 3 point shot. Need to get it inside.

Cairns motoring on offense, passes creating good spacing making the d look lazy

Don't complain about refs, I follow cats aswell but you are never going to get fouls if your playing soft perimeter only offense. Get the ball in.

Perth win it's home cooking! No other team ever get's

Cotton on a triple donut so far.

Wow. If they're going to call that an unsportsmanlike.... I guess everyone just has to let guys dunk now

Oliver was wanted by Perth but he took the money Cairns offered.

Okay that unsportsmanlike couldn't be more wrong

Wildcats will use the White money to pay Oliver

You're so credible.

Plumlee thinking this league is a joke with the fouls.

Yeah USF was woeful. Also didn't see the travel on Plumlee earlier. I enjoy hating on Perth as much as anyone else (ok... More), but those were some of the worst calls I've seen since ... Well, last night

I rather have Sunday Dech than Norton

30pts in a half was the lowest tally this season.

I think Wildcats basketball is whatever as long as we win?

This is the problem with Cairns, too casual with the ball. Have to be more efficient in the playoffs

55-35, clearly not Wildcats basketball (whatever that means).

Cairns should just take that zone out of their game plan altogether

Lol well ok, that evens out the USF stuff. Good call Jesse.

Perth looking ominous

Wildcats should start game using small ball

Perth 0 fouls in a qtr what a joke, here come refs to help.
Bryce playing like Nylon, where's Cotton gone?

Yes refs got it back to only 10 point lead.
Over back not called, now. If your standing still shouldn't be a blocking foul.

Vintage Mayberry

Keep going refs your best 6th man for Perth.

First free throws for CNS in this half. WTF?

Attendance: 5,188.

Late game and once again Machado trying to do it all himself.

How long has Norton got left on his deal?

If only it worked that way.

And apparently Kay is better than Oliver???
Another joke!

Norton has one year left

Well, that's that, I think.
Again, this was always a possiblity, but to be honest my money was on Perth stepping up when it came to finals, as they traditionally have done. But it just hasn't happened.
They weren't bad, as they have been all season they were good. Good enough to finish 2nd. But if anything its Cairns that has stepped it up come finals.
Last season, White had an average (by Perth standards) regular season, then went off in the finals. That just has happened this time around.
In the past we've relied on the Veterans coming into their own, but this time around its not enough. Wagstaff has in fact been good all season, and there's just not much more to give.

All along, I have predicated that Cairns lack of depth would bite them in a finals campaign, but it's Perth's lack of depth that has been exposed.
When Hire was the 10th man, he was a strong role-player off the bench. Jervis was good, and even last season he stepped up for the finals.
This season we saddled ourselves with Vague and Wani, who have really contributed not much, and even Majook has at times been next to useless.
Given that, I find Gleeson's use of his Centres puzzling. Even last year, he used Brandt for less than 20 minutes per game, forcing Kay to play the 5.
He did the same thing with Hunt, and has done the same with Plumlee, and its left us exposed.


What disappoints me most about this particularly game, is that Cairns clearly and obviously came out with a Must-Win attitude, and Perth clearly had the opposite.

You can never write off Perth. Again the smart money would say that after a few days of soul-searching they will get their mojo back and you scrape out a series win at home. But Gees, the momentum is certainly with Cairns, and there is very reason to think they can pull off the upset.
And that will be a great thing for basketball. The rest of Australia will be cheering them on against Sydney.

Don't worry, Cam Oliver and Machado will be swapping orange for red in replacement of White, Martin, Vague, Plumlee.

How much longer can Cairns shoot the ball like this? Amazing hitting clutch shots over and over.

Cat's haven't got that mojo past 2 games lucky to be going to a 3rd game tbh. Played like crap and they we're still in it that's the only positive.

Have to think Perth will get it done at home, but they will have to earn it

Don't mind Cairns winning this game or even the series. The Cinderella story is still on.

The reffing was dodgy - first half CNS garnered favouritism followed by a second half PER bias. These refs are exhausting. #410 is spot on.

Chris Goulding would be better for the Wildcats than Steindl

NBL needs to move away from FIBA and make up their own rule book in consultation with the teams.

Cairns is such a tough team. Mentally tough.

Often in these types of series, the top seed romps home in Game 3 at home. But, who knows.

These 2 have played 5 times. It's Cairns 3, Perth 2, and Cairns' wins have been much more convincing.

Of note, Cotton has scored 14, 11 and 10 in Cairns 3 wins.

Maybe Cairns can do this.

Cotton is not going to have 2 bad games in a row. No chance.

I agree with @AngusH. As much as it pains me to say, Cotton will come out in game 3 and knock down 50. He is much too good for back-to-back shockers.

That being said, go the Snakes!

Great game good to see a Taipans playoff victory .
I arrived at the game hoping for a sneaky win so I could go home feeling good about the year resigning myself to a loss in Perth on Thursday but if to Taipans commit to chasing Cotton around those picks (heck even Nathan did it a couple of times) I will not be satisfied with anything less than a couple of Home grand finals now to cap off a great year for the Taipans .
Perth bench got less and less interested in the game as it went on and only really fired up for the first 5 minutes of the 1st and forth quarters they also win the prize for most travelling assistant coaches/managers coaches .
Not sure why you would bring Plumlee only to sit him on the bench he appeared effective on D and was not really in foul trouble .

I wonder if, without Nielsen, Trev's not getting enough strong advice, and/or some players are not getting enough reinforcement??
Increasingly this season, he has defaulted to his trusted players, and without Brandt and even Hire, it's left them thin and with nowhere else to dig.
Vague is clearly in the dog-house, and might as well just leave now and start shopping for a new gig. Majook not doing much better, and they're not developing Plums beyond a 15 minute role player.

Like many here, I won't mind too badly if Cairns goes through. But it's just frustrating to watch, knowing they could be better.

Perth now where near there best, Cairns have been on fire in all 5 game's they have played.

Can they keep it going? No one want's Perth to win but they will go down swinging.