Can Iverson stay out of foul trouble?
Is LP fit?

Rob Loe is questionable with a knee injury he has been trying to shake.

Corey Webster had a second opinion on the nerve damage to his hand and he'll be out for potentially a couple more weeks.

When was the last time NZ played a game? 2-3 weeks ago?

no way they are match fit and players will be rusty - 36's should win easily

Enter the Dragon.

The Breakers start their campaign after Jacinda has stamped their leave passes, gave them a nice warm bowl of chicken noodle soup and a nice big hug. "We're going on a great adventure!" said Abba as they packed their kit bags and sailed across the ditch to the wild land of West Island where drop bears attack unsuspecting tourists.

Friday night action sees the Breakers lob into town to start their season and they look more buff than Manpower New Zealand. Old mates Abercrombie, Webster, Delany, Loe and Weeks are back on deck. Human brick shthouse Lamar Patterson joins them from Brisbun, and Trist is trying out his third team in three years. That's an impressive line up and we haven't started on their imports.

Adelaide should get star teenager Giddey back and while they are not completely woeful, they really need to get their head in the game as this run of home games should seem them exert their influence over their opponents. There's something not quite gelling with the team. A Stirling effort from DJ so far and he is leading the scoring table.

A brave man would have tipped Trump to beat Biden, and a braver man would tip the Sixers to beat The Breakers. Too much firepower tonight.

Breakers by .....

Rob Loe has been cleared by the Breakers Medical Team and is slated to start tonight.

I think Lamar Patterson will have a field day we don't have anyone who could reliably guard him.

Breakers by 12

I thought you might have used a fellowship of the rings reference JT but perhaps that would have been too obvious.

I call a Sixers win tonight but only if Crocker can lock down Lamar and Donald Sloan can stay on his feet for 3 consecutive plays.

I also wonder if Jack McVeigh now understands that Coach Henry won't stand for any of his clownish behaviour and lazy habits.

The Breakers have packed the flying Tarago and crossed the dutch.

Our only hope is them being rusty TBH.

The visitor is from Victoria, which makes him ineligible to enter WA.

Working for me on SBS on Demand.

Tony Crocker highlight show tonight

So far we're probably looking the best we've looked so far this season.

Giddey needs to work on his defence. Looks uninterested at times. Not agressive defensively either.

Sixers to fade in the second half? Their fourth game in a week.

The visitor might be not allowed in WA but there in Adelaide.

Bach looking ok for Nz, doesn't look lost or out of place

Wait for the over correct, NZ all the fouls this half, 36ers next half

Does Delaney, and Loe to a lesser extent know how to play any legal defence that doesn't involve bear hugs, blatant holds and hooks and anything that doesn’t resemble molestation? Maybe I’m getting old and just too biased....?

17 FT for Sixers, 7 for Breakers ? Cmon refs.

Welcome to Adelaide - the home cooking capital of Australia

Imagine how good DJ could be if he went hard at the ball rather than focus on getting fouls. He dropped on the defence end instead of going at the ball.

Or you could just not breach COVID protocols.

Sixers not playing smart... maybe attacks loe and Webster hard seeing as they're on 3 fouls and the only ones doing anything for the breakers... sigh

It's clearly the club's fault, yes, but the principle stays the same.

Pinder is unplayable. It's incredible how poor he is defensively for someone that long and athletic.

Adelaide can't keep Webster out of the lane. So many wide open looks.

"The decals seem even worse than usual... so many slips."

Yes, there's been about 4 slips already. Abercrombie's looked nasty but he seems ok now.

Although when the coach went on court to check on him, he should've been subbed? (although it was Adelaide's coach! ;-)

The way this is looking I may have have been harsh on NZB only picking them to win by 12.

What's crazy with Patterson is he arrived at the Breakers later than they wanted because he was playing in the Puerto Rican league. he should be in mid-season shape now yet looks like he's done nothing since last season finished.

All Adelaide in the 4th

Pinder's worse than Kyei.

Sixers making a run.. heat up DJ....

I'm loving Humphries... I don't know what's with the imports. Is it just that they still haven't acclimatised to SA summer?

I'm loving Humphries... I don't know what's with the imports. Is it just that they still haven't acclimatised to SA summer?

Sixers great work... here we go.... tough d..

sorry about the double post. I'm too excited bout Humphries. Having said that NZ without cramps would be a different team

Dech is rubbish, will be exposed soon

This coach is a moron.

No Giddey in the clutch.

Mindblowing stupidity,

Refs just shit the bed with that travel - and lack of foul - call on Patterson.

That's shockingly bad.

Dech with the crucial 'steal'

Come on OT... Sixers are real deal... believe..

sloan did something... WOW!!!

Blatant foul by Sloan - no call?

Sloan knockers - eat shit...

Sloan MVP!

Go Humphrey you big bear!

ahahahah foul maybe ??? hope refs will d...

no foul because there wasnt one dude

No foul .... Sixers are kings of OT...
Play to whistles .. gre a t d Sixers...
Too good ....

The sooking from Webster & Patterson is getting a bit much.

Sixers are more fatigued playing four games in one week.

Fouls on Patterson & Webster? lol Turn it up

Nice Humphries too good for them to stop

Machine

That home cooking is an embarrassment to the league. I accept that a bit of contact is allowed, but Sixers are getting away with a helluva lot right now.

LOL what a sloppy turnover.

Bullshit

Wow Breakers have been matched as low as 1.01 to win on Betfair.

Loe flopping because he can't guard Humphries, pathetic.

This overtime sure has been fugly.

Patterson's multiple turnovers are to blame for this loss.

Is Iverson the new Havrilla?

Webster and Humphris stood out tonight ... and guess which one was protected by the refs.

Wow Breakers have been matched as low as 1.01 to win on Betfair.
Hilariously Sixers only traded as low as 1.02 and they actually won!

A win is a win but that no call in dying regulation was a terrible call, NZB have a legit gripe.

Humphries with the F word. He's so hard.

Agree, LB

Sixers still winless in regulation.

Shamir recruited Iverson right?

Humphries going to lose his match fee lol

I'm thinking the bookies have infiltrated the breakers.

Their decision making down the stretch almost looked deliberately bad.

I'm thinking the bookies have infiltrated the breakers.

Their decision making down the stretch almost looked deliberately bad.

The missed call then blowing Patterson for a travel was f***ing pathetic. Embarrassing even.

Soured the final result a great deal.

The young ref is an Adelaide boy but good 'ole Adelaide can't take credit for atrocious hair Lyons or you never know what you’re gonna get, Sir Pine....

Sixers fans getting a taste of what Perth fans experience every home game.

Home cooking

NZ no home court this year. Hmmmm.

Quality game by Humphries though.

Might be Australia's next great 5 man after Bogut and Baynes

Landale a 4/5 hybrid but pure 5 Humphries who's a better prospect than Humphries?

I don't think the no-call on Patterson followed by the travel was really that bad. That sort of contact would get let go plenty during the game, and it would've been of almost no consequence had he not just picked up the ball and stopped playing, which is a dumbass mistake you'd get reamed for making in under 12s.

The no-call on the final possession, where Adelaide were trying to use their spare fouls to burn some clock, was far worse for mine.

What occurred with Lamar happens in all these close games - the team trying to foul, try to foul without doing it in an USF way as quickly as possible to avoid time running down the clock.

There are a lot of unwritten rules and unsaid conventions around this part of the game.

When it gets close with seconds remaining - 1) small fouls aren't called, to the advantage of the team trying to drain the clock down until the foul is very clear,
And 2) despite the obvious fact the fouling team is intentionally trying to foul, so long as they provide some pretense in the form of swiping at the ball, it won’t be called an USF.

So, Refs ignore the ticky tacky foul, normally to the detriment of the team trying to foul as the clock runs down further.

Then Lamar plays for the foul clearly travels and refs are in an awkward position where they can’t just go back and say "well now you’ve travelled and lost advantage we will call that foul that previously occurred but we didn’t call"

If you’re a NZ fan you’re pissed the foul wasn’t called, obviously.

if you’re a fan of a club that isn’t either NZ or 36ers you’d probably look at that and say “I’d rather the refs keep striking that balance and don’t call ticky tacky stuff to help the fouling side but also don’t want it delving into USF. If Lamar settles instead of theatricising a foul, NZ probably end up winning”

If I’m a NZ fan, I’m more annoyed by Lamar in that instance - everyone knows how the situation operates and you always need to settle and keep control of the ball.

Also if I’m a NZ fan - things are looking bright, the fact it was their first game and Adelaides fourth was obvious given the cramps and missed opportunities, fatigue, shots not quite going down etc. The match fitness wasn’t there - as you’d expect. Can’t replicate it in training. Next game they’ll come out firing.

Breakers positives

Bach - better than advertised
Tai webster - we knew he was good
galloway - didn't expect him to contribute

Breakers negatives
Weeks - thinks he is a superstar rather than point guard
Patterson - weight
Iverson - hard to believe Shamir knew this guy beforehand and still recruited.

The foul calls at end of game are only part of it. Refs completely turn blind eye to theoff the ball scragging , holding and pushing on DJ by Loe, Delaney and Abercrombie. Was getting beyond a joke and then people wonder why DJ gets frustrated.
Rookie game by Giddey. Was pushed around and sorted out. His confidence dropped big time where he was second guessing everything, turning down options when they presented. He doesn't show any aggression and even looks like he apologizes to opponent if he bumps him accidently or something.

" Does anyone else feel he picks up his dribble too early if the on ball pressure is aggressive?"

Absolutely. Very noticeable.

What I like about Conor Henry is he gives minutes to those that are playing well and offer the best strategic matchup.

Lastnight was Sloan Dech Humphries etc night, games before was Giddey, DJ

Can't knock the coaching in respect of offering the in form people the minutes

Re 'A well-officiated game. Very much aligned with the FIBA regulations'. If that is true, the sport is in deep strife.

From my perspective it was possibly one of the worst-called games I have seen in a long, long time, irrespective of any potentially contentious calls.

The number of illegal screens - does Loe ever set a static screen and roll out without dropping the shoulder or hip? - that were ignored by the refs, referee badgering and abuse by coaches and players that was ignored, blatant holds on cutters and rebounders, including singlet grabs, blatant pushes ['push in the back' stuff] to the body on rebounders and chops and slaps on shooters' arms that were missed or ignored ...

I say ignored because I was watching from about the same level as a standing referee, so at least some of the action was directly in front of me, and believe me, to my eyes they were simply ignoring what was going on.

If that's not the case, and they were in fact not seeing [or recognising] what was being done, well, that's another problem. If that is the case maybe the refs [in general] are again becoming inured to blatant overt illegal physicality and sloppy/illegal manoeuvres [like continually moving screens].

I'm not being partisan in this. If that is 'well officiated' the game is in dire straits and I simply don't want to know.

"What I like about Conor Henry is he gives minutes to those that are playing well and offer the best strategic matchup."

In theory I agree, but in reality Pinder had no business playing 20mins against a team that fielded mobile , undersized 4s and Dillon had no business matching up on Lamar Patterson.

That was the worst game I've seen from Giddey so far this season, and it wasn't even bad. He missed some good, makeable shots, and threw some passes that were just off the mark or his teammates didn't have the same awareness he did. Giddey might have played more than 20mins if Sloan and Dech weren't as serviceable last night.

Sixers should have attacked with Humphries even more. You could see he was troubling Loe, etc, he had scored multiple possessions in a row, yet for patches they seemed intent on using DJ first, outside guys like Dech,etc and bypassing Humphries altogether. I think DJ should've been used as decoy for Humphries as DJ wan't having best of nights.

Tale of two halves for mine, Pop. I thought most of the fouls they called in the 1st were there - some a bit soft, but there nonetheless.

The 2nd half was an absolute shambles, both in terms of calls made and ignored, culminating with some costly missed calls against Adelaide down the stretch.

Re Loe's moving screens: I had the exact same thought process. He sets moving, illegal screens just about every time - and obviously so. The weird thing is that some of his infractions are called, but most are ignored. The glaring inconsistency within and between games is what largely causes confusion and frustration for players and coaches.

Agree with that, sixtiesrockstar. They needed to go to the [Humphries] well until it dried up. That was an ordinary game from DJ, but could have been valuable if used as a decoy more often.

One set they ran (in the 4th if memory serves) for DJ faking a ball screen and coming off a flare from Humphries worked wonders, resulting in a Humphries and-one.

Without Pinder you essentially have Humphries/DJ and nobody else. Don't have much of a choice - I agree though and flagged many a time that lacking one more defensive big will be an issue and force 36ers to have Pinder running around messing things up and fouling. Not ideal by any means!

If not DJ/Humphries, why did they need a second big at all? Crocker or Sloan might have been able to match up on Delaney (who is 6'6), not mess up your rotations, and actually contribute something offensively. It was worth a try at least when Pinder clearly hasn't been working for Adelaide.

That would be very very small ball - rebounds are hugely important and positioning in offence - wouldn't be playing those boys in prolonged pf.

Adelaide messed up going guard heavy and relying on Pinder for all bench minutes

Can anyone refresh my memory on the rules surrounding the coach standing on the court during play? I've a quick skim at FIBA rules but couldn’t find it.

Team that loses always blames refs. Look at your game play. Refs no impact on great discipline team effort by Sixers.. strong accountable defense... breakers very one dimensional and LP seems liability....
Sixers are building...improvement already bubbling away IH Sloan Dech - looking good.. Mcvay best 6th man in NBL - he becoming Sixers spark...and Giddey - no one can guard ... DJ mister reliable.
Sixers are underrated- do so at your peril... had all the answers for NZ ...

Wow!

From day one this has had me worried. Waiting to see what Henry had planned for these two, and if it would work?

With Bogut out of the picture, along with Pledge, were we going to see a trend back towards smaller front courts?

Has Henry unilaterally reversed that?

Who are the Cats going to run against this pair and others? Mooney and Jervis?

Wow. Sixers threads are always entertaining

Can see why Perth fans are so loved

If you watch the post game interview with coach and Abercrombie no where did they blame others. Took responsibility for their mistakes and slow starts. They did indicate that they feel they will be better for the hit put and were looking forward to the rematch

They would if they could - Breakers personnel can't blame the refs otherwise they'd get fined.

Were the decals purchased from the Philippines?

36ers bench is a concern, if they don't get minutes they'll be out of form or next to no use for the Coach from an impact point of view. What's the story with Mudronja anyway - why hasn't he been bled into the team? Does the coach have a problem with him or something? He's not a DP anymore....back to the NBL1 league this year maybe?

Jock clearly coach doesn't rate.... disappointing if continues ....