Commentary on one of the Lightning streams recently indicated that the Reath absence was disciplinary.

Reath has been playing for South Sudan at WC Qualifiers.

Oops obviously an error above.

Commentary on the CoE-Willo stream was talking about how Proctor was missing due to getting a Duke scholarship and moving to the US, while almost simultaneously he was suiting up for the Boomers in Melbourne.

Commentary on the live stream may not be the most reliable intel

Id love to know whats the play there with Reath as I felt he was one of, if not their best player

If he isnt playing for disciplinary reasons thats disappointing.

On another note it was great to see young Ducas get the call up for the Boomers.

Reath puts up a tonne of points but pretty much shoots it every touch and it doesn't matter whats on the shot clock

NBL 1 West Women Power Rankings Top 8

1. Wolves 14-0 had a test and again passed with a 90-79 win over Cockburn. This was without 2 starters in Belcher and Ucich, which is impressive on the cougars home court. Coach Wong is a lock for COTY in his first season at the helm. 5 double figure scorers. Coming up flames- Redbacks- Senators -bye-Suns-magic-eagles. When was the last undefeated team for the season?

2. Senators 11-2, jumping ahead of Willo in the power rankings with the addition of Feibich. 70p win v slammers, this team dismantled Magic the week before (for a half). Coming up Flames - Wolves - Lightning - bye -Redbacks

3. Tigers 11-1, Demolition of Suns by 48 without Winter, 28 points off the bench. Big test this week on the road to magic, last time they met they sent a statement beating them by 30 at home. Tigers will lock in Top 3 with this win. Two double header weekends in a row. Coming up - magic - redbacks-Senators - Eagles - Giants - Flames - Lightning - Cougars.

4. Magic 9-4, comfortable road win over Giants with Milo dropping 17 first half points, team is starting to find some form but is winless over the top 3 seeds. Chance to see if they are contenders this years with a home game v Tigers. Coming up Tigers - Slammers - Eagles - Giants - Wolves - Slammers

5. Flames 8-4, really turned it around since the break and on a 4 game win streak. Beat redbacks by 22 on the TV game, Kracker and Ortlepp combining for 11/20 from down town. A brutal schedule with two double headers. Coming up Wolves - Senators - Hawks - Cougars - magic - Tigers - Redbacks - Lightning.

6. Cougars 7-5, really had their chances to beat wolves and didnt take it. Still a chance at a top 4 seed. Coming up Hawks - lightning - flames - Suns - Senators - Slammers - Giants - Tigers

7. Lightning 6-6, welcome back Ash Isenberger, they smashed the hawks last week with Sara Dickey Lighting it Up! with 19 first quarter points on way to a 30p game. Ash with 16. This team has weapons but can they defend well enough to win from 7th. Good news is they have games coming up against higher ladder teams. Jones a possible return for the playoffs. Coming up Eagles - Cougars - Senators - Slammers - Senators - hawks - Tigers - Flames.

8. Hawks 5-9, holding onto 8th with 2 wins ahead of Giants but having played two more. Giants have a schedule with 5 winnable games. hawks got whooped by lakeside and this young team will have its bow outs. 8 wins will get them a play off spot. Coming up Cougars - Flames - bye - redbacks - eagles - Lightning - Suns

Giants 3-9, run home Slammers, Slammers double header in Esperance, Suns, Tigers, Magic, Suns, Cougars, Redbacks.

Disappointing to see Giants guard Jemma Gatti, who is 2nd in the league in assists, suffer a major knee injury on the weekend. Pretty much rules out any small chance they had of sneaking into the playoffs in their first season.

Why are Willeton so bad this year? Almost the same team plus OHB and they were top 4 last year. 6 - 9 this year.

Most teams got imports this year and quite a few retooled

Woj bomb?

Bored, my honest opinion on the Tigers not being as good this year is their deficiency in the point guard position.

Whilst young, Roosevelt Williams was excellent for them last year as their starting PG. They beefed up their inside presence with Hayes Brown who is arguably the most dominant big in the League but without a true starting PG they have struggled to really unlock their full potential.

They have Andrew Black there coming off the bench but outside of him they dont really have any other true PG's that control the tempo, defend the oppositions PG with any success which I think limits them.

If you look at the top 5 teams on the ladder right now, they all have at least one really solid PG if not an elite PG.

Buccs - Stewart
Wolves - Wade
Flames - Nelson / Godfrey
Senators - Zunic / Wroe
Giants - Ghee

if you extend it to the top 7 Cougars with Chan who I wouldnt put in the same echelon as the guards above at least has experience running the point at this level for a long time. Magic have Armour who is also one of the more experienced PG's going around.

Round 13 Mens Recap and the run home

With 5 rounds remaining it is such a tight race within the competition that there could still be significant movement within the ladder between positions 1 to 9.

1. Buccs
Went down to the Redbacks last weekend by 7 and only narrowly got over the Suns. Is it a sign that they arent so untouchable? What it does show is that the buccs need more from guys like Blanchett, Klasztorny and Hunt to get enough points on the board. Narkle is having a breakout season for them. Wolves in second only have 1 less loss and have played 1 game less. Top spot is still up for grabs. Have a tough run home with Hawks twice, Wolves twice, Senators and a re-tooled Eagles to close out the regular season. If they continue to perform like they did this weekend I would not be suprised if they lose top spot.

2. Wolves
Wolves came up with a thrilling win over the Flames on the weekend and are in great form. Their backcourt of Wade, Pesava and Turnage is really firing. This weekend will be a real indicator of where they are headed for the end of the season as they too have a tough run home. Redbacks will be full of confidence after handing the Buccs their second loss of the season and will be looking to take out the second place Wolves this weekend. Run home for Wolves, they play Redbacks, Buccs twice, Senators, Suns, Magic and Eagles. Those next 4 games will determine where they sit. Could be top of the table or could slide into the bottom half of the 8.

3. Flames
Going down to the Wolves would not have been expected for the Flames and have dropped to 3rd. They did bounce back with a win over Senators in the back end of their double header. They have just had a couple of games this season where they drop their guard a little. It probably didnt help not having Hire available who was off playing 3x3 for Australia. Congrats to the boys there too by the way coming up with a big tournament win. Flames have a relatively easier run home than the above two teams with Hawks, Cougars, Magic, Tigers, Redbacks and Lakeside. Id anticipate they will remain in the top 3, if not move into 1st or 2nd.

4. Senators
Senators just didnt have enough in the tank to get over the line against the Flames going down by 8. The signing of Majok Majok for the rest of the season is a big pickup and they may have got across the line had he played. This must mean Michaels is done for them? Run home has a few danger games for the Senators if they are not firing on all cylinders. Tigers, Lakeside, Wolves, Cougars, Lakeside, Buccs, Redbacks. Can they hold onto top 4?

5. Giants
Had a double header with Slammers down in Esperance this weekend and boy did they get out of jail in game 1. A go ahead bucket from Ghee in the dying seconds gave them a 1 point lead and they held on from there. The Giants are a team that can scrap with the lowest teams in the league and then beat teams in the top 4. They have played some teams at home who were not at full strength and managed to scrape out wins. They have a team that can really turn it on when they are all firing. Their run home is one of the best in the teams vying for top 4 spots. Suns twice, Tigers, Magic, Cougars, Redbacks. They are only 1 loss out of the top 4 and if they can play to their potential I would expect them to be in the top 4 by seasons end.

6. Cougars
Cougars currently in 6th, nipping at the Giants heels. They are in very good form lately. Skaggs has really gone to another level. Ground out a close win against the Hawks on the weekend. Run home is also one of the easier ones in comparison to others in the top 8 with Lakeside, Flames, Suns, Senators, Slammers, Giants and Tigers. With the form they are in you would anticipate them to remain in the top 6.

7. Magic
Magic are in real danger here. One loss separates them, Hawks and Redbacks. They are not in the type of form they will need to be in to hold onto a playoff position. The only win they have against any teams above them was early May when they beat the Cougars. This is getting on to nearly 2 months ago. Outside of this they have only won games against teams below them and have largely not been competitive with those above them. Certainly would not be happy with this with the money they have outlaid for their roster this year. They had a win against the Tigers on the weekend and have Slammers this weekend which you would expect them to win. They then have Flames, Eagles, Giants, Wolves and Slammers again. You would anticipate they will have to steal at least 1 win against the Flames, Giants or Wolves and win all the games against those below them in order for them to hold on to a playoff spot. Eagles actually match up really well against the Magic so thats not money in the bank for them either.

8. Hawks
Defending champs have not been what we usually expect from a Matt Parsons coached team. They do miss Mitch Clarke. Swapped out Thoseby for Isenbarger and whilst it gave them an unexpected win against the Flames it has not been sustained. They had a narrow loss last weekend to the Cougars which really makes it tough for them to scrape in. Their next 4 games will define their season. Flames this weekend who I am sure will be out to make a statement for dropping the game to them a few weeks back, Buccs twice and then Redbacks who are surging. They then have Eagles, Lakeside and Suns to finish off the season. They will need to win 1, if not 2 of those tough next 4 games to guarantee themselves a spot.

9. Redbacks
As I said above, they are surging. Big win against the Buccs this last weekend. Grace, Timms, Jackson and Gattorna are starting to gel finally. They also handled the Tigers easily this past weekend. Have a very tough run home but if they continue playing the way they are they could very well knock out the Magic or Buccs from the top 8. They have Wolves this weekend and whilst they are 2nd on the ladder, they lost to them by only 5 points a few weeks ago. Its there for the taking if they can make the necessary adjustments. They then play the Suns and Hawks (which is a must win), Flames, Senators and Giants. Tough ask but they are a team that could very well knock off a few of these higher ranked teams. The win against Buccs last weekend proves this.

10. Tigers
Disappointing season from the Tigers and after such a solid season last year they would have been full of optimism bringing in Hayes Brown to the lineup. As mentioned in my previous post, they have really lacked at the PG position this year and my view as to why they havent shown their full potential. Big losses to the Magic and Redbacks this past weekend doest hold much hope for them stealing a playoff spot. They currently sit 3 losses behind 8th place. Their run home includes Senators, Eagles, Giants, Flames, Lakeside and Cougars. Realistically they could only have 1-2 more wins in them for this year.

11. Lakeside
Another team that would be disappointed in how this season has gone. Have only ever missed the playoffs a handful of times over the last 20 odd years. Losing their head coach and top 3 players all in one hit didnt help. That said they still had plenty of talent to work with and a very experienced head coach in Dave Lindstrom but have not been able to get any kind of momentum going. They lost to Eagles on the weekend and then got pounded by the CoE also. Playoffs are not going to happen for them this year with their run home being Cougars, Senators twice, Slammers, Hawks, Tigers and Flames.

12. Eagles
Hopes were high for the Eagles this year bringing in King and Roberts. They have appeared to have a lot of dysfunction with a number of guys pulling the pin on the team mid season. They brought in Maharaj late and Roberts late and they have just not had a great year. Run home is Tigers, Magic, Hawks, Slammers, Wolves, Buccs. They might get a couple of wins before the season is out but it will not impact the outcome of their season. Perhaps they could ruin someone elses season by beating a Magic or Hawks.

13. Suns
Another team that was disappointing this year with the roster they had on paper. Simply put, they have underachieved. It will be interesting to see if Ettridge stays on as coach there. They got belted by Eagles and edged out by the Buccs last week. The run home is not pretty for them, Giants twice, Redbacks, Cougars, Wolves and Hawks. They could very well not win again for the rest of the season.

14. Slammers
Slammers. not much to say. they brought in a second import a few weeks ago. why they didnt have 2 from the beginning is unknown. Tuach has been good for them and their other import is handy. Edwards i think his name is. Van De Griend is a machine. Outside of that their talent level really drops away. They have a lot of work to do to attract some talent down there. Had a close one against Giants in game 1 of their double header and then went down by about 20 in game 2 last week in Esperance. Run home is Magic twice, Lakeside, Cougars and Eagles. Will be interesting to see if they can steal 1 or 2 wins here.

I don't think the Redbacks are capable of knocking the Buccs out of the playoffs regardless of how well they play...

Whats with Caleb Davis? his antics and unsportsmanlike behaviour seriously need to be addressed.

Lightning 3rd OT game in 3 weeks and some clutch shooting got the job done of the warwick wildcats tonight.

Another poor showing from Willetton Men this weekend...

Tough loss at home vs. Warwick and an even tougher loss away vs. East Perth.

Where is Oliver Hayes-Brown?

What is everyone's take on Hunter Clarke...
- NBA Global Academy - Centre of Excellence athlete
- Australian Under 17 representative
- NCAA Division 1 recruit...

Shouldn't he be impacting games more than he is, particularly when it counts?

Womens NBL1 Power Rankings

What a week its been in basketball, some big wins, some big upsets

1. Wolves 16-0 they can not lose even when behind v Rocko with 10 secs to go and a FT ORB for the win. Smashed Perth by 50 last game led by Robbie Ryan with 24p. Game of the year coming up this week against Senators that may be a GF preview. Barr v Ryan, Burton v Morrell, Williams v Hoycard. Who ya got! Got Magic as the other top 4 contest in coming weeks.

2. Senators 14-2, Can lay claim to the best team in WA basketball this week, An Elite Starting 5 and destroyed lakeside by 44 on the weekend after taking care of 3rd place Tigers the night before. Barr leading the way with 28p in possibly career best form. Has Wolves, Cockburn, Lakeside in the next 3.

3. Tigers 13-3, Lost to Magic and Senators recently, lakeside and Cockburn coming up to possibly push them. The reigning champs looking a little shakey, is Lubke carrying an injury? Could drop to 4th, need to close out the regular season with 4 wins.

4. Magic 11-4, Starting to find their mojo taking care of tigers at home and slammers on the road. Toeania dropping an easy 30 and Hannah little starting to show her offensive game. Rocko this week at home then EP on the road, big test Wolves in a couple of weeks. Can they slide up into 3rd.

5. Cougars 9-6, One of the most explosive offensive teams in the league are in a bit of a scoring slump at the moment. Losses at wolves and Lakeside hurt their top 4 chances, Best they can land now is 5th. Big win over Flames lead by Williams with 33. Can this team defend well enough to win from 5th.

6. Lakeside 8-7, up and down season continues with 3 win streak and a win over Cockburn ending with a smashing at Warwick. Sorely miss PG Jones, will she be back for finals. Hamblin carrying a big load. Need more out of Mader and Isenberger. Again in a 1 game series do you want to be on the lakeside side of the draw?

7. Rockingham 8-8, a team with that much scoring power has been a disappointment this year. On a 4 game losing streak including a loss to Hawks on their home court. They have Magic down the highway this week, Then Tigers. Could possibly finish with 9 wins and on the cusp of falling out the finals. hawks have H2H.

8. Goldfields 6-9, Great to see them picking up wins with out important young guard Gatti and Kalstourney out last week. On a 3 game win streak lead by Danni Mcrae a revelation moving to point forward. She dropped 30 on Suns. Got Suns and Redbacks as possible wins to close out the season.

Srdarev gone

Panic stations

Season over

Confirmed??

Yes email went out yesterday.

Assistant taking over

Amazing that the reigning coach of the year, a guy who works 30+ hours a week for the club outside of his job can be sacked over a player. Blake did so much more than just game coaching, the many morning sessions, the kids camps.

They are 6th with 5 games to go before finals and 3 winnable games pushing them into 5th (slammers next) and they install a rookie coach to guide them.

Mader got benched about a month ago in part with Isenberger returning and Dickie more a 3/4 but also her performance this year was not to her East Perth standards. Does she think she will magically start now.

Well She will be gone in 4 weeks and Lakeside have lost a true club coach, good luck trying to recruit that passion and coaching expertise.

Daniels also loved coaching that club, perhaps the board should ask the junior players and parents what they think first. Because it definitely isn't based on performance.

Lakeside were never finishing 5th

Cougars almost a lock with H2H on lakeside and will win 3 of last 5 minimum (Suns, Slammers, Giants)

Tiebreakers now determined by points for/against percentage, ala AFL.
H2H no longer apply.

It does apply if the teams tied have played each other twice in the season (IE Cockburn and lakeside)

And even if it didn't, Lakeside’s % is currently less than 100 anyway, second worst of the top 8.

"Daniels also loved coaching that club"

The 100k a year probably had something to do with it.

Very intrigued by all this, would love to know more

Can't wait to hear Blake's podcast.

An Opal who isn't an Opal.

She didn't succeed on the east, quit Gold Coast Rollers half way thru season and got kicked out of North Adelaide rockets where I’m from for causing trouble so it’s a worry that Opal is being mentioned but will keep following

Blake is at the same footy club as me, I’ve seen them two watching his sons footy games and I know they train together at Melville rec

Absolute bust of a player. Caused issues at Eagles last year and now Lightning this year.

(Mod: Removed. Potential legal issue.)

This isn't really something that should be being talked about on a forum, let alone DEBATED by people who don’t actually know what’s going on .....

Is tom Knowles job now on the line?

Two years of mediocrity from the flames

From what I've heard through the grapevine there is little chance Flames would give him up, he is an extremely competent coach

Then what is happening?

Everyone has suffered from injuries, covid etc this year, so it's not like that is any different to any other team?

Tom is a good coach, nice guy.. which is his downfall. Needs some stronger, smarter assistants.

Buccs-Hawks called off. Fun road trip to make for no reason.

Women's NBL 1 Power Rankings.

1. Warwick 15-2, I have wanted to push this team to number 1 and finally we got to see the two best teams in WA basketball square off. Hawks convincingly got it done to jump into number 1. Hawks have cockburn, lakeside and redbacks to close out the season. Are they the consensus number 1 to take out the title?

2, Wolves 16-1, Yes losing their first game of the year on the road to the second team is tough. Still a grandfinal favourite and likely number 1 seed in the playoffs, will be hard for teams to win on their home floor. Missed Belcher in this game. Got Suns, Magic, eagles to left. Magic game will be a cracker.

3. Tigers 14-3, dropped a game to Senators then bounced back with 2 solid wins. flames this weekend then lakeside and Cockburn not an easy run. Chance of dropping to 4th if they drop 2 games.

4. Magic 13-4, on a 5 game win streak, starting to find some form, Toeania becoming a 2 way beast. Solid, balanced scoring line up. Got Giants, wolves, slammers. Wolves at home with be test to see if this team is a contender having pushed wolves to a buzzer beating 3 last time they met.

5. Cockburn 10-6, still a tough run home with tigers and senators to play, can't chase 4th and that double chance so really need to lock up 5th spot. Williams been in great scoring form.

6. Lakeside 9-7, welcome back Catie jones as she came off the bench for 15p 6a against slammers. Jones makes this team far more complete. This is danger side for finals with inside/out scoring weapons. There first 5 of Jones, Benn, Dickie,Isenberger and Hamblin is as good as any in the league.

7. Flames 8-9, team is on a 5 game losing streak though against top 8 teams. Still with games against tigers, redbacks and lakeside, they really need to get 1 game to at lest lock in a finals berth. Magic defensively locked down Kracker and Ortlepp. No bench support at all which is costing them.

8. Hawks 6-10, slide back into the 8 with a win over Rocko, have redbacks, eagles and lakeside, suns to play. 3 wins locks them in.

9. Giants 6-10, Losing Klaztourney and Gatti late in the season really has ended the fairytale first season. Mcrae is balling out doing it all. Magic, Suns, cougars and redbacks to come. Need at least 2 possibly 3 wins to make finals.

An interesting take on the outlook of the mens comp, in particular the top 5 with just 3 rounds remaining.

Buccs (16-3) - Are they safe in top?
The loss to the Hawks on Sunday opens them up for the taking by the Flames and Wolves.
Hosting the Wolves and Senators over the next two weeks who are the 2nd and 3rd winningest road teams this season behind the Buccs, before finishing with the Eagles in Perth.
Would need to win 2 of 3 to lock it in as their % is equivalent of an extra win currently.

Flames (15-4) - Could they steal top spot?
At Tigers, Redbacks and at Lightning to finish off their season.
Second hottest team with 4 straight wins currently, should easily win all three games to finish on 18 wins, may have to get some % boosters to catch the Buccs though or hope they drop two games.

Wolves (14-4) - Another top spot contender?
At Buccs, Suns, At Magic and Eagles their final four games.
An outside chance for top spot based on the Flames fixture, their % and they are currently 1.5 wins behind the Buccs as well, but a win in Gero next week sets up their run nicely with just the Magic game the only danger one realistically. One to watch.

Giants (13-5) - 3rd spot?
At Magic, At Suns, Cougars, At Redbacks their final four games.
The hottest team in the league with 5 straight wins, including some with key players missing.
Too far behind to push for a top two spot, but could be eyeing the Wolves 3rd place right now.
Comparable % and only a game behind. Could come down to their final game against the Redbacks to decide their fate.

Senators (12-6) - 4th spot?
Cougars, At Lightning, At Buccs, Redbacks.
Dropped to 5th after the Giants win and their loss to the Wolves.
Some tough but winnable games, the trip to Geraldton in Round 17 could define their regular season.
Have the % advantage over the Giants currently, but would need to win at least two possible three games to give themselves a top 4 spot.


If the finals started today we'd be looking at the following
1st vs 4th - Buccs vs Giants - Only one matchup this season, Buccs winning by 10 way back in Round 5. Giants are a completely different team from there, so this could be another classic between these two.
2nd vs 3rd - Flames vs Wolves - Also just the one matchup this season, Wolves winning by 3 in Round 13. Another potential classic matchup

Warwick women backing up from the big win over Joondalup by getting absolutely smashed by CoE.

Great post Hoop Scoop

Really interesting how the top 5-6 spots play out.

Also coming down to the wire for the battle for 8th. Redbacks and Hawks. Interesting storylines either way.

would be interesting if Hawks missed the playoffs after winning it all last year.

also interesting if Redbacks made the playoffs after being down and out and firing their head coach mid season

Massive integrity issues down in the South West with the mens program. One major fallout expected involving an NBL1 development player and his conduct on social media

What is the fallout?? Is it major?

Locals up at the Suns have said Ettridge and his over the hill 'stars' are already on borrowed time after it has become increasingly clear to all that it was nothing short of a cash grab and little to no development of local Kalamunda products has been done since B.E's arrival. Huntington and Salinas are mere shadows of what they used to be and Maxwell hasn't exactly led from the front either.
Unless the Slammers are stupid enough to make the same error in judgement as the Suns, one would think that would be the last we see of the walking ego and friends in NBL1 West once their season winds up in three weeks time.
Back to the coast and I have it on very good authority that Tom Knowles won't be in charge at Rockingham next year in the Women unless the current president remains in his position post AGM. Big budget and losing winnable games has meant Knowles is all but certain to answer some hard questions unless the Flames women can somehow win the flag from seventh.

Hawks should take 8th seed, when smith is on SMITH IS ON, potential DPOY?

Thoughts on WOMEN'S coach and development of their future:

1. Joondalup: going as well as they should with their budget and capacity. Marcus has seen opportunity for kids (Duncan, Paddon, etc). Will have a reliable core for their future. Won’t be simply dependent on $$$. Well coached

2. Warwick: best team in the comp right now but outside Forster, no one really seeing the floor. Every chance Forster leaves too, leaving them with?? Heavily reliant on vets will get them a championship, but concerns for how slowly the kids develop. Will need to keep buying championships. Can Morley coach or is it the cheque book?

3. Willetton: just keep doing Willetton things. Keep developing their kids. Parker doing a great job.

4. Mandurah: relying on that $$$ and Milo. Where are the kids? They’ve all left. Will need to keep opening the bank to keep this one going. Do they have plans for kids? Anyone can make the 4 with a chequebook.

5. Cockburn: no longer the basket case of years gone. Cleary a bigger budget, but starting to see the kids come through. If they hold Jessie and Jewel (as expected), will start to develop a Willetton level core with their kids. Love him or hate him, thwaites has the program competing again

6. Lakeside: going well, but coaching situation a mess. No kids at U18 or lower any good. Reliant on their d league crop. Need a good coach. Ash gone at year’s end a big worry.

7. Rockingham: underachieving for a big budget. Kids are okay and Tom showing them love, but only guards. Need some size to come through.

8. Perry lakes: year 1 for Mansfield and will be better for it. Throwing the juniors out there and letting them get better. Top 4 chance next year. Can they hold on to Clarke? Will need a better import in 2023, missing a true centre.

Previous post.. regarding Mandurah WSBL.
The kids left the Mandurah program due to the disaster that was the egomaniac Craig Watts era. High an arrogance and very low on knowledge he literally drove all and sundrie from that program within 2 short seasons.

They have done well since his departure, but it takes time.

Probably fair JT, but throwing big $$$ and not blooding any kids isn't helping that.

Their d league team was second bottom too.

some BIG games with BIG implications this weekend in the Mens.

Senators v Buccs in Gero
Senators trying to stay in touch to get back into the top 4. Buccs can still slide out of top spot if they dont win their last 2 games. Flames are only 1 game back. Senators have a roster that is capable of taking out the whole thing so this is anyones game for the taking. Buccs have shown a few chinks in the armour of late too.

Giants v Cougars in Kal
Giants trying to hang onto top 4 finish need to win this one to solidfy. Cougars can also still make top 4 depending on what happens with Giants and Senators and will be pushing hard for it. Given Giants are one team that need to lose to make this a reality the ball is really in their court as they match up this weekend. Cougars in great form right now with Giants coming off an unexpected loss to Kalamunda.

FLames v Redbacks in Rocko
Flames looking to see if they can still slip into 1st must win this one to keep that alive. Redbacks playing for their season as they are currently barely hanging onto 8th position.

Hawks v Lightning at Bendat
Hawks currently in 9th will be playing for their season also. Lightning have a roster than when on can be a real problem for any team. They could completely ruin Hawks season taking this one and have nothing to lose.

Magic v Wolves at Mandy
Magic can still technically fall out of the 8 if they dont win their remaining games. Currently hanging onto 7th place over Redbacks and Hawks by 1 game. They had Giants down 15 last week and couldnt hold on going down by 5. That was a ball breaker for them leaving them vulnerable. Wolves are the real deal this year so will be a tough ask for the Magic to take them down. Wolves are in 3rd and 2 games back from 1st and one back from 2nd. They have 2 games this weekend, the first against kalamunda and second against Magic. They will be pushing hard to get both wins and see if they might be able to sneak into 2nd. If they lose both and Giants win they can drop down to 4th.

A lot at stake in these games which should make it an exciting weekend of basketball.

Great write-up Boomer, however on the wrong thread.

There's a dedicated August message thread here.....

https://www.hoops.com.au/forum/50316-nbl-1-west-august-2022/

We really don't need monthly threads anymore.