Melbourne fresher, Taipans four games in 10 days. I'm going for Melb to get them late in the game.

Cairns slightly out form, Melbourne getting better, should be a good game. Again the battle of the bigs will be a highlight for me. I'm still not sold XRM and Tucker making the right decision with ball in hand.
Cairns by 8 to end United run at finals.

This is a must win for United with the next 7 on the road. Think they get this given Cairns have been a bit beat up lately

Looking forward to watching this. Can imagine with the roof and time of year, a big raucous crowd will be on hand.

United by 4.

Melbourne appear to have team understanding and roles sorted, now how more higher can Melbourne play? Or is this the end and the Snakes continue to be giant killers? I'm picking United in double digits

Can imagine with the roof and time of year, a big raucous crowd will be on hand.

Never mind - I didn't read the original post, carry on.

Are you there Gordon?

Flop warning on both Goulding and Djeric

What a BS call. Home cooking. Goulding fouls. They look at it & still get the decision wrong. NBL officiating is a lottery.

@PW No I'm home in Cairns, got friends and rellies in there though.

Enjoyable quarter, djeric v Goulding will be a flop contest, should give us a good laugh.

Can anyone get a defensive rebound in this garbage league?

LOL so many players are not in this league to win for there team, but just here to try and get scouted to a bigger league and get a pay day.

Foul, foul, foul foul, foul, foul, foul

LOL you can see what the league is trying to do.

They want to be seen as a high scoring league to attract scorers from around the world to come to this league.

Basically if you play defense you will be penalised.

The owner of this league has prostituted the sport for his own pocket.

These refs are blatantly helping the United. It's downright embarrassing

Horrible call on Pinder. Refs call rubbish.

What is more likely to happen first?

Man lands on Mars or an NBL game can go for more than 30 seconds without the referees getting involved and a foul being called?

Pinder seriously how weak is he? A cut lip. Toughen up

I can't believe Pinder isn’t wearing a mouth guard, surely it must be part of ohs procedure. Lee length really making it tough for Pinder, Humphries as well.

Kuol screwed now. More home cooking.

Pinder. Go & sit down.

Kuol fouls that often that he never gets benefit of the doubt.

Peatling played his 1 good game a season against the Hawks. Back to his terrible self it seems.

NBL refs suck. Foul time after time. No flow. Pinder is average at best

Why on that last play would you put the ball in Hogg's hands from the inbounds. Too easy to make him give it up.

McCall bricks it. Game over. United looked the better team all night. Cairns lucky in the end to be so close.

Goulding 5 step travel yep he thinks the ref is wrong stares him down after the game embarrassing

Not all nbl refs suck, Mayberry seems to set the tone on fouls, calls a lot of stuff that would be just play on.
It stifles the speed of the game.
Still a reasonable game due to taipans never giving up.
How does a great player like Goulding let a very ordinary player like djeric get into his game
Agree on Peatling even though commentary think he great, average.
Lee is gun.
Illi the same.
Tucker coming good.
Coaches and taller players working out how to slow Pinder down.
Cairns slightly unlucky.
Hogg loves the big shots at the end.
McCall very good, got make free throws.
Kuol got stop hugging players and refs might stop calling everything on him.
Ayre should got more time, Scott to hot and cold.

Tonight the refs didn't call obvious fouls, which leads to the game getting really physical and ugly as teams see how much they can get away with, and then refs have to pick and choose what they call.

When they just enforce the rulebook from the first whistle the players and coaches adjust and you don't get a foul fest, it's really simple it just isn't done consistently in the NBL for some reason.

Ugly as hell game, Melbourne the better team, but well done Forde for exposing some of their offensive weaknesses and well done Cairns for hanging around and almost getting OT.

United will be well and truly back in the hunt if they can beat Sydney on Sunday, and while the Kings are physical, the game won't be the slow-down hugfest it was tonight.