Looks like it's going ahead

Not much quality 1st 1/4. United 19-10.
Breakers 4/18 from the field. Hope it gets better. Field shooting abysmal

Very nice start by united, lead by nine at 1/4. NZ shooting very poorly.

Good game happening here, quality defence, both side missing shots. United by three. Both sides so well coached

Breakers by two at 3/4 time, good game, so far these refs have been great.

Breakers just wearing United down.

United season is done. Phoenix and Tassie are in.

Now it's all about Perth, Tassie and Phoenix jostling for the fourth spot

NZ and Cairns still in a battle for second as well.

XRM just doesn't get the ball to the right places, really good six man but no point guard.

I like the dude but Abercrombie is cooked. Will this be his final season?

Perth have the potential to drop all 3 and Melb beat Adelaide and we can still see united in Finals.

Perth will beat cairns at home. They have won the last 14 against the taipans

Abercrombie does everything you don't get stats for, great D, help out D, hand in the lanes, yes his shot isn’t as good as it was but he’s still very valuable. Coach isn’t playing nearly 28 minutes because he’s rubbish.
United gone now unless there is miracle, first they would need to smash Adelaide and JJs would nee d to lose to hawks. Perth would need to lose all three which is united best chance, as they are all tough games.

Good game,breakers play a tough team oriented game, if they’re close at 3/4 time they can mow you down.

Rupert did himself nothing but favors in front of all the scouts today. Abercrombie either needs to retire or play a limited bench role.

Abercrombie had one of his better games statistically. He scored 2 points in 28 minutes. Which is worse than me in Wednesday night B league.

I don't mind him on the team, but Ruper and even gliddon offer far more, and the minutes should reflect this.

If we swapped Abercrombie minutes for Rupert we would be winning the league.

Still breakers get a big and enjoyable win. Loe massive and then Brantley came right in the 2nd half.

I'm glad Maor is coaching NZ and realises that defence wins matches. I’ll stick with Abercrombie. If a few other coaches in the league had followed this they could be in finals race, Brisbane and Adelaide for a start.

Rupert is a better defender than Abercrombie.

United are 11-3 with Ili, 3-10 without. That says it all.

Reigning DPOY and unlike XRM he's pass first.

I'm not really disappointed if United misses playoffs. They've had a reasonable season given the injuries.

Hukporti wants to come back and will be next star. Okwera might break out next season. United should contend again

With finals looking unlikely it will be an interesting offseason for United. Agree that without Ili the team just doesn't have the right balance. With repeat concussions is his place next season in doubt? If so I assume they push hard for a return by Delly, however on a reduced salary surely. Jack White likely to stay in the US? Peatling while he provides good hustle just continues to make dumb decisions, tries too much and turns the ball over continually. I’d be looking to resign Lee with a Hukporti combo at the 5. Humphries out of contract? Move him on go mine, too injury prone. Keep Tucker and XRM off the bench (pending Ili/Delly).

After today either Tassie will be 14-13 equal with Melbourne, or Perth will be 14-12 with the top two teams to come. Phoenix will be 15-13 if they lose to Sydney.

Any of those three could still miss and Melbourne are still well and truly alive playing Adelaide next week. They might have to beat them well for % but that's possible.

Melbourne united are not making it. Stop reaching

Hahaha! If Perth go 1-2 and Melbourne beat Adelaide then likelihood is Melbourne get in. That's not a reach. It's out of their hands though.

If my auntie had balls she would be my uncle bro

Have you checked?

Melbourne percentage isn't getting them in. Now if Adelaide capitulate and Melbourne win by 50 things could change.

Melbourne are only 0.87% behind Perth, which is approx 20 points. If the Wildcats go 1-2 and -10 in those three games then United only have to win by double figures.

To overtake the Phoenix they'd need Sydney to beat them by 20-odd and then beat Adelaide by 25+. To pass Tassie they'd need Perth and Illawarra to both beat them.

^^^
Yes on reflection you are probably right, I think it gets down to Perth or Melbourne for last spot.

Yeah you'd think so unless the Phoenix have a real bad one today. It could be that Melbourne beat Adelaide next Sunday and then Perth have to beat Sydney in the last game of the season. That would be a finale!

Hahaha! If Perth go 1-2 and Melbourne beat Adelaide then likelihood is Melbourne get in. That's not a reach. It's out of their hands though.

Tassie will beat Illawarra so they'll finish above United

It's between United and Perth for 6th.

Sports history is full of examples of minor premiers losing dead rubbers in final rounds. If Sydney goes into that final game in Perth having top spot wrapped up, then Perth wins that.

So unfortunately Perth much more likely than United.

Which is a real shame, cos United at full strength were probably the 2nd best team after Sydney this season.

For Ili's sake, I hope he's ok. And for United, his future is the shadow hanging over the club's future.

Perths win over United when united chucked that win away could be the crucial game.

100% Dunkman

United have quietly been the form team since mid-December so it would be a shame if they missed out.

United were only ever going to be a fringe playoff team this season. They had way too many outs late in the off-season to their Aussie core in Delly and Jack White getting NBA call ups that they had to try and replace with imports in XRM and Caroline. Throw in the season ending injury to their back up centre in Hukporti before the season even began and they were never going to be a powerhouse team this season.

Way too many guys on this United roster that would struggle to make another NBL team's roster guys like Newley, Barlow, Maluach, Okwera even Barker, who was admittedly signed as an injury replacement. Big cleanout coming up for United in the off-season and wouldn't be surprised to see both Delly & Jack White back again next season.

Ladder filtered by Form/Last 10:

1. MEL 8-2
2. SYD 7-3
3. CNS 7-3
4. TAS 6-4

United are 9-3 in their last 12. 8 of those 12 away games


The 3 losses were

- the one they threw away in Perth and lost by a point

- Yesterday in NZ, missing Ili, led for most of the game and lost by 6

- Christmas Day in Sydney, missing CG43 and well beaten

Pretty clearly they're a team who should be in the semi finals if they're healthy.

But even if they sneak in, I suspect Ili's on ice til next year

Bad seasons happen like this. What I'm disappointed is that why doesn’t the league play more games?

36 regular season will balance out the evenness of this competition.

I can’t stand how Cairns get Brisbane 4 times a season, Sydney getting Illawarra and Adelaide with Perth. Just make the fixtures even in the first place since we only have ten teams in this comp?

The NBL should be playing their season in late September till late March, play finals in early April.

^^^^^
Yep, plus if they don't want 36 rounds, play 27 where all teams are even playing each three times, rotate the home and away year to year.

October-to-Feb with playoffs finishing early March is the way to go IMO. Maximises exposure and crowds.

United were definitely disadvantaged this year, with Ili and Peatling being out early while United was playing more games than anyone else

But it could go the other way next year, eg if someone gets injured in January we're not disadvantaged as much

Not sure if anyone caught it but after the game mody called vickerman the best coach in the league and said they do things the right way. A clear middle finger to buford. If they were to meet in the finals things between the coaches could get pretty feisty!

There's some people who aren’t fans of Vickerman’s substitutes but can’t blame him when players need rest, it won’t work if they’re gassed out.

The early injuries and late outs with Delly, White were hard ones to swallow.

I can’t believe United need to beat the Sixers by 38pts with 110pts or under. Perth may split their games I feel, too rocky of a season.

If Perth split their weekend and are in the negative overall, say -5 across two games, then if Melbourne win by double figures they'll leapfrog them.

Perth will probably win both

Sydney has very little to play for

I feel United is done once I heard Vickerman on 1116 SEN about Shea being most likely out.

If New Zealand beat Illawarra then Cairns could rest some of their guys who are playing injured given there could be a short turnaround between the end of the season and the 3v4 finals game.