Agree with everything you said @Perth fan. To long a gap and kings got this by 17.

If there are 15,000+ people there the NBL will say the five-day gap is just fine!

Is Walton healthy? Can't see cooks exerting too much energy on that ankle with his career promotion.

Sold out crowd.

Wow! What is full capacity at Qudos?

Wow, look at that crowd. Good work Sydney fans.

Largest nbl crowd ever 18500. Kings looking solid early.

Commentary continue to be one eyed. Obvious foul on Hunter, " kings defense didn't do much wrong there".

The difference in the end will be the kings bench, Glover, Bruce. NZ got be better at free throws. Loe been good for breakers.

Simons very good again, Loe plus 13 in just under 8 minutes. Breakers playing hard but can't see them winning.

18,049 crowd

That's an NBA crowd right there

Refs got four fouls on so many nz players that it's impossible for them to get close in the last. Kings to good but gee they get some good calls.

Wow, that's the first NBL crowd in the 18,000ths.

In saying that Brantley makes some dumb plays.

Refs got the word at half time.

Not just Brantley. Brown is helping me build my garage, he's supplying all the bricks.

Brantley and Pardon just not big enough against the kings. A fully fit cairns probably only side that might've had a chance.

Refs made this game difficult to watch at times.

They're grown men. Let them fight for a rebound.

With Brantley off and Brown cold, nothing was happening on offense.

Kings defense has owned game 2 and the 2nd half tonight.

Wonder how much Brown's hand is affecting him. Even the non shooting hand helps the ball placement.

Agree, LV .

Not certain this series wasn't won in the first game when Sydney won in NZ when in the press conference Buford called the breakers the all blacks. Kings move and push on the screens as much as all teams but never get called.

On the other side of the coin kings are deep and play as team, Buford has done a great job.

Also, congratulations the Smith and the kings organisation on terrific crowds all season with an absolute belter tonight.
Perth supporters, at present, Sydney is the hoops capital.

If there is a Game 5 it will be on Wednesday so I am curious what the crowd would be for a midweek decider in Hoops Capital.

With Cooks going to the Wizards, NBLxNBA in Sydney would've an opportunity.

Sydney needs to do more than get 18,000 to a game and win back-to-back before taking the title Hoops Capital off Melbourne where it has belonged for 60+ years

Well it's nice to arguing about where the hoops capital is, very strong in all states. Imo it’s kings at present.

Wizards vs Kings at John Cain? Yeah that makes sense

Melbourne? Hoops Capital had been Perth for a long time, now it's pretty clearly Sydney.

I wouldn't say it's 'clearly' Sydney just yet. They need to prove their fans aren't bandwagon supporters and they have to get in 12-13000 maybe more every home game for the next 5 years at least before they can out do Perth. And a bigger population means they should have no problems doing it so the expectations have to be high.

18,000 tonight is amazing though and full credit to the Kings organisation. They've really turned it around over the last few years.

Yeah, I actually agree 100%. Should have said "now it clearly *seems* to be Sydney".

Presumably, many of the 18,000 are new to attending live NBL. If Sydney wins (they should, from here), may have a few thousand fans wanting more in the new season.

WC should boost interest 2024 season. Paris to help 2025 season, too.

The challenge is there for both Perth and Melbourne to get "Hoop's Capital" title from Sydney.

I'm not sure a lot would be new to attending NBL. Over the course of the season a lot more than 18,000 different people would have been to a Kings game, you just get more of them back on the same day because it's a GF.

Well done kings. 18,000 is a great crowd, but I just hope the violet crumbles show up next game. Whether you like Paul Smith or not he is an owner who puts his hands in his pockets and his money where his mouth is. Unlike a lot of owners over the history of the league he has shown that he is in for the long run.Sorry Paul but Melbourne is still the hoops capital of not only Aus but the world. When you can claim 3
No1 NBA draft picks, then I may concede.

Melbourne has been the hoops capital for decades, and doesn't feel that it has to brag about it - its long-term performance speaks for itself.

Yeah, anyone saying it's anything other than Melbourne is assuming "Hoops" means "NBL and literally nothing else". Flames are a basket case, Lynx have intermittent moments of relevance but haven't won anything in 30 years, NBL1 East is a joke...

Melbourne's always been the home of basketball in Australia and likely always will be. All the leagues including juniors in Melbourne would swamp any other city. About 75% of Aussies to ever make it to the NBA have come from Melbourne, it's just not even a conversation.

Delusional Melbourne. Perth quietly the Hoops Capital. Biggest crowds (particularly impressive given population disparity), and most chips. Add the prolonged success and it's pretty clear. How many Melb teams have failed and folded in that time?

- More NBA player

- More Boomers greats

- More juniors playing basketball

- More than a third of NBL title teams have come from Melbourne

To suggest this is even a conversation just shows bias or a lack of knowledge

But, I don't mind the marketing spin from Smith. He's pouring money into the game and creating interest.

Let's say Sydney nbl hoops capital at present then, more than likely back to back and up to five championships.

Why do we even care about this irrelevant title. It's a ridiculous discussion.

[more than likely back to back and up to five championships.]

Let's see what Buford does without Cooks next season

United with Vickerman have played 6 seasons.

The first 4 years- 2 titles, 1 runner up. Once lost a semi final nail biter with the worst reffing I've ever seen. After winning game 2 by 40 odd

The last 2 years- lost a nail biter semi with CG injured on game day. Would've had home court advantage in GF after being on top all year

This year they were 11-3 with Ili on court. Hukporti missed all year (Next Stars are literally irreplaceable). Peatling missed 10 games. Humphries missed a handful. Still finished 15-13

As far as I'm concerned United are still the Alpha Dogs of the NBL until someone beats them when they're healthy

Perth quietly the Hoops Capital. Biggest crowds (particularly impressive given population disparity), and most chips.

LV ,Melbourne is a great team on paper & injuries are part of professional sport. The others teams can only only play against what is put in front of them.
As for what Sydney does when Cooks leaves is anyone's guess , I would like to see Hogg fill his spot. To me he is the best import in this league with his overall game

I wish I had LV's rose-tinted glasses on during the Kings' long streak of ineptitude before the current ownership group. "Man, imagine all the titles the Kings would have had by now if not for injuries and shitty refereeing..."

Well, United should've beaten Tassie even without CG. It was a mistake putting a team together with only two quality scorers- I was saying that all last season and eventually its what brought them undone.

But 2020 would be the worst example I can remember where refs handed a game to one game

And 2023 was the possibly the worst injury season in Tigers/ United history. Possible exception being 2009/10 and the injury that effectively ended Anstey's career. They had the NBLs alpha dog and lost him with that injury.

So yeah, they've had some bad luck the last 3-4 years.

But it's equally true they got lucky with Cottons injury (and others) in 2021

I'm hoping they stay healthy and 23-24 can reveal who the NBLs true alpha dog is. Maybe it will be Sydney- who knows. I was mightily impressed by them in games 2 and 3, especially 2

LV, once a bitch always a bitch

01/02 was pretty bad too with Gaze in MVP form breaking his leg mid season

But yeah, 2023 is up there

Ain't bitching Sebastian.

Just stating that the NBLs most successful club over the past 6 years was done over by injuries this year and let's see what they can do with a better run next year

When you continue to bitch about reffing years ago....then yes you are still a bitch

TL;DR version of LV's posts:

Melbourne Tigers/United would have been champions of every NBL season if it weren't for .

TL;DR version of LV's posts:

Melbourne Tigers/United would have been champions of every NBL season if it weren't for (insert stuff which happened that are regular occurrences in professional sport).

IMO the "what if" game goes against Melbourne as they lose the 2018 'ship but don't gain any other champions

:)

It definitely is the best example.

United won game 1 of 2018 with Casper sitting on the bench for the 2nd half injured, vs a full strength 36ers

Don't think Childress would've made the difference

Cool story. Appreciate that you live in a Victorian-centric universe.

United still lose 2018 in your "what if" scenario.

Childress fit = Adelaide 'chip.

Coupled with the BS Sobey ejection too.

But Melbourne, fuck yeah!

That ejection was so bad. And the guy keeps getting GF games. Such a sad reflection on what a big hole there's been in reffing talent coming through for a long time until recently. Some decent young refs now who will hopefully keep getting better.

Joey Wright doesn't what to talk to Melbourne about Melbourne lol

Appreciate the 36ers haven't won a title in 20 years, so you have to hang onto the one time you actually got close and pretend you would've won

Even though your opponent barely lost a game in the 3 months leading into that series and beat you comfortably in Game 1 without their best player down the stretch

Yet because one of your better players gets injured later in the series, allegedly it stopped you winning the title.

Cool story indeed

You're correct LV, Melbourne United needed a number of things to go their way to win that championship.

Look I take the broader point

Every year the winning team usually gets a fair bit of luck, and usually several of their opponents don't

That is true virtually every year. Regardless of who wins.

Even the mighty Golden State Warriors have won most of their titles after massive injury luck with their opponents best players going down (Kyrie and Love 2015, Kawhi in 2017- at the point of his injury, Spurs had beat GS 2-1 regular season and were 20 up in Game 1, and Chris Paul going down with Houston leading 3-2 in the 2018 conference finals)

I guess the winners are the winners and what ifs are exactly that

I still loved thinking through the counterfactuals though.

love*

Perhaps you should heed that advice the next time you post one of your "if United didn't get called for a foul with 7:27 left in the 2nd QTR they would've gone on to win the championship that year" essays.

"you have to hang onto the one time you actually got close and pretend you would've won"

Your whole shtick is designing ways your United could have won, but you get that offended when others do it?

I'd say “save for a bs ejection and a star injury, our team could have won the decider” is a pretty damn decent “what if” compared to the grasping as straws you manage to pull!

If your physical abilities matched your mental gymnastics, you’d be an Olympic Gold medalist!

Classic LV haha

Well there's a difference between normal injury luck (2022), once a decade bad injury luck (2023) and egregious refereeing incompetence (2020- which I'll call incompetence rather than corruption by applying Hanlon's razor)

Yes, I should probably drop the 2022 argument- it shouldn't have gone to 3 games, and United had their chances to win the decider, even without the great CG

2023 United screwed wholeheartedly by the injury bogey monster, but even at full health, I'd safely say they would've been semi finalists. Could I confidently say they would've hoisted the trophy? Nah. Not with huge confidence. I feel more sorry for Cairns than United this season. Almost beat Sydney even with their playoff injury issues.

That leaves 2020. United finally got their sh*t together late in the season and were playing basketball as good as anyone else. I was very confident United would beat Perth if they got through Sydney.

So I'll never let that one go. Won't happen. Call me a whinger all you like.

[grasping as straws]

Go look up the game thread of that 2020 Game 3- every neutral fan said United got completely screwed

Plus United had the better of Perth that season. Very different matchup to 2019.

Like I said, I'll never let it go. 2020 is truly the one that got away.

Just like I'll never let go of 2009 and 2010 in the AFL

But, the good thing about supporting Melbourne Tigers/United is (Unlike my AFL team, and unlike your NBL team) there's plenty of successes along the way to enjoy, despite a few near misses ;-)

" Call me a whinger all you like."

Just “Victorian” would suffice.

Saints fan?

Yes, which is why you should really feel sorry for me

Despite being a Victorian

Poor thing :(

Cheers KET, appreciate that!