This is a comprehensive beatdown so far from what is probably only a play in team. McCall already has 5 turnovers and has looked horrible. Poole and Kuz looks a nice duo. Bilal showing plenty of good signs.

30 point deficit 2 minutes into the 2nd quarter.

No one is benefitung from this.

This is counterproductive in every way at this point.

Time to ditch the concept.

Washington are not even going to make the playin.
This is horrible.

Embarrassing

Not a good look for the league.

Wizards Commentators Pre Game - NBL is a tough league, super competitive, lots of talent. Varied defensive looks, full court, zone etc. Will be a good test for the Wizards.

Wizards Commentators Start of Second Qtr - Such a big difference between talent, skill, competitiveness. Boys against men. Physically superior, Wizards can do whatever they want on the offensive end.

Wizards Commentators End of Second Qtr- talking about fried rice, Disney Land and microwaves.

Not having the two Sams (Mennenga and Waardenburg) is not helping our cause. Both out with illness, so we are real thin in the big men department.

Commentators aren't wrong unfortunately

Score line looks exactly as you'd expect what boring game.

63 point loss. Embarrassing box score.

Taj with 8 turnovers, a massive issue in his game. Would be up the top in most TO per game since he has been in the NBL.

Armstrong was good with 8 assists and 3 steals but 6 turnovers.. Ouch

Whose idea was it to play Saturday in Brisbane and Tuesday in Washington? Silly, setting them up to fail.

The Taipains are young and inexperienced. They will have games like this in the NBL too although over the course of the season they will get better and be in the playoffs or thereabouts. It'll be interesting to see how the Breakers fare as they’ll be putting forward an experienced team against a likely inexperienced Portland one. If the Brekaers struggle, might be time to put a fork in NBL X NBA for awhile. I don’t mind a teams are getting smashed in true preseason, but it doesn’t make sense to travel all that way once the season has begun and just get smashed.

Yeah these games are good in theory, but doing the US flight and playing so soon after a regular season game is a nightmare for all (NBL) involved. I don't think Mennenga and Waardenburg change the result significantly, but for an already fairly young and shallow team to go into this without their starting frontcourt... well, recipe for disaster. Would have been better placed grabbing some G-League bigs to fill in.

Whose idea was it to play Saturday in Brisbane and Tuesday in Washington? Silly, setting them up to fail.

After next week's games I think it might be time to end the whole NBL x NBA thing. 60 point losses does nothing for anyone other than make the NBL look like a joke. Cairns even at full-strength were never going to be able to compete with an NBA team. They're a budget team based on developing young guys without any star vets. Pretty much the last team that should've been sent over.

But that's not really the point, the NBL after the 36ers win last year probably should've put this experiment to bed and allowed the public to believe NBL teams can compete with and beat NBA teams when we all know, a hot streaky night with no defence aside, they really can't.

Well said Zodiac

Seems that the NBL is main recipient of any good PR, not the clubs. So, let's send a representative team of NBL registered players to do our battles. Most of our Boomers are OS based now so not eligible (except for those in the NBL, eg Goulding, Sobey).

My team would prob come from end-of-year award winners. MVP's, top scorers, top rebounders etc OR top centres, forwards guards etc. Top scorers get first right of refusal, (if not registered, injured, or other duties etc). Coach: someone not important to any NBL club's pre-season, say a Bevo, Gleeson, Goorjian, Longley/Bogut...
Back home we have a no-games week or 2 for the NBA games or, best of all, make the 2 weeks happen during the footy finals here. Our NBL season could start the week after. Yes, that would disrupt the clubs' pre-season preps but not more than it does now.

Some of the benefits, as I see them;
*The NBL is sending its most accomplished PLAYERS, not BEST TEAM. With limited exp playing together no-one will expect much in the results. But our best performers can still stand out and attract good PR for themselves and the NBL.
*No single team is disadvantaged (back home) with the additional travel and distraction while other NBL teams are working steadily towards their early-season goals. All teams would be without some players.
*While the footy finals are on here, we are unlikely to get our best viewership and attendance figures, (this year's figures seemed exceptionally high). Footy fans who rate basketball fairly highly won't swap their finals for round 1 of their second-choice sport. Basketball nuts (you and me) can keep up with what's going on in the USA through Hoops.

Plenty of other considerations, of course.

This result on its own isnt any more indicative of the real gap between leagues than the win by the Sixers. The real truth is probably closer to the average margin in these games which I would guess is somewhere in the 20-30 point range?

Competitive, but not genuine chances to win regularly outside of freak good/bad shooting on one side or the other.

What I dont understand is why do this DURING the NBL season? it cheapens the league as much as the lopsided score does. The NBL needs to learn to stand on its own 2 feet and stop pushing itself to being a type of G League for the NBA.

We are a national league, Next Stars and playing NBA sides during the regular season makes no sense to me.

Just seems like they're half-arsing it now. Don't get why you'd send a team all the way to USA for games during the middle of the NBL seaosn - and then not even televise them/market them etc.

Isn't the basic purpose of the concept to televise and market the hell out of it - instead of treating it like a behind-doors friendly! (Breakers game wasn't televised).

I've long said the NBL has spent too much time chasing NBA connections and buzz at the expense of the best possible product for Australian (and NZ) basketball.

I don't think the NBLxNBA concept needs to be abandoned completely, but it also doesnt have to happen every year.