Cats ftw

I'm liking the increase in podcast and talk show NBL media this season, things are trending up for bball in Aus it's great.

Perth to give the Breakers a hiding.

Cats not travelling great, waiting for it to all click but Breakers need a week or 3 to rest up.
Perth by 7

Agree @AA, cats struggling but other than PJC, not lot quality in breakers, soft to a certain extent. Cats by a few.

Rare early Saturday game for the Cats, can't recall the last time we've played in this timeslot.
(inb4 someone responds with last season.)

After a shaky start, this is the type of game the Cats can't afford to drop.
Keanu is back in the lineup, so no excuses. Hope we're switched on.

Gotta think Dane Pinnno is hugely under utelized at breakers. Was machine at Sem not spectular but ever reliable and ever ready. Gotta wonder if move was best decision and if given opportunity can show his worth.

Pineau is injured right now.

How can the breakers win this? Crash the boards and hope to shoot well from the perimeter?

Can we go back to the nz commentators, Lowery is horrible. Empty vessel make the most noise. Cotton whacked off the ball, not looking good

How do NZ win?
Bryce getting injured..

100% agreed, Dunkman. NZ commentary team was always great value. No comparison to what we have here now :/

Darling showing skill at both ends we've never seen before.

That Youtube video has completely broken the page layout...

Sorry about that. I usually embed at 50% size but forgot to with that one.

NZ allowing the Cats to hang around atm.

haven't been watching the game but just saw a report of Cotton being taken to hospital with a suspected broken rib, what happened?

PJC is such a great player but two dumb fouls have got him sitting on bench
and allowing cats back into it.
Cotton broken ribs going to hospital

It didn't look much but Cotton got a slight hit to the ribs.
Wagstaff still very solid for cats
Shakes head on what is going on with Pinder.
Cats can win this even without Cotton
Breakers bigs poor defensively
Good crowd in.

Ponder can never get into rhythm with the way rillie uses him

Something to ponder.

Nz can't miss, perth can't hit a 3 or a ft.... that's the game right now, that's it.

Wait, it's not the refs?

Haha I had exactly the same reaction. This is unprecedented.

How are we not beating a fatigued Breakers with Gillespie.

... and non-dodgy refs for once ;)

Pinder got realise that effort doesn't rely on the coach
Even without Cotton cats should win this.
Both sides are overpaying their marquee, who ever it is.

Cats have been so disappointing today.
Still not without a chance of stealing it though. And it would be theft.

What is proves is that Rillie coaches without an actual plan or system.
There's no 'next man up' to fill a role because there is no defined roles.

Well two set of rules in the last minute... advantage nz

Bahaha there it is

I mean I felt obliged after the comments

Hands foul or a travel surely.??? Can't get a replay of the play can we. Just shots of the crowd during live play

nice game from Darling

Weak, Cats. So weak.

Hope we're switched on.

The wildcats are not a top6 team. Short of import changes (better option to Windler) or coaching changes this year is not looking good.

Breakers deserved winners, PJC, Mooney, Darling excellent.
Cats where to now. Doolittle there best but I think it shows what Cotton
brings to the team and his contract value is going up,
certainly if he's an Australian next February.

The Breakers certainly like to keep things interesting late

Koberulz, of course it will be the refs.Then it will be Rillie and then the refs again!!!

Abercrombie made that commentary bearable.

I don't think that game reflects either team's prospects. Cats weren't that bad but got to bring Pinder and pepper into the game whilst cotton out.
Breakers got a bit lucky with perimeter shooting but they can't rely on that... most games with that mix of shots they will lose. Their inside offence is non existent

No Cotton and Pinder can't even stand up. Averaging 11/7 so far. Really disappointing.

No Cotton makes it harder, not easier, for Pinder to be more effective IMO

Then what's the point of having a 2nd star player when they need the 1st star to perform? They're supposed to step up in their absence!

Any cotton updates. His health is priority.

He's probably still sitting in the waiting room at Auckland hospital

From 10 News, he has been cleared to fly back to Perth

I presume thats a good sign then, can you fly with cracked rib/s?

My thoughts on the game:

1. My predictions this season are as good as Dunkman's last year.

2. Perth will not win the title this year. Rillie is not a good coach and Pinder has checked out.

3. Damon Lowery should not be let anywhere near a microphone. Mooney the best New Zealand shooter ever? Wtf.

4. Several Breakers players read Hoops and decided they would show they were worth their paycheck.

5. Unless the Breakers swap out Gillespie, they will not be a championship contender.

6. Coach Kop has shown some promising things, but his late game coaching is very poor. Tai Webster was going end to end of an inbounds pass. After the first one, pull back the nominal full court press!

7. Perth could build something special around Henshall, Harris and Harris, and Pepper long term.

Breakers are not very good to be honest. There is no way they can consistently shoot that good every game to offset the lack of interior scoring . Perth shot the ball atrociously bad and had no Cotton essentially the whole match and was there with a genuine chance.

Breakers also have a new Coach and PJC was the only starter to return from last season.
Only their DP's McNaught, Davidson & Darling along with seldom used Dane Pineau carried over from last season.


They were never expected to put it together at the start of the season and nor have they.
But they're still 3 & 1.

Perth packed the paint and doubled almost everything inside which in return left guys open for 3's.
That's why there wasn't much interior scoring.

I agree, Mystro. Mooney and Darling weren't impersonating CG43. Just simple drive and kick, ball movement, resulting in easy open threes.