Looking forward to it, as someone with no connection to either team.

I think Wildcats in a squeaker.

Agree with Gordon. Perth can get this.

If the refs call it evenly Melb are in trouble. Bryce(don't guard my postcode) will have twenty fou shots. Most
Melb. Players will foul out in Perth.

Perth can definitely get this, but will take a big night from Cotton and/or Pinder/Windler. No faith in the Perth D, but they can definitely outscore United if it turns into a shootout.

Cotton vs Melbourne this season:
9.5 pts (22% 2P, 33% 3P), 4.0 reb, 5.0 ast, 2.5 PFs On.

Cotton vs Everyone else:
30.3 pts (50% 2P, 43% 3P), 3.1 reb, 4.6 ast, 6.3 PFs On.

If Perth can set screens for Cotton like UTD set screens for Goulding the last time they played each other Bryce will feast. Goulding should have had another 10 points min had he hit more of those wide open 3s. If however the screens are weak as pi$$ like last game Ili will have him in a cage all night and the others will need to put on the cape. Cats by 5-10

Melbourne's their bogey team, I would think Melbourne would get them in a clean sweep. They are good at locking down Cotton and creating mismatches with their bigs.

I can't see the cats winning this. I hope I'm wrong.

So delly charges, no call then a block in the no charge circle called a charge... no guess who benefited from both

Unfortunately refs decide some games now, not the players or coaches. And those coaches will be giving an earful.
Melbourne will throw kitchen sink at Cotton with Ili, Delly and Cameron.and might have too much firepower. Windler and/or Pinder will need big games, if both struggle can see United comfortably. If Cotton struggles again it'll be a blowout.
Both teams very very rested, so another factor could be who's more game ready.

United defence looking super solid early on

Hope everyone bitching about MU getting the favorable whistle are watching this game...

What a quarter by Clark

Clark picking up the slack big time while CG43 runs out the back to have a cry

Good half by both sides, early calls to Melbourne evened up in the second. Doolittle just fantastic. It's exactly how finals should be.

Cats need to set a few more hard screens for Cotton.

And tighten up on Clark!

Unfortunately (as a wildcats fan) I just don't see them having a playoff gear to move into.

Rob Loe getting that call is everything wrong with basketball... ref's as usual, two quarters of basketball called completely differently....

Disgusting call on Doolittle, block every day of the week.

The problem with getting Butler to give his quick explanations is it doesn't actually clarify anything for anyone who doesn't already understand why the call was made. So you get posts like the above.

Unfortunately (as a wildcats fan) I just don't see them having a playoff gear to move into.

he needs to explain to the commentary as they nfi

Gaze and Lowery both called it the wrong call, the defender was never there, that's a block. It’s looking good night cats. Goulding on fire.

It was a charge. Lowery not knowing the rules doesn't change that.

Some of the softest calls i have seen in basketball. and the lack of consistence is just way off.
You can smash a bloke on a rebound or a screen, but touch the shooters singlet...

Love the way Doolittle plays. He's manhandling white for some of his rebounds

Wow. Is Goulding gonna bring MU home!

Rillie not reacting to Goulding getting wide open shots is insane.

Yeeesh... Getting PTSD here ...

Just another CG43 all-timer performance.

Clearly the Wildcats scout did not identify that no43 can shoot the 3

Looks like he's answered my question! Incredible performance

Good shooting Goulding, wildcats shoddy defense on display.

Clearly not a priority

As good as CG43 has been, definitely a massive assist from Rillie with how they've defended him

An all time CG3 performance assisted greatly by Perths lazy bum entirely predictable lack of coherent defence

Interesting to compare the looks Goulding got to what Cotton got. Apart from once or twice, Cotton got little to no help so had to make his own shots. Perth was comprehensively out coached

Interesting to compare the looks Goulding got to what Cotton got. Apart from once or twice, Cotton got little to no help so had to make his own shots. Perth was comprehensively out coached

...another 3 years

CG43.. sensational

If the rest of the playoffs are like this game, we're in for a treat

Perth's Achilles heel all season has been defence and you can't win finals without it.

As all above said, cats D was average, no one near Goulding, Pinder on offence was very useful but poor defensively. Doolittle great, Cotton tried hard, needed more Wagstaff, Windler and Henshall struggled scoring certainly didn't help. Enjoyable game until the last few minutes. Melbourne just so experienced and solid, should make another GF from here.

Great game CG43. Sublime.

Although CG shot superbly, Perth's perimeter D is the big query on them and it showed tonight.

Just can't be having breakdowns in the 4th quarter of a playoff game, and giving arguably the greatest 3 point shooter in NBL history wide open threes.

Great game CG43. Sublime.

Although CG shot superbly, Perth's perimeter D is the big query on them and it showed tonight.

Just can't be having breakdowns in the 4th quarter of a playoff game, and giving arguably the greatest 3 point shooter in NBL history wide open threes.

CG43 was outragous, what a performance. Thought for many periods of the game the Wildcats were just too good. The frontcourt Pinder and Doolittle too strong and agile, White battled hard but looked almost robotic on some plays.
Wildcats defence definitely let them down, but some of that has to sit with the roster creation, with no genuine stopper in the back court.
Henshalll will learn from the experience but was targeted as a weak link. A Mitch Norton style scrapper would be a good addition to the team.

Nice to see Clark return to form.

Cats are cooked, get out the broom. Henshall is getting hammered on defense and he doesn't provide 20+ points to counter it.

Cats should maybe move Windler to the 2 and bring another big into the starting five.

United will make, at a minimum, a deciding game 3 of the semi finals. 7 seasons out of 8 under Vickerman they've achieved this

Ili on the bench icing his calf so Bryce is on the bench having a rest.... not defending Goulding man to man (Ili style) and allowing him comically open looks multiple times in the 4th.... bad dreams about it and still scratching my head this morning queue the X-Files music

It's been the achilles heel all season.

No coincidence CG has dropped 46 and 41 on the Cats in Melbourne, and Batemon dropped 50.

Partly coaching but partly roster construction. They don't have a known stopper like Ili, Swaka Lo Boluk, Kuol etc, guys who have the ability to make things very difficult for their opponent for stretches of the game.

Both teams have an outstanding scorer. MU sets to create openings for CG last night were outstanding. Where as wildcats rely on individual brilliance.