A Dima of hope: The giant 7'2 centre Dimakopoulos will have a huge say in the first two games of the next rounds for the Mavs. Photo by Krista Healey
3-Minute Read
Does the “Greek Freak of Central” change the Mavs finals chances?
The first three games will… The impact of Ioannis will be fully understood when the Mavs take on the Sabres, Panthers and the desperate Lions needing to win as well. In those games the matchups will be Haygood, Starling and Dowdell. The Mavs are 1-8 and with five teams on 6-3, at least 9 wins may be enough to get them in but they must at least beat every team within that bracket. Likely the Warriors are the only team they can drop to and even then I still think they’ll need 10-0 from here on in so there is no room for error.
Can York get all her Lions on the floor before its too late?
If they do they are back in the battle… So much of a teams record has reflected the impact of “the train” hitting some harder than others and this is definitely the case for the Lions who have not had most of their full-strength lineup on court at all in the first half of the season. At 1-8 they have home games against 3 of the top current 6 with two of those on Sundays which can give any team a chance. We know the potency of this Lions team as they demonstrated in a half against the Rockets in Round 8; They too have no room for error but will “if” they get the full contingent on court, show some pride and be in the race…
Do the Bearcats need more from Andre Washington?
If the piece fits… The import has been playing his role but similar to other imports he needs to grab that starting five position. Averaging 9.7 points at 43 percent, 4.8 rebounds and playing under 20 minutes a game; to complement DeSantis and Sheppard’s games they need the 7 foot plus centre firing right now if they are going to improve their 3-6 record.
How high is the ceiling for Lachy Olbrich?
We haven’t even come close yet… The Adelaide 36ers rookie is probably the most exciting prospect to be coming through and the advanced growth that has occurred since his COE return has seen him literally come in leaps and bounds. Minus Koop and Coleman, Olbrich’s quick development and close to average double double of 19.1 points at 53 percent and 9.9 rebounds is just the tip of what this SA rising star can do and would already be a deserved winner of the Frank Angove medal for 2022. Retaining him locally and for NBL now becomes the priority.
Can the Rockets win it again with just Jamar Akoh in the front court?
There were some serious questions just before the break… The Rockets looked like they were cruising the first part of the season however maybe a reality has settled in that hit them hard at Round 7. The Flames stunned them the night after the COE, they scrapped past the Lions then the Panthers and Eagles belted them at the Lights. The key aspect of these losses was the 42, 41, 40 and 36 rebounds compared to the season average of 46 for the season. There’s a chink in their armour no doubt having slipped to 6th on the table and the front court now exposed; it has to be fixed quickly by Nyberg and the brains trust of North if they are to contend again.
Can Daly and Spear capture their spark and lift the Sabres through the finals?
It all rests on the form of the dynamic duo… The Sabres have been so solid but twice this season they have been found it in two games against the Eagles and the Warriors. In those games the average for Daly and Spear was 21.5 points, 10 rebounds and 8.5 assists between them; they need about 35-40 points, 15-20 rebounds and 12-16 assists per game to make the Sabres a real threat in the second half of the season.
Will the splits cost or enhance the Panthers finals chance?
They’ve kept the door ajar both ways… When it comes to season splits the Panthers have won and lost 7 of their games by single figures with the wins against the Flames, Lions, Tigers and Mavericks in danger of being reversed. They however have not lost by more than single figures this season meaning it could have the reverse effect. They should turnaround the games against the Bearcats so it’ll come down to the Warriors and Sabres losses being turned around. Their destiny is more in their hands than others from here on in…
Are the “college kids” the answer for the Flames?
They’ve had a big impact in a short space of time… The lift in the Flames four game winning streak has come from some regular faces in Green and Lycett but that might not be what has also lifted the Flames form in the last few games. Pittsburgh States Cam Huefner and Bellevue Bruins Aydan Janssen showed some late season form in 2021 and both are likely to add to the Flames firepower especially when Ray Harding (who has missed the past fortnight) returns to the active roster. Huefner already top scored for the Flames with 21 and 19 and Janssen can also put points on the board. It might be the difference of the Flames going from finals placer to genuine contender.
Are the Eagles “foxing” or is the inconsistent form a warning sign?
I’ve seen a switch flicked at different times… Andy Simon’s Eagles are an enigma in the sense of they are no where near their best currently from what we’ve seen this season but also have thrown up some unusual results. Twice this season against contenders the Sabres and Rockets they have destroyed both teams in a half then got turned inside out by the Panthers and the Warriors. While Doyle a key component was missing from that Panthers game and DJ was only playing his first in the Warriors one, maybe expectations were much higher and yet they sit 6-3 in second on the table without getting into even third, fourth or fifth gear. That’s a scary prospect if your questioning whether this team is going through the motions then is about to swoop in for the kill or the loss to the Flames showed its not as clear cut as we “all” thought…
Can the Warriors “finish the marathon” this time?
This is the last stand for a majority of this group… They’ve completed part one of what they aimed to do with a just short buzzer beater the difference between a blemished and perfect record; but there is still much more to do. Managing expectation, learning from the past seasons where strong starts have faded to misguided hope, sticking to what they’ve done this season without getting stuck in the mire of the waiting game and making sure all the roster are raring to go mid-August. They only need to look at the veterans of the group and some of the talent surrounding them all to know this group can be the champions but it won’t be like this in future seasons. Their window is closing with this squad but all the pieces are there, and they won’t want to miss the opportunity and that I think will keep them focused and be at least one of the two teams on the last day of the season…
The Rockets came from 1-6 last season to win it all and with some splits easily overturned amongst the middle tier; the league is alive for all ten clubs. Make sure you keep up to date on the NBL1 App, Website and here on the Cross Over Dribble…
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