Category: NBL

Royal Flush required: This weekend is the ultimate game of Warlords and Scumbags where if the cards fall right... only when the hand of the weekend is revealed will we know - Photo credit to news.com/NBL/ABS-CBN News/Getty Images

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4-Minute Read

NBL ROUND 18

Adelaide 36ers vs Sydney Kings

When: 7:00pm (ACDT), Friday 3 February

Where:  Adelaide Entertainment Centre – The Ken Cole-seum

Broadcast: Kayo Freebies, ESPN, www.nbl.com.au

LTTM: Sydney Kings 97 (Soares 18, Walton Jr 16, Cooks, Vasiljevic 15) defeated Adelaide 36ers 78 (Johnson 21, Franks 16, Sotto 13, Cleveland 12) at Qudos Bank Arena

SWOOP BACK IN HISTORY

NBL23

The last round of the NBL23 regular season sees us reflect on some of what this season has brought to us…

Key Moment of the Season

The last ten minutes of the New Years Eve game against the Taipans we’ll likely remember for the one that halted the momentum the Sixers wanted to take into the second half of the season.

Dunk of the Season

Pick anyone you want from AC this season but I can’t go past the just over halfway acceleration Cleveland threw down against United recently…

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Assist of the Season

Mitch McCarron made the ball disappear with this no looker saved out of bounds to AC against the Breakers in New Zealand.

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Block of the Season

Been plenty of good rim protection this season from Sotto but purely for the little aggro in it this one on Isaac White was one of my favourites.

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Surprise performance of the Season

Drmic’s 21 points vs Melbourne United in Round 7 – brought into the starting lineup to replace CR II – more no doubt expected to be a role player this season the “Wizard” produced some high quality against a team the Sixers have struggled to beat on their home floor…

The “I belong in the league” rookie moment

Nick Marshall’s big moment came off the back off the career high 15 points against the Phoenix when he backed it up with 10 points in 16 minutes against the Bullets.

Masterstroke coaching move of the Season

Kyrin Galloway’s introduction against the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland yielded 13 points including a perfect three of three triples. Changed the momentum in Auckland and if not for Brown Jr banked triple nearly stole the upset win for Adelaide in New Zealand.

Team play of the Season

Every piece of this play was superb from defence to offensive execution

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Key Matchups

Mitch McCarron vs Derrick Walton Jr    

McCarron has had a mixed season with some high quality basketball and some games with minimal impact. Tonight I’d love to simply see an offensively aggressive Mitch to try and throw Walton Jr at the defensive end of the floor.

Walton Jr is a key cog to getting this Kings lineup rolling – he’s had also double figure scoring ten games in a row. Since his 45 points against the Phoenix he’s averaging a solid 15.6 points per game. He’s also number three of active players in the league for assists.

Antonius Cleveland vs Justin Simon

From the Sixers perspective where they send Cleveland defensively for this game will be intriguing…

It could be Dejan Vasiljevic, Walton Jr or might even spend some time on Xavier Cooks even for something different…

Then there’s Simon who didn’t make the final three in voting – he’ll be having a point to prove potentially in this one. I think he’ll rotate to whoever has the hot hand – but seeing these two matchup on each other and give as much as they get will be worth the price of admission for tonight…

Kyrin Galloway vs Jaylin Galloway

We hope both CJ and Chase will give us the matchup of the two brothers on each other for significant minutes tonight and it makes sense.

Kyrin has been struggling for minutes stuck behind Sotto and Johnson but has had some really nice moments – including the one I touched on. An outside threat and rim protector in burst is a clear role for him.

Meanwhile Jaylin attacks the rim and has had a rise in minutes averaging 17 minutes for eight points per game. He’s likely to see some big minutes tonight considering the position for the Kings on the ladder.

TWO QUESTIONS TO SWOOP ON

Where has it gone wrong to take it out of the hands of the Sixers (a reprise)?  

Four five minute patches have shaped the fate of the Sixers and where they are at right now

• The overtime against the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Round 5
• The Round 10 home game last five minutes versus Perth Wildcats
• The last five minutes against Cairns on new years eve in Round 13
• Thursday night’s last five minutes of game against the Bullets

These four patches cost the Sixers four wins they should’ve gotten and didn’t because they were in winning positions at these stages of the game – that could have them in the six and creating their own fate.

But now its not…

Will the Kings rest numbers for this one?  

Game situation and scenario may dictate it – but they will heed the past when teams like Melbourne United have done so and cost them momentum and ultimately a spot in the NBL championship series…

So who wins?

Although mathematically it is a very very small percentage as cited below from DB on twitter…

.@Adelaide36ers

Can finish between #6 and #8. Must win out and hope PER and MEL lose out. They play MEL on the final day and need a big win. Need other scores to go their way to get the necessary % too. Great win last night at CNS and will give it a crack. pic.twitter.com/aU1cDszV5F

— Duncan Berg (@CoachDuncanBerg) January 30, 2023

With the likelihood of Perth winning one of the the last two – The Sixers will come out with not a big amount of pressure and just go and play.

They’ll get the “upset” win but I don’t think the Kings will let them have a big one…

COD Prediction: 36ers by 4 points

Catch all the action tonight at the arena on Cluch Radio with Tristan “TP” Prentice and our special comments guest whether you’re at the game or watching from home

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Gone in 20 minutes: The Sixers had their opportunities to control their destiny but 20 crucial minutes of self-inflicted wounds has taken away from them where they finish in the finals race  - Photo credit to news.com/NBL

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4-Minute Read

NBL ROUND 16

Adelaide 36ers vs Melbourne United

When: 7:30pm (ACDT), Saturday 21st January

Where:  Adelaide Entertainment Centre – The Ken Cole-seum

Broadcast: Kayo Freebies, ESPN, www.nbl.com.au

LTTM: Melbourne United 86 (Tucker 23, Rathan-Mayes 15, Peatling 11, Goulding 10, L Barker 9, Humphries 8) defeated by Adelaide 36ers 91 (Drmic, Franks 21, Cleveland 15, McCarron 12, Dech, Sotto 8) at John Cain Arena

SWOOP BACK IN HISTORY

Game 2 Grand Final Series 1998: The Ultimate Team of all-time!!!

It’s heritage round in NBL23 and the Sixers are paying tribute to their 1998 championship team that swept the South East Melbourne Magic 2-0 – highly regarded by many as the greatest team of all time assembled in the NBL.

That was until Phil Smyth’s men including Brett Maher, two-way superstar import Darnell Mee, the enigmatic but brilliant Kevin Brooks, the hardened duo of Martin Cattalini and Paul Rees and the support cast of Rupert Sapwell and John Rillie along with veterans Scott Ninnis and Mark Davis -took them down.

Brian Goorjan’s group was stacked with an import star guard in Clint McDaniel, hard-nosed gun guard Mike Kelly, young rising star of the time and possible NBA draftee Sam McKinnon, sharp shooting defence menace like his brother Frank Drmic, Tony “The Bear” Ronaldson and big man Brett Wheeler. Add some quality off the bench including veterans Andrew Parkinson and the ever reliable John Dorge.

Checkout the story below from the club documentary created over a decade ago which paints the picture…

Full credit to the video below to NBAussie Films

Key Matchups

Antonius Cleveland vs Rayjon Tucker    

“He sets the tone for this team” is a phrase I’ve heard echoed through the season about AC – that won’t be any different tonight. The alarming thing is in the Sixers crucial games his usage percentage has been low compared to his season average. That means the number of times the player was used while on the floor to contribute to the statistics. In the last six losses prior to the game against Brisbane on Thursday – 23 percent of ball usage went through AC compared to in wins 25.5 percent. He needs these numbers of usage these last four games if the Sixers are going to be any chance of winning.

Tucker meanwhile has transformed into as advertised by himself at the start of the season. Tucker in United’s run of seven wins of the last eight games is putting up 22.63 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 59.9 field goal effectiveness. Its given United the edge on the floor having that contribution in place and again is the type of player the Sixers need to keep the ball out of the hands of.

Daniel Johnson vs Marcus Lee

DJ has to fire this one against United as if he can be aggressive in close against United and draw fouls – then perhaps their front court isn’t as strong without Humphries as back-up. The Sixers defensive rating for their front court has been poor in recent losses to add and it needs to raise its intensity. At the moment DJ, Sotto, Franks and Galloway average 111.25 points allowed per 100 possessions compared to one of the best defensive front court combinations in the Taipan’s Pinder, Hogg, Waardenburg and Majok Deng of 101.63 per 100 possesions.

Lee has lifted in Humphries absence in the starting five – since coming into it he’s at 10.6 points per game and 8.3 rebounds lifting by a couple in each area. He’s also in the top echelon for points conceded per 100 possessions with 100.1. Thats clearly resulted in United’s lift of fifth in the league in that category. We’ve all known its been the missing piece and to find it when the free agency market pickings were slim is credit to United and their mid-season decision making.

Anthony Drmic vs Xavier Rathan-Mayes

While Drmic is on the floor the Sixers still have their heartbeat – a 13 point average and some gritty diving on balls, boxing out for rebounds and playing hard he’s rarely failed at that this season. He’s a key part of the second unit for this group and against United needs to provide similar impact to his likely direct opponent off the pine in Rathan-Mayes.

That’s because Mayes return to the pine has ballooned his contribution yet again. He may be pigeon holing himself again as a sixth man but my goodness he is so good at it. He’s produced 58 points and 16 assists in the last four games from the pine and complements the United starting five.

THREE QUESTIONS TO SWOOP ON

Where has it gone wrong to take it out of the hands of the Sixers?  

Four five minute patches have shaped the fate of the Sixers and where they are at right now

• The overtime against the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Round 5
• The Round 10 home game last five minutes versus Perth Wildcats
• The last five minutes against Cairns on new years eve in Round 13
• Thursday night’s last five minutes of game against the Bullets

These four patches cost the Sixers four wins they should’ve gotten and didn’t because they were in winning positions at these stages of the game – that could have them in the six and creating their own fate.

But now its not…

Who is more desperate right now United or the Sixers?  

United have less wriggle room and have shown they are desperate under Vickerman. They’ve won their last four and are looking like they have their full squad minus Humphries on the floor at the moment.

We can only judge on what we’ve seen so far so United have the edge in the desperation stakes if it comes down to a sprint to the finish tonight…

Its early but what changes will the Sixers need in NBL24 to avoid this scenario again?    

Sometimes when you change things you have to start again and as much as the fans and the club no doubt have been disappointed with where they are – this is a situation where I’m going the opposite way and I’m keeping continuity in place for at least one more season simply cause I can’t see how change will benefit this team and coaching staff.

A few other teams are approaching the end of their “window” and my sources tell me the Sixers already have locked in for NBL24 Cleveland, Franks, McCarron, Dech, Marshall, Galloway with Sotto on a team option and Drmic on a mutual option (which I think he’ll take). Add Daniel Johnson back in and Hyrum Harris and that gives you ten if the Sixers persist with Sotto but your third import needs to be a back-up guard to McCarron and a big that can defend so if he’s avaliable a Marcus Lee type or Yanni Wetzell – local is better but I’m thinking putting the ball in Marshall’s hands off the bench means they can go get that big for NBL24.

So who wins?

Again its all about the start for the Sixers who have lost the first quarter in their last four games – and about smart offensive execution. I went through the Bullets game with a tooth comb and counted twenty plus times the Sixers had a one on one where someone like Clark, Cleveland, Franks or Drmic were going to have an open lane to the hoop as they already had the mismatch on about the second or third pass. They however took that extra couple of seconds to make a decision – and the Bullets closed the gap. That forced the Sixers into taking contested and rushed three point shots with pressure which in resulting trips down the floor saw them jack up three point attempts in transition with no flow in movement – a product of frustration no doubt.

To close the last bit of a season full of expectation – which unfortunately has not delivered on just that…

Expectation…

COD Prediction: United by 9 points

Catch all the action tonight at the arena on Cluch Radio with Tristan “TP” Prentice and our special comments guest whether you’re at the game or watching from home

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Help us Sobey-one, your their only hope: Nathan Sobey rediscovered his "Jedi" basketball power against the Wildcats in a huge performance Tuesday night - the Sixers will need to be wary - Photo credit to news.com/NBL/Perth Now

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4-Minute Read

NBL ROUND 13

Adelaide 36ers vs Brisbane Bullets

When: 7:00pm (ACDT), Thursday 29 December

Where:  Adelaide Entertainment Centre – The Ken Cole-seum

Broadcast: Kayo Freebies, ESPN, www.nbl.com.au

LTTM: Adelaide 36ers 108 (Franks 25, Cleveland 20, Drmic 16, Sotto 13, Dech 10) defeated Brisbane Bullets 77 (Cadee 18, Gak, Mitchell, White 12, Bach 8) at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre

SWOOP BACK IN HISTORY

King Cole rises Sixers to Game One clincher

The 1986 NBL Grand Final series (the first time the three game series was played) got off to an absolute cracker in Brisbane with an overtime thriller. A game featuring the cream of the NBL – the Bullets with Danny Morseu, Cal Bruton, Ronnie Radliff, John Dorge and Leroy Loggins. The Sixers also had their famous lineup of Green, McKay, Pearce, Davis and Bill Jones who was clutch down the stretch.

A high scoring final in the 48 minute era of the Australian game…

Have a watch of the final ten minutes of this all-time classic NBL matchup between these two…

Credit: DJ Clint Dogg – www.ClintDogg.com Clint Dogg (DJ Clint Dogg)

Key Matchups

Ian Clark vs Jason Cadee    

Okay its been confirmed that NBL championship winner Clark will play minutes tonight after sitting and observing against the Phoenix on Christmas Eve. To reiterate Clark averaged 12.91 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2 assists. The impact he has off the pine is eagerly anticipated to see how much he can tie down someone who has enjoyed the Sixers in his short stint in NBL23.

Cadee was very good against the Sixers last time and the shining light in their last encounter. 18 points at 58.3 percent but took just the 12 shots. On Tuesday against the Wildcats he took seven attempts for his 10 points but they were all from beyond the arc – the Bullets had 39 attempts. He needs to let that thing fly a little more to get his team rolling early.

Sunday Dech vs Nathan Sobey

Opportunity and moments Dech seizes on as he’s found himself back in the starting five and in a role that works for him – go and stop the best scoring opposition guard. He did that Sobey last time they met sitting essentially toe-to-toe to him on coverage – not a show the former Sixer wants to experience again.

Sobey was back to his best on Tuesday night with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists – it was the charity stripe that got him going. He was a perfect 12 of 12 from there whereas against the Sixers he got their for two of two only. Sobey gets his energy from getting on the rim early so Sixers again need to watch out for him getting the ball on the move and getting a clear path to the rim.

Daniel Johnson vs Gorjok Gak

Will DJ start on the bench tonight again? Is this the new norm? The body language and the production the Sixers are getting from him the last two games says it could be. Johnson is averaging 14 points in his last two games coming off the pine compared to his season average of 11.9. In some ways its a blessing in disguise for everyone in this team, Johnson can sometimes be the focal point of the offence in the starting lineup and thats potentially better suited to a lineup of Clark, Drmic, Harris and Galloway. You have the offensive potency but don’t lose the defensive edge – but the key is Sotto and his ability to impact defensively early in games for the Sixers to keep doing that.

And thats where Gak who’s hit some big form can really cause some problems. His last month he’s averaged 10.2 points, 7.4 rebounds in an increase of six minutes per game. He’s looked lively and energetic and has seized his opportunity against opposition under a new lease of life under coach Greg Vanderjagt.

THREE QUESTIONS TO SWOOP ON

What does Ian Clark bring and where does he fit in tonight’s game?  

I anticipate he’ll play between 15-20 minutes now that he has his legs back under him in. The likely timing is around the later part of each quarter for McCarron with the Sixers running a Clark, Drmic, Cleveland/Dech combo against the Bullets. Clark will slip into the second point guard position but also in future games into the fourth quarter closer positions with the skipper and AC.

Krebs and Johnson have returned – how important are they to the Bullets?  

The stats tell the story. Krebs did all the team things to collect 15 points, 5 rebounds and had a plus minus of 14. Johnson brings NBA experience and while he hasn’t fire to the levels of expectation I think we all had – he’s doing bit of everything for this team with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists against the Wildcats.

How do the Sixers make sure they aren’t complacement considering their last result?    

The reality is the Sixers can’t afford to be cause although they are raging favourites tonight – the Bullets win over the Wildcats on Tuesday must be capitalised on. The big new years eve clash looms in Cairns but if they can’t win this one then that matchup creates more pressure on a club that needs to win a majority of its final run home to may the play-ins or maybe even the top four.

So who wins?

The Sixers have fate in their hands still this season and taking care of games like tonight needs to be just the norm. Make no mistake though now the Bullets have some stability with a win and a secured head coach for rest of season (plus a additonal assistant in Pero Cameron that will be a head coach in this NBL league in the future) they will be a much tougher proposition than few weeks ago.

At full strength and “needing” the win to get ahead of the logjam – the Sixers should win their fourth win in a row and setup the New Years Eve clash for a fifth against a vulnerable Cairns team.

COD Prediction: 36ers by 15 points

Catch all the action tonight at the arena on Cluch Radio with Tristan “TP” Prentice and our special comments guest whether you’re at the game or watching from home

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