Category: NBL

New import Eric Griffin endeared himself to his new home crowd with a solid 22 points and 6 rebounds, but this Sixers unit mainly did it as per in their stunning previous finals seasons by committee - Photo by Yahoo Sport Australia/AAP

THE WRAP Q BY Q

Ramone Moore grabbed the first ever bucket at the venue before Eric Griffin and Matt Hodgson dominated early. The show had well and truly started with back to back triples to Cameron Gliddon and Taylor Braun before Drmic hit back with a triple. Candidate for NBL MIP Will Magnay slammed one down for the Bullets but in a night where Nathan Sobey “Wan Kenobi” was returning, the other Obi, Obi Kyei put down a one handed flush you and the rest of Adelaide were looking for. Down 20-24, “Jumpin” Jack McVeigh began his night with a run a way layup before Kyei went coast to coast but Lamar Patterson finished the quarter with a superb cross-over dribble and finish to give the Bullets a 26-28 lead after one.

Sixers import Jerome Randle welcomed himself back to Adelaide with an 8 point run to open the second quarter including two massive triples to open up a mini break 36-30. Mcveigh then dropped a 4 point run of his own and perhaps the Sixers have found their new energy guy to bring the punch from the pine. Moore then picked off some sloppy Bullets play before Hodgson finally broke the run to give Brisbane its first field goal since the first quarter halfway through. Mcveigh then added another triple before Patterson tried to reverse momentum before being reversed back onto his backside by Griffin. Harry Froling started to get himself busy after a slow start to the season before Patterson got one high off the window with some user friendly rolling. Sixers veteran Kevin White then dropped a triple in front of the Sixers bench to cheers as opposed to jeers from yesteryear. The Sixers on the back of a 30-18 quarter and Sobey blowing an open lay-up leading 56-46 at the half.

Moore opened the third to Griffin with the alley-oop, Griffin then grabbed another one before Randle in the open court in transition finished high off the window. Magnay then got a slip pass from Sobey for yet another two handed finish before Daniel Johnson blew the open one and Patterson then finished at the other end. The Sixers were holding sway 62-53 halfway through with DJ then pirouetting for one under the bucket before Gliddon stuck another dagger from deep. McVeigh then dropped his own triple from deep to lodge a career best 16 points for the night. The Bullets strung together a few points before Hodgson fouled Griffin on the three point line scoring his fourth of the night and taking a seat. Sobey finished a spectacular pass for an alley-oop before Patterson dropped another triple with the Bullets closing the gap to 7 points, 79-72 at three quarter time.

Bullets import EJ Singler dropped his first triple of the night to open the final stanza before Jason Cadee quietly accumulating points dropped a transition triple giving the Bullets a 6-0 opening. Randle gave up an unsportsmanlike and1 to Cadee and the Bullets had levelled it up 81-81. Griffin got a couple of low post seals and finished with the deuces before DJ found an open Drmic in the corner for three and momentum was back with the Sixers. Bullets import Taylor Braun then hit the open three before Moore found a rolling Froling for the and1. Braun drained another from deep before Hodgson picked up his fifth and took an early seat. DJ then took the ball down the middle of the court with a little shimmy and finished strong and the Sixers had a 96-89 lead with three minutes to go. Magnay gave up the offensive foul then the bucket to DJ before a goal tend was overruled and forced Randle to find other ways to get it done. Randle then came up with just his 13th but most clutch points of the night as he finished a spectacular reverse layup off some of his classic handles. The Sixers outlasting the Bullets despite a Patterson late flurry and their first win of the 2019/2020 NBL season was complete 104-98.

COACH SPEAK

Sixers Coach Joey Wright was impressed with the reception of the home crowd to the new venue and also Jack McVeigh’s impact in the game, “The crowd was loud and the boys love the big crowd and atmosphere of the new venue. Jack brought a lot of energy and he finished strong around the rim.”

Bullets Coach Andre Lemanis despite a quiet game spoke highly of the contribution former Sixer Nathan Sobey brought to the game, “I thought he handled it well, he’s a damn good player and does some special things with his unique athletic talents.”

DO THE STATS LIE?

The Sixers run and gun was back with 28 fast break points for the night along with a high percentage of field goal shooting of 52.9 percent. The Sixers at their very best have multiple double figure scorers with 6 players hitting the mark and a seventh player registering 8 points. Ramone Moore both offensively and defensively was influential with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

The Bullets shot less than the magical 38 percent mark from last season from the perimeter and shot 60.7 percent from the charity stripe. After averaging 20 ppg against the Sixers in Adelaide in the last 6 games, Anthony Drmic and the Sixers put the clamps on Cameron Gliddon to keep him to just 9 points in the games biggest historic statistic.

WHATS NEXT FOR THE SIXERS

After a flat performance against the Kings (off the plane from Utah mind you) the Sixers energy came back in a flash but consistency is key and with the Illawarra Hawks Monday night followed by the Cairns Taipans next Friday night, the Sixers have a chance to prove that this evolution was not a one night performance only at the West End of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

ADELAIDE 36ERS 104 (GRIFFIN 22, JOHNSON, MCVEIGH 16, RANDLE 13, MOORE, FROLING 10) DEFEATED BRISBANE BULLETS 98 (PATTERSON 21, HODGSON 16, SOBEY, CADEE 13, BRAUN 11)

Adelaide 36ers vs. Brisbane Bullets
When: 5:00pm (AEDT), Saturday, 19th October
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Broadcast: NBL TV, SBS On Demand/Viceland, Twitch TV

Last times they’ve met:

Jan 12 2019: Adelaide 36ers 90 (Conger 25) lost to Brisbane Bullets 102 (Gliddon 22, Bairstow 20) at Titanium Security Arena.

In Brisbane 2018/2019: Brisbane Bullets 91 (Patterson 24, Bairstow 20) lost to Adelaide 36ers 101 (Sobey 24) at the Armoury.

SIXERS SHOT BACK INTO HISTORY
Rd 18 2008: Ebi goes Ere for 50

Before the Bullets folded they were a powerhouse in the NBL once again after their glory years and rival battles with the 36ers in the late 80s. 8 years ago, The Bullets had the flair of the current 36ers team which was coached by non-other than Joey Wright. In this game we saw why the 36ers and Wright recruited Ebi Ere to their line-up a few seasons ago with the third to last 50-point individual game the NBL had seen. “I remember him (Ebi) going for 50 and we had another guy who went for eight threes so it was a night we couldn’t miss, one of those nights,” Joey told me a few seasons ago when we chatted. The last of course was also a little known Bullets rookie Chris Goulding, who Wright identified very early as a future star. “I knew Chris was going to be star from the first time I’d seen him at 16, I actually picked him out of a pickup game for the Bullets which was pretty big at the time. With a roster including CJ, Ebi, Sam (Mackinnon) and Bradtke, he had to have shown something to get on that roster.”
The game also featured former 36ers Adam Gibson (now with the South East Melbourne Phoenix) and Dusty “The Pie-cart” Rychart. It was a time when Julius Hodge wasn’t a villain, “The Doctor” Darren Ng was in the house not as a doctor and Adam Ballinger was making a name for himself after spending time at the now defunct Victorian Giants. It was however Ere’s night as he shot 71% from the field including 10 of 16 three pointers.

Key Match-Ups:

Jerome Randle/Ramone Moore vs. Nathan Sobey

Its the match-up the NBL and the fans can’t wait to see at the brand new venue for the Sixers and this will be the first of many “homecoming” stories to play out this season. Sobey has been ultra impressive as predicted running the point for the Bullets averaging 17ppg at just under a staggering 50 percent as well as just under 5 assists and rebounds per game. In terms of direct match-ups, the return to Adelaide of Randle will be the perhaps the distraction in Sobey’s defensive game Adelaide needs. Randle needs to use the pick and roll with DJ (Daniel Johnson) to get Sobey chasing and hack his arm off a couple of hessie layups early to get him to sit with foul trouble but if Sobey gets hot expect some Moore action defensively with plenty of off-ball denial.

Anthony Drmic vs Cameron Gliddon

Don’t get me wrong in saying Lamar Patterson is a more dangerous player but if you look at historically who has torched the Sixers in big moments when they play other sides, Gliddon is close to the top of the list with a number of players beginning with G also on that list. Gliddon averages 20ppg against Adelaide in his last 6 games so the Sixers three man Drmic is going to have to get over the top of the screens set for Gliddon off ball and keep him getting open looks on the perimeter. Drmic i’m sure only well and truly remembers that corner triple in one of their more recent games and will be well and truly aware of where Gliddon is at all times.

Harry Froling vs. Will Magnay

An intriguing match-up that could eventuate and play a part in the result with the impact off the bench for both teams. Froling put up 8 points and 6 rebounds against the Kings but I have been concerned over the preseason he’s not having the impact he was for the team last season. It could be a perception thing because he was a surprise packet last season or maybe he’s hit a bit of second year blues nevertheless a big game against the Bullets gives the Sixers the one two punch in the post against an undersized Bullets front court. I admit late last year I wasn’t convinced about Magnay but my goodness has the kid shown something over the preseason and in his first few games. Magnay is averaging 11 ppg and 5 rpg smashing already his contributions in previous seasons and he is finishing at the rim with authority. Magnay is a perfect backup for Matt Hodgson and is already an early favourite for most improved player this season.

The Last Play

This NBL game apart from one later this season is the NBL marketing dream with so many sub-plots to a night out at the theatre at the ENT centre. Sobey’s return to the hostile stage of hopefully a sea of blue and white, Jerome Randle returns to where he warms the hearts of basketball purists and fans alike and the Sixers new stage of performance is set for a blockbuster opening.

You only get one shot to make a good first impression and with an expected crowd of over 8000 people, the Sixers simply must put on a good show at their new home in the West End, and that means we get to witness the best reality TV show and that is sport, the best kind of theatre.

36ers by 6pts

*This article is a duplicate of an article written for publishing for And The Foul.net and may appear before or after publishing

Normally Wiley Coyote (pictured against the NBA a few months ago) doesn't get the bird but this time he blew away the Hawks. Photo by Adelaide 36ers

Wiley found another level we knew he had stepping it up for a double double of 16 points and 12 rebounds in 24 explosive minutes.

THE WRAP Q BY Q

The first quarter despite the final result belonged to the Hawks as Ced “X” Jackson and Toddy Blanchfield dominated the Sixers early gifting them a 2-11 start. It took the injection of new import Demitrius Conger to spark the Sixers with a triple that lit the flame. Majok Deng obviously needing to lift looked the player of the latter part of last season got on a four point run before Wiley threw down the first of his emphatic dunks. Despite the dunk the Hawks had it all going leading 21-30 and the Sixers copped a Joey Wright mid-court spray.

With ears ringing Anthony Drmic lit the fuse to an explosive turnaround with five straight points of his 10 crucial second quarter points closing the gap to all level halfway through the second. Even bench player Jack McVeigh got in on the act finishing a bucket and getting up in Blanchfield’s face like your local Thursday night social player thinking he’d just won a ring after getting a score but considering some passion had been lacking it was great to see the young man show off his emotions about it. The Sixers stealing the lead by two points 48-46 at the break.

As has been the case in most Sixers game, young Harry Froling has set the tone when they’ve needed it but none was more telling at the four minutes in the third to go mark than a flat footed screen that knocked Jordair “Judge Dreads” Jett off his feet. Nathan Sobey drained a triple off the bone-shaking screen that could be heard all the way down to Wayville for Saturday church-ball and timeout was burned by a hot Beveridge. That set Jett off in the next couple of plays as him and his dreads became entangled with Froling as Deng also got in with some lip syncing. Leading 67-57 towards the end of the third, the Sixers blew the game open with Wiley, Conger and a DJ slam pushing them out to a 79-62 lead.

The Sixers were never headed in the the fourth as Drmic closed the game with a half a quarter to go with another pair of triples and Froling a rim shaking two handed big man dunk gifting some court time to the rookies even Adam Doyle got an open triple to go as the Sixers cooked the Hawks 104-79 in the close.

COACH SPEAK

Sixers Coach Joey Wright was relieved his team found the formula they’d been lacking in their game losing streak, “My job is to try and figure it out and their job is to carry it out. Tonight we got both of those right, we picked it up defensively after the first quarter.”

Hawks Coach Rob Beveridge was pleased with the start but cited other distractions got in the way of their mission during the game, “Out of the eight games we’ve had six really bad ones and tonight we were very good in the first quarter but we got distracted with too many things going on that we can’t worry about and we are struggling in those areas right now.”

DO THE STATS LIE?

The Sixers run and gun was back in the form of 24 fast break points and 21 points from  turnovers. The Sixers also dominated the rebounds with 57 including a season high 17 offensive boards in their commitment to the glass. The most telling stat though was after quarter time the score was 83-49 in the home side’s favour in the second biggest win of the NBL season.

The Hawks shot 57 percent from the free throw line which given their inside paint game plan has some serial offenders, but certainly not if you’re the home side wanting some delicious cheeseburgers. As Beveridge hinted the Hawks had 19 turnovers for the match and made more than 10 field goals in the opening quarter but were not able to sustain that through the match.

WHATS NEXT FOR THE SIXERS

News flash ladies and gentleman as J-Chill rolled into town last season, they are back and have a solid run against the Taipans, Hawks in the Gong, Hawks, Bullets in the Ammo Depot and Taipans again before Christmas. The next month with Conger in the lineup shapes as moving time for the Sixers as they look to hunt their way up the ladder to the Wildcats, United and the Kings. All the teams coming up are on a sliding streak making it either the ideal time or the perhaps the wrong time to meet them. The Hawks at the Gong seems the toughest of these match-ups.

The Taipan as a creature as we know is dangerous and after losing seven games in a row, we either are going to see a pre-Christmas present or a repeat of the nightmare before Christmas 2017.

So will the good, bad or ugly Sixers show up this week???

ADELAIDE 36ERS 104 (WILEY, DRMIC, JOHNSON, SOBEY 16, DENG 10) DEFEATED ILLAWARRA HAWKS (BLANCHFIELD 22, CONKLIN 13, ANDERSEN 11, JETT 10)