Category: NBL

The MVP knows when its "Game Time" and proved it once again in the cauldron of the fourth quarter at the Fortress. Photo by Zimbio

Cotton’s 12 point final quarter ended up proving the difference in the contest as the Sixers and Wildcats went head to head in the opening quarter.

THE WRAP Q BY Q

Ramone Moore re-endeared himself to the crowd with a triple for the opening score of the season before “2hard2guard” Adris Deleon made his return to the NBL dressing the crowd in a long range bomb and some passion to boot. New Wildcats import Terrico White made his presence felt early while the addition of Nick Kay gave the Wildcats front court a much more flowing look compared to the stagnant one dimensional key way presence of the finals last season. Both teams were deadlocked at 23-23 a piece at quarter time.

The Wildcats began to expose the potential weakness of the Sixers under the basket (and perhaps an onset of lag from the NBL/NBA series) as Kay, returning tower Tom Jervis and Angus Brandt went to work underneath to push the Wildcats out to a 41-48 lead at the half. The newly appointed skipper of the Sixers DJ and the “one to watch” this season in Nathan Sobey keeping the Sixers in the contest. The Wildcats then opened the gap up early to as many as 15 points before an inspired import arrival of Jacob “get outta my way” Wiley and Sobey combined for 19 points in the third quarter to lead the Sixers back to the front, the only blemish conceding a two handed walk through the lane jam to Kay on the three quarter buzzer to give the Wildcats the lead 73-74 with one to play.

Deleon continued a solid debut for the Sixers while Brendan Teys found some of his late from as the Sixers led 80-76 with 6:05 to go and the game looked like through the depth of the Sixers bench it was going their way. Then at the 3:51 mark, Cotton turned the game on its head dropping his first of 12 points for the quarter as he along with the defensive nous of Damian Martin and Mitch Norton led the Wildcats to an upset win over the Sixers.

COACH SPEAK

Sixers Coach Joey Wright described his team having a “hero” ball mentality and lamented the ability of his team to stick to the gameplan that got them back into the game in the third quarter, “We didn’t play to our game style and we shot 29 three pointers, that’s not us, they were scoring easy points because of that and they were able to get back and slow us down with their zone.”

Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson commented pre game about building the team around Cotton but that notion also assisted the Wildcats mantra of how they wanted to play ball, “We find the guy who is getting going so that was Terrico (White) and Nick (Kay) for most of the night, we had a big emphasis to get the ball in the post early and showed some patience.”

DO THE STATS LIE?

The Sixers for the record shot 21 percent from beyond the arc in 23 shots and only had 4 fast break points in key indicators of how the Wildcats were able to make the Sixers play the style they didn’t want.

The Wildcats dished 18 assists and shot 47 percent from the field to back-up Gleeson’s point about finding the scorer and working the ball inside the paint.

WHATS NEXT FOR THE SIXERS

Last season the Sixers dropped a close opener to United before heading to Sydney to face the Kings on the Saturday, as the Finn’s say history never repeats but in this case it does as the Sixers head to the “King-dome” of Qudos for an appointment with the new incoming paint King Andrew Bogut, the ever reliable Kevin Lisch and former Sixers import Jerome Randle. The expectation will be high on the Kings so the Sixers can sneak an early win not only this Saturday but next Friday before the Kings find their rhythm in their royal court.

As Joey said the Sixers don’t need heroes, but they do need avengers…

ADELAIDE 36ERS 91 (JOHNSON 23, SOBEY 20, WILEY 13, DELEON 11) LOST TO PERTH WILDCATS 99 (COTTON 22, WHITE 20, KAY 18, JERVIS 12)

 

 

After a gruelling five game series, Melbourne United have claimed Victoria's first championship in a decade since the South Dragons. Photo by Australian Times Weekly

The match was met with much anticipation as fans of the Sixers packed the buses, cars and planes and got themselves over to Victoria to see Adelaide have a crack at their fifth NBL Championship and realistically its strongest chance of breaking the drought in 16 years. Travelling on the bus with the supporters crew after some much needed shut eye overnight we relived a couple of classic matches and documentaries as those making the trip for the first time got their history lesson. A traditional on the road breakfast at Mitch Creek’s hometown of Horsham started to flow the predictions and what it would mean to score the win but also the tough task we knew the club were going to have later that night.

Shoot arounds at the MSAC and freshening up were followed by the gathering of the “Sixers Nation Army” at Federation Square and after a pre-game meal and drink we gathered together and marched down the Yarra River to the Hisense Arena for the biggest game many had ever attended. An unsuspecting young Melbourne fan even got in with the banter wearing a Goulding #43 jersey as Sixers fans pretended to fall backwards as he walked through in jovial banter. It went to another notch as we hit the grass reserve and the army bunched up and the calls of “Let’s go Sixers, let’s go” echoed as the United fans realised there were more of us than they expected. So into Hisense we went and we very much felt like we were in enemy territory but it seemed every third person we ran into was from South Australia and very much believing our boys could get it done.

After some NBA like presentation and pyrotechnics the game got underway and the Sixers looked good early despite giving up some offensive rebounds and then it happened. The man that many experts declared would be the difference on the big stage and not the most loved player by Sixers fans Chris Goulding produced the patch that when you look back at the game, decided the Grand Final Series. Three times with hands in his face and working in something smaller than a phone box, he drained three “in your face” triples which had us as fans turn to each other and say, “too good…” That patch alone opened up from a 1 to a 12 point lead which set the tone for United, the Sixers sadly would never get any closer in the match. From my seat in the arena, one of the encouraging things was that our fans kept cheering and chanting throughout the match and made more noise at times than the 8000 United supporters who constantly needed to be reminded to cheer, not sure our “Down Town” Brown would ever need to do twice the voice work that guy had to. Advantage United at quarter time 34-22 however meaning we’d have to play catch-up basketball in Melbourne again for the third time in the series.

The second quarter ebbed and flowed with eventually the Sixers through Anthony Drmic sparking back to a seven point deficit before United settled again. Early on a couple of key players were missing shots in Deng and Sobey as Adelaide went 1 of 6 in the first half of the quarter to trail 42-24 and now looked in real trouble. They then turned it around in the latter part of the quarter as Drmic and DJ got busy and if not for a few accentuated contact Casper Ware Jnr three point attempts which resulted in 5-6 free throw makes might have had the Sixers much closer than the 57-44 scoreline at half-time. The mood amongst the fans camp was that they believed in the third quarter that the boys would make their move similar to game two of the 1998 Grand Final.

The Sixers started well at the defensive end but struggled to capitalise on the offensive end missing some golden opportunities under the bucket but then started to get busy as a team closing the game to a 67-61 scoreline with a 15-9 run. In a moment that was sliding doors like, DJ let rip a triple which rimmed and Deng’s practically went in the hoop and almost was spat out by the basket which had Sixers fans gasping has to how close that would’ve put the scores. United as they has done all game made us pay big time as David Barlow splashed a huge three moments later and within a flash what would’ve been a one basket lead to the Sixers was out to a 13 point lead to United. The Sixers however had one more crack as they edged it back to a 78-69 at the final change and the miracle was still alive.

A three minute patch from Prather and Ware resulting in 6-0 run probably killed any chance of a comeback and when Goulding hit his 102nd triple for the season (The most by any player since Jermaine Beal in 2014) half-way through the last quarter to make it 23 points, the game was realistically gone and we as Sixers fans began to feel the players hurt having come so close and not quite overcoming the final hurdle. The last five minutes was pretty painful to watch but for the sake of the contest its important to remember the hurt and what the players must be feeling to stir them to not feeling that again in the future. One thing i can confidentially say is that our fans cheered harder and for longer in the game all night especially when you could hear us in the third quarter in our comeback.

Melbourne United claimed the 40th NBL Championship 100-82 in (well probably the way the league may have wanted it to end) a fitting conclusion and after a initial shock from myself Goulding was named MVP of the series. I admit my initial thought was that Prather and Ware would’ve been more fitting but when I think about it after looking at all five games, Goulding’s third quarter in game one, second in game three, last quarter in game four and first quarter in game five along with ultra consistent free throw shooting and some actual decent defending (sadly mixed with some flopping) was the difference between the two teams.

There are six key things that I’ll take from this series for the NBL, Sixers and United…

1. Experience is everything, Barlow, Prather, Andersen and Wesley and that eventually trumped the Sixers without Childress on the floor
2. The recruiting department of the officiating should be the number one priority for the NBL over the break as we need more accountability for those who don’t perform the role, perhaps some international recruits should be looked at?
3. You need your X-Factor to be consistent with Goulding smashing Sobey across five games, I hope Nate take this personally and comes back bigger and better next season
4. If the Sixers can keep the three imports together and at least one of DJ and Creek, then they are a lock (if injury free) for top two next season
5. The Sixers need one more specialist consistent perimeter shooter to compliment Drmic, Deng and Sobey
6. If Creek goes to the NBA, the Sixers will drastically miss his presence but can cover it with smart recruiting

So who do you add to a team that were only probably 10 minutes of better basketball from being Champions…? Here is who i’d look at and why

#1 Target: Clint Steindl (Perth Wildcats)

Do not judge this player on his numbers last season and to be honest, the Wildcats offensive system did not allow him to flourish at his best but the Sixers system would. He’d be able to impact off the bench and at his absolute best is a lights out shooter, in 2016-17 he shot 41 percent from the perimeter and you only need a couple of the outside threats to get going before opposition change their strategy.

#2 Target: Ben Madgen (Lietuvos Rytas)

The former development player and Sydney Kings shooting guard is 33 years old and perhaps his international career is coming to an end, so it’s the perfect time to return to the NBL as David Andersen did and with the Kings maybe still a distance off challenging for a championship, the Sixers would be the perfect destination for the veteran to come home and finish his career under Joey Wright.

#3 Target: Isaac White (Stanford College NCAA)

Has trained with the Sixers during his time with the Sturt Sabres and while it is highly unlikely he is available as of yet, the young 19 year old has shown he is an out and out shooter and could match the playing style that Joey Wright needs to go one better next season, if not next season, look for his name in a Sixers jersey in the near future.

and the surprise: Oscar Forman (Retired from Illawarra Hawks)

It’d probably be only for one year but if the Sixers were to call the Big O out of retirement for one more season it could be a master stroke. A man with championship experience (2002), finals experience (2008-2017), 511 games and a born and bred South Australian would be an ideal fit. Of course it’d be a surprise but also a great curtain call to see the prodigal son return to where it all started to play the “Veterans” role. He could finish his career by knocking down some crucial triples at home during the season when the Sixers run their half-court offense. He’ll only need five minutes a game to have a potential impact and if it doesn’t work one night then there are plenty that can fill the void if needed.

It has been a pleasure to bring you the fan, expert and analytical perspective this season and if you missed any of my articles then please head back through the archives to catch some of my work. For now at the conclusion of the 2017-18 NBL season, it has been one of the most entertaining, enjoyable to write about and I wish everyone an enjoyable Winter off-season (or major local season if your in PL or District) and we’ll look forward to seeing the Sixers go once again and go one better next season. As is the case with this page, I want to leave you with a set of comments from Sixers general Mitch Creek to conclude the season…

“You walk back in that changeroom and it’s heartbreaking, this is our life, this is my life, I devote every single aspect of my time to this game and getting better, understanding the coach and teammates. But at the end of the day it’s a basketball game, we’re in a great position with a great job and beautiful people around us with families and supporters and a great league, so it’s tough one to swallow but at the end of the day we have to count ourselves to be very lucky to be in the position we are.”

#AllForAdelaide #WeAreSixers #CrossOverDribble

GAME 5: MELBOURNE UNITED 100 (GOULDING, WARE 23, PRATHER 19, WESLEY 14, BOONE 10) DEFEATED ADELAIDE 36ERS 82 (SHORTER 20, JOHNSON 17, CREEK 15, MOORE, DRMIC 10)

MELBOURNE WON THE SERIES 3-2

LARRY SENGSTOCK MVP MEDALLIST: CHRIS GOULDING

CROSS OVER DRIBBLE FINALS AWARDS

ROOKIE AWARD: PETER HOOLEY

VETERANS CLASS: DAVID BARLOW

SURPRISE PACKET: MAJOK DENG

EFFICIENCY AWARD: MITCH CREEK

BARELY SIGHTED: MAJOK MAJOK

TRASH TALKER: TIE – SHANNON SHORTER/CASPER WARE JNR

BUSINESS TIME AWARD: CASEY PRATHER

DOWN TOWN AWARD: CHRIS GOULDING

BEAST MAN AWARD: DANIEL JOHNSON

The former King Josh Childress maybe "dead" in this series but the Prince Majok Deng has arose to take his place. Photo by Zimbio

In what is shaping as one of the greatest NBL Grand Final series of all time with fast scoring, memorable (and not so) moments, scrutinising of officials, new stars emerging and ones proving they cut the cloth in the big time, fan involvement and coaches going for memorable one liners to avoid being fined.

Game three went to another level as with most of the games both teams traded buckets early and felt each other out but clearly the Sixers did miss some of the Childress punch in the first half. Enter the star Casper Ware Jnr who took the Sixers to task with a 10 point opening quarter and perhaps felt a little point to prove with Shannon Shorter’s pre game talk. May I suggest this worked in Adelaide’s favour starving the star of his three point range kind of the lesser of two evils as Ware was only one of five for the night from that area and was damaging in game one. Was this game tactics from the Sixers coaching staff???

I don’t know…

Sobey quiet offensively in the first two games launched the comeback (despite unfairly being headbutted behind the play by Tai Wesley in the first quarter) with 9 first half points and was playing with the solid head the team needed and then it happened. At the halftime break after Casey Prather had made a crucial triple to level the scores 53-53 all, he initiated head to head contact with Sobey to which Sobey pulled away. The last time I looked in the dictionary that doesn’t constitute a headbutt but as is the case with science, the reaction gets more noticed than the reactant and Sobey was ejected for the remainder of the game. Why didn’t the officials observe the tape more closely and also eject the initiator Prather and first quarter offender Wesley???

I don’t know…

The third quarter belonged to the prince in waiting as Majok Deng stepped up at both ends (when I was watching this I was sitting next to a relative of his who claimed and I believed him he’d step up in J-Chill’s absence) as he made some huge triples in third to close the margin to 77-81.

In the fourth quarter,  desperado Shorter turned up with his biggest contribution of the series as he poured in a multitude of massive shots while Deng was pulling off some defensive diamonds and Moore was spinning his opponents to the bucket as the Sixers fought the odds. It came down to the last shot with Deng getting a wonderful look to send it to OT but it rimmed and United were leading 2-1. Were the Sixers stung out of the game by elements beyond their control???

I’m not sure…

United arrived at the loudest Adelaide venue since the 1994 Grand Final series and after missing an entire half (which in hindsight resulted in a bunch of fines so all weapons were primed for game four) Sobey sizzled at both ends and Creek lifted the roof early blocking Boone on the fast break. United’s offensive guns were blanketed shooting at lower than 35 percent with the Sixers leading the contest 29-21.

Then it happened, DJ looked like after a quiet first half of game three, grabbed himself a invincibility star from a Mario game and began to run United’s bigs (and smalls) off their feet and put in a first half where if the Sixers snatch it in game five, it will be this performance that set it up in game four. It resulted in a 26-8 run in ten minutes of basketball that probably changed the momentum of the series. It was such a series changing quarter that even literally fans were putting their bodies on the line for the club as Creek bowled over a corporate that would’ve been on the DRS system three reds. By the end of the half the Sixers had a staggering 33 to 1 free throw attempts and it was all legit. The Sixers leading United 55-31 at the half but no sure thing to square it still you felt.

United launch their comeback in the third quarter slowly chipping away 16-27 through Casey Prather and a Craig Moller cameo that pushed the game back for them. If it wasn’t for Deng dropping dimes then it would’ve been much closer than the 58-71 scoreline at three quarter time, with a few nerves starting to show.

Ware then started the fourth with fire and a few of the other guns started to catch some fire and the Sixers began to miss a couple of crucial shots and those nerves were really starting to pulse as you could feel the nervous tension in the building. Some clutch plays from Ramone Moore and a procession of fouled out players including Wesley, Boone and Barlow saw the Sixers with opportunities to close the game but continued to miss a couple of free throws that could’ve closed the door. With 55 seconds left, a narrow five point lead and a barnstorming United looking to seal it, DJ dropped a dagger in front of Brendan Fevola and the United bandwagon to send it to 8 points. That sent the fans into raptures as they realised the dream was still alive.

Out of the timeout Goulding hit a rare triple for the night but then the cardinal sin was committed as Barlow for all his experience held onto the splashed ball for too long and he was pinged for the delay of game technical foul. Had David Barlow really thrown away the NBL championship with such a big time mistake???

I don’t know…

Creek made the two free throws, Ware missed the answering triple as the Sixers 90-81 forced it to game 5 and a 2-2 series. United despite getting within three points in the final quarter only led the game once in the first quarter a minute and a bit in and that is a huge stat to consider. Take this scenario imagine if the Sixers had hit the front in game three in the fourth quarter, the silverware would’ve probably been theirs.

As it turns out we head to Melbourne for the fifth of this epic Grand Final series and what a series it has been. So will United continue the “home court” trend or did the last game reveal the softer underbelly of their depth? Can the Sixers stun the competition and come from 2-1 down to create another famous chapter in the clubs championship history?

I don’t know…

But I do know this, I want to be on that plane or bus and to write my final article of the season live at this game so here’s hoping it happens and if they win…

I think I know what I might do…

GAME THREE: MELBOURNE UNITED 101 (WARE 25, PRATHER 23, GOULDING 15, BOONE 10) DEFEATED ADELAIDE 36ERS 98 (JOHNSON 20, MOORE 18, DENG 16, SHORTER 15, CREEK 14)

GAME FOUR: ADELAIDE 36ERS 90 (JOHNSON 21, SOBEY 16, SHORTER 14, DENG 13, MOORE 12, CREEK 10) DEFEATED MELBOURNE UNITED 81 (PRATHER 23, GOULDING 15, WARE 13, BOONE 10)

SERIES 2-2

NEXT GAME: GAME FIVE – SATURDAY 31 MARCH AT HISENSE ARENA