CROSS OVER DRIBBLE

Adelaide 36ers vs. Cairns Taipans
When: 7:00pm (AEDT), Friday 25th October
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Broadcast: NBL TV, SBS On Demand/Viceland, Twitch TV

Last times they’ve met:

Feb 2 2019: Cairns Taipans 91 (Trimble 21) lost to Adelaide 36ers 100 (D Johnson 24, Sobey 14) at Cairns Convention Centre (The Snakepit)

In Adelaide: Adelaide 36ers 87 (D Johnson 22) defeated Cairns Taipans 82 (Trimble, Jawai 18) at Titanium Security Arena (The Fortress)

SIXERS SHOT BACK INTO HISTORY

Quarter Final 2005/06: Anthony Orchestrates a Heartbreaker

The most famous encounter of the 36ers/Taipans history ended with an absolute heart-breaker of a shot. The Taipans had finally rolled into playoff contention after a few years of missing the playoffs and had plenty of inside knowledge about our club in dual championship players Martin Cattalini and Darnell Mee. The Taipans flew out of the blocks with import centre Chris Burgess looking ominous early and defensive maestro Aaron Grabau doing a job on Willie Farley. Dusty Rychart started to turn the game back in Adelaide’s favour 30-26 at quarter time. Maher got the 36ers underway with some triples before Cairns brought the margin back to a basket mid-way through 13 to tenacious guard Nathan Croswell. Dusty leading all scorers with 16 and the 36ers up 55-51 at the half.

The game had closed up with nothing splitting the two teams and both teams making big plays through their role players such as Mark Nash and Melvin Thomas. Veteran shooter Anthony Stewart ignited the Taipans with an 8-0 run before 36ers veteran centre Paul Rees found a crucial basket prior to three quarter time, 36ers down 71-70. Farley and Maher came to the party but so did Grabau who eventually produced a season high 20 as the 36ers once again took the lead in the see-sawing affair 82-80. Mee eventually scored 11 crucial points in the quarter, but then produced an explicable turnover from the ball into Cattalini, but the Cat then put Cairns back in front 93-92. Mee then scored again before Rychart then missed a shot and the 36ers fouled Mee. Mee made one from two then Oscar Forman found the ball in the key then went up strong for the two and the game was going to overtime 96-96.

OT began with scores from Mee and Nash then Grabau hit his fourth triple to take it out to 101-98. Jacob Holmes then made two from the stripe for the 36ers, then Cattalini hit back, then Rychart scored his 25th point, Forman missed an open triple before Farley was fouled by a hand that looked clean from Mee. Farley made one of two and it was 103-103 and coach Alan Black of the Taipans called time-out. Gary Boodnikoff missed the three-point shot but the ball was tipped out of bounds, four seconds to go. Anthony Stewart was subbed in for the Taipans and they found him in the north-west corner and the Taipans had defeated Adelaide 106-103.

Cairns Taipans 106 (Grabau, Boodnikoff 20, Mee 16) defeated Adelaide 36ers 103 (Rychart 25, Farley 24, Maher 17) in Overtime at the Distinctive Homes Dome

Key Match-Ups:

Jerome Randle vs. Scott Machado

Its another case of a master versus an apprentice but new Taipans import Machado seems to be the real deal and has a more experienced and all-round game than his predecessor at the point in Melo Trimble. Machado is already averaging a healthy 15.3ppg at 47 percent from the field and 7.8 assists per game. The handles of Randle were back in the last two games but I loved how he inserted himself into the game in many different ways. While his points per game may be down by six in his career average to 14.7 ppg his assists are up to 4 per game and has covered his man better defensively. Sixers coach Joey Wright also has the option of going to his two captains Brendan Teys or the “lockdown” man in Kevin White if Machado starts to get hot from the field ala Aaron Brooks Monday night.

Daniel Johnson vs Majok Deng

The stats do not lie, DJ has his highest career average against the Taipans both here and at home. He averages 17.28 against the Taipans since the start of 2012 hence the Taipans never seemed to have the match up to counter DJ until now. Enter ex-Sixers player Majok Deng who has started extremely well including lighting up his favourite Wildcats team with a career high 22 points last Friday night. The extra playing time and clearly the work Deng has done has made him an even more challenging player defensively and offensively. No doubt we’ll see some of the scrimmage moves and plays they orchestrated on each at past trainings but unlike before Deng may have the key to DJ’s kryptonite the Taipans finally need to keep him from single-handily skinning them.

Jack McVeigh vs. Mirko Djeric

Don’t want to put pressure on “Jumpin” Jack McVeigh but his start to the season off the bench is exactly what the Sixers have needed in games since Mitch Creek left the club. He reminds me of him circa 2014-16 seasons with much potential but can he take it to the next level? He’s started the season well averaging 10ppg, 50 percent from beyond the perimeter in an average of 18 minutes per game. If he keeps this up he’s in the conversation for most improved player. The “Cannon from Canberra” Mirko Djeric is back in the NBL and has been a thorn in Sixers side of past including that infamous loss to the Townsville Crocodiles in 2015. Djeric actually averages 9ppg off the pine against the Sixers since 2015 and since his return to the Taipans has been an extremely handy acquisition. His international experience will be a key when the Taipans scorers take their rest and the Sixers including McVeigh will need to be aware of how dangerous Djeric can be.

The Last Play

Another game with more sub-plots including the return of Deng and although I don’t expect the Taipans to finish in the top four they are already going to be remarkably improved this season. It all comes down to whether the Taipans can stop DJ and honestly history suggests they can’t but they do have more options defensively than previously.

The Taipans were mighty impressive against the Wildcats in Perth but I wonder if new imports Cameron Oliver, rookie sensation Kouat Noi, Deng and veteran big man Nate Jawai can handle a more mobile Sixers front court of Eric Griffin, DJ, Froling and Kyei. The Taipans last few wins in Adelaide have been on the back of hanging around in the game and slithering over the line right at the finish so if the Sixers get off to a fast start, they should be able to hold them to a double figure margin.

As Scotty Cam would say, it should be another 11 out of 10 performance from the teams on “The Block” and Taipans should have “tools down” by end of Friday night’s episode…

36ers by 11pts

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

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