Hoops

Game Night: Sixers/Crocs Jan 30

Our team did do you a favour. We let you foul out Corey and only win by 1 point

Hey Rod

I saw you in the mall yesterday, was gonna come and say hi but I had just ordered food and by the time I got it, I couldn't se you anymore.

Last play was a disgrace.
Cannot believe we also do not know how to put a hand in a hot shooters face! How many times this year have we lost due to a hot streak? I can think of Wortho, Redhage and know Williamson I think it was, that have burned us in a quarter.
Shocking lads, glad the tcket was free Saturday night, but yet I still felt ripped off.

I have been rather critical of J Gilchrist running the point - I do think overall Cortez did a much better job getting the team into the game than Saturday than Gilchrist ever does.

That said, when it came to the last play of the game, it was clear that NOBODY on the Sixers team wanted to take the shot. Cortez passed to Ng with 15 seconds left, he looked at the ball as if shocked and passed it to Ballinger 4 metres out from the three point line. He didn't want it, and gave it back to Cortez. It was like a hot potato that nobody wanted to be left with at the end. So Cortez's ill-conceived three attempt at the end really was because nobody else wanted to take control of the ball. The only guy on the team (at present) who ever wants the ball is Gilchrist (in his case perhaps too much).

Need at least one player next season with his head screwed on properly who can be relied on to make clutch plays. Woe is us that Maher couldn't play til he was 60.

How good was that piper at half time!!!

For a moment, I thought Luke was back

Officially last on the ladder. When people were saying what a crap team Taipans have been this season, guess what? We are one better than them as far as CRAP goes. The team have proven all they need to prove and don't need any wins in the last 2 games. Hope they don't try to preserve some non existent pride at the cost of teams like Wollongong making the finals. Lets use the last 2 games to try and influence the teams we would prefer to make finals. Please, Please lose the last home game. Never thought I would hear myself saying that.

If there are no major changes next season, starting with the coach then I will change all my thoughts about SOS. To be quite honest, I would rather no team at all than the embarrasing one we had this season. To say he has another year is crap because officially everyone was on a 1 year contract this season. I don't care about any verbals. They're not worth the paper they're written on and after experiencing this season. forget about it. Even if a contract was a legal binding document, then surely lack of performance would invalidate it anyway.

Unfortunately when you are operating with a shoestring budget and the coach and team it buys, all the shoestring is good for is choking and how many times this season has this come true.

It really amazes me how people in a professional sport coaching capacity, regardless whether it is football (Craig and Williams), soccer (Vidmar) and basketball (Smyth is his last few seasons and Ninnis both seasons) cannot see and acknowledge what all the fans of the game can see.

The only positive one that may have happened due to fan and media pressure was moving Tippett to Full Forward instead of the ruck for the Crows mid last season.

I sat there last night: My thoughts were:
Start: "We are shagged, it'll be over at half time"
Q1 5 min: "Shoot, we are playing not too badly"
At half time: "Keep it up boys, doing well"
3Qtr time: "OMG, Crocs will be losing toight"
Q4, up by 11, 6 mins to go: "This is the greatest escape since Ronnie Biggs"
Q4: scores even: "WTF?"
Q4: start of last play: "Tez, you've answered critics tonoght, just draw a foul, shot two FT's a be a hero"
End Q4: "WTF?"

I know I might have touched on this before but when we go into D, notice what we do. We stand a good metre away and defend. Yeah a good metre too.
When in offence, they are in our face all the time.
Why did they have so many open shots for 3 early on I wonder.

The reffing wasnt great but at least Ray Hunt, damien Thiess, Tim Mills, Benn McDonald or Roger Shiels werent part of it. That lot are all senior panel and they suck badly at reffing.

Mind you, whoever the blonde ref tonight was, he should return back to div shit tech. Hopeless

OK, I'm no coaching expert, in fact I don't know the first thing about it.

But if Scott Ninnis can't see that the opposition players have set themselves ready for a shot before the ball is passed to them, and by the time the Adelaide defender rotates to them, it is too late - then he needs a few more years as an assistant coach I'm afraid.

Many NBL teams play alot beyond the arc - all the good shooting teams will have their players set themselves well before the ball comes to them. The Sixers defense is baffling as it focuses on being positioned more to collapse on the ballhandler - then when the inevitable kickout happens, the shooter is already set and the shot is automatic, and the last gasp hand-in-the-face is in vain. It's like the Sixers don't even consider that the ball may get passed to a shooter.

We've seen it happen time and again that teams bury us from range, and tonight the agonisingly slow defensive rotation was sticking out like a sore thumb.

Anon, what else did Scotty say. I normally go up stairs after the game and did so tonight but couldn't be bothered waiting for him to come up.

Ninnis is at fault for not having a set play for the last 20 seconds, but you would think at NBL level, these players should be pretty professional and work out for themselves how to get that last shot in. The Crocs were that desperate to stop Adelaide scoring in that last 20 seconds, it couldn't have been that difficult to draw a foul. Such a bunch of unintelligent players. They are missing a piece of their uniform. Its called the thinking cap. To think nearly 7,000 people had to witness that woeful show in the end.

Crowd was very good

7,000 is great crowd (well 6,991) good numbers there.
(7800 seats)

Start evenly, get ahead then fall away at the end.
Gift the opposition the win in close finishes.
Summary of the season and yes - it is our first wooden spoon.
(Interesting that Tez got about 7rebounds 16points with 9assists, tonite- but seems it's his fault we lost.)

IMO, if your professional basketball team doesn't have a structured play to run on the last play of any quarter, the coach shoulders a fair bit of the blame, regardless of whether you can call a time-out. I mean, what are actually they doing at training? It's not like they tried to run something that failed... they just stood around like topiary, not doing anything at all, and then at the last second Tez tried an awful contested 3 which he couldn't even get off, so he bobbled it to Burston for an off-balance fall-away jumper from the top of the key.

But anyway, the good thing is that it's almost over now.

Worst end-game execution ever. No one wanted to take the shot.

I seem to recall - this time last year, Burdon came on with 3mins left and shot 3 x threes in a row.
Prior to that got the last minute occassionaly for 1 x 3pointer. Might be close to 3points per minute in NBL. Anyways - we might be a bit more relaxed tonite.
I hope Tez remembers who he is, why he's in it and what part he's supposed to play.

Anon, of course I was talking about Erik "The Birdman"!! Who else do you think I was talking about - Ryan Kerstin?


I would be over the moon if he suited up tonight, but sadly, I predict that we will suit up someone else and just play an 8 man roster on a 36 degree day in a stadium that has heated up with a game before while the Crocs run their full 10 men rotation and stay fresh.

Could be right anon,

D56; should we expect the see bankers at the door?

what are peoples tips for the u/18 div 1 and 2 fianls for the coming weekend??

boys div 1
norwood v south: norwood by 6
north v sturt: sturt by 2

girls div 1
west v mavs: west by 16
north v sturt: north by 5

boys div 2
north 1 v forestville blue: north by 28
north 2 v sturt 1: north by 4

girls div 2
west red v centrals: west by 7
north v sturt 1: sturt by 3

what are your thoughts??