Hoops

Round 5 Breakers Vs 36ers NSEC

Elvis, did you see the Sixers in the 2cnd half and the Breakers in the first?

If the Sixers can play with the intensity that they had in the 2cnd half, they will win games.

Overall, the game last night was really about how good NZ would be and how much they would win by.

To our credit, we hung in there and it must be said, while we didnt win, perhaps if the guys play like that against NZ at home, thats a winnable game.

CJ has a bad night with plenty of minutes, however Wilkinson wasnt contained and did as he liked which probably cost us. And pledger is one awesome player.

To lose by 9 is really a very good effort however if the margin wasnt so big at half time, it might have been possible to sneak a win.

If we back it up next week at home and then follow it with another 2 wins, 4-4 isnt bad.

I appreciate that Clarky and I guess the poor returns over the past 2 years has made me more cynical than I would like. Don't get me wrong, I was extremely pleased they got it below double digits, as it did show character that appeared lacking in the two home games.

I'm just bothered that, on the first half performance, many will not view their second half effort with the respect it might deserve and merely view the result as NZ easing up (thanks Mystro for attempting to dismiss this perception).

I accept that perhaps I am being unreasonable but I want the Sixers to be viewed as a bunch of hard nuts who give their opponents no respite (my emphasis). If the Sixers don't win then I want them to force the opposition to scratch and claw the full 40 minutes and not enjoy the comfort of a 26 point buffer in the 3rd quarter.

they started so good as they unveiled the championship banner so the place would have been pumped and the players running on adrenalin. simple really. Second game at the new stadium also.

Seems we played a 1 3 1 zone d after halftime
even though y'all hate zones.

Even though it's a loss; considering the effort and the comeback, I would rate it a respectable effort against the benchmark.

If the turnaround in scoring is anything to go by, it just goes to show that the Sixers had the ability to win it. This will be a good game to watch in training and review how they let it slip and how the recovery went.

Ok, killjoy warning, but I'm disappointed.

I was hopeful of another four quarter effort, as displayed last week in Perth. Instead, like myself, I imagine most fans were left deflated at half time and the satisfaction from last week's good work had dissolved.

Am I being unfair?

Do we defend the team with statements like "we should expect inconsistency, they are young" or "the starting 5 are still establishing their understanding of each others game".

I'm disappointed that we lost, but I'm more disappointed that the team let the Breakers establish a 26 point lead during the game. Admittedly these inconsistencies are traits of young teams or teams yet to, dare I say it, gel.

Still I would have preferred people come away saying "geez the Breakers were pushed to their limit, the Sixers appear legit" instead of "boy the Breakers nearly let that slip".

I want the Sixers to be feared when they walk into opposition stadiums and I expect them to make the home team earn their win. Perhaps I need to be more patient.

Breakers looked pretty stuffed in the 4th but Sixers played good in your face tight d. Jackson was a highlight machine, had the ball on a string. Wilkinson barely missed all night.

Happy to see that the team was able to get itself back into the game after such a drubbing in the first half. Judging by the stats, we just turned the ball over too much in the first half, particularly Warren and Simpson. Once Crosswell got control of the team, we worked our way back into the game.

I'd say put this down primarily to inexperience on Warren's part. He's only a year out of college, so unfortunately that is the risk you take with a young guy.

Warren and particularly Simpson redeemed themselves in the second half. I reckon they only had one more TO between them, Simpson ended with 20 pts on 9/11 shooting and 8 rebounds and Warren hit some big shots late to give us a sniff.

Once again great job from Nate - he has been a brilliant pickup for this team - and Stevie Weigh looks to have had a solid night too.

Herbie may be returning to some form with some better shooting and an extended run in the 2nd half with the group that got us back into it.

Creek was also out there for a big part of the 2nd half run and seemed to make some good plays from what I heard on the radio.

The Sixers still have work to do to start being succesful, but if nothing else they have proven to themselves that they CAN compete with the best teams. Hopefully they can come back to Adelaide with their confidence intact after that 2nd half and we can see a positive result next home game.

Great effort to lose by 9, (better than the 16pt loss i predicted).

Looks like we have 2 keepers in our imports, Simpson may be better than i thought with 20pts 8 rebounds, i was thinking he would just be a 10pt 5 rbd guy, still could be but good to see he is capable of this from time to time. Warren seems to be a great shooter, and his PG will get better with age/experience im sure and we have our vet in Crosswell helping him out, best combo of imports we have had in years. Well done to the coaching/recruiting staff. I hope we can retain them along with Johnson, Weigh, Creek as all are young and could grow together as a group and build some real chemistry by playing together for a few seasons straight.

I hope we stick with our 5 of Warren, Creek, Weigh, Simpson, Johnson for the remainder of the season, seems well balanced, quick and athletic to me.

Good to see us have just 7 guys over 15 mins, looks like Clarke has his rotations sorted better now.

Glad to see Herbert shoot well, i think thats his role now, off the bench for 10 mins, hit a few shots and play tough defense. I hope he doesnt just get thrown back into big minutes, id like to see him have a 3-4 good games straight before he gets more minutes, and even then only 15 max, as he is never going to be a star on a top side, just a very very handy role player. Big fan of Herbie but thats his role if we want to be a contender in the next few years.

Wow! There's still a chance for a massive upset! Breakers 85-79 with 3:53 on the clock

Realisticly the current score line in the last qtr is respectable, i tipped the 36ers to lose by 16, so if they get around that, its not too bad, we are not upto winning 2 a NZ road game just yet.

We have 3 good young Aussies, and both our imports seem to be keepers and good compliments to our Aus talent with vets like Ballinger and Crosswell, so things should keep improving for the 36ers IMO.

I hope we can keep or starting 5 for the next 5 years, then we will continue to have a good exciting, versatile team.

Defence?????

Just got the radio up and running. Not looking good so far - for the Sixers or for a live stream!

How stupid are the live stats people? Don't they even know what time the game starts in Australia?!?!

C'mon one of you Kiwis, setup a stream for us!

Mystro, I agree with your comments. And I didn't forget that Abercrombie is averaging around the 20ppg mark when facing adelaide either.

He will definately be the sleeper agent but I don't think he's the catalyst. That still belongs to Gary and Mika. In another 2-3 years at most, the posts will start with "They need someone to lock down Abercrombie".

I don't doubt he's improving, but I still feel he's not a major concern as of yet in the gameplan.

Just realised that the Breakers have two CJ's now. I suppose we can identify them by hair styles or something now.

There is a link to a live radio broadcast via the NBL website

Big Marty I disagree, Abercrombies jump shot is much improved apart from the last couple of games where the whole teams shooting percentages have been very average so I would say yes he is a threat especially if he starts knocking down J's early and can limit his fouls.
Vukona and Anthony have been crashing the offensive boards along with Abercrombie, Pledger and Jackson. Jackson is a great pickup, a quick PG with great handles who isn't scared to rebound and loves picking pockets.

With no coverage on ONE, I know exactly where I'll be looking to watch the game...

Agree that keeping Vukona under control is important, but I think Wilko is the most important guy for the Sixers to stop. The last few times we have played them it has been his mobility and shooting at the centre position that have killed us.

Having said that it was pleasing to see the adjustments Marty made against Perth last week to control the equally mobile bigs Redhage and Wagstaff. Hopefully something similar can work against the Breakers.

I think the big key is stopping Vukona. I know Wilkinson is going to be an offensive threat and Cedric Jackson has it going on right now; but the last couple of games I've seen, it's been Vukona crashing the offensive boards and generating second chance points.

Abercrombie is "some day" going to be an absolute gun, but he's not really a threat right now.

Breakers by 10; and honestly, if we can lose by no more than that OR win; I'll be proud of the lads.

the game will be live..................in new zealand the home of televised live nbl games ;)

L&P for the win

Just a wee bit !

How much L&P do you need Jack Toft?

A great win for the Sixers last week and they must be happier than a CEO with a multi-million dollar payrise, but the big questions this week are.

1. Can we repeat last week’s fine effort? The Breakers might raise last year’s flag and honour Pauley Henare like a god, but can the Sixers respond and lower Lemanis’s dacks come full time?
2. Can DJ repeat his MVP performance this week and put Wilkinson to the sword?
3. Has someone worked on Diamon’s FTs this week?
4. Growing up, did Mika Vukona’s mum feed him a spoonful of cement each day? or is he just one tough nut?
5. Will someone tell “The Noize” that they are embarrassing their grandkids?
6. Are the Sixers dancers that good, or are the Breaker Girls that ordinary?
7. Are the keyways still as slippery as an eel?
8. Does Marty scour this forum for tips, or is that Rat’s job? (they say in Tassie that two heads are better than one)
9. Marty seems to coach better when he’s fired up and frustrated. Will someone just spend game day pestering and annoying the F out of him?
10. Can anyone bring me back some L&P?

Got a glimpse of a bearded Matt Nielsen on Foxtels Eurosports news yesterday.
Top scored for his Lithuanian side Vilnus.