Hoops

36ers vs Taipans, Oct 10

Having long hair must be a pre-requisite for the dancers

Marcus Camby wrote:
"I reckon the Sixers will get this one.

The home team will have a massive point to make and will make a big show of it.

I am most excited to see DQ play and how his game transitions to NBL level.

I will enjoy all those who went on able second rate 'SEABL' import eat a bit of humble pie."

Good to see your expert analysis is on the mark as always Marcus.....

Montreal was not up to standard and I don't think he ever will be at NBL level for an import this season. He is a tweener, not quick enough to play the 3 and not big enough to play the 4. This could be made up for if he could shoot or had some atleticism but he lacks any sort of explosiveness under the basket and his shot did not look consistent. You can't lose your best player and probably the most versatile offensive player in the league in DJ and just not replace him while still expecting to compete. I know it is only one game but if Montreal stays, I can't see the sixers being competitive this year, which is dissapointing after such a great season last year.

Think the Sixers have a lot of pressure to win tomorrow as you don't want to go NZ 0 - 2.

Not an ideal start to a season.

I think you'll find it was actually amazing Luke actually got on court last night based on him being extremely ill. Peach was carrying a calf injury and with both those guys down it contributed to the poor rebounding effort IMO.

Basketball is one of those games where sometimes it is just not your night. Early on there were a few shots that rattled out and a few shots by Cairns that swished in. I thought, "yep, the basketball gods are with Cairns"

There were a few umpiring decisions I wouldn't mind explained better.

1. The USF on Creeky. The replay showed him and the Cairns guy in a tussle for the ball and I didn't see him grab him as such, but the ref from behind called it. What was a rationale for an USF and not a regular foul? There were Cairns players basket side and he didn't have a clean break. Was it just because Creeky was from behind?
2. Over and Back. I could tell from the angle, but there was a play where the Cairns guard lost the ball and seemed to step in the other half and then got the ball back. Was it because he was holding/controlling the ball at the time?

about 5.4K i think

Anyone else see Wilson completely switch off when a shot goes up? I recall one defensive set where he let his man get 3 offensive rebounds in a row, while he was still staring at the rim on the other side of the key... He got lost on D on most occasions. 36ers pick and roll D was terrible tonight, and if we continue to play it like that we will have a long season.

I'm quite frustrated by the lack of ball movement Wilson has brought back to our side. A few years of watching him constantly bog down a Cairns offense had me worried about him bringing the same to Adelaide, and my fears became reality last night.

Taipans - Was extremely impressed with Wilbekin he plays with a lot of poise out there for a 21 year old kid. You can tell he's played in the NCAA Final Four. Craig is athletic and can shoot, I just hope Fearne plays him more. The rest of the team are solid and well balanced compared to the last two years.

36ers - Wilson was good he had to force a lot of things but he brought the effort. The problem is they're too small and I wouldn't mind Montreal if they still had Johnson but they needed a gun import without him and while Montreal is solid he's not a star.

Cairns owned the glass in this one; 41 to 29.

Wilbekin looks the real deal! the level of import has really shot up a level this season.

Creek's 16pts at a good clip was a positive to come out of the game for the 36ers.

Recap: NBL 2014/15 Round 1: Taipans steal early season victory in Adelaide

Montreal PATHETIC!!!

As expected, the Sixers do not have enough size. We got absolutely smashed on the boards.

We were still in the game early in the 4th, but then for some inexplicable reason, Joey went with BJ as our lone big for about half the fourth quarter. By the time he reinserted Petrie, it was too late.

Is Petrie maybe carrying an injury or something? If not, I can't for the life of me work out why he only played 23 mins.

Wilson showed off some crazy handles and was dominant in the first half, but Wilbekin completely turned the tables on him after half-time.

One of the few bright spots was Mitch Creek's performance. We've all been hoping he'd develop a three ball and with three clean makes tonight, I think the signs are good.

I'm not going to judge Montreal on one game, but I felt like he was trying too hard and would have been better off playing more of a finesse game rather than trying to out-muscle larger opponents on offence. Sixers need a lot more scoring from him if they want to win more than a handful of games this season.

Teys didn't get enough opportunities tonight, partly because of that screen that sent him to the locker room for awhile. The kid can do it all though. He can shoot it from anywhere, take it to the rack and he is so disruptive with his defence. He's gotta get 30 mins a game IMO, but that's going to be tough with Gibson in front of him at SG and the complete lack of size in the front court making it tough to play him at SF like last season.

Lastly, what's with playing the "Australian Outdoor Living" ad all the time? I totally didn't get the joke.

Montreal not up to it and it showed that in this league you must have fantastic imports. Cairns have 2 very good imports and a good squad yet will still finish 2 to 6. They should have won by more. Hopefully this game was just a shocker that we will forget rather than being the norm. Losing DJ and Ervin will be BIG. The crowd was very quiet. Don't know what to think going forward. I know what I would do !

Yeah id have to agree, lots of shooting for sweet FA, Wilson. 8-19 is rock solid poor. Im not a big person on bagging but, his numbers somehow don't stack up.

Joey via the advertiser suggested 'a player to watch'. eeehhh, did you see something I didn't.

id love to see johns in action, more of daly and more of the aggressive BJ from last year.

Overall, not enjoyable however not the end of the world. Entertainment wise; the game was average however the "other entertainment"....Christ!

What the hell was that?

Everything we took for granted last year from that perspective is gone. Worst music. Limited crowd involvement. In 8 years, ive never been so bored at an nbl game. I almost thought I was watching a CABL game.

13 more games like this with your entertainment crap and cya the F##K later. The game itself is what it is and that's fine but gees, make it somewhat enjoyable when the chips r down.

I'm happy to see Wilson have a great game but even happier to see the Taipans win. Wilbekin impressive.

No way...live stats down again. What a rarity

Why is Fearne not playing Craig in the second half?

6ers not too bad, Taipans are playing quite well though

Craig and Wilson lighting it up. Entertaining contest. Thanks Bet365 for the livestream.

Agree with a few saying this may well be the hardest game to pick this weekend.

Hopefully a big crowd turn up and know the game is actually on!

NBL 2014/15 Round 1 Preview: Opening night sees Sixers battle Snakes

Personally, I'd love to see how Maynard goes in the league after graduating from college. A real tough-nosed defender who can score.

Hoping for some great highlights with all the new imports too.

I don't know if it still happens these days but a few years ago, the Taipans seemed to be everywhere in and around Cairns - giant pictures of players on walls around town, TV news, radio, event openings, in the newspapers every second day, etc, etc, ....

Do (or Did) they just have better contacts?

At least we still have the "36ers Crossing" sign on Port Rd!!

I don't know if it still happens these days but a few years ago, the Taipans seemed to be everywhere in and around Cairns - giant pictures of players on walls around town, TV news, radio, event openings, in the newspapers every second day, etc, etc, ....

Do (or Did) they just have better contacts?

At least we still have the "36ers Crossing" sign on Port Rd!!

Just saw some mopeds driving around (in that 3 line formation like they always do) carrying those portable signs with the Wildcats on them. In the Perth CBD. A very strange form of advertising.

Tragardh may have taken off weight but he put a lot on whilst injured and is not in the same shape he was at the beginning of last season. He was blowing hard in the last practice game and is still not fully fit in my opinion. He is playing well though and his fitness can only improve.

The Taipans pre-season form is not necessarily as strong as it seems. They beat the Wildcats at the Blitz but the Wildcats were down an import and didn't appear to have their mind on the job for at least the first half of that game. The Taipans then struggled to beat a severely undermanned Sydney in the 2nd game. The final 2 practice games against Wollongong in Cairns were played against a Wollongong side without Carson, Davidson and Nevill, so it's hard to read too much into those performances.

Having said that, there does seem to be a better vibe about the team this season and they should be better defensively than they were last season. It is also a better balanced team this season.

I think Adelaide will be very hard to beat at home this season. Wilson will be fired up for this game and unless the Taipans get a big game from Wilbekin, I think this will be a tough game for them to win.

I agree with Podge, the only time Gliddon has shown glimpses of playing for himself is when no-one else was stepping up, and it didn't seem like a natural role for him. With Wilbekin, Craig and a fit Tragardh I don't think that will be a problem this season.

Stat - about half that.

Disagree about Gliddon, he's always struck me as a humble team first kind of guy. With the captaincy we'll see him go to that next level. I think he'll relish working with Wilbekin.

Agree with you about Craig, he's gone under the radar but i think his versatility will make him a massive weapon.

Marcus - agree with you about DQ, he's an interesting prospect. I hope he's one of those guys that makes the transition, from what i've seen he's more than capable.

Calm down and have another read of Boti's article. He is tipping Adelaide to be 1-1 after this weekend and be 3rd on the table after this weekend, not over the whole season.

Cant wait for the games to start. The standard of the league should be great this year.

I am interested to see Jamar & DQ play this year. With everyone bagging them, they wont have to dig too deep for motivation and I for one look forward to seeing them playing way above everyone's expectations. From what I hear both are good team mates, have a good range of skills, have a point to prove and will surprise a lot of doubters.

Sixers by 9

Not 15kgs Statsheet, but he's been working hard and his pre-season form has reflected that.

I think the highlight will be the Wilson/Gibson Vs Wilbekin/Gliddon battle. 2 quality back courts going head to head, sweet. baby. jesus.

Can't wait.

What is the home crowd gonna be like for the first round in Adelaide? Have they released an estimated crowd figure yet with sales ?

On form, very close. Hard to swathe. Cairns, good pre season and trsvel well here. 6ers, average preseason but strong home crowd venue. got over them last time by 2, but reckon will be a 1 point game either side.

this time last year..frye got 18 and weigh got 2

I can think of about 18 players I'd rather watch in this contest than Maynard vs Daly.

Nice to hear the 6ers fans optimism but you're dreaming if you think you'll 'easily' be a top 2/3 team.

Taipans are a great road team and have had a solid pre-season, so I'd be betting on them.

NBL is back and I think this game is going to be an absolute rip snorter.

I think the quarter time scores are going to be about 30 a piece if plays come off. Being the first game the other teams won't know their plays so expect a fast game. There might be a bit of fouling to slow it down, so the last 2 or 3 mins could be a FT fest from both teams.

I have a feeling the Taipans might save a bit for the second quarter so I think the half time scores could be around 45:48 with the snakes holding a narrow lead going into the change rooms.

With a Joey Wright spray expected, the Sixers should take the 3rd quarter, a quarter they have been notoriously bad in over the last few seasons. Since Jazzy stopped handing out the pies in the change rooms they have lost their sluggishness.

That makes for an absolute cracker of a final quarter. I think the Sixers will have the legs, so I am expecting a few sneaky little holding fouls to try to slow them down. The Taipans could be down to 8 players as Fearne argues with the refs and paces along the sideline shaking his head and holding his palm out saying "what was that??"

Could be a few lead changes in the final Q with a few timeouts showing off the cheerleaders new outfits and routines. Going into the final 90 seconds it should be anyone's game and I am thinking that a sneaky little Jamar Wilson drive with a bonus might just be the tonic the Sixers need to seal the games as the crowd erupts with " D FENCE, D FENCE, D FENCE".

I think the Taipans will fall short and lament a couple of bad shot choices.

Casey Frank said in a stuff.co.nz article that he believes Adelaide and Perth were the teams to beat.
(Also mentioned ADL arena is the toughest to play mainly because the fans are so close to the court whereas in Perth there is a bit of space).

I am starting to think that Adelaide are actually a good team this year.

The more I look at it, the more I realise they can easily be a top2/3 team.

At the end of the day, their starting 5 is no worse than others. All this talk around guys like Daniels, Childress but at least Wilson is proven and you know what you're going to get, Gibson is a Boomer, Big Red is 7"1, Petrie is a Boomers squad member and a guy like Teys will IMHO do no worse than other backup guards (U'U - Teys is better, Carter - probably the same, S.Bruce - Teys is better, Djeric - Teys has done more at NBL, Odigie - same).

Too early to tell how people are going to go individually but the fact that Adelaide's imports are reportedly working so well together could perhaps give them a slight edge there... How ever Big Cam Trigger looks in ripping form and the Snakes' new editions are no joke..

For the fact I'll be supporting the Sixers I'll tip them... But this should be an even match if all goes to plan