Hoops

Wildcats vs Hawks, Game 2 - Sunday Feb 21 3pm

Yes, i think the loyalty points deductions don't help. Perth and NZ can keep and maintain their rosters year in year out.

With that being said, other teams need to have more patience building up and maintaining the core of their team as both Perth and NZ have done.

@ME - have you even followed the NBL this year?!? There was a 2 win difference between 1st and 4th with 36ers a bees willy away from that. How much closer do you want the league to be ? Top that is the fact that 4th(NZ) knocked out 1st (United) in the first semi and 3rd(Hawks) are one win away from knocking off 2nd(Perth).

Yes, it was 2003. Adelaide were down 26 at three quarter time, outscored Perth 45-11 in the fourth.

Was that 2003? Man ... time flies ...

It's actually pretty smart. Nobody goes to game one, so you drop the prices. Game three is more likely to draw a crowd, as a decider and potentially the last game, so prices go up.

I'd like to see more game-to-game variation in prices TBH. Get more people through the doors without giving up revenue on the more marketable games.

Isn't obvious what happened. Perth clearly tanked that game so there was a game 3 in Perth and chance to raise more revenue.

But yes - seriously.
When I posted that I had only checked my own seat price, but checking again now it is an increase across the board - for all categories of $eating, and for both members and non-members.

Hard to know these days which one you thought might not be true :p

More than $100 I reckon.

Just received an email from the club re. ticket arrangements for game 3 and I see that they have raised the price compared to game 1.
Poor form IMO.

Dazz, just have a break, perth Wil do it in 3 just another $100 for Marvin.

Perth were flat for the start of game 1, and flat for large parts of game 2. Even if they grind out a win in game 3, it doesn't bode well for a GF series.

Hawks played with much more intensity from the outset, and yes they hacked a lot in ways that I think should be called, and possibly in the regular season they would have been. But at the end of the day, the Cats just never matched that intensity, and gave up soft fouls.

Jawai is a perfect example. He gets mugged every time he gets near the basket, and if it were me reffing I would call those fouls. At the defensive end he gives up soft fouls, many that I wouldn't call.
But its being going on all season. It is what it is. He and the Cats should have adapted, but haven't, whilst the Hawks have figured out what they can get away with, AND how to get him in foul trouble at the other end.
Also, as I have said before, if you're a big-guy in that scenario, the solution is to work on hitting your frees, thus making the hacks a riskier proposition. You'd be less inclined to hack say Jervis because he shoots 76% from the stripe, but at 56% Jawai is a good bet.

Simple fact is that had the Cats played their best, they could and should have won. Responsibility for their loss lies squarely with the players & coach.
Whilst at the same time, you have to acknowledge the phenomenal effort of the Hawks. SO many of their players stepped up today.

"GF games were set on their dates.
No changes were going to happen."
According to you, some random guy on the Internet.

On the other hand, the league's GM has said otherwise.

Not sure which to believe...

I reckon if Lisch wasn't injured, Hawks would have won in Perth, and how they have flogged Perth without him. Bevo has simply out-coached Gleeson.

Gleeson is obviously a coach who prefers to stick to the plan, and play the percentages, but I feel that let him down today. Leaving the B-team on-court whilst the lead blew-out.

Perth are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but today that defence was shredded and left rattled. Rebound count was closer, but Perth built their 4 earlier wins on the back of dominating the boards, and that has been taken away.

Jawai has been a bit slow-moving all season, but the Hawks have figured him out. Whether you "blame" the refs, or Nate himself, or simply "the way the NBL is called," the result is the same. He gets hacked every time he gets the ball close to the basket, and at the other end he gives up way too easy fouls. In a fast paced game, with the calls the way they are, he's a liability.

Wagstaff continued his role as the teams Barometer.

Game 3 will be interesting. Everything says Perth should win, but it will in many ways be a litmus test test for Gleeson's coaching. Can he get the boys back on track, focussed, and negate the advances Bevo made in the first two games.

Swear Perth fans find any reason to get after a player..so RM was having a chat with Prather at the end. Big deal?

Think Perth will take Game 3. Too good at home.

He didn't push the ref. The ref put his hand on him and RM pushed it away.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired Mike Brown, a source close to the head coach told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.

The Cavaliers had a midnight deadline on Sunday to fire the coach or pay him his full $4.5 million salary for next season.

Cleveland was ousted from the playoffs two weeks ago by the Boston Celtics, who upset the NBA's top regular-season team in six games.

Brown, who had one year left on his contract, could be quickly scooped up by one of the five other teams looking for head coaches. Brown has guided the team to the postseason in each of his five seasons. Cleveland's assistants also have one year remaining on their deals.

Brown was the league's coach of the year last season when the Cavs won 66 games. Cleveland lost to Orlando in the conference finals, however, and it was assumed Brown would have to get the team closer to a championship to keep his job.

Not that it's of massive consequence, but did R. Martin push the ref away at the end there?

Great win, Hawks.


Cats ... embarrassing. Will see what we are made of on Friday after being thoroughly pantsed today.

Keep beating each other up :)

Perth to close it out at home.

Why is Game 3 so long away. Should be on Wednesday..but looks like its on Friday? What the?

Cheese-bur-ger :D

Dammit. Hawks were 8 to 1 for 11 and over!

At what point does Gleeson start protecting his players from injury ...

Not sure if this actually helps NZ.
Had Perth won today I think they would have moved the GF forward.
Now going to a game 3 means NZ have to sit around and wait for a while, which is not necessarily an advantage, since whoever wins game 3 will still have more than enough time to rest up for the GF. Meanwhile NZ have the danger of getting rusty.

Coach of the Year is coming up empty, yeah.

Normally I'd expect Perth to mount a comeback in the final quarter, but they do look rattled, and Gleeson seems to be out of options.

1 field goal in > 3 minutes to start the quarter.

Congrats Hawks. Well played. That's what a positive mindset can do.

OSCAR FORMAN!

Welcome Back!

I'm an optimistic guy, but this one's real close to being over.

Any chance of a rebound, Cats? Either end would be fine thanks.

They're playing attacking and unselfish basketball, and Perth's D is unable to keep up with it so far.

I don't understand why Gleeson benches players with 3 fouls late in the 3rd quarter.
We need Prather and Knight out there, and might as well tell Jawai to go at Ogilvy and give up his fouls, he's not helping anyone holding down the bench.

They certainly look rattled to me.

... ok, until that dumb Beal prayer, that is.

Most coaches use time-outs to settle their players, Gleeson just yells at them.

Can't leave Jervis out there alone against Ogilvy.

"Perth are rattled right now"

Doesn't feel like it to me. Being out-played, yes. Rattled, no. Still sticking to the plan pretty well.

Gleeson really not liking Prather today.

Coenraad gives Damo a taste of his own medicine with that one

I'm enjoying cheering for Perth :)

NZ's series record against the Hawks is redundant if the Hawks can't get past Perth and make the final.
I'm sure the Hawks would find comfort watching the final on tv from their living rooms whilst saying "we owned them 4 zip".

Wow, Cats getting raped by the refs.

It almost looks as if Jawai is playing drunk. Just looks out of sorts.

The Hawks played NZ while they were at their worst.
They are now back in business and have played themselves back into form but yes, the Hawks did beat them four times this season.
NZ also best Perth twice and Melbourne six times :)

Dazz, his lack of control doesn't help his cause unfortunately. He doesn't have that polish in terms of protecting the ball etc. So dangles it out there.

Wouldn't say Ogilvy is protected. He gets his fair share of calls against him. Hopefully it stays that way because he does have some secracy to what he does and glad the refs pick up on it.

I'd back Perth from here, but there's no writing off the Hawks. Forman and Coenraad have their eye in, and if Penney starts hitting from outside...

I hope they beat the crap out of each other and it goes to triple overtime and the Hawks send it to game 3 before Perth finally get the win :)

Perth's normally excellent defence is getting run ragged. Too many Hawks' shooters getting their eye in.

Jawai can't buy a call, gets hacked every time he gets the ball. Ogilvy can do no wrong in the eyes of the refs.

Top game, this.