Hoops

NZ Vs United Game 2

"Having said that... this is also the thread that was comparing Abercrombie to Creek."

To be fair I bought up that comparison from a previous thread a while ago so Adelaide fans had something to talk about :)

Very true PlaymakerMo but you get way more bites with "Dr No J"....

TeRangi showed real promise early on and is still very young. His 3 ball was on in his first couple of NZNBL seasons and he's athletic but his percentages fell off a cliff and he hasn't developed as hoped at NBL level. But again he is still young and if he can pull his finger out of his ass and work hard he may still reach his potential. His confidence also took a dive after his off court transgression almost cost him his career.

Fair enough call though in regards to my previous calls about Reuben TeRangi, I'll cop that one on the chin but BJ Anthony was a scrub and a bum until he pulled on a Sixers jersey apparently.....

Abercrombie's only flaw is lack of aggression, Creek is one dimensional and is only dangerous attacking the rim.

Abercrombie > Creek

Mystro, it's my right as a goddam Adelaide fan to talk up Mitch Creek!

I hope Mitch Young has an NBA out clause with the hype he's generating on this forum.

Abercrombie has been having a pretty solid season bar a couple of games where he went MIA but the whole team especially Ced Jackson and Corey Webster were in the same boat during that period. His defence is superb and his consistent outside shot and mid range jump shot makes him an even tougher guard.

Every once in a while Jack Toft gets on the turps and tries and talks up the one dimensional Mitch "Dr No J" Creek as surpassing Abercrombie but it's games like last night that show how large the gulf between the two really is.

Is Abercrombie still just an average shooter and nothing to fear?

Yeah that's my point about Young... You'd take Kickert, DJ and to a lesser extent Ogilvy every day of the week of the likes of Young, Petrie (Wortgo, Vukona, Damo and Mark Dalton back in the day types) during the regular season but when it's playoffs and you're coming up against opponents that would run through a brick wall for their team and refs are only calling soft fouls then you don't want to appear like Kickert of whom looked like he was worried about having a hair out of place.

I seriously wonder what the strategy will be if teams get a third import, surely teams will go for a player with grunt otherwise it will forever be NZ and Perth grand fonals

Adelaide weren't good enough to beat Illawarra or Perth, so United's decision to throw a game was irrelevant

"Unlucky enough to get our nightmare matchup"

I believe many Adelaide fans, whether right or wrong, will suggest otherwise and counter with the view United got what they deserved, with the last round decision to rest players being a footnote in the Breakers dynasty story (a fictional story according to some).

You're damn right I said Mitch Young, in this series is have picked him over Daniel Kickert of whom looked soft, scared and clueless... Young gives away too many overzealous fouls but they aren't always called in playoffs and with the shit that Goulding and Holt were throwing up I'd rather pick the additional rebounder as Majok wasn't getting it done and the All NBL first team honour seems to have gone to Kickert's head.

Only thing Kickert gave that Young can't and never will was clutch free throws but in a fantasy world where Young was coming off the bench behind Kickert, I'd be dragging him if his shot isn't dropping and putting Young in to play extended minutes and give Kickert fouls up his sleeve in clutch time.

Yes I'd pick Young up before Garlepp as Garlepp doesn't look interested running the floor, can't defend the perimeter, doesn't rebound and unless he replaces Foreman in Illawarra's starting line up I can't see him having a bigger role next season than he had this season unless he stays in Sydney.

I'll bet they felt pretty happy with their acquisition when he had amassed 44 points & 23 boards after 2 games.
He was certainly looking good to me, anyway.

Things went mostly in the southerly direction from him from that point, unfortunately.

Blanchfield maybe the most disappointing Aussie of the year, going for up-and-coming star to invisible role player.

Majok Majok going from a league-leading rebound machine to basically invisible in the last third of the season.

Strange year for Melbourne.

Starting to look like a lower tier Euro league, same two teams winning it each year.

I like Mitch Young, but wow, that's a big call.

Agree with Angus completely... Blanchfield went from fringe boomer potential to MIA after game 1. Majok either got found out in a big way or is completely disinterested... Remember talk of him finishing the season with ten boards a game?

So that makes it Dockers (AFL), Roosters (NRL) , Scorchers (BBL) and United (NBL) all finishing top of the ladder and not making grand finals (unless I'm wrong) so that seems like a bit of a curse to me.

I anticipate copping a lot of shit for this but to me Mitch Young should be the most sought after player in the market for next season... Games are refugee differently in finals and he is the sort of hard nosed tough defender that will cause issues come playoff time. If Damo and Mila can get away with what they do by being tough and fair then maybe Mitch Young could forge a similar reputation.

Well done to the Breakers so it's Kenny/Penney vs. the Breakers

What does it take for a close finish in this league?

I'm really hoping tomorrow Penney uncorks the genie and goes off for 60 points to make this finals series actually interesting because right now i'm yawning my way into a self induced coma.

Obviously this is something else we must blame Perth for? FMD

NZ have won 4 titles in 5 years, obviously they were going to be a tough opponent if they made the finals.
Melbourne dug their own grave when they threw the first game against NZ in the final round, then came out with their CBF attitude in the 2nd. As I said before that week, you don't want to hand that kind of psychological edge to a team you will then meet in the finals. LK should sack whoever made that great strategic decision.

From a Perth perspective, I had no great desire to see the sheeplanders in yet another GF series. Might Perth have eased off in that final game if Adelaide had a chance? We'll never know because it was dead-rubber from the moment MU decided to throw that 1st game.

We still have to get past the Hawks before we can start talking about the GF, but NZ will be a bloody tough opponent for whoever makes it.

Now I suppose the interest turns to what LK will do in the off-season in his next attempt to buy a title. Adelaide fans might want to consider what they can do to keep Randle out of LK's paws.
I'd say chances of the 3-import rule going ahead just increased.

"When was the last time the top seed was swept in the first round?"
1988.

Breakers #1 rebounding team in the league and owned the series against Perth again this season.

Why is Tai Wesley not regarded as an import?

Yeah should be a great series if Perth can put the Hawks away. Perth need to close it out in two and hope no one goes down injured.

NZ with the opportunity to make it 5 titles in 6 seasons and continue the dynasty.
Amazing turn of form considering the started the season poorly missing a few key players and then found some form and rattled off some wins before imploding and turning to crap and then just scraped into the playoffs on after sorting their shit again.

Wanted United to win but was never convinced by The coaching during the season, let alone the finals.

I hope they bring in a tougher coach who doesn't have a bromance with Goulding. Goulding needs a good kick up the jacksy - he believes in the hype too much.

Go Breakers!!! Do NOT let Perth beat you.

United should never of rested players against NZ in the first or their 2 last regular season games. Momentum in basketball is everything. Looking forward to another chapter in the Perth vs NZ rivalry.

Tomlinson back on, shoots the brick, Blanchfield gun shooter hasn't had a shot this quarter

Agreed.
I sure didn't want them in the playoffs.

@anon183 - I am a Perth supporter and Perth will be fearful of Breakers.

Given that we couldn't keep the Hawks off the boards, it doesn't take very imaginative dreaming.

I've mentioned this so many times before, but the Breakers are on a whole different level come finals time. They should be hard favourites to take out the title again.

Ced Jackson looking like the finals MVP Ced Jackson and Abercrombie coming up clutch down the stretch

Well, credit where it's due.
United were a very entertaining regular season team.

Too much time left for Melbourne to jack up rubbish threes. Suicidal stuff those last few possessions.

Tick tick tick boom!

Get Tomlinson off NOW!

Illi can defend and has hops but Ced Jackson is clutch

Wow, Ced... Again...

Shane Ili > Webster.
Webster is such a confidence player, I dont understand the minutes he is getting at the moment!

Shea Illi playing really well off the bench for a DP. Looking like a solid backup for Ced Jackson moving forward.

That Shane Healy guy is playing some useful minutes

Tai Wesley says don't brung thet shut unto thus buldung

This has got to be the decider. NZ can sweep the series here, but if MU can reverse it it, I wouldn't forsee NZ winning again in Melbourne.

Smart play by Cedric.

Whinging players and crying Coaches improve the spectacle