Hoops

36ers v Kings 21/1/17

If you take the last couple minutes out third probably could had a great finish. Kings did start well but they managed to keep Sixers under 90.

@anon232 if you took out the first couple mins of the game the sixers would have won by 25+
Kings did well to stay in it, but pressure from sixers too much. When sixers scored the kings have no intent to get the ball back in play allowing sixers to get full court defense set. They nearly got a couple of steals in back court which would have led to easy buckets.

The kings played much better and kept the 36ers to under 90, take away the last few minutes of the third quarter and this game would've had a great finish. Hill , Jackson and garlepp with bad passes offensive fouls killed them.
The shot of the coaches bench towards end game said it all, not very happy campers. Gaze has been good for Sydney, certainly as the face of the team, but some of his coaching decisions including the shuffle have not worked. Lose to Brisbane next week and could get the spoon after all those dollars spent.

If the four biggest spenders are Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane it doesn't make for instant success.

Creek is a bulldozer. Jacobsen was great last night. As I've posted before, sets great screens for Randle, Sobey and loves a scrap. The versatility of having either Randle or Sobey handle the ball is such a strength. If you watch Drmic when he is on, when Adelaide have the ball he cuts and creates space and movement, rebounds well for his size and defends well.

I very rarely have problems with NBLTV, streaming fine for the games on my iPad. Don't think NBLTV is the problem but somewhere else.

Drimic couldn't make a basket and played poorly early on, again the coach needs a lot credit for turning his season around as with the whole club.

Perth fan here - but I love watching this Adelaide team play. Their offence is so free flowing, such a breath of fresh air compared to the Wildcats flex.

I like Lisch but F me, he is a protected species...or maybe it was just that 1 ref?!

There's a point: Drmic is probably the best of this year's rookie class, too.

Adelaide could sweep the awards night.

Jacobsen ^

Drmic had a VERY good game. If he develops into next season like some of the other players have ( Sobey and Hodgeson are obvious) - but I'm really looking at creek and DJ, who were present without great improvement during the previous reign of Australia's best male player development coach, then I'll have to say that joey can develop players as well as coach stacked teams.

I never saw any sign of that when he was at gold coast, and perhaps he has just had to become that because of the financial weakness of Adelaide, but still, credit to him.

even jakobsen seem to have developed - but they may just be a case of first pro stint requiring that. Teys has probably peaked for the moment.

Coaches can develop as well.

If Clarke qualifies, he'd be a strong chance.

Good point Kobes, although Rotnei Clarke will give him a run for his money for that one.

A lot has been said about Randle (deserved MVP) and Sobey (runaway MIP) but Creek and Johnson have been excellent as well.

Kings got handled by Randle. Wish we got an import PG when we could have had Ware, Cotton, Dillard. Been saying this 9 weeks ago. Teams are still making changes to roster 1 week ago. Kings too afraid to make tough decisions. Hope coaches and management have the balls to make the tough calls next year.

Good game, more dodgy officiating. Going both ways, i was confused and the players looked it too. Kevin Lisch impresses me again, just having a terrible run of form but goes about his business in a professional manner even when the tides going against him. Hope for the sake of the Kings competitiveness he turns it around soon.

Yet another really impressive team performance by Adelaide. They rarely drop their heads or play selfishly. It's a bit bizarre how fancied teams are stumbling around them while they march onwards.

A lot has been said about Randle (deserved MVP) and Sobey (runaway MIP) but Creek and Johnson have been excellent as well. Creek has become that versatile beast everyone hoped, and Johnson has ironed out some wrinkles in his game.

Illawarra can still tie Adelaide on wins and currently lead the season series.

No, four losses to the Sixers and five wins to Illawarra would see the Hawks on top. Very unlikely however.

Not if the Sixers lose all of their remaining (four) games and Illawarra don't drop any of their last five.

I accept the odds are in favour of the Sixers but it is still possible for the Hawks to finish top.

Big Ads, Adelaide has locked up top spot.

That effort midway through the last when Creek put up two shots that missed, grabbed the rebound both times and finally got the points with his 3rd shot.....that said a lot about the Kings at that point. Outsized by his two Kings opponents, but Creek wanted it more.

I believe tonight's win locks in a top two finish for the Sixers and top spot if Illawarra lose tomorrow.

have never seen a Sydney bench so uninterested in what their team on the floor is doing as this lot from the time that 36ers caught up from the end of the 2nd Q.

In the last Q, the game was still there to be won and I don't think i saw anyone on the sideline other than Gaze off their chair the whole Q. Absolutely Zero peer encouragement.

They are certainly not a playing group that are playing for each other, it seemed all "Me, Me, me". like having 4 D Keogh's on the floor.

Yeah with that Bullets win and the sacking of Beal, the signing of Kendle now makes perfect sense! Smart bloke that Boomers coach fella. :)

Hmmmmmm and on the other side, Brisbane beat Melbourne 88-71.......

Attendance was 8,096. That's the second time we've broken 8k this year to a home game (8,104 saw us beat Illawarra a couple of weeks ago).

Cadee in news conference again, not the captain, said he had to to shoot more, he Whittington, Jackson had some poor turn overs. I thought it was a improved performance from the kings but Adelaide to good.

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre has 10,500 permanent seats compared to Titanium's 8,000.

I guess with extra floor seating they could squeeze in 500 or so more seats at the ends (AEC), but with the permanent seating there, the front row basically at floor level.

I wonder if that's actually true the Sixers are looking to play home playoff games at a larger venue like the Entertainment Centre?

Garlepp is too one-dimensional and very poor rebounder. For someone with his size and length, its a shame that he shuns physical contact. Sure there were a couple of games where he must have taken some funny pills before hitting the court and played great defense, ripping down boards, but mostly he plays like tonight. 28 mins playing as a starting PF and only pulled down 3 defensive rebounds. Wouldn't keep him for his occasional offense off the bench, if he's a guard maybe but too much liability as a forward.

Gaze and JVG should have made the call a few weeks ago to sack powell and replace him when it was discussed before the deadline passed to possibly sure up enough wins to make the finals.

Just under 8100

Remember when some were hailing the Kings line up as the best ever in the NBL? Lol. Their coaching and recruitment need to shoulder the blame for this abysmal fall from grace.

Keep Lisch & Newley plus McDowell-White & Moller.
I think Garlepp has really had a dig late in the season too, though has really slow feet and struggles to guard mobile bigs. Hill would be worth keeping too, just hasn't really had an opportunity this season.

Hopefully Moller has signed for more than one season, there was speculation before season started he was training with United. McW would be a keeper but coming off the bench they need a quality point guard so not every thing is on Lisch shoulders. Got keep a bit of youth coming in off the bench to help the older guys. Kazzoo back and fit would help as well. Imports have fallen away as season went on and the signing of Jackson is not understandable.
New owners new management same kings.

according to dwayne russell it was a sellout but I expect boti to spot a couple of empty seats on tv and dedicate a blog paragraph to them

Anyone know the attendance?

I think Newley signed for 3 years too.

Yep, McDowell-White would be a no-brainer, hell at this point I'd be starting him over Cadee for the rest of the season.

Bam! that was tasty

IIRC Lisch signed for 3 and Newley for 2? McDowell-White has said that he's thinking of skipping college next year and maybe staying in the NBL so he could be a keeper, plenty of upside. I'd also retain Moller but I pretty much agree with you AngusH, clear the house.

Yeah if Sydney had a few more players with Lisch's heart and a few less with Powell's they'd be a completely different proposition

Powell is a cancer.
Thinks he's too good for our league - but he ain't.
Worst body language in the league!

I wonder how many times I've seen Garlepp about 2 seconds late closing out on 3pt shooters since he first put on a Kings singlet.

Heh game over for the Kings, no one wants to play defense and rebound. Its going to be a bad perimeter shot galore.

Sydney not making the finals only hurts the NBL

Welp, that should be the season. Need to clear shop next season - keep Lisch & Newley, everyone else expendable.

Cadee flourished last season in a horrible team that had NO EXPECTATIONS, he also wasnt required to play any defense and thus saved all his energy for his offense.

1 season later and a little bit of expectation and he shows his true colors.

The guy is pure rubbish

Sydney turnovers:

Cadee - 3
Whittington, Jackson and Hill - 2

Adelaide:
Randle - 2

Drimic just shakes his head and drimic milks the foul, home cooking down the stretch was woeful.