Hoops

Kings v United Dec 1

Hoops Capital lol

He calls Casper ghost, he has name for all players, not certain your problem, he’s always respectful to players.

Go away junior

Just after writing all that, turn the game back on. Foul on Louzada, Smith Milner going to the line for a 3 point play

Watched replay 3 times, can't see why Didi got a foul

Ruining what could be a good display of basketball by turning it into netball

Cos, you aren't allowed to...

- Compete for a rebound. Refer the foul on Walker

- Touch an opponent. Refer the foul on Newley drawn by Goulding

- Defend a guy driving to the hoop. Refer Barlows 5th

However, you are allowed to engage in theatrics and you will often get rewarded for it. Refer myriad of examples, eg

- Taylor drawing the foul on Goulding,

- Trimble acting with regularity because that's what the NBL refs have taught him he can do. Kicking his legs out purely to draw fouls. And then getting frustrated on occasions when the refs don't actually call the softest of contact!

-Long trying to box out Bogut and this 7 foot, broad shouldered, 15 year NBA veteran and all defensive teamer hitting the deck like he just got nailed by a Barry Hall shirt front. Bogut is smart, it hasn't taken him long to learn the NBL way.

Just when this comedy of officiating malady couldn't get any less palatable, they found a way to ping Goulding for 2 fouls on the same possession.

Way to ruin what should've been a good game

And don't get me wrong, Sydney thoroughly deserves to win, and by a large margin

I'd rather see basketball reffing and Sydney win 106-90 instead of netball with 125-103 or whatever the final score ends up being (still 7 minutes to go as I write this)

I'm very glad the NBL is doing so well atm, is what I dreamed of back in the 00's when I was a volunteer at press conferences after games with 2,400 people, and doing game write ups, player interviews and MP3 packages for the Melbourne Tigers

Life circumstances change, and where I used to go watch NBL every week or two, I haven't made it yet this season

But if reffing like that continues , I'm nOT sure I'll bother

Fairly sure I tuned to Viceland to watch basketball. Now nearing the end of the game, Barlow just fouled out and I'm wondering if some netball umpires turned up at the wrong stadium and nobody realised

"Administrative error" perhaps

lol... back pocket, alright...

Tate was great again today, Mr Consistency has been the team MVP this season hands down... His ability to take Barlow out of the game was as key as Casper being able to get the basket at will...

Bogut being able to have a single-single and still win, while only needing to play 20mins will pay off in the long term...

Lisch coming back (when?) will just make them more dangerous, but being able to fit both him and Cooks into an already stacked line-up will be tough and hopefully it's not reminiscent of the Kings replacing an underwhelming import a few seasons ago when they were top of the ladder in the first half of the season to only go tits up by the end...

Kings game plan strategy "take the ball to the hoop" exposed Melbourne's porous defence.

Barlow complaining when he ran into Ware on a moving screen was laughable, I’m glad the refs are cutting down on illegal screens. You start to see good offence rewarded.

Funny to watch Weaver’s press conference - he said that the referee crew in today’s game was the best. That’s no surprise given they were in Sydney’s back pocket all game.

Trimble and Long played exactly the same last season and both there teams sucked. Long gets offensive boards, a lot of them put backs and cheap points, Trimble can score in heart beat but let’s points in half a heart beat. Nothing has changed.
Sydney seem to be trying to follow a similar path to Perth, load up as many good Aussie players and put two good imports around them. Didi obviously a bonus, but as it stands within the rules. Bogut a gun , Newley having a great season, Lisch is great and will be when gets over injury. Walker and Kickett to old professionals that play when required. Moller and Bruce been great selections and now getting Cook coming off injury is the final piece. Hunter is young and learning.

Melbourne’s Trimble, Long, Prather and Goulding struggle defensively, Trimble can score 30 plus but it doesn’t cover his defensive liabilities. McCarron got five points of his seven in garbage time, Newley and Didi just to long and quick for him.
You add Lisch, Moller and Cook to that side who are all quality defenders and will make it even tougher.

Melbourne’s bench is ordinary, certainly defensively but offensively poor as well. Casper left due to a dispute or lies told to him but why let Moller go, when all they’ve recruited can’t play D. Big names don’t win premierships, teams do.

Although I want to watch the replay again. Bogut did definitely flop, no question, but seen that same thing called god knows how many times by NBL refs.

Not even close to the worst refereeing performance this season, let alone 30 years.

What about bogut’s flop which led to Long fouling out. It is easily the worst performance from referees over the course of a game I’ve witnessed in 30 years.

Yep, Sydney were beating Melo off the dribble, getting inside, and then scoring or drawing fouls at absolute will. I did think the Kings got a Perth-esque 'homecourt benefit of the doubt' on some calls, but I don't think that was the difference. Kings approached the game like United were undersized which, with Long's inability to defend at the rim without fouling and Barlow's inability to match Tate physically, they kinda were.

Prather looks rusty and should not be playing PG but I think they really miss his ability to penetrate with the other guys they have on the roster.

Referees an absolute joke in this game. Considering Weaver’s meltdown over 1 bad call in Melbourne, I’m surprised Vickerman didn’t completely lose it.

Interior D for United just woeful today. That's been the story of the game.

Another Aylen special. Absolutely pathetic.

Melbourne playing some matador D on the perimeter. Ware just blowing by Melo like he isn't there.

It's like watching Adelaide play. Sydney with more free throws than Melbourne have points! Will Vickermann pull a Weaver and get booted for the calls to even up a little?

Put the whistle away ffs

Toss a coin. Melbourne could bounce either way after the Cairns loss, Long in particular.

Can’t see Melbourne recovering from Cairns trip. They haven’t looked that great even in there wins. Sydney be eight.

With all the discussion about penalising flopping, I haven't seen anyone mention what caused it.

Most flops are caused when an attacker hits a stationary defender, and that person falls over.

If the defender had good position then the attacker caused contact and so the attacker should be penalised under the rules of the game, not the defender for falling over.

Or is this just more of the old argument about referees using their judgement rather than sticking to the rules, in order to keep the game flowing?