The 2003/4 Sydney Kings - legendary team

C. J. Bruton was recruited to take the place of the retired Shane Heal and Jason Smith was signed after returning to the NBL after playing in Europe. The Kings started the 2003/04 season with 12 successive wins, and would eventually win their second championship after their best-of-five grand final series with cross-town rivals West Sydney went down to the deciding fifth game. Kings player Matt Nielsen would win the regular season and finals MVP this year before leaving to play overseas. Sydney’s outstanding depth was also a key that season, with Brad Sheridan, Brett Wheeler, David Stiff, Luke Martin and BJ Carter all contributing quality minutes.


http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/sydney-2003-2004-A14760838/customize/color/506

The 2002/3 Sydney Kings - legendary team

Our next legendary team was the start of a three-peat dynasty, the 2002/2003 Sydney Kings.
http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/
(See pic below, for the Kings you have the choice of the purple or gold tees)

For the 2002/03 season, Shane Heal was joined by talented imports Chris Williams and Kavossy Franklin. The team also welcomed the NBL's all-time leader in coaching victories, Brian Goorjian. The Kings finished on top of the ladder with a 22-8 record and swept the Perth Wildcats in the grand final series to claim their first-ever championship.

With Goorijan able to implement his defensive tactics which were so successful with the Magic and Titans, in addition to finally being able to purchase high quality superstar imports he was unable to attain due to financial constraints on the team in Melbourne, there seemed to be no stopping the Kings ...

Shane Heal vs The Dream Team

One of my mates sent me this article last week and its a good look back at a famous moment in Australian basketball history.

The forgotten story of ... Shane Heal v the Dream Team

The Boomers guard was a thorn in the side of the NBA's biggest stars as Australia punched above their weight at the Olympics

The Dream Team III enforcer Charles Barkley was clear from the outset. “We’re here to prove we are the best country in the world. We’re the best at basketball. We have got to kill them all.”

Heading into Australia’s 1996 exhibition match against the reigning Olympic champions, peroxide-blond guard Shane ‘The Hammer’ Heal and his Boomers team-mates were excited but not daunted by the prospect of taking on the NBA’s best.

“I think it was a defining sort of a moment,” Heal tells Guardian Australia 17 years after a fiery confrontation that remains the first thing basketball fans want to discuss when they meet the veteran of four Olympic campaigns.

The Australians, a blue-collar line-up by international standards, approached the game with respect for their opponents but didn’t fear them. Heal recalls “we’d seen other teams getting photos taken with them and autographs before and after games and things like that. We said that wasn’t the Australian way and we certainly weren’t handling the game like that.”

Heal would finish the Olympic tune-up with 28 points and shoot a remarkable 8-from-13 from three-point range, many of them a remarkable distance out from the line, but it was his confrontation with the notorious Barkley that captured the attention of the media and fans alike.

Click here to read the full article.

Shane Heal - Geelong Supercats

Its his birthday today so our feature Geelong Supercats legend is Shane "The Hammer" Heal.

After his rookie season Shane Heal left the Brisbane Bullets and signed with the Geelong Supercats. A move that shocked many around the league as Geelong was coming off the worst season in NBL history. But Heal saw this as a challenge and although he struggled in ’89 during his first season with them, his break out season came the year after.

Shane’s best year for the Supercats was his last in ’91 when he averaged 23.4 points, 7.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 4.2 triples and shot over 46% from the field.

Grab your very own Shane Heal Geelong Supercats t-shirt here:
http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/shane-heal-ball-A13272551/customize/color/1

Geelong Supercats t-shirts

Gather round and let me tell you about a time when the NBL was booming! So much so that back in the early 80’s you actually had to earn your way in to the league, proving yourself against NBL teams in a gladiatorial-style running of the gauntlet!
 
The (other) Geelong Cats were founded as part of the Victorian Basketball Association in 1978. After achieving championship success in that league in 1981, the club was pitted against four NBL clubs over two tournaments. After defeating all of these NBL teams the Supercats were accepted into the NBL for the 1982 season.

With star players such as Cal Bruton and James Crawford on the roster, the Cats recorded 13 straight victories and finished second overall at the end of the regular season with 21 wins and 7 losses. The Cats would go on to compete in the Grand Final in their first season, losing to the West Adelaide Bearcats.

1991 was probably the final high point for Geelong when they finished third at the end of the regular season and boasted such guns as Shane Heal, Terry Dozier, Bobby Locke, Vince Hinchen and John Dorge. 

Grew up in Geelong but don’t like AFL? No problem, we’ve got you covered with our tribute to the once great Geelong Supercats. Representing them in our “Legends” series are James Crawford, Cal Bruton, Bobby Locke, Joey Wright, Shane Heal and Vince Hinchen.

Geelong its time to represent, show your support for our game, and remind everyone that your town is not just about AFL! Like, share and shop!

Check out our store for the team 5 of the "Legends" range:

http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/

Gold Coast Blaze recap

As mentioned, I made the trip down the coast for the Gold Coast Blaze's first game against the Townsville Crocodiles. I had organised a date (a girl I went out with a few times last year who lives on the coast) but she was working till later so we didn't end getting to our seats until half way through the first quarter. I haven't been late for a game since before I started working for the Brisbane Bullets and a friend and I had season tickets. We used to often rock up to games at the end of the first or start of the second quarter ... partly because the team was terrible at the time.

Anyway, here are my thoughts from the game:

• I was disappointed by the crowd numbers, the stadium was probably only 60 - 65% full
• The Brisbane Convention Centre used to be nicknamed The Library, the atmosphere at the Gold Coast Entertainment Centre would probably now have that dishonour
• I really noticed the shorter 10 minute quarters, they really seemed to fly
• James Harvey (24 points, 9 of 13 from the field) is in very good form early in the season, coming off the work he did in the off-season with Adam Darragh and Shane Heal, not to mention his time touring with the Boomers.
• Blaze import Michael Joiner did VERY little during the game
• The other Blaze import Ayinde Ubaka had a strong second-half when the Crocs contained Harvey (Ubaka finished with 19 points, 8 assists)
• The Crocs have a very balanced scoring attack and if they're hitting from downtown will trouble the opposition
• The Blaze will take time to gel and find their chemistry on-court (to be expected with so many personnel changes). They seemed out of sync on both ends of the court at times and struggled to get the ball to the right person (i.e. Harvey)

It was good to see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. Players wise I saw Thalo Green and Stephen Broom prior to the game and ran in to Adam Darragh afterwards. The "celebrities" in the crowd were Scotty Prince from the Gold Coast Titans, Jamie Wincup (racing car driver) and Bree Amer (Big Brother).

New Fox Sports team announced

After Fox dropped Steve Carfino, I thought there was a chance they would sign John Rillie, but it seems Fox have instead gone for another great shooter in "The Hammer" Shane Heal.

Media Release
22 September 2009

FOX SPORTS MAKES EVERY SECOND COUNT IN THE 2009/10 NBL SEASON

The NBL returns on FOX SPORTS with LIVE and EXCLUSIVE coverage throughout the 2009/10 season.

FOX SPORTS is gearing up for tip off in the 2009/10 NBL season, with eight teams set to battle it out in a new-look competition starting this Thursday 24 September.
Basketball fans will see up to 51 LIVE matches on FOX SPORTS, with each club to appear in a minimum of seven televised matches throughout the season.
While our biggest local stars like Melbourne’s Mark Worthington, Adelaide’s Adam Ballinger and Perth’s Shawn Redhage are set to light up the courts, FOX SPORTS has assembled a new-look team of expert commentators and analysts to take viewers inside the action with greater depth than ever before.
FOX SPORTS’ extensive coverage of the NBL will be headed by two of Australian Basketball’s greatest icons, in the league’s all-time leading points scorer Andrew Gaze and Shane ‘Hammer’ Heal.
The basketball experience of the star duo is simply unrivalled in Australia. Together they account for over 1050 NBL matches, nine Olympic Games campaigns and three NBL Championships.
Delivering the play-by-play action alongside the star pairing are two of the best in the business - FOX SPORTS’ Brian Taylor and Dwayne Russell.
The award-winning AFL commentators share a life-long involvement in basketball and a deep passion for the game.
David Malone, CEO of FOX SPORTS, said FOX SPORTS is committed to delivering basketball fans a comprehensive coverage of the season.
“The NBL has taken some hits in recent years but thanks to the dedication and passion of Larry Sengstock and his team at Basketball Australia, the competition has the opportunity to make a fresh start while continuing to deliver an entertaining and action-packed product featuring the best players our country has to offer,” said Malone.
“FOX SPORTS has covered the NBL since 1998 and based on the evidence of its sustained popularity with our subscribers, the game still runs rich in the veins of Australian sports fans,” he said.
“FOX SPORTS will broadcast 42 regular season matches, plus every game of the 2010 NBL Finals series LIVE. In total, FOX SPORTS will exclusively broadcast over 100 hours of LIVE and first-run NBL action.”
The NBL on FOX SPORTS will commence with LIVE coverage of the season-opening clash on September 24, when the New Zealand Breakers host the Cairns Taipans.

FOX SPORTS NBL BROADCAST SCHEDULE – SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER

Thu 24 Sept	New Zealand v Cairns	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 2	5.00PM
Wed 30 Sept	Melbourne v New Zealand	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	7.30PM

Fri 2 Oct	Townsville v Perth	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 2	7.30PM
Wed 7 Oct	Cairns v Gold Coast	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	7.30PM
Thu 8 Oct	New Zealand v Melbourne	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	5.30PM
Wed 14 Oct	Gold Coast v Melbourne	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 2	8.30PM
Wed 21 Oct	Adelaide v Melbourne	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	8.00PM
Thu 22 Oct	New Zealand v Townsville	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	5.00PM
Sun 25 Oct	Perth v Melbourne	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	7.30PM
Wed 28 Oct	Wollongong v Cairns	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	7.30PM
Thu 29 Oct	New Zealand v Adelaide	LIVE	FOX SPORTS 1	5.00PM

http://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball

MEET THE TEAM – NBL ON FOX SPORTS
ANDREW GAZE
The undisputed face of Australian basketball has won just about every accolade in the sport. A veteran of 22 seasons with the Melbourne Tigers and five Olympic Games campaigns with the Boomers, Gaze’s remarkable career is unlikely ever to be replicated. A seven-time league MVP, two-time NBL champion with the Tigers and the competition’s all-time leading points-scorer, he has also carved out a career as a media personality and has been a regular on the NBL on FOX SPORTS team for the past three seasons.

SHANE HEAL
‘Hammer’ is one of Australian Basketball’s most colourful characters and rose to icon status after a career that spanned 21 seasons in Australia, Greece and the US. A regular member of the FOX SPORTS NBL team in 2006, Heal returns to the microphone after ending his retirement to spend two seasons with the South Dragons, before playing the last of his 440 NBL matches with the Gold Coast Blaze in February this year. He played in four Olympic Games with the Boomers and led Sydney to their maiden NBL championship in 2002.

BRIAN TAYLOR
The 1986 Coleman Medallist and a 140-game VFL/AFL star with Richmond and Collingwood, Taylor was heavily involved in basketball as a youngster growing up in Mandurah, WA. His parents started the junior basketball competition in his home town and he later represented the WA under 16s before being snapped up by the Tigers. Even at the height of his career he continued to play competitive basketball and only this year realised a life-long ambition by playing alongside three of his four sons in their local competition. Taylor is a keen follower of the LA Lakers in the NBA.

DWAYNE RUSSELL
A keen basketballer during his teenage and school years, Russell was forced to give the game away when his footy career kicked off with the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL. The 50-game Geelong Cats veteran has since forged an exceptional media career, starting out as a sports journalist with The Age newspaper in Melbourne before beginning his commentating career in 2000. Voted the 2009 best AFL commentator for his work on FOX SPORTS, Russell continues to coach basketball at junior level and like his co-commentator is a big fan of the Lakers.

NBL wrap - round 20

Here are the numbers that matter from round 20 in the NBL:

Tigers 92 Dragons 86

For the Tigers:

Chris Anstey 26 points, 10 boards, 4 blocks
David Barlow 20 points (including 4 triples), 6 boards
Tommy Greer 7 points, 8 boards

For the Dragons:

Mark Worthington 25 points, 4 boards, 4 assists
Donta Smith 10 points, 11 boards
Matt Burston 10 points, 11 boards

I was at a friend's place and because the cricket was going so badly for Australia I was able to watch this game in the background chatting with friends. The game was exciting as the Dragons made several runs down the stretch but fell just short. I didn't realise the clips were so bad with the Tigers shooting 40% from the field and the Dragons just 36%. Ebi Ere was 3 of 18, Adam Gibson was 3 of 14 and Dave Thomas went 1 of 7 from the field.

Wildcats 88 Spirit 78

For the Wildcats:

Darnell Hinson 16 points, 6 boards
Peter Crawford 16 points (including 4 triples), 4 assists
Ben Knight 14 points (7 of 8 from the field), 6 boards

For the Spirit:

Jason Smith 15 points
Matthew Knights 12 points, 7 boards
Damian Martin 9 points, 7 boards

My guess is that the Spirit tried to slow this game down to give themselves the best shot at winning an ugly one (like Cairns do). The Wildcats shot 50% from the field and still only scored 88 points. The teams combined for 44 turnovers (22 each) ... that's how not to look after the ball.

Dragons 101 Breakers 94

For the Dragons:

Matt Burston 17 points, 8 boards
Adam Gibson 16 points (8 of 8 from the line)
Donta Smith 9 points, 7 boards

For the Breakers:

Phill Jones 28 points (including 4 triples), 7 boards
Kirk Penney 17 points, 4 boards (but 7 turnovers)

The Breakers went in to this game having won their last couple against the Dragons so to lose at home was costly. The Dragons basically just outshot the Breakers (58% to 43%) which is essentially beating them at their own the game. Oscar Forman's dry spell continues with just 5 points in this one.

Tigers 113 Hawks 104

For the Tigers:

David Barlow 23 points (7 of 11 from the field), 6 boards, 4 assists
Ebi Ere 23 points
Chris Anstey 11 points, 11 boards

For the Hawks:

Kavossy Franklin 28 points, 5 boards, 5 assists
Anthony Petrie 18 points, 9 boards
Glen Saville 12 points, 11 boards, 6 assists

The Tigers jumped out to an early 9 point lead scoring 37 points in the first quarter and controlled the game from there. Hawks shot 55% from the field but had 19 costly turnovers to the Tigers 11. Both teams shot just under 50% from downtown which is pretty impressive.

36ers 107 Wildcats 92

For the 36ers:

Adam Ballinger 27 points (including 5 triples), 6 boards
Luke Schenscher 18 points, 8 boards, 5 assists
Brett Maher 10 points, 8 boards, 4 assists

For the Wildcats:

Isiah Victor 20 points, 11 boards
Shawn Redhage 18 points, 18 boards, 5 assists
Peter Crawford 7 points, 12 boards, 7 assists

56 fouls called in the game and the teams combined to take 81 shots from the line. Both teams shot 40% or under from the field. Costly loss for the Wildcats. Peter Crawford shot just 1 of 12 from the field. Adam Ballinger is having a stellar season!

Crocs 123 Taipans 92

For the Crocs:

John Rillie 26 points (8 of 9 from the field, 6 of 7 from downtown, 4 of 4 from the line), 7 boards
Russell Hinder 17 points, 11 boards
Daniel Egan 15 points, 5 boards, 3 assists

For the Taipans:

Martin Cattalini 18 points, 8 boards (but 6 turnovers)
Matt Smith 10 points, 12 boards
Darnell Mee 14 points

There was plenty of talk in the media prior to this local derby. It didn't fail to deliver the fireworks with Ian Crosswhite getting ejected inside the first 2 minutes. Click here and here for the recap of the "action". Everyone's favourite NBL blogger John Rillie EXPLODED in the first quarter scoring 21 points and essentially ending the game before it had started. The score at half time was Crocs 71, Taipans 45. The Crocs shot an impressive 16 of 30 from downtown.

Blaze 139 Spirit 119

For the Blaze:

James Harvey 42 points (including 8 triples), 6 boards
Shane Heal 31 points (including 7 triples), 7 assists
Luke Whitehead 18 points, 13 boards

For the Spirit:

Matthew Knight 35 points (15 of 21 from the field), 5 boards
Blagov Janev 21 points, 7 boards
David Gruber 19 points, 6 boards

When two of the worst teams (no offence Sydney but you've run out of steam) both shoot over 50% from the field and combine for 258 points, you don't have to ask was anyone playing D ... clearly they were not. Only a dream game by fantasy basketball standards as there were some massive stats on both sides. Justin Bowen wasn't far off an ugly quadruple double (if you include turnovers). The Blaze shot an impressive 22 of 39 (56%) from downtown. The Blaze wish they got this sort of production from the duo of Harvey and Heal every night.

At the end of round 20 in the NBL, the Dragons are just 1/2 a game ahead of the Tigers in second who are riding an 8 game winning streak. The Breakers slip to 3rd just ahead of the Crocs and the Wildcats. The Blaze are still at the bottom while the Hawks and the Spirit are on 5 game losing streaks.

Now, the NBL Player of the Week is yet to be named but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict David Barlow will get the nod. He had two very good games in two wins for the Tigers. If not Barlow they'll probably give it to James Harvey for topping the 40 point mark.

Our Vlade Divac Flop of the Week nominations go to Graeme Dann from the Spirit (1 of 8 from the field and 6 turnovers in a loss to the Wildcats), Ebi Ere from the Tigers (3 of 18 from the field in the blockbuster against the Dragons) and Aaron Grabeau from the Taipans (1 of 8 from the field in a loss to the Crocs). The award has to go to inconsistent Taipans bigman Ian Crosswhite for getting ejected within the first two minutes of the game against the Crocs. Without Crosswhite on court its no wonder this game was over so soon.

As always our Shooter of the Week is brought to you by Shooting Basketball Tips. The honourable mentions go to Blaze backcourt Shane Heal and James Harvey for their long-distance shooting display against the Spirit. The pair combined for 73 points and 15 triples but it was a meaningless/nothing game. The winner tho (and you can call me biaised) is our boy John Rillie from the Townsville Crocs for his 21 point offensive explosion in the first quarter against the rival Taipans. JR hopped in the DeLorean and took us back in time for a vintage display of basketball shooting. With the game over in the first half, JR didn't worry about scoring anymore and instead jumped on the boards. His final line for the night was 26 points on 8 of 9 from the field, 6 of 7 from downtown, 4 of 4 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and just 1 turnover. No news whether or not JR wins a CD like he gives away on the OT.

Look at that focus and concentration

NBL's greatest shooters

I came across this article (below) on the NBL website. Great to see them talking about some of the great shooters that the league has seen. One GLARING ommission tho ... where is Andrew Gaze on this list?

Click on the title below to read the full story and to see who made their list.

NBL > News

By Asa Schuster, Sportal

The master of the funky jump and shooting expert, Kevin Brooks, and the human NBL almanac, Matt McQuade, sat down to critique some of the great NBL players who devastated opponents with unique and unorthodox methods of shooting.

Shane Heal.
Brisbane Bullets 1988, 1992-1995, Geelong Supercats 1989-1991, Sydney Kings 1996-1997, 2001/02–2002/03, South Dragons 2006/07-2007/08 and Gold Coast Blaze 2008/09. 20.7 points per game and 1586 three-pointers made at 38 percent in 436 career games.

KB: Shane has got a nice jump shot, definitely not short on confidence. From what I understand, I don't know him and haven't played with him, he works his ass off from what I've heard and has a very good work ethic. His jump shot is basically when he goes to the left he can shoot with anyone in the league. When he goes to his right he doesn't shoot the jump shot the same way but he definitely has an effective jump shot with lots of range.

MM: Unbelievable ball player, he's got that great shot from way back over his head. He can't jump, he's slow, physically there's a lot of deficiencies, but he played in the NBA, you've got to give that max respect and he held the Timberwolves record for most threes in a quarter. He's a flat out gunner and great player and maybe reached his peak when he was past his prime with Sydney when they won the championship, the guy was just all-world almost.

Stephen Black.
Perth Wildcats 1998/99-2002/03, Brisbane Bullets 2003/04-2006/07 and Cairns Taipans 2007/08-2008/09. 574 three-pointers made at 40 percent in 297 career games.

KB: Yeah Blacky's got a good shot, a lefty, likes to go to his left and shoot it. He's a got a quick release and when he gets it going he's as tough as Shane Heal or anyone else in the league, very efficient shot.

MM: Absolute flat out competitor, one of these guys that physically isn't what you would call a 'blue chipper', but how many times have you seen him turn the corner on someone. He can turn the corner on just about anybody when he's healthy and I think it's a damn shame he's had all the injuries.

How does this man not make the list?

NBL Player of the week

Thanks to my early NBL wrap yesterday, I had a chance to make my prediction for Player of the Week but boy was I wrong ... apparently. Matthew Knight (pictured below) gets the official nod and Phull Jones (see yesterday's report as to why he is now Phull) wasn't even in the top 4 or 5 possibilities. First Goorjian's Dragons go easy on the troubled Sydney Spirit and now the head office does the same.

Obviously the NBL don't place the same importance on a player's team winning as much as John Rillie and perhaps I do. Sure, Knight had a good game and definitely should be in contention but runner-up Anstey went 1 win out of 2 on the weekend (and shot less than 40% from the field), Heal did play well in the first half against the Breakers but his team got DONE and Ebi also only won 1 of 2.

Phull's team on the other hand won both their games, went to top of the league ladder and he shot the lights out in both matches. Sorry Phull, the league must be tired of the award heading over the ditch this season.

NBL > News

Knight named Round 11's best

The National Basketball League has named Sydney Spirit star forward Matthew Knight as Player of the Week for Round 11 after leading his in team to a stunning upset victory against the South Dragons.

Knight and his Spirit teammates put a week of off-court turmoil behind them to score a thrilling 104-93 win over the previously top-of-the-table Dragons. Knight scored a double-double with a career high 27 points and eleven rebounds, as well as dishing off two assists at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on Friday night.

The Tasmanian was the leading scorer in the game, making 83% of his free throws (5-of-6) and 61% of his overall shots from the field (11-of-18) despite suffering an ankle injury. Knight becomes the first Spirit to win the Player of the Week award this season.

Melbourne Tigers behemoth Chris Anstey was narrowly edged for the NBL’s weekly honour by Knight. Anstey averaged 20.0 points, 15.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal in two games against the Townsville Crocodiles and the Perth Wildcats for the week.

Another leading contender for Player of the Week was Gold Coast Blaze’s Shane Heal, who scored 27 points as well as having five rebounds, and five assists against the New Zealand Breakers.

Others in consideration for Player of the Week included Ebi Ere (Melbourne), Phill Jones (New Zealand), Oscar Forman (New Zealand), Adam Ballinger (Adelaide), Brett Maher (Adelaide), Julius Hodge (Adelaide), Cameron Tragardh (Wollongong), Isiah Victor (Perth), Martin Cattalini (Cairns), Corey Williams (Townsville), Rosell Ellis (Townsville) and John Rillie (Townsville).

NBL wrap - round 11

A big week in the NBL with 8 games (after only 6 last week), here are the numbers that matter:

Crocs 113 Tigers 105 (in OT)

For the Crocs:

Michael Cedar 27 points (9 of 14 from the field, including 7 triples), 7 boards
John Rillie 24 points (including 6 triples), 5 boards
Rosell Ellis 22 points, 11 boards

For the Tigers:

Ebi Ere 31 points (including 5 triples)
Chris Anstey 19 points, 16 boards
Rod Gizzard 19 points, 9 boards

This would've been a great game to see. Ebi Ere hitting a triple to push the game in to overtime. Michael Cedar exploding offensively as we said he would and JR coming off the bench and shooting the lights out. Somehow the Crocs managed to keep up with the Tigers on the boards (52 - 52). The Crocs could've ended it in regulation but shot just 10 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Dragons 102 Taipans 64

For the Dragons:

Matt Burston 19 points (9 of 10 from the field), 8 boards
Nick Horvath 12 points, 11 boards
Joe Ingles 12 points, 7 assists ... 6 turnovers

For the Taipans:

Martin Cattalini 17 points
Larry Abney 15 points, 8 boards

No Dave Thomas (he went down injured after 7 mins), no chance. If this was a boxing match they would've let Alan Black throw in the towel, unfortunately it was not. Dragons shot 57% from the field, Taipans shot 29%.

Breakers 108 Wildcats 94

For the Breakers:

CJ Bruton 22 points, 7 assists
Phill Jones 22 points (including 5 triples)
Rick Rickert 17 points, 13 boards

For the Wildcats:

Isiah Victor 25 points
Darnell Hinson 18 points, 4 assists
Ben Knight 15 points, 6 boards

Breakers dominated the second half (61 - 39) to come from behind to win this game. NZ controlled the boards 51 - 36 and the two teams combined for a red-hot 25 of 49 from downtown. Kirk Penney and Shawn Redhage showed they are human, both superstars scoring less than 10 points each.

Tigers 108 Wildcats 95

For the Tigers:

Chris Anstey 21 points, 15 boards, 4 assists
Ebi Ere 23 points
Stephen Hoare 22 points, 5 boards

For the Wildcats:

Isiah Victor 20 points, 5 boards
Peter Crawford 17 points (including 4 triples), 4 assists
Shawn Redhage 12 points, 6 assists

Very balanced team effort from the Tigers with 6 of their 8 man rotation scoring in double figures. Foul count and free-throws both went considerably in the Tigers favour. Shawn Redhage controlled again, Wildcats lose again ... you do the math.

36ers 101 Hawks 96

For the 36ers:

Adam Ballinger 26 points, 8 boards
Brett Maher 21 points (including 5 triples), 6 boards
Julius Hodge 19 points, 11 boards, 6 assists
Luke Schenscher 18 points, 10 boards

For the Hawks:

Cameron Tragardh 23 points (11 of 15 from the field), 5 boards
Larry Davidson 13 points, 7 boards
Glen Saville 16 points, 10 boards

Close game throughout. Hawks shot just 3 of 21 from the field and 13 of 23 from the line. Adelaide's big 4 all fired, except for Hodge from the field (just 8 of 26 shooting). Aaron Bruce ... MIA.

Crocs 94 Taipans 90

For the Crocs:

Corey Williams 24 points, 8 assists, 4 boards, 3 steals
Rosell Ellis 14 points, 10 boards
John Rillie 16 points (14 in the final quarter)

For the Taipans:

Martin Cattalini 25 points, 8 boards
Ian Crosswhite 17 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks
Gary Boodnikoff 16 points, 5 boards

Townsville got off to a slow start (18 - 26) but stormed home in the final quarter behind 14 from JR to get the win. Without Dave Thomas it shouldn't have been this close but Ian Crosswhite stepped in and filled DT's shoes. Brad Williamson seems to be struggling to find form since getting promoted to the starting line-up for the Crocs.

Spirit 103 Dragons 94

For the Spirit:

Matthew Knight 27 points, 11 boards
Luke Martin 13 points, 5 assists
Drew Williamson 12 points, 5 boards

For the Dragons:

Adam Gibson 15 points, 10 boards, 6 assists
Matt Burston 17 points, 9 boards
Mark Worthington 15 points, 7 boards

How the Spirit win without Low or Khazzouh ... I don't know?! Who said Goorjian doesn't have a heart?? Gibbo with his best game this season but the Dragons shoot just 19 of 37 from the free-throw line thanks to 2 of 10 from Mika Vukona. In a game that almost didn't go ahead, the Spirit had a season high 2572 fans in attendance.

Breakers 110 Blaze 88

For the Breakers:

Tony Ronaldson 25 points, 5 assists
Phill Jones 23 points (including 7 triples)
Oscar Forman 15 points, 9 boards

For the Blaze:

Shane Heal 27 points, 5 boards, 5 assists
Justin Bowen 17 points, 8 boards ... 6 turnovers
Daniel Joyce 16 points

Shane Heal and Ronaldson were on fire early and the teams were tied at the end of the first quarter. From there it was all down-hill for the Blaze. The Breakers didn't even play well but they still won this EASILY.

After round 11 in the NBL, the Breakers are now on top of the league one win ahead of the Dragons (thanks to their sympathetic loss to the Spirit). Tigers move in to third and after 2 straight losses the Wildcats are in 4th. The Blaze are still at the bottom with just 2 wins and the Taipans have now lost 6 in a row to be second last.

I'm in early this week so the NBL's Player of the Week is yet to officially be announced. My pick goes to Phill Jones ... see below for more details.

Now to the Vlade Divac Flop of the week. Runner-up should go to Mika Vukona for his 2 of 10 shooting from the free-throw line against the Spirit. Mika is all-hussle and has never been known for his shooting but 2 of 10?? But the Flop of the week goes to that man Cameron Tovey from the Crocs ... AGAIN. In his game against the Tigers he shot 2 of 10 from the field and 0 of 2 from the line and then followed that up with 1 of 8 from the field and 1 of 6 from the line against the Taipans. Trevor Gleeson, its time to send the kid back to the bench!

Before we get to our Shooter of the Week ... a few honourable mentions must go to a pair of Crocodiles. Michael Cedar for his individual explosion against the Tigers and John "Don't call it a comeback!" Rillie for both his games on the weekend, especially the clutch/game-winning 4th quarter shooting against the Taipans. But this week's winner is none other than Phill (from now on to be referred to as Phull, thanks to JVG and Nick) Jones from the Breakers. In his team's two wins he averaged 22.5 points and 6 triples and shot over 50% from the field with ZERO turnovers!

NBL wrap - round 9

Its been a busy couple of days so I'm only now getting around to the weekly NBL wrap.

Here are the numbers that matter from Round 9 in the NBL:

Dragons 97 36ers 82

For the Dragons:

Matthew Burston 25 points, 14 boards, 3 steals
Mark Worthington 20 points, 11 boards, 3 steals

For the 36ers:

Adam Ballinger 14 points, 11 boards
Luke Schenscher 11 points, 11 boards

The Dragons controlled the game winning the first 3 quarters and cruising to an easy win. The Sixers had way too many turnovers 28 (to 16 from the Dragons). 3 points and 7 turnovers from Mark Tyndale spelled the end of his NBL season.

Spirit 115 Blaze 93

For the Spirit:

Derrick Low 22 points (including 5 triples), 7 boards, 4 assists
Julian Khazzouh 15 points, 14 boards, 4 blocks
Jason Smith 16 points, 5 boards

For the Blaze:

Daniel Joyce 24 points (8 of 9 from the field, including 5 triples)
Shane Heal 20 points, 5 boards
Luke Whitehead 14 points, 8 boards

Daniel Joyce scored 24 points?? Really?? No ... really?? Good team performance from the Spirit with 7 players in double figures. New Blaze import Justin Bowen stunk it up going 1 of 6 from the field with NINE turnovers. Blaze shot just 12 of 26 from the free-throw line.

Breakers 93 Taipans 81

For the Breakers:

Kirk Penney 22 points (including 4 triples)
Rick Rickert 16 points, 12 boards
Oscar Forman 19 points (including 5 triples), 6 boards

For the Taipans

Gary Boodnikoff 19 points (including 4 triples) off the bench
Larry Abney 12 points, 12 boards
Dave Thomas 10 points, 10 boards

Breakers came from behind (54 - 35 in the second half) to get the W in this game. Cairns shot just 34% from the field.

Blaze 111 Hawks 110

For the Blaze:

Ben Melmeth 21 points, 13 boards
Justin Bowen 20 points, 6 boards, 5 assists
Casey Frank 13 points, 8 boards

For the Hawks:

Dusty Rychart 21 points, 6 boards
Kavossy Franklin 20 points, 7 assists
Glenn Saville 19 points, 10 boards

Daniel Joyce hit a 3 to win the game ... really?? No ... really?? Hawks looked in control of the game but made a few questionable decisions down the stretch proved costly. They also shot just 25 of 37 from the line-up. Blow-ups after the game with the Joyce's click here to read more about it.

Wildcats 86 Taipans 78

For the Wildcats:

Alex Loughton 21 points, 6 boards
Shawn Redhage 15 points, 10 boards
Isiah Victor 13 points, 9 boards

For the Taipans:

Martin Cattalini 17 points, 6 boards
Larry Abney 12 points, 7 boards

Wildcats came from behind to win this game outscoring the Taipans 29 - 15 in the final quarter. Redhage is still playing well but his numbers haven't been massive over the last week or two. How much do the Taipans miss Stephen Black?? They have to be the lowest scoring team in the NBL right now.

Breakers 119 Crocodiles 108

For the Breakers:

Kirk Penney 34 points (including 5 triples)
Rick Rickert 26 points (10 of 13 from the field), 10 boards
CJ Bruton 19 points (6 of 8 shooting including 5 triples), 5 assists, 4 steals

For the Crocodiles:

Brad Williamson 26 points (8 of 11 shooting including 6 triples), 4 steals
Homicide Williams 18 points
Kelvin Robertson 17 points, 6 assists, 5 boards

This high-scoring, free-flowing game would've been entertaining to watch. The Crocs lost it in the 2nd quarter getting outscored 33 - 15 and made a late run in the final term 36 - 24 but it was too late. Brad Williamson explodes in the final quarter as only he can. John Rillie needs to get more than 6 shot attempts in a game. Kirk Penney, Kirk Penney, Kirk Penney ...

36ers 108 Blaze 96

For the 36ers:

Adam Ballinger 31 points (including 5 triples), 8 boards
Luke Schenscher 17 points, 12 boards
Aaron Bruce 16 points, 14 assists

For the Blaze:

Justin Bowen 19 points, 10 boards
Luke Whitehead 16 points, 12 boards
Shane Heal 13 points (just 2 of 14 shooting), 11 assists, 8 boards

Brett Maher returns to the starting line-up and plays well, this is probably the best game of the season from Adelaide with most of their starters putting up good numbers. Daniel Joyce returns to the "player" we know scoring 0 points on 0 of 4 shooting in 26 minutes. Tough week for the Blaze playing 3 games (2 on the road) in 5 days.

At the end of round 9 the Dragons are still on top with 10 wins 2 losses (8 in a row) and the Breakers remain in 2nd half a game behind with 10 wins 3 losses. The Dragons are still on the bottom with 2 wins while the Crocs are now 2nd last with 4 wins (5 losses in a row).

Announced yesterday was that NZ Breakers bigman Rick Rickert was Player of the Week. In their two games this week he averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds and the Breakers won both.

Now to the Vlade Divac Flops of the week. The nominations of the week are both from the Gold Coast Blaze. I was tempted to give it to Shane Heal for his 2 of 14 shooting effort against the 36ers but he did flirt with a triple-double despite struggling from the field. The award this week however goes to new import Justin Bowen for his awful performance against the Spirit ... 1 of 6 from the field and 9 turnovers ... ouch! In his defence, he did do much better in their other two games.

Shooter of the Week goes to Brad Williamson (below) for one of his trademark shooting explosions against the Breakers. 26 points in just 27 minutes, 4 steals, 8 of 11 from the field, 6 of 9 from downtown ... en fuego!!

(It shouldn't be this hard to find action shots of NBL players)

NBL wrap - round 8

I just noticed its been 6 days since I posted last ... yes, I'm in shock too! I have a good excuse tho ... I was actually out of the office from Thursday for a wedding/long-weekend in Byron. So no laptop and I didn't get back until Sunday and work has been flat-out this week.

Anyway, enough of the excuses, let's wrap up the numbers that matter from Round 8 in the NBL:

Blaze 115 Crocs 106

For the Blaze:

Shane Heal 26 points (including 6 triples), 7 assists, 7 turnovers
Luke Whitehead 19 points, 10 boards

For the Crocs:

Rosell Ellis 23 points, 8 boards, 4 steals
Russell Hinder 18 points, 9 boards, 4 blocks
John Rillie is the devil!! 6 points, 6 boards, 6 assists ... SPOOKY

Congratulations to the Blaze on their first win, it had to happen eventually, its unfortunate the Crocs were the victim. The Crocs came out of the blocks SLOW and were down by 27 at the half. They charged home in the second half but it was too little too late. JR only had 6 shots in 34 minutes ... get him the ball people! B-Rad even jacked up 11 in his 16 minutes. Townsville shot a horrific 20 of 40 from the free-throw line and that was with Kelvin Robertson hitting 8 of 9.

36ers 96 Breakers 86

For the 36ers:

Adam Ballinger 22 points, 9 boards
Mark Tyndale 21 points, 9 boards, 4 assists
Luke Schenscher 20 points ... not much else

For the Breakers:

Kirk Penney 24 points (an unfortunate 7 off 22 from the field), 10 boards, 6 assists
Tony Ronaldson 23 points, 6 assists

With no CJ Bruton and no Phil Jones ... even the 36ers can beat the Breakers. Penney tried his best but had an off night from the field while the 36ers dominated the boards 51 to 38.

Tigers 98 Spirit 80

For the Tigers:

Chris Anstey 20 points, 17 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals
Rod Gizzard 14 points, 7 boards but 7 turnovers
David Barlow 16 points, 4 boards

For the Spirit:

Julian Khazzouh 16 points, 5 boards
Matthew Knight 12 points, 10 boards
Liam Rush 14 points, 5 boards

The game was close early but the Tigers dominated the second half 54 - 36. Is David Gruber really an import playing just 15 - 20 minutes a game??

Taipans 71 36ers 70

For the Taipans:

Ian Crosswhite 16 points, 8 boards
Aaron Grabau 17 points

For the 36ers:

Adam Ballinger 17 points, 12 boards
Jacob 15 points, 6 boards
Luke Schenscher 11 points, 9 boards

The Taipans won the game despite shooting just 33% from the field (36ers were 38%) ... UGLY! The 36ers lost the game at the line hitting just 13 of 23 and were just 3 of 17 from downtown.

Wildcats 115 Crocs 78

For the Wildcats:

Shawn Redhage 18 points, 9 boards
Isiah Victor 15 points, 6 boards

For the Crocs:

Rosell Ellis 17 points, 5 boards
Cameron Tovey 14 points, 6 boards

I can only assume the Crocs were shattered from their loss to the lowly Blaze. The score at half-time was 60 - 32 ... ouch! Perth exposed the vertically-challenged Crocs winning the boards 59 - 35. Not a good weekend for Townsville fans.

Breakers 86 Tigers 84

For the Breakers:

Kirk Penney 25 points (including 4 triples)
Tony Ronaldson 13 points, 5 boards, 4 assists
Oscar Forman 12 points, 9 boards

For the Tigers:

Chris Anstey 19 points, 11 boards
Sam Mackinnon 12 points, 11 boards, 4 assists

CJ back in the line-up for the Breakers and despite losing to the 36ers they turn it around to knock off the Tigers. Bruton obviously helps Penney get better looks (than Henare) with a much improved shooting performance in this game. Ebi was just 2 of 11 from the field and Barlow was 0 of 7.

Dragons 95 Blaze 83

For the Dragons:

Mark Worthington 18 points, 8 boards, 5 steals
Matt Burston 11 points, 10 boards

For the Blaze:

Justin Bowen 26 points, 8 boards
Shane Heal 13 points, 5 boards

The Blaze started the game well after their win against the Crocs but lost every quarter after that. A nice introduction to the NBL for new-import Justin Bowen.

After Round 7, the Dragons continue to lead the league with 9 games 2 losses. One game behind are the Breakers and one behind them are the Tigers. Despite their first win of the season, the Blaze are still on the bottom of the ladder 3 games behind the Spirit.

Announced yesterday was that one of our favourites, Kirk Penney was named Player of the Week. Its not as prestigous as our Shooter of the Month award but I'm sure Kirk was pleased all the same. Penney is the first player this season to win the award for a second time and had averages over the 2 games of 24.5 points, 7 boards and 3.5 assists.

Now to the Vlade Divac Flops of the week. The runners-up are the Townsville Crocodiles for being the first team to lose to the Blaze and then getting spanked by the Wildcats and Kelvin Robertson (from the Crocs) for shooting 1 of 9 in the Perth loss. But the winner this week is almost everybody's pick for Rookie of the Year, Aaron Bruce of Adelaide for his woeful game against the Taipans. Bruce was 0 of 9 from the field with 5 turnovers ... the only positive for him was the 8 assists.

Shooter of the Week goes to Shane Heal (below) of the Blaze for his 26 points including 6 triples that led his team to their first victory of the season. Love him or hate him (and most choose to hate him), he still demands attention from opposing defenders.

NBL wrap - round 7

Here are the results and the numbers that matter from round 6 in the NBL:

Hawks 101 Taipans 93

For the Hawks:

Kavossy Franklin 23 points (10 of 14 shooting, including 3 triples)
Glenn Saville 19 points (including 5 triples), 8 boards, 5 assists
Anthony Petrie 16 points, 6 boards

For the Taipans:

Larry Abney 22 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks
Gary Boodnikoff 23 points (including 6 triples)

Hawks had a massive last quarter (35 - 18) in this come from behind win. Hawks won the boards 48 - 36 and shot better from downtown (48%) than they did from the field (47%)

Breakers 103 Wildcats 99

For the Breakers:

Kirk Penney 24 points (8 of 12 from the field, including 4 triples) ... an unfortunate 6 turnovers
CJ Bruton 17 points, 6 steals
Rick Rickert 12 points, 10 boards

For the Wildcats:

Peter Crawford 22 points, 6 assists, 3 steals
Darnell Hinson 18 points, 7 assists
Shawn Redhage 14 points, 9 boards

Breakers came from behind in the 4th quarter to get the win. They shot well from downtown, no surprise ... and made almost twice as many free-throws as the Wildcats. Redhage was contained (for him) and Luke Kendall had 9 points but 6 costly turnovers.

Breakers 106 Crocodiles 97

For the Breakers:

CJ Bruton 21 points, 8 assists, 5 boards
Kirk Penney 18 points, 7 boards, 5 assists
Tony Ronaldson 16 points, 7 boards, 5 assists

For the Crocs:

Homicide Williams 22 points, 4 boards
John Rillie 19 points, 4 boards
Rosell Ellis 18 points, 8 boards, 3 steals

Breakers get their first real win on the road (that one against the Blaze didn't really count). The Crocs knew they had to stop CJ Bruton but they couldn't get it done.

Hawks 89 Taipans 87

For the Hawks:

Cameron Tragardh 18 points, 6 boards
Dusty Rychart 13 points, 11 boards
Anthony Petrie 12 points, 10 boards

For the Taipans:

Dave Thomas 17 points, 8 boards, 3 steals
Larry Abney 16 points, 7 boards
Scott Cook 13 points, 5 assists

No, this isn't a typo, the two teams met each other last Wednesday in the Gong and then again in Cairns on Saturday night. Surprisingly, the Taipans took out both games. Possibly the worst free-throw shooting game you'll see, the teams combined for a horrible 31/57 (54%) from the stripe. The Taipans shot just 4 of 20 from downtown.

Tigers 123 Blaze 111

For the Tigers:

Sam Mackinnon 23 points (9 of 13 shooting), 10 assists, 7 boards
Chris Anstey 25 points, 8 boards
Ebi Ere 24 points, 7 boards, 4 assists

For the Blaze:

James Harvey 27 points (including 5 triples)
Shane Heal 22 points, 7 assists
Luke Whitehead 19 points, 9 boards, 5 assists

Sam Mac showed that he still has it and was probably fired up for the re-match with old foe Shane Heal. Casey Frank 4 points, 6 boards ... not nearly good enough for a starting import.

Dragons 96 Spirit 87

For the Dragons:

Mark Worthington 21 points, 10 boards
Nathan Herbert 19 points, 8 boards
Adam Gibson 9 points, 6 boards, 5 assists

For the Spirit:

Julian Khazzouh 19 points, 14 boards, 4 blocks, 4 steals
Liam Rush 16 points, 5 boards, 4 blocks

It was a BLOCK party at Hisense with 16 in total for the game. Youngster Julian Khazzouh had an outstanding line and is having a great year so far! Close for most of the game, Dragons stepped it up in the 4th (26 - 15) to get the win.

36ers 108 Spirit 76

For the 36ers:

Luke Schenscher 19 points, 18 boards, 3 blocks
Adam Ballinger 24 points, 8 boards
Brad Davidson 14 points, 8 boards, 5 assists

For the Spirit:

Liam Rush 16 points
Julian Khazzouh 13 points, 5 boards

Things started well for the Spirit but they were outscored 54 - 25 in the second half and shot just 24% from the field in that time. Playing the Dragons the night before they look to have hit a wall ... hard. Tough weekend for import Derrick Low shooting just 7 of 29 (24%) over the two games. John Rillie snubbed Schenscher when he got player of the week because his team didn't win but has to give him a start in his team of the week this time!

At the end of round 7 in the NBL the Dragons are out in front 8 wins from 10 including 6 in a row now. The Breakers are 2nd with 7 wins and 3 in a row. Blaze still at the bottom with 10 losses in a row ... hopefully that becomes 11 tomorrow night when the Crocs come to town.

In news just to hand, Sam Mackinnon was named player of the week for his almost triple-double against Shane Heal and the Blaze. Ex-Bullet Sam Mackinnon was in vintage form, dominating the game like it was 2007!!

Now to the Vlade Divac Flops of the week ... again there are two. From penthouse to doghouse, one time Shooter of the Week Derrick Low gets the nod this week for his dismal shooting display (24% over 2 games). The other is one of last week's recipients ... Cameron Tovey for shooting 1 of 4 from the line. Sure he's not alone in missing free-throws but when you have only hit 5 of your last 20 attempts from the line we will name and shame you!

Shooter of the Week goes to Gary Boodnikoff (pictured below) of the Cairns Taipans for his 23 points in just 25 minutes off the bench in their first game against the Hawks. He shot 7 off 11 from the field including 6 of 9 from downtown. He scored 11 points in the final quarter in a shooting duel with Glenn Saville.

No such thing as bad publicity

With no TV coverage of the NBL on free-to-air or even Foxtel at the moment, any publicity is good for the league right?

I was reading John Rillie's blog this morning about "ruffling some feathers" and there are a number of stories that are hot in the league at the moment. Firstly, Brendan Joyce's blow up in the Perth press conference on the weekend and more recently JR with the city of Cairns as he discusses the possibilities for the new league.

I also caught a little of The Morning Show on Channel 7 this morning and they were talking about brands as they compare to the NRL and AFL. The discussion basically talked about how teams need a bit of controversy to make them more appealing to the public. "Brand expert" Simon Hammond says you need a combination of a hard-working team, a good coach, personalities and even some bad-boy behaviour to make for a good footy brand. He pointed to two teams that have had their share of bad press over the last season, Carlton and Collingwood as having strong brands and being better for it (the bad press).

So it got me thinking about the two hot topics in the NBL right now. Sure, Brendan Joyce's outburst was out of line and he has since been told off (a little) by the league ... but it certainly has got plenty of media coverage. What's a little surprising was that Shane Heal, who the original story centred around, sat quietly in the press conference saying very little. Shane is used to playing the role of the villain in the NBL, you either love him or you hate him ... and most people choose the latter. He's not afraid to say what he thinks and he realises he's not just a sportsman but an entertainer, on and off the court. Anything wrong with that? No, its good for the game and for the league. The non-basketball following public know who Shane Heal is ... unfortunately they couldn't name too many other players in the league now.

As for JR and his current fued with the city of Cairns ... that's also good for the league. Sure, it may get a little personal (Cat called him an "idiot" and referred to Townsville as "Clownsville") but the discussions about what's going to happen after this interim season is positive for the league. The rivalry between Cairns and Townsville is healthy. The two teams met on the weekend, Townsville came from behind to win a close game which will only add fuel to the Taipans fire. There should be more of it!

I remember my time at the Bullets (who I've been a fan of for more than 20 years) and how the new crop of Brisbane players got on way too well with the Sydney Kings. Now, back in the day these two teams hated each other, the games were fierce and the fans circled the date on their calendars and came along too give the Kings heaps. The new players weren't around back in those days but they should know how much the Bullets fans hate the Kings. In my opinion, there's not enough of that in the NBL. In the AFL, the current stand-out sporting code in Australia, there are plenty of those rivalries ... Carlton vs Collingwood, Adelaide vs Port Adelaide, Sydney vs West Coast (before this season), Collingwood vs anyone, Essendon vs almost anyone.

We certainly don't need our basketball players carrying on off the court like some of the football players do but it doesn't hurt to have some villains to hate on and some fierce team rivalries. Sure, a lot of opposition fans don't like Chris Anstey and he sometimes shows he doesn't like opposition fans (with his one finger salutes) ... but really, are there any players currently in the league that you love to hate? Is there an NBL team that you can't wait for them to come to town so you can hate on them? Discuss ...