Game Preview on 36ers site

Adelaide 36ers coach Phil Smyth says that his team will enter tonight's match up with the West Sydney Razorbacks playing up-tempo, high energy basketball.

The 36ers fashioned a blazing 43 point final quarter against the Gold Coast on Wednesday night, but it came too late and they lost 117-109.

After nursing an ankle injury during the last couple of days, Adelaide's Mike Chappell will have his hands full with Rush who gives the Pigs 14.4 PPG at 47.8%. Chappell had 12 points against the Blaze, but fouled out and may have trouble defending Rush's quickness.

This is a crucial match for Adelaide before they enter tougher territory next game against the league-leading Sydney Kings.

Tip-off is 8PM at the Distinctive Homes Dome.

Pigs are second in the league in scoring and with offensive sets from a coach like Beveridge are unlikely to splutter offensively. The Pigs forwards on paper look energetic, so if they get the 36er forwards in foul trouble it will get ugly.

NBL could be like Big Brother.

Which Sixers player will be evicted this week? Who will be fined for breaking the rules? and which team will claim the points in Friday Night Games?

All this and more cheap entertainment on FOX Sports 3.

Wont be Chappells Last

We need a win

Which Sixer players will turn up and play tonite

chappell to score 10 points and foul out in the early part of the 4th,
balls to score 30 brad 21 and copes 19

motts to step up a level

43 point final qtr! that's hot.
Guess if we fire up like that, will win tonite.

wat times tip off??

Davidsons 350th. Come guys lift for him plzzz.

My prediction Davidson will go for a big one.

Come on guys for him.

P.s radio feed working well and has started broadcasting

Playing awesome.

Quarter Time
Sixers - 43 West Sydney - 26

Chappell: 6 points
Davidson: 9 points
Copeland: 7 points
Ng: 9 points

Erik Burdon Getting Court Time.

Another 43 point qtr.

Mottram also has 6, Dench 4 rebounds.

Can Sixers last the match though?

123abc FINGERS CROSSED!.

Attitude seems good so far. It looks like thye are motivated to play well. About time!

Burdon getting alot of court time.

Seems to be using his speed on rush.

I feel Ng is starting to understand his place in the league and gaining the confidence and self assurance he has been lacking from time to time .
13 before the half . Tipping he will hit 24 tonight .

Yes Eze!!!

I know we are winning but there is no way both Chappell and Copeland each should have jacked up as many 3 Balls as Ballingers total number of shots . That is just crazy , Ballinger has 11 points on 5-6 shooting and Chappell is 1-6 from behind the arc .

Eric Burdon!! playing well, impressed me.

Ng has certainly played well. Been cool under pressure.

Gutsy win. Congratulations Sixers.

Welldone Sixers!

Davidson 19 points in his 350th game, congrats Brad!

Chappell.... 7pts, 5rebs, 4assists.
Ouch.

Get over Chappell, we won be happy!. Geez!!

Too right kobe-for-MVP. Chappell will be easy to get over come monday .

Eze to play more, great job needs to keep it going!

i give some of my praise to Motts. i rate him very highly as his 1%ers and hustle often gain momentum for us and he's so handy both on offence (being in the right place at the right time) and in defence (when not fouling out..which is quite often) boxing out, getting boards and having that intimidation factor. i reckon teams don't rate him as much, but he gets the job done. keep up the good work big fella!!

Have to be the best game I've seen Darren Ng play. Not only was he stroking the three in the first quarter, but he played some quality defence, rebounded exceptionally well and took the ball to the rim and scored a few times. Burdon also impressed me in his limited limited court time with handling the ball well and playing some very solid defence.

In fact there were good contributions from most, we shouldn't have let a 20 point lead slip but average teams do that.

Chappell is getting beyond a joke - continually missing open threes tonight - if the Sixers are serious about this season he has to go now.

Dench was an absolute disgrace. One play sticks in my mind. It was about 3 minutes to go in the third and the Sixers had a 3 on one fast break - instead of running towards the basket and receiving the pass for the easy deuce Dench meanders down the court and stops at the three point line. What should have been an easy 2 points turns into a Sixer turnover. Smyth benched him soon after and he never returned.

Dench was fine tonight, your just searching for any negatives you can find! Chappell has to go. Smyth got very lucky, if theyd blown a 22 point lead, he would be just about gone too.

Season has a heartbeat, but it will all depend on who replaces Chappell now, as to how far we go.

kudos to the 3pt comp as well found it very enjoyable entertainment

Phil's promise to throw caution to the wind and come out aggressive was actually lived up to in an inspired 43 point first quarter. Ng and Copeland were both hot early and Mottram had three first quarter dunks. Davidson was involved in everything. The margin blew out to as many as 22 in the second, and by halftime, 10 Sixers had played and scored. Dench had some good moments in the first half, though his turnover in the dying seconds was the typical kind of brainless cockup that makes it so easy to dislike him. Chappell again started ok, with 6 points in the first quarter. The margin at halftime was 72-59, but with Hinson yet to get going, it was closer than that.

Wests started the second half in an excellent trap and Adelaide's offensive rhythm dried up. Matt Knight took over the game inside and Hinson nailed a couple of threes and the margin was cut down to 5. Ezy Burdon's third quarter was inspirational, as was the play of David Cooper in the second half. With Davidson, Burdon, and Cooper on and handling the ball the Pigs' trap was rendered useless, and Copeland again hit a couple of threes to push the lead back to 14. Wests closed the quarter well to be within 5 at the last break, and that margin was gone completely less than a minute into the last. Mottram fouled out (he got one crap call, but other than that his fouls were all there), and I got the feeling that not only were we going to go down, but I had visions of a 12-15 point loss. But Ballinger stepped up offensively, and a magnificent Copeland defensive sequence on Hinson inspired the Sixers. Wests always kept the game close, and hit some deep threes in the last but we managed to hang on for an important win, in probably the most entertaining game of the season at the Dome.

Davidson - again the consumate floor general, 17/6/6 and some great defense.
Ng - his first, third, and last quarters were terrific, and his 8 rebounds were a massive bonus on a night where we sometimes struggled to get a board.
Mottram - 5/5 from the floor, 5/6 from the line, 15/5/3 in about 18 minutes. We look really good when this guy is involved in the offense. But he's just so Goddam foul prone.
Ballinger - 24 points on some really sweet shooting and a couple of nice dunks. Did struggle to keep the taller Rampton off the boards a couple of times, but as always made the big shot when needed.
Chappell - for anyone who is interested, his last point as a Sixer was a knuckle-ball from the foul line.
Cooper - terrific, got the crucial rebounds, a massive dunk on Graeme Dann, and his assistance to the guards in beating the trap was crucial.
Copeland - 5 threes including a 4 point play and some excellent defence. It was one of those nights where it is an absolute pleasure to have this legend of our league playing for this team.
Dench - did a couple of good things and continues to rebound well in limited minutes. But to be honest didn't contribute much more that Jordy Dodman would if given the chance.
Burdon - a sparkplug off the bench, the first time he touched the ball he beat a trap and hit Mottram with a sweet pass for a dunk. Hinson got nothing while Burdon was on him. I'd be interested to know the +- while he was on the court tonight. Excellent game Ezy!
Sutton - I like what Matt Sutton is capable of, but the Mark Nash impression has got to stop. For Christ's sake, just try to do something. With Maher back next week and Burdon's game tonight, Sutton is looking at a DNP-CD against the Kings.

For the Pigs:
DeVries - shot like crap and fouled out. Did not give Ng adequate respect either.
Hinson - was largely well held, and a damn good thing as this guy is so explosive.
Dann - has improved his range, which used to be about as far as Mottram's. Had an excellent game with 19/7/4.
Rush - Jesus I wish this guy played for us. He'd fit so well into the vacant three spot. A gifted athlete and an improved defender and shooter.
Rampton - caused us a lot of grief on the boards.
Knight - had a purple patch in the third and is the league's best rookie. A monster on the boards and a better passer than I'd previously noticed.
Petrie - non factor who missed some very getable shots.
Khazzouh - didn't play much but was active when he did. I can't imagine this guy costs very much, so could be worth keeping an eye on.
Reed/Carter - hardly played and were ineffective when they were on.

As I said, an important win. But the games only get harder from here, starting with the Kings next week. It will be interesting to see if Goorjian allows us to play the same up-tempo style next week.

"Dench was fine tonight, your just searching for any negatives you can find!"

I can find alot more negatives for Dench if you want me to. Explain to me how he was fine? He doesn't play defence, can't rebound, is woeful on the post and the play I described above shows just how lazy he is. Smyth benched him accordingly after that blatant display of laziness. I seriously hope we're not paying him much.

"Knight - had a purple patch in the third and is the league's best rookie. A monster on the boards and a better passer than I'd previously noticed."

Whoa, can't agree with you there. Jawai and Loughton are rookies as well you realise.

Mutley, as I a supporter from interstate I hang out for your write ups... good work

from memory their was only a few of us that said Davidson was a great signing.... Isaac and a few others...

At the moment I hold the world for Rush.... I wish he'd pull on a 36ers jersey...

For the 36ers piss weak recruiting, if the best we could get was Knight then I would be extrememly happy.

Out of interest sake, who was our last great rookie????? I'd have to go back to Blakemore... Pretty shithoue.....

Chappell def gone, ask the Barman, he'll tell you!

Rat, Knight may not be THE best rook, but he'd go pretty close. And when you factor in his injury and that it took him quite a while to get back from it fully, he may very well of ended up ROY this year and may still depending on how things go.

Have to disagree with posted comments on Troy DeVries, thought he played well offensively, and was unluckly in the dying stages with some of the calls he received.

Matty Knight is a moster for a 22 year old, and it wont surprise me if they take him back as a Boomer soon.

Darren Ng is an enigma, a completely totally awesome scoring machine, and a vastly improved defender, but all at sea against pressure D. No surprises that they backed off the double teams in the back court as soon as Ezy touched the ball.

Liked the big zone used by the 36ers in the first quarter, much better than that match up zone.

Davidson verses Hinson off and on and off the ball all the last quarter was pure entertainment. Brad has huge balls and was not going to let the team loose. And he is penetrating so easily against all teams, his crossover dribble has stepped up another notch this year.

Also too, I didn't mention last night, I thought the officiating was quite good from start to finish for the second straight game.

Rat10, to be honest I had somehow forgotten about Jawai, but I've seen Knight and Loughton 3-4 times each on Fox and Knight has been marginally more impressive. Part of that might also be that Wests have been better than anticipated. I do think he's a better defender than Loughton.

TR, you would have to go back as far as Blakemore, which is sad. Forman, Holmes, Illman, and even Sutton all got significant minutes in their first year, but none were ROY candidates.

Does anyone think it might be worth playing Ng at the 3 with Davidson and Maher with Chappell gone? I mean, we're playing Copeland there, and our guards are actually decent rebounders. Potentially we get exploited in the post, but we have been anyway with Chappell. And three guards would suit the up tempo style we played last night, which Chappell wasn't a part of (he had 7 in a team total of 125). It might hurt us against Sydney or Melbourne, but likely wouldn't v someone like Perth. Maybe having three full time perimeter threats opens it up inside for Ballinger and Mottram too?

I'm worried about Ng because every time Maher has come back Ng has faided out of the offense and he's too good a scorer for that to be allowed to happen.

Mutley: I wouldn't totally agree with you about the officiating. Weeksy was his usual piss poor self. A good example was that foul when Ng got to the stripe because the Pigs were over the limit, and Weeks didn't want to give him the shots. Every time I see that guy step onto the court, I wonder what dodgy calls he's going to come up with in the game. The sooner he's out of NBL basketball, the better.

Kev, you are right about the incident you mentioned above. I mean, how hard is it to count to 5?

I would like to start a campaign for whenever Boti gives it away or needs a break, that Mutley takes over! What a tremendous analysis this guy gives, you don't have to be at the game or see it when you read his articles.
Love his comment too about the vacant 3 spot, pure brilliance.
I also want to give Coops real praise last night for his efforts. Nobody though he would be playing the minutes he has this year, but he has had to due to known circumstances and he has given his all. His rebounding, blocking and assistance to the guards during traps, was fantastic.

agreed 160269, Ng had an awesome game!!

Couldn't count to five????
None of the refs could count to three.
It's only one each.
Rampton, Knight et al hardly left the key for every offence.

Bake, they only "hardly" have to leave the key to get a new count!

What a game. Massive first quarter and then an exciting game after that. If the Crocs game was the one you would've been embarrassed to take a newcomer to, this one was the opposite. All bar Chappell were decent for Adelaide (and mostly it was his shot failing him) - Dench has copped some criticism, but 6 (at 50%), 5 and 3 assists to 2 turnovers in 13 minutes isn't horrible at all. Ng was very good in particular, Copeland also, and Ballinger, Davidson and Mottram were solid. Burdon got out another nail to pin Sutton to the bench.

Ng seems to step up more often than not when Maher isn't available. Eight boards as well were key. Take away four offensive boards and you have a very different game.

Thought the Pigs gave it a great shot in the second half. Rush, Dann and Knight were good for younger players. Rush in particular played exactly the game they needed from him.

Here's my match report - I tell you it's a lot more enjoyable writing a report when they win than when they lose!

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By the way, crowd was 3,666. Yes, December is a busy month, but that wasn't a big crowd at all. Capitalise on the win and the return of Maher and add a new face at SF. It will cost to make the change, but seven home games left, maybe 500 new faces per (responding to a new import) and you could cover at least the majority of the cost. Keep Chappell on the books going around to schools doing clinics.

Grab Josh Pace from the CBA and I can't see him being that expensive considering what they earn in those leagues (SFA), the exchange rate and the chance for him to show his ability and get noticed by other teams (worked for Redhage and Rychart).

Well stated Isaac .

Season could be salvageable yet with backcourt of Davidson firing , Maher back and an inspired Ng plus Burdon if need be .
Add a fresh and talented glue guy in Pace with Copeland providing back up punch and this duo is the ebb and flow we need on the wings .
Ballingers 19 and 8 , with hustle from Mottram and high energy from Cooper and we could make a little noise .

Make it happen sixers .

Is it very likely that Chappell has played his last game for the club or do u think he will get another chance?

Your correct Mutley (message to one self - don't post after one and half bottles of red and a 6 pack), but none of those players had the impact that Blakemore had when they entered the league.

Isaac, I know the rule. Rampton spent most of every offence without leaving the key. When he wasn't there Knight was. This lead to several easy baskets and also allowed their outside shooters more room as the defence sagged to assist in the middle.

Knight is allowed to be in there when Rampton's not. Maybe you're not clarifying this well. You said that they hardly left the key - that's legal - they only have to step out and they can go back in, right? They can spend most of the offense in the paint providing that they step out every 2-3 seconds.

Maybe you meant to say that they frequently stayed in the key for longer than three seconds?

I just have to say all credit to Ballinger again, I think he had a reasonably quite night by his standards but he still manages to put the score on the board. Easy to see why he was able to bang in 40points the other week when he is on top of his game.

Really looking forward to Maher comming back, just hope it doesnt spell the end for Burdon and that he takes any minutes Sutton might have had. With Maher back, even with Chappell not performing we do have a decent chance, If they replace Chappell well we would only have the players to blame for not finishing on a high.

Smyth haters question for ya, we come out and win the championship this year, what would you do then?

Smyth haters question for ya, we come out and win the championship this year, what would you do then?

Wonder how I could catch one of the pigs as they fly past.