you mean.. gilly alot, ubaka just, harvey has the edge and balls alot

Blaze as a team have quite an edge in quickness and applying ball pressure.
Sixers need to take care of the ball (not their strong point) to make a game of it.
If it is a half court game, again Blaze with a big edge.
Game will also be decided by perimeter shooting, again Balze with nose in front.

Blaze are playing some excellent ball at the moment. Sixers need to pick up a win to confirm that they are legit. Couple of losses at home to the wounded Tiges have been disappointing, and we need to win against some contenders on the road.

Vakona the Fijian provides some energy and he'll put up some numbers if ignored. He's experienced now and knows how to handle our league.

Sixers have alot to prove, If Cortez rocks up to play and gets in rhythem early & Gilchrist can find Balls when he is open for a change the sixers should get up in a close one. TOUGH GAME!

Gold Coast are playing really, really, really well. this will be a Super tough game, but you can win. If you can win in Wollongong, you can win anywhere.the Sixers need to get the dissapointment of Saturday out of there minds use that frustration Motivational force in Gold Cast. i'l tip an Upset, Sixers by 4

Hate to say it, but leaning towards the Blaze. Too many distractions this week for the boys.

Need to fire up and kick some butt tonight. C'mon Hillbilly, show us what you can do

No "Bird Bird" Burston?
GC by 5, 80 to 75 No OT this week.

Gilly 16/2 (Pts/RB)
Balls 14/7
Holmes 12/9
Hill 10/4
Tez 6/2
Ng 6/-
Groves 4/1
Herbie 4/3
Coops 3/3

With Big Bird, Sixers by 5, 78 to 83

what time is it on TV - 8 or 8.30?

I'll be at the game tonight - first live game for the year! Look out for 2/3rd's of the Paul Rees Posse on TV.

Actually, no-one knows what we look like so just look out for Sixers jerseys

Boti's pre-game spiel.

anon Boti wrote this morning that Burston was making the trip, so yes?

Centrebet have the Blaze at $1.35 and a -6.5 line. Sixers are paying $3.20 which I think could be worth a go if me betting wouldn't just jinx the team...

The Cats are paying $2.80 to beat NZ in Auckland tomorrow.

Burston made it through training without back spasms, so last I heard he is playing. Apparently he wasn't too bad on the flight up either.

Ill be putting a bit of coin on the Sixers at those odds.

The Blaze will have to play 100% better than hey did last week against Cairns or Adelaide will be all over them. Im hopeful of a win to make it 5 in a rown but not at all confident.

thedoctor - get over to Broadbeach and have a meal before/after the game and enjoy a few beers. Hopefully a decent crowd tonight to create a good atmosphere and you enjoy the night

$1.35:$3.25 Blaze/Sixers for a very good reason.
Thats about how big an upset it would be.
Not an impossible mission but Blaze would have to play poorly to let this one slip.

If the Blaze team which only just beat Cairns last week shows up, Adelaide will cruise home.

Despite the two million posts related to Hodge's wank act that most of us have read on all sites, I really don't think the sixers have been too distracted by this. I think their only focus will be on getting an away win to make up for a very disappointing home loss.

Hopefully Harvey will be more focused on scoring rather than sailor dancing tonight. You can't see him playing two shockers in a row.

BTW tip off at 7.30 Queensland time which I think is 8.00 SA time.

Statman - unfortunately I'm coming down from Brisbane straight after work, so no time. I think the Sixers play up here again in January on a Saturday so I'll make a day of it then.

I've forgotten about Saturday. Let's focus on the Blaze and have a strong win. We must stamp our authority back on the competition.

I hope Balls has a big game.

Not much new content here, but the ABC have a few brief pre-match comments from Ninnis re. Burston.

thedoctor - sahme - but I guess at least its not a 630 tipoff or yuo would realy be pushing it!

Let me know for the Jan game - could catch up for a beer before the game :)

Wow, going by the live stats, neither team is shooting particularly well!

coming up to the half, blaze taking many more shots than adelaide and winning it on the boards big time until cooper came in

Burston and Cooper on together, possibly trying to exploit Gold Coast's lack of real centre.

What is the chance of keeping them of the offensive boards. Getting absolutely smashed on the glass.

As expected Shane Heal before the game didn't think there was too much wrong with Hodge's antics. I think in a roundabout way he tried to blame Boti for it.

Petrie and Maxey have been getting a lot of offensive boards, potentially tip attempts.

Interesting game at the half
Adelaide getting smashed on the boards and only taking 29 shots compared to 44 for the blaze.

Very unsusual to have those stats and be up by six, some good 3 ball shooting has kept them in it.

Once again Ng is handy off the bench

Balls has not got going yet

Wow!!
16 offensive rebounds for the blaze in one half compared to 3 for Adelaide.

Also Blaze have scored 13 second chance point compared to 2 for Adelaide so they are making the most of those O Boards....

Imagine if Adelaide had picked up more defensive boards, they would be winning easy

Will be interesting to see if the brains trust on the coaching bench can pick that up and rectify for the second half.

REBOUND = DESIRE

Got out to 12, back to 7.

Watch us throw this away again. Cortez misses both free throws, 2 more offensive boards and give up a 3.

I rebound another beer.

Surely we shouldn't be running plays for Cooper

The team just never learns.
Get the ball in Ballinger's hands and things will start to happen.
He's only taken 6 shots in 3 quarters.

Just a bad feeling about this. We don't know how to win.

they will go to him when they need him,
which should be right about now.....

Fitz, sign Isaac up, he can rebound!

.....And coming in at small forward, from Neeeeeerd Box University, Iiiiiiiice Formaaaaaan!!!

How the fuck is that a charge???

Has Gilchrist fouled out ?

in the 3rd ??

It's over

Slipping away now. Come on!

Huge 3 from Herbs! Come onnnnnn!

Losing Gilchrist is massive.
It's going to be the Cortez Groves show from here on in.
10 point loss to us. Well done Blaze.

Ng to the ring!how rare is that?

good foul. can someone get me a scotch?

Maxey was on for 19 seconds, then taken off, then put back on again 1 minute later.

What's with the travels?

Gilchrist fouls out after bumping knees with Gibson. Then Gibson bumps two Adelaide players into travels?

Unfortunately Hendo is right. How shit has Groves been down the stretch. A brick followed by a turnover.

Give the ball to Ng and get him to get it up.

Cannot execute down the stretch again!!!!

Another Groves turnover seals the game for the Blaze.

He needs to be released.

Weak as piss

I smell a mid-season import change coming on. Again. Is Julius Hodge still available?

Sorry, that was a lame gag. Anyway, just bought my ticket for the "Sack Tez" train. 6 points and 6 TOs. (Hint: not 6 timeouts). I've been holding off but that's the last straw for me. All aboard!

Since he came on with 3:20 remaining. (losing by 2)
Groves 2pt shot missed
Groves assist (same play as his miss)
Groves 3pt shot missed
Groves turnover travel
Groves turnover badpass
Lose by 8

We really do suck at the end of games.
Teamwork goes out of the window, blinkers go on, bad decisions happen, we lose games.
Apart from Gilchrist's prayer that just luckily went in, we've fallen apart in every close game at the end.

8 points/10 points, it was inevitable that we were going to lose.

We need to make changes and the longer it takes, the further down the ladder we will fall.

Isaac why are posters getting away with using language similar to the above post lately?

I personaly would prefer not to have to ready that type of rubish post

Looked like the two travels inside the last 2 minutes and the point guard fouling out early cost Adelaide big time.

I think Adelaide need to look at replacing groves now

Very quick & early summary.

Need more intensity on the boards at both ends.
Need a 2/3 man who can create his own shot.
John is playing well but needs to involve the rest of the team more.
Need a big man to play more than 15 minutes.


Lets hope Burston gets fit and Groves finds his groove.

www.sackgroves.com

www.recruitdavidson.com

my god that was a frustrating game (in no particular order)

a) Sixers Rebounding
b) Umpiring
c) Groves

We really do blow down the stretch, how bout setting some freaking screens, do something!

oh yeah forgot

d) get the ball to BALLS

sack groves

6 points from Ballinger isn't going to cut it on the road. For some reason he consistently has bad games on the road. Does anybody know why? Its so frustrating that he is our best player and so much is expected of him that he can only come up with 6 points. I would practically put our road game woes on the shoulder of Ballinger because that's where I see the biggest difference between home and away games. You can complain about Groves but atleast he is consistently bad both on the road and at home. He is not the reason for road losses.

Sorry for offending the punters. I thought the kiddies were in bed after 9:30.

It is terrible what you can read on the net.

Isaac why are posters getting away with using language similar to the above post lately?

Gilchrist was fouled out mate.

Nutwork

Hill is that 2/3 man. He has moments where he looks like an NBA player. Unfortunately for the most part he just coasts and takes long range jumpers which isn't his game.

(Mod: I just wet myself reading Hill and NBA in the same sentence.)

Ballinger stuggles against any big guys that can guard him on the perimeter. Today he had Petrie & Maxey guarding him and if he can't get open baseline jumpers he tends to struggle. The Blaze bigs are quick enough to guard him when guys are trying to give it to him in the post.

He was frustrating tonight when on a mismatch (Blaze were switching every screen) that he didn't post them up.

good win Gold Coast, way to lock it up defensively. hey does anyone know the title of they track they play at the arena with all the drums? the one that sounds african, or tribal? thanks

e) Blame the refs..

What a frustrating game to watch.

Boti hit the nail on the head with his article earlier this week about the Sixers not being smart.

Just one example. Petrie hasn't hit a jumpshot all game but is getting to the rim and finishing or drawing a foul at will. Therefore, it's absolute stupidity for Holmes and Ballinger to guard him so close, especially given that Petrie is quicker than both of them. Make him hit a jumper.

Absolutely terrible down the stretch and an atrocious call on Gilchrist to foul him out of the game. Gibson quite obviously moved into Gilchrist.

Makes the game harder to swallow with BT and Heal commentating as well. Bring back Casey and Carfino.

Makes the game harder to swallow with BT and Heal commentating as well.

Makes the game harder to swallow with BT and Heal commentating as well.

Beagle, even I struggle to work out how you get a vowel sound out of 2 consonants.

True, EC, with an unusual (to us) name like that you do need to be told how it's pronounced. I can't help thinking that a professional broadcaster would ask the club beforehand for correct pronunciation of foreign names.

But BT evidently has been told, because early in the game he corrected Heal's mispronunciation, then went back to mispronouncing it himself later in the game. And then to miss the fact that Gilchrist fouled out when hurting his knee, and to keep calling for him to return, well, let's just say that they're not the best commentators going around. I'd rather Dwayne Russell and Andrew Gaze: I doubt they'd have missed it.

back to the name Ng - I had to laugh when the Sixers played in Cairns earlier, when Joe Blake the mascot was running round at one point with a sign saying 'hey no.8 - want to buy a vowel?' Subtle humour at its best.

EC, I was only emailing Darren about this the other day to double-check what I'd always assumed, as it came up on OzHoops. Technically it's not pronounced "ing" - that's a Westernised approximation - but with more of a sound that is not so familiar to most of us here and is difficult to explain over the net. Someone on OzHoops was talking about their Doctor Ng in NSW calling themselves "Ning" which is likely their own Westernisation.

Say "mmmm" (as in, "Mmmm, a new import please") and note that it's with lips closed. Then approximate the same sound, but with "nnnn" and note your tongue making contact with the roof of your mouth at the front.

I'd say that "Ng" is throatier - your tongue makes contact with the roof of your mouth, but towards the back of your mouth. Imagine you're saying "sing" and trying to avoid sounding the S and I.

Isaac why are posters getting away with using language similar to the above post lately?

What was up with Gilly going ape shit at Hill? I missed it.

Thanks for the info on the pronunciation of Ng, Isaac.

I've been going on the reply Darren himself gave in response to a question in a post game interview in the Apollo Room a few years ago now.

Well, Blaze did there bit, shot poorly, but outrebounded 19OR and outhustled 15TO Sixers, and got to FT line, to claim win.
Agree with Bizzy post re Ballinger 9 shot attempted is not good enough when he is your best player.
Gilchrist has to be smarter than that, however bad refereeing.
Team seems to be playing in that "waiting to lose" mode.

Another game down the drain...

I agree that Hill did't come to the ball, but if I was him and Gilchrist had reacted like that I'd probably have said "but John, there are still 18 seconds on the shot clock, so I assumed you wouldn't pass it for at least another 12!"

That last foul of Gilchrist's was horseshit. In no way was that enough contact to warrant a foul call.

The unsportsmanlike on Ng was even worse, as we had just tried twice (very reasonably) to commit the necessary foul.

Oh, and sack Groves.

Incidentally too, Shane Heal is the last person in Australia who should be commenting upon how someone should comport themselves whilst on a basketball court (re: the Hodge incident). Frankly, Fox Sports should not have even allowed him the forum to comment on the matter.

It was good of my son to invite me to watch FOX.
"Sturt would've blocked out and got some defensive rebounds." He told me,early in the game.
I thought we couldn't handle their press - too many mistakes. Groves couldn't handle the ball at all.

Re: Gilchrist going ape at Hill - first and foremost it was a terrible pass. And Ng was wide open on the other side of the court. Gilchrist likes to complain, and needs to play a bit harder without playing for fouls.

Re: Sixers offence - do they have anything else other than a high pick that turns into a one-on-one for Groves or Gilchrist?

And Brad Hill - please get rid of that useless between the legs cross over pull-back dribble. Acheives nothing - just make a hard move and commit to it and you actually look OK.

Herbert - looked pretty good, solid D, does what he should on offence.

Ng - looks good when confident, still a liability on D.

Can we abduct Adam Gibson? Played a really solid game along with Ubaka who ripped the Sixers all night, as did Petrie. Petrie scored about 10 or 12 points off head fakes or jab steps then a hard drive to the rim. Simple basketball, but effective.

It wasn't his best pass, but regardless of whose fault it was, going off like that at a team mate isn't going to do much for team harmony in a team that's as fragile as this team appears to be. I agree he needs to complain less, particularly to the refs (it gets you nowhere), and get on with it.



The discussion on the pronunciation of Ng reminds me of former St.Kilda centre half forward Stewart Loewe, who went through his entire career with Sandy Roberts, Bruce McAvaney, Drew Morphett, Ian Rebertson et al calling him as LOW; then in an interview just after his retirement said 'Actually, it's pronounced LUR-VAY'.

Boti's wrap of the game.

The other thing was did anyone hear BT make that comment about that mature lady sitting in one of the corporate boxes. Commented saying she looked like Sophia Loren and then made a sly comment about her "improvements"! That kind of humour probably belongs on the Footy show not a basketball show.

I didnt see the game so my question is for how long during the game did we have a centre, 15 rebounds to 3 in a quarter I question if we even had one at that time. Ill comment on how stupid we are to NOT play Cooper while Burston is struggling when my assumption is proven correct

I caught this game @ my local pub which was televising it and enjoyed a couple of mid-week Coronas.

We played a pretty good 2nd half. Once again we faded in the 2nd half and choked.

The same weakness keeps occuring after 4 years minimum. We build up leads, fade and lose them. I've brought it up many times and send it to the team. It keeps happening. I'm sick of it.

Last night was frustrating watching those last few minutes lose the lead and the game.

We bloody want to get our shit together quick and bounce back with a home win against the Breakers Saturday night which will not be an easy task.