Marty Clarke really spreading out the minutes, Daly has 12 so far and even Warbout has gotten on. Luckily we're still up 1 with 6 minutes to go!

Looks like we finally got some decent imports.
Chris Warren
19 points
3 assists
2 steals

Diamon Simpson
4 rebounds
12 points

Down 8 with one minute to go.

Simpson fouls out after 20 minutes. 15 points, 6 rebounds.

Looks like he might take some time to get used to the refereeing here.

Oscar just made a 3 to put Hawks up 8 with 1minute to go. 36ers were better and imports look legit, now if Clarke will let the stars play more minutes, the 6ers could really cause some damage. He spreads the minutes like a father coaching the church basketball under 12 team. Not good enough in that area imo.

Chris Warren has baskets on tap.

Warren has had a cracking game, its a shame that the only way I can follow the game is livestat, looks like it has been a very good game

To be more to the point, Creek and Johnson need to be getting to 30minutes. Creek couldve had a massive game tonight, but cant score more than that 16 if he is on the bench. 21ish minutes each wont get it done.

I was watching the stats the whole game, and Creek was by far the best player in the first half. HOWEVER whenever he scored 4-5 points in a quick burst, he would be subbed out. WHY. Keep the man on! Let him show us what he's made of. Taking him off is almost like a punishment for playing so well.

Johnson seems to be struggling. I think we managed 1 rebound in the first quarter. Not ideal!

Good to see our imports adding something at both ends of the floor. Once we get Balls back, we will have great depth. Ng continues to prove he is an elite shooter - need to set some plays up and use him more effectively. He is good value from the line too.

Another thing i noticed was that whenever the Hakws were challenged on the scoreboard, they called a time-out. When play resumed, they scored every time. I'm guessin a set play was designed during the time-out - at times when they really needed a score. Quality coaching.

Interesting stat line on Nathan Herbert. His return from a serious injury has not been successful, and hopefully a fit Crosswell will remove the need for him to play at all. And this is what should happen, at least until he is actually ready to contribute something.

A good start by Simpson. Helliwell no time in the second half, maybe another injury? Good to see Creek getting some points, and Warren looks to be a keeper. I'm not surprised with the result, but clearly a better effort than the insipid showing v Perth last week.

What a game by Herbie?

Helliwell almost did better than he did!

FINAL SCORE
HAWKS 97
36ERS 89

Any reason why Ng sat on the bench for the clutch part of the final minute, had both herbert (0/5 fg) and daly (1/3 fg) rolling around.

Shame on the loss, 2 losses to start the season :(

Ah Clarke how pathetic do you want to be!

Sixers up by 4 going into the last quarter with momentum. So here is our chance to get a road victory, so who does he start the last quarter with?

Warren, HERBERT, NG, Weigh, Johnson.

Lets forget about putting your best starting five on. Lets forget Creek has 16 points or that Simpson is having a great game also. Instead lets put Herbert on that had done nothing to that stage and ends up playing him the WHOLE quarter! I believe the conversation would have gone like this "Herbert you have done nothing in 15 minutes on court today so for your efforts I am going to let you play the whole last quarter! Also it is Campbell's 500th game so be as nice to him as possible" As expected he did nothing during that time and his direct opponent Mat Campbell scored 11 in the quarter.

The Hawks on the other hand with a quality coach starts their starting 5 players (instead of some random rotation that Clarke went for) and plays them the WHOLE quarter! (Davidson, Campbell subbed off with 30 seconds to go) This is MIND blowing stuff who would have thought professional atheletes could run out a WHOLE quarter, unbelievable.

Also START Warren every quarter! In the last two games he has started him off in the second quarter for 3 minutes and in those combined 6 minutes the other teams have out scored us 15-2!

When Clarke gets interviewed I bet he will say things like "It was great the way we played and we almost got the win" this is NOT good enough. The reality is it was a game we should have won or at the very least a game we could have won if he actually gave us a chance to win!

seriously what is clarkes obsession with this rotate the mins policy?

you play the best and they get a min or two on the bench, if they are fit enough to see it out, they see it out

ffs

Is it just me or does Johnson really struggle when he isn't the number 1 option?
Dominated when Ballinger got injured last year. Dominated this preseason without Ballinger and Simpson. Didn't do much last year with Ballinger in the team. Simpson comes into the team and he suddenly only gets 6 and 2 after he's averaged almost 20 and 10 over the preseason. Was the same deal at Melbourne with and without Anstey.

Awesome game by Warren. Good to see Creek show a bit. Herbert really struggling this year.

Encouraging debut by Simpson. Hopefully he builds on that and forms a good partnership with Ballinger when he returns.

I doubt Clarke will be around to complete his 3 year deal. I just dont see it happening. He is well and truly out of favour with the fans, he has been out coached many times and he has shown little tactical skill at the NBL level. Its just a real shame, because i didnt know him before he started coaching the 6ers, and first reports were he was going to be amazing and get the best out of players much like Bevo has done. Marty Clarke has not done that...and he's running out of time for people to say 'yet'.

Oh well 2 losses I would doubt any ean should accept this and hold their head high. After watching them they looked very fatigued and not fit enough to finish off the game. I would wonder the fitness of these guys and to leave Ng on the side line is not very intelligent but that what happens under pressure

2 things, I was at the game, Herbert wasn't as bad as his stat line suggests, and Simpson wasnt as good. From a defensive stand point Herbert had a fantastic third quarter which led the 6ers to a 30 - 20 output.

Simpson can't create his own shot, so I don't know if thats what he is expected to do, but he fumbled his way to 15 points. Had some pretty average defense getting burnt by Gruber of all players and sent people to the freethrow line at every opportunity.

Other notes:

Clarke repeatedly subbed Ng off just as he was heating up.

Helliwell injured his back and didnt return.

Warren is a gun.

It was my first good look at Creek and is he related to John Rillie?

Hawks just made shots when it counted and Warren did his best to keep them in touch. Weigh looks sharp also, just needs to adjust mentally. Gets a little ahead of himself and travels and steps on the side line.

Clarke really needs to get the rotaions right and we would have won this game.

Herbet is a bench player - 5 - 10 mins a game.

Jake, agree he is a bench player, but id be giving him 15min every game, and base any extra time on how well he is playing.

Its a 3 year plan remember. The coach still has the best part of 2 more years to learn his job and actually find some sembelance of a winning formula. So be patient everyone and give the guy a his 3 years. What a joke.

Off with his head!!

@pwned- can you shed some light on hawks import javon catron- is he any good? Also, I agree with your comments about Weight, he will be a good player but needs to remember he is playing for Adelaide and now has a different role! @EC, I am not a 6ers fan and haven't followed them much further than seeing the boxscores and reading the odd article and seeing everyone's comments on here- surely with the team they have, they should have beaten the Hawks and Clarke is responsible for their performances.

@pwned- can you shed some light on hawks import javon catron- is he any good? Also, I agree with your comments about Weight, he will be a good player but needs to remember he is playing for Adelaide and now has a different role! @EC, I am not a 6ers fan and haven't followed them much further than seeing the boxscores and reading the odd article and seeing everyone's comments on here- surely with the team they have, they should have beaten the Hawks and Clarke is responsible for their performances.

Ahhh I guess after the same crap last season we all expected Clark to perhaps look at changing the style that worked so well for them..Obviously he hasnt been able to see that He was the main problem last year and to FREAKING PLAY THE SCORERS.

owell till the new coach I await

Interesting Jake, you say he has 3 years to learn his job. Was he not a coach before this? If he was no reason to learn but put what he knows in practice.
If he was not a coach before this it is pretty obvious he is not a head coach but a 2nd coach.
Pretty sad we have a coach which has to take 3 years to learn his job. Maybe he should have a 4 yr contract to get off the bottom of the ladder

He seems to give his team the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

@Tyrell:
Catron has some huge potential. Good skills, nice J and deceptively quick.
If he can improve his basketball IQ and offensive awareness he could be a force.

Defensively he got lost a couple of times, especially in the zone and switching on the onball, which game Warren hoop after hoop.

Otherwise I think he's a solid pick up and Geordie will get the max out of him by seasons end. Still need and import PG though.

I will be the first to admit I was wrong about Creek if he can replicate that effort.
As for Herbert, even when he was fit, he was invisible.
I am so tired of us getting beaten all the time, very disheartening.

@ Anon, yeah point taken but if you are fit enough to take the court then you're fit enough to play. Lets not start this crap of play 18 games then start to get better. If the Knee Recon was so hard on his body and there is struggle, why have him in the Starting 5.