For mine its the Hawks

The Cats are on a winning streak, clearly they are the team with "momentum" and must be favourites.

One game isn't a streak. Adelaide have won five in a row.

You need a consecutive number of games won to be a "streak".

If any other NBL side had won 5 in a row at the moment they'd be called the "team to beat" so why not Adelaide?

Just about every single team is the team to beat. There are 6 solid title contenders right now IMO, and NZ and Brisbane are more than capable of turning it around.

The in form teams of the past few weeks are Adelaide firstly, then United and Illawarra.

But Adelaide is still only 8-6 and Illawarra 8-7. They haven't had roster changes.

United2.0 is 4-1. United with Ware has an unmistakably different look to United with Jackson.

So if we are comparing these teams, it's apples and oranges. Two have regrouped. One is more or less a new team.

You can't be serious(stole that line from John McEnroe).I'l put Melb,Syd and Hawks in front of Adelaide in terms of contenders.The only team out of contention are the Breakers with nine losses so if they lose another six out of there remaining twelve games there gone.

death, taxes, a '36ers now the team to beat' post after a win and a 'it's time for Joey to go' post after they lose.... 4 things that are inescapable.

Adelaide playing as good a defence as anyone right now, energetic, active and producing points going the other way.

Best part about the 36ers at the moment is Randall and Sobey taking the attention away from DJ.

We've seen in the past he's not that comfortable as a 1st option, but he can 100% make teams pay when they're busy focusing on the back court. His versatility is just ridiculous.

Yeah, 'podge is right; DJ killed us last night, mostly because the defensive focus was mostly on Randle and Sobey.

Adelaide are in form, there's no doubt about that; the question is whether they can hold that form. They still only have a 50% W:L ration at home (as do Brisbane and, sadly, Cairns, now.) On the other hand, they are the league's road warriors, with a 62.5% win ratio from their eight games on the road. The bad news for them is that 8 of their remaining games are at home!

This season so far, teams have won a staggering 41.67% of away games. I doubt there has ever been a season where home court advantage has meant so little.

From memory DJ had 17 points by half time.....

momentum is a hell of a thing and the 36ers have it in spades at the moment.

unfortunately this is the type of momentum you want going into the playoffs...

but we can't all be Perth.....

**SUMMONS DAZZ**

whoops....

The Sixers did have this kind of form (actually, more convincing form) going into the playoffs in 14/15. They were on a 9 or 10 game tear IIRC without going back to look. Didn't mean much once they got there and faced the battle hardened Breakers.

The team is still young and massively inexperienced compared to every other roster in the league. I think they will still be overachieving from here just to scrape into the fourth spot at seasons end. But damn, they will be exciting to watch along the way.

Sorry, but any thread that asks "Are X the team to beat?" at the halfway point of this season is simply a childish joke.
But ok, you want to treat it as serious, then ok, the answer is NO.
Happy?

This season is very close. Sydney are clearly the best team to date, but without Blake or a replacement, and with Ware joining MU that could change.

The top 4 is still wide open, the difference between 2nd and last is two wins.

Dazz, this is not a thread that concerns you or the Cats. GO AWAY.