the pink sofa
Years ago
lightning have a point
most of us interpret as head to head and point spread - but the article in the advertiser raises an interesting point.
League `wrong' on final rulings
* Boti Nagy
* From: The Advertiser
* February 11, 2010 10:31AM
ADELAIDE has requested a "please explain" from the WNBL, the league mistaken about its finals qualification requirement.
Having lost their season-series to Townsville and Bendigo, should Adelaide tie either team at the end of the regular season this weekend, it will take the lower rung, therefore finishing sixth and out of the finals.
But if all three clubs finish on 13-9 win-loss records - a possibility if Logan upsets Bendigo but Bendigo beats Townsville - the WNBL hierarchy erroneously believes Adelaide still would miss out.
Lightning operations manager Steve Breheny, however, has drawn the league's attention to its own rules, which comply with FIBA and require teams in a three-way tie to be separated into a "mini table" and only the results between them calculated to determine final rankings.
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Rule 37 c (i) states "In the event of two or more clubs being level on winning percentage points at the end of the series of regular season games, eligibility to compete in the finals shall be on the basis of the club who won the most games between those clubs."
To create the 13-9 three-way tie, Bendigo would need to beat Townsville, making it 2-0 over the Fire.
It is 2-1 over Adelaide for a 4-1 overall "mini table" record.
Adelaide lost 1-2 to Bendigo and was 1-1 with Townsville, losing that series on points spread.
But in the "mini table", points spread is irrelevant, Adelaide's overall record 2-3. Townsville would be 1-1 and 0-2 for 1-3 total meaning Lightning would finish higher.
"That's not how we're reading the rule," a WNBL spokeswoman said. "But we haven't had this situation before."
