http://firstrownow.eu/watch/201951/1/watch-australia-vs-new-zealand.html

Won't be up for another 2:24 unless I have my times mixed up.

Thank you for the heads up Isaac.

Haha big tough Kiwis getting in Simmons face with the haka. Didn't even phase the 17yr old.

I love the Hakka, it adds something special to the game. Yes, some may be used to it but for those who only see it for the first time, it is nothing to poke fun at trust me...

Some momentum in the second half would be nice. Boomers need to start better in the tournament if they want to get into a finals position...

World Champs!

No free throws for Aussies in a half???

Ingles isn't taking it all too seriously is he?

Wow, hip and shoulder on Patty and no retaliation?.

Is this a friendly...?

Yeah Bear dissapoiting that no boomers on the floor didn't let the Tall blacks player know that you don't elbow the Boomers best player.

Bairstow Andersen Neville and Petrie really don't like the idea of rebounding do they.

The dreaded baseline camera angle made a return. Makes it so annoyingly disorienting when you're trying to follow the game

disappointing

Agree ingles didn't look like he was taking it very seriously. We got the W but i wish lemmy would of given dante and big ben more mins in the final term!!

ABC coverage made many errors was so frustrating. Lemanis coached the NZ Breakers not the 'Breaks', the world cup is in 2014 not 2015 and its quite sad that Heal did not know the name of "that kiwi big that recently got drafted in the first round".

Exum should have got more burn, though its harder to argue this after how Gibson played.

Petrie is a nice NBL player but is out of his depth for international basketball.

In brief:

- Mills electric again. He is loving Lemanis' defensive style which gets game at his pace
- Gibson, a very heady game, showed his improvement from more responsibility last year
- Webster, can hoop, looking forward to Corey v Patty for years to come
- Te Rangi, has attitude, I like him
- Tall Blacks, didnt like the dirty play at the end
- Boomers, still havent answered mobile PF question
- Exum and Simmons, very exciting but not ready

Paul; agree re: Mills.

Lemanis' defensive style is conducive for Mills...the same way it was for Ced (great defenders with the ability to strip players)

Thought Mills was great and Gibson decent too. Simmons a bit raw and sloppy with his passing and D. Must've had 4TOs? Still, early days for him.

TB's defensive lapses were pretty poor.

Take Mills out and would Australia win these games? No one else has been as convincing.

Former Chicago Bull BJ Armstrong (Derrick rose agent too) was at the game in Canberra

Former Chicago Bull BJ Armstrong (Derrick rose agent too) was at the game in Canberra

Box Score

Mills impressed today for sure. I think he is loving the pressing style of D as it suits his game.

When Delly was running the point alongside Mills as SG and with Bairstow at PF, I thought we looked at our most balanced on offence. Bairstow runs the pick and roll with Delly better than anyone else on the current team in this series. Baynes coming back in would aid this further. Ingles was solid but for mine needs the ball in his hands too much.

Simmonds actually had 5TO and definitely looked out of depth at this point in time but did show a glimpse or two. Exum showed more compsoure in his court time, and gee he has a quick first ste and can turn the corner! Have the Boomers ever had a PG who could finish on the alley oop before?

In any case, some really promising signs for years to come - this side was very young - and will only get better...

Bring on 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics!

For the Kiwis, Webster looked very good - he really impressed me.

Why so few pick and roll situations? I'd be running it every time down the floor when Delly is in the game. We are so placid on offense.

Gibson's decent game is pretty irrelevant considering he is useless against top flight international competition.

Everyone has to remember this tall blacks side is of a similar standard to an NBL team.

I'm talking about the Tall Blacks that played today in Canberra. Not the Tall Blacks from three years ago at the world championships...

Their best players are good NBL players, their worst can't crack an NBL roster. No international experience among them.

Just saying. Perspective.

It's hard to get a decent read because I'm not sure how seriously some of the more experienced Aussie players take these games.

I think we will be a worse defensive team than under Brown. We were just stellar in that area in London, and it looked like nothing but gambles and risk against the Tall Blacks. Excecution is everything though, so let's see how it all goes in a game where the stakes are a little higher and guys are giving it a better shot.

Mick, I think you'll see more pick and roll when Baynes is in the team. Bairstow is the only big guy on this team I'd want to give the ball in a pick and roll and I thought NZ were pretty good at shutting down driving options off picks anyway. (No surprise there with mobile, hard-working bigs like Vukona and Frank!)

LC, I didn't think Ingles had the ball too much. I thought Delly, Gibbo and Mills handled it a lot more. When Ingles had it he did something with it fairly quickly most times and the outcome was often good, with 6 assists and only 1 TO!

My only criticism of Ingles is that he doesn't seek to either attack the basket or use his height to shoot over shorter opponents from mid-range more often.

If the players buy into the system and I mean really buy into it, a medal is an acheievable target.

Just thinking in response to the mobile 4 issue.

Could you run Ingles at the 4 the same way USA ran Melo and Lbj in this position. Only problem would be Joe's lack of strength/muscle.

As of now, Bairstows the only feasible option IMO.

How would a small ball lineup go. Say:

Dellavedova
Mills
Newley
Ingles
Baynes

You don't have to be Einstein to see that crew isn't at all suited to the pick and roll game.

Not much extended range shooting and no real mobile ballsy bigmen.

If we are going to look down the track at Bogut, Jawai at centre, would Baynes go to the 4 spot?

Obviously I am talking about the possibility that Bogut gets fit and plays...

Otherwise we have too many 5's, notwithstanding the guys who just played and waiting in the wings!!

We seem to have a plethora of 4-5's but don't use them as well as I would like to see.

Mick is correct. This NZ team competes very hard and bats above their weight but they would be no match for the NZ Breakers.

Having said that, they do give a good test because they play a very varied style at both ends that makes opposition players (and coaches) have to think their way through the game. That's one of the main reasons why they are competitive even when their squad is severely depleted.

Where this particular Tall Blacks team didnt give a great test was when the pressure was applied, they didnt have the PGs to exploit or even weather that. In the end the Boomers' third quarter pressure in both games was the difference.

Steven Adams has just confirmed to Media while in NZ holding youth coaching clinics with Brooke Lopez that he will be available for the WC's in Spain and has OKC's blessing as they see it as an honour and chance for his development.

Get Kirk Penney, Tai Webster (with some Div.1 NCAA under his belt), Isaac Fotu and Rob Loe back in the program and you have a team looking like.

Tai Webster/Jarrod Kenney or Lindsay Tait
Kirk Penney/Corey Webster
Tom Abercrombie/Reuben TeRangi
Mika Vukona/Issac Fotu/BJ Anthony
Steven Adams/Alex Pledger/Rob Loe

and you have a team that can remain at least competitive over 4 quarters and has scoring options on the bench with Webster especially and Loe/TeRangi/Fotu's improving offensive games.
You have Adams/Pledger/Loe giving NZ a luxury never before afforded with 3x mobile 7ft options in the paint.

I think this Tall Blacks team has a shot at claiming some decent scalps and improving their ranking in Spain.

Bear, I think the real problem is that we actually have too many 5's, and no 4's at all.

At the centre position, we go Bogut, Baynes, Jawai, Maric, Andersen and Nevill. Not sure that any of these guys will be able to provide any minutes at the four spot.

It would have been interesting to see how Lemanis would have used Ogilvy in this series. He has dropped a bunch of weight recently in order to become more mobile. I think he has got eyes that four spot for the Boomers. He certainly would add a different dimension to the team, as he is extremely effective playing out of the high post with his ability to shoot from mid-range, but also put the ball on the floor from that spot and drive to the rim.

Vart I agree with you, I just think Baynes could play 4 if the others were included because you have to play him regardless, either that or we have to drop some of the 5's don't we?

I believe in a few years time there will be some good 4's coming through the ranks, just at the minute the consensus seems to be we are concerned about the 4 spot...

I am not so concerned, I think we can cover this quite well with what he have. For me our depth at the moment is looking quite okay!

Andersen is prob the only one mobile enough to play at the 4 IMO

Anderson is great Mystro, a lock for the 4 at the minute, just getting on a bit in years...

nothing wrong with a Veteran presence especially one with Andersons credentials and with all the talented youth coming through (Exum, Simmons etc).

Vart, Ogilvy is slow as hell.

36era have a better roster than the Breakers this year IMO.

They would have done just as well if not better than NZ last night if they had played (assuming Gibson and Petrie could be replicated).

Quite a few teams would have done just as well. Perth especially because they have a better PG (Martin), SF (Ennis) and PF (Knight) than NZ (Kenny BJ and Abo)

This is just the nature of basketball.

Im a kiwi fan but i would admit the 13 point margin they won by is quite comfortable. They didnt 'just win'. In my experiences..13 point games are not really close to be honest.

Not in International Basketball anyway.

Still think NZ performed admirably given who was available. If you're having to start Kenny, that's tough. Casey Frank is hilariously reliable at international level. Suddenly seems to never miss from long range.

Thought Te Rangi looked more controlled and confident than either of Exum or Simmons in this game. A lot of pressure on the two Australians which would be difficult to handle. Te Rangi should be set for a decent NBL future.

Webster was great in both games. CJ Bruton could retire now and I don't know that NZ would be worried.

In game two, too many comments on Gibson qualify his performance. "He did well, but..." Off the bench for 11/4/4 at a great clip. Only 26 years old, so he's not flying downhill in a hurry. I thought, like Dellavedova has been for us, Gibson was reliable/measured and that's always useful at any level even if it doesn't electrify fans.

Bairstow and Brock Motum are two guys to consider for the 4 spot moving forward.

Gibson was also the only guy who could get close to staying in front of Webster.

If Gibson can hit the open threes at a decent clip, then he becomes extremely valuable for the Boomers when combined with his defensive abilities.

does anyone have a link to the highlights from this game?

Yeah agree Isaac Te Rangi looked more controlled and confident than Simmons, I imagine the season Te Rangi has spent playing and training with the Breakers and getting to play in the NBL has really helped. It does show that despite Simmons and Exum being guns at their respective levels of competition there really is a gulf between juniors and Professionals, even for talented promising players like Simmons and Exum

Exum and Simmons have never played against men before whereas Te Rangi has had two nznbl season and 1 year with the Breakers.
Something needs to be done with the nbl teams and players who intend on going to college. Tai had an NZNBL season before going so why not guys like Pineau and Exum in the NBL?

Different for Aussie kids at the elite level, especially those selected for the Australian under 17 - 19 squads, also going on various Nike, Adidas and other international tours, then there is year 12 studies factored in and of course AIS camps...

They just don't have time to play NBL mate!

Next thing you know, they are 18 and off to college, in the blink of an eye, so which NBL team can fit them in?

What about Kickert at the 4? ... I'm just kidding, he's terrible.

Seriously though, I agree with LC ... Motum and Bairstow could be the go at 4. Anderson as the veteran 4 man as Mystro says. Any word on where he goes next year? Wasn't he a back-up in Turkey? He was saying in an article recently he is interested in return to NBA, I can't see that happening, he seems old and slow compared to his glory days

Surprised that people see Baynes as to slow to play some 4 (I stress some), if he can develop his jump shoot out a few more feet it could happen, he's more agile than some. Happy to admit I've got this one wrong

Also surprised to see the talk about AJ, Heal was commenting about how he was someone of note to return to the Boomers. Plugging his new Kings big. I hope he has developed alot more since we last saw him in a Boomers uniform. I remember well a few series ago against NZ when Pledger and Vukona played all over him, it was hard to watch. I guess he was a college kid then, he might be a more agressive pro now with experience. Recall chat here about his numbers being impressive in europe.

Hey Fletch. The full game is on ABC iView.
http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/program/41858

ABC had it up last night. Sensational stuff!

Anderson is a stretch big who only stretches out to 18 feet. No thanks. Defensive liability everywhere but especially if trying to guard 4s. I really dont have any time for the guy. No post game either. His skillset is just like tits on a bull. Inefficiency personified.

Mick, first you say we should have played pick and roll in Sunday's game, now you say Anderson is a one trick pony whose trick only goes out to 18 feet? Awfully off-track my friend. Stick to comments on the Crocs I reckon.

that's why I'd play Anderson at the 4 (especially when Delly is running the point), drag the defense out and make more room for Bogut to dominate the paint if the pick and pop isn't on.

I can see Andersen working as a four, offensively, but only if Bogut is next to him. Bogut will draw doubles down on the block that will give Andersen easy looks, be it in the paint on on the perimeter. Bogut's passing ability out of the double team would enable this to work. I don't think it would be nearly as effective if Baynes or Jawai are manning the middle, as we saw in London. It does also give the Boomers a 'pick and pop' option to run with Delly and Andersen. Defensively though, Andersen could get burned by the smaller, quicker fours that are becoming more predominant.

I can see jawai and Baynes working, you just need a different approach, more of a crash and bash with some solid screens and dynamic play rather than what you would see in a Bogut/Anderson combo, which would be slightly more technical in its set up...

The key is flexibility. There is no doubt Lemanis will spend significant time with a mobile PF (Wortho, Barlow, Petrie) so he can disrupt defensively.

Of course you cant do this the entire time, and we have a lot of good big men, so it is about finding a system that works with, for eg, Baynes and Andersen on the floor together.

It is also about using the mobile and big line-ups at the right time where they can exploit the other team more than they can get exploited at the other end.

There is a lot of versatility in the top 20-odd players we have, so it will be interesting to see how Lemanis uses the deck.

In all honesty, I don't think it really matters, as I believe at this point in his career, Andersen's best service to the Boomers is as a veteran presence playing off the bench. I assume by Lemanis electing to start Nevill in game two (and I'm pretty sure he would have started game one too if not for all that confusion), that he probably agrees.

Andersen's best basketball has passed him by, but he can still make a great impact on the squad with his leadership and experience at camps, and with his play as a utility big off the bench.

Anderson is a liability on defense at the four. So he is what he is. On top of his game, his pretty boy schtick rubs me the wrong way... that pathetic goatee and shaved armpits. What a tosser.

Statsheet stuffer: sorry I forgot that I am only allowed to make one point in any given thread and not give my opinion regarding comments saying anderson can play the 4...

I think Darnell Mee used to shave his armpits. Something to do with minimising sweat?

Basketball is a game of Offence and Defence..
Whilst we may have players who could play the 4 offensively (Anderson,Bairstow and even maybe Baynes) They dont have the versitility to defend a 4.