Is Vukona a game time decision again?

I'm most excited to how the crowd will translate onto TV and what the new Foxtel casual audience will think.

The bar will be raised tonight.

What a great night in front of the TV, for basketball fans this is!

Can't see Breakers getting close on current form, so I just hope they get some inspiration from somewhere and have a red hot crack at it...

Here's my preview if anyone's interested

http://wildcatsviews.com/2015/10/15/preview-perth-wildcats-vs-new-zealand-breakers/

Post your review here. Saves me clicking a link, and your comments can be responded to as well.

The whole review? It will be too long for that.

Corey Webster cut by Pelicans, Probably returning to Breakers. They could sure use him tonight

If the Breakers play like they did in Adelaide and against the Hawks it wil be a pretty handy Perth win.

Cant beleve its their FIRST home game of the season.

Got my red Shirt on, remember my membership pass for a change and am ready to hit the Twilight Market on the way to the game.

Perth by 20 (says the guy who tipped Cairns by 15 vs Sydney)

Funny hitting the twilight market when prior to 6:30pm tipoff it's still bright as. but as long as the east are catered for re timing its ok

huh?

Im coming from work here (work in the CBD) I dont want it any later in the evening (hell I want it at 6). Its a great time!

Surely Perth get this.

Yes, the Cats really should win this one even without Damo.

Cats $1.31, Breakers $3.46

Seems fair.

Perth should get this and comfortably

Yeah Perth easily, wont be too many say ones against the Breakers once Webster is back though, so need to capitalise! I can't see the Breakers having the man power and if anyone gets foul trouble good night. Hope its exciting to watch but Perth will probs just grind it out as per usual...

Perth should get this one at home.
Cats by 13.

I'll be watching at the Perth Arenington Hoops House

Perth have confirmed that Martin is out.

Any news on Vukona?

Should be a very interesting game. Wildcats views, good points in your write up and Jawai is likely to feast on huge slabs of meat under the post. Someone bring a pepper grinder so he can have some cracked pepper. I'm expecting the refs will be sympathetic to Jawai.

Gee, you don't want to sound dire for the (Once were) Breakers, but a loss tonight definitely gets them playing off the back foot early.

However, one thing you Wildcats fans conveniently ignore is the fact that the Breakers are your bogie team. Yep, you can go all full of confidence, but that is like gatorade to the Breaker's thirst.

This is the Cats game to lose. Atua tiakina Zealand hou

Go Breakers!

Im pretty sure the Breakers-Perth Roadtrip is the biggest distance traveled to play a game of ball in any league in the world. It will certainly be interesting how teams like the Breakers and the Cats handle the new arrangement and its travel demands.

Thanks Jack. Look anything can happen. No one expected Townsville to beat the Kings last night. Wildcats still have to prove they can regularly hit the open three. If they miss those shots and Abercrombie and Bartlett hit their's, then they are a chance.
I wouldn't get too down though, even if they do drop this one. Corey Webster looks like coming back, he'll greatly improve the Breakers.

Jack toft you get worse every season!

Goulding's flopping is embarassing.

Wrong thread ^.

Perth play such a boring brand of basketball. Most grind out games this year will probably involve them.

Hack-a-Outback Shaq!

Perth are like those 90s Knicks squads... win or lose, it will not be fun to watch.

Maybe, but not now.

Kenney cant shoot can he? If we cant drive or play elite defence, why is he on team?

They weren't fun under Bevo...

Cats surely will run away with this one... cant believe breakers were this competitive.

Well, other than the result the Breakers take a lot more positives from that than the Cats do.

As long as Cedric stays healthy they look like they will be there at the business end again. Charles had his detractors during the Blitz but He's got some talent and is a good fit for their line up.

Only saw part of the game but I can't say Prather looks a good fit like Charles does.

Looking forward to seeing both these teams play more.

Great game, thoroughly enjoyed it. A lot of different players making big plays.

The NZ backcourt of Jackson, Webster and Bartlett looks nice heading further into the season. Perth 2-0 without Martin would have to be very happy, Kenny rock solid, such a patient point guard.

Charles Jackson has just been getting better and better with each game. When/if Pledger gets fit that's a quality centre combo. Concern for them is Wesley, who does some good things but his decision making has been poor this season.

I like Perth's versatility, as long as they keep hitting the three at a solid clip they'll be hard to beat. They don't rely on any one player, although offensively you could say Beal is pretty crucial.

I expect NZ will keep him.

Who will the breakers get rid of to fit everyone under the caps? I assume they would be on the maximum already?

This will be an interesting one, haven't followed them hard enough, anyone else playing really poor for them Bartlett could take over from. So many teams could use a guy who is a threat from deep, even the Crocs could use his style of play to add some depth to them.

Wildcats are boring as shit and they make every team they play against boring by extension. I respect the skill of some of their players (I think Beal is underrated in this league), but Jawai is the only guy I am watching too intently. I much preferred the Melbourne/Adelaide game.

Jawai certainly got some serious reaction when he scored both baskets, I'm not sure if that was frustrations from the fans but I think that he will be a cult hero in Perth and why not.

He will improve and so will the Wildcars, I think Kenny needs to be more decisive if he will shoot the three or not, it feels like he psyches himself out

Jawai certainly got some serious reaction when he scored both baskets, I'm not sure if that was frustrations from the fans but I think that he will be a cult hero in Perth and why not.

He will improve and so will the Wildcars, I think Kenny needs to be more decisive if he will shoot the three or not, it feels like he psyches himself out

I don't think NZ are near the points cap due to loyalty discounts. They might be able to renegotiate a deal or two to keep inside the salary cap with Bartlett.

Kenny is a quality guard. He is atleast on par with the best back up point guards in the league. Him and Prewster are two Kiwi's who have proven their worth in the league very quickly.

Kennys made that huge 3 in the clutch didn't hesitate on that one! Kiwis killing the Kiwis this round! Agreed, Perth still boring as hell, but Beal is legit and Jawai is interesting in everything he does. Prather is better than I thought, but still he doesnt look like a Cats import type... Would they trade him for Ebi haha

I'm surprised some people didn't enjoy that game. That was blow for blow with players making tough shots to beat good defence. I'd say that was my favourite game of the season so far.

Bartlett would be a better fit for Perth than say Hire. Or Jervis.

They'd be a better team if they made a change like that. But realistically as if it will happen.

Do Perth rely on Beal more than any team relies on anyone?

It's a totally different reason but it reminds me of the Tigers of 2013/14. They were a semi final team but Goulding played nearly 40 minutes a night. They didn't have many other scorers so they couldn't take him off! It's looking like No one else does what Beal can do for Perth.

I think they rely on the perceived threat that is Beal more than they rely on Beal producing each game.

Agree Paul. I watched most of the second half of NZ Perth and was enthralled. Melbourne game tonight had the odd highlight but on the whole it was a poor game.

Hey if he stays healthy it'll be fine.

Tigers won a championship with Braith Cox as a backup point guard!

(Although I suppose Tucker could have played point forward if the need arose. It just would have meant a bit of a reshuffle, pardon the Tigers pun).

Oh and to be clear at what I was getting at, the Tigers were really reliant on a 41 year old D-Mac who wound the clock back and played incredible ball that year.

Certainly wasn't a pretty game but I enjoyed it as a contest.
Jawai had a stinker but I'd like to think that was an exception to what he'll normally give us. I didn't feel like those big cheers from the crowd were ironic. They seem to love him already.
Not sure about the criticism here of Prather. I thought he was good value. And continued his streak that started in the preseason of clanging a huge dunk attempt off the ring. Glad he was ok after that ... I was crapping myself for a while when he wasn't getting up.

The Abercrombie alley, the Charles Jackson alley and Prather dunk. Would have been three of the plays of the season so far but all missed!

Holt's dunk went down tonight though :-)

Game night promo of the season to date must go to P&N Bank, who unwittingly provided around 5,000 cardboard frisbees to the crowd. I feel blessed to have defied the odds and exited the arena unscathed.

Be nice to see Shaq get the odd call - the holding was ridiculous at times

Prather showed some character with his hustle. He looks a little more in the Deandre Daniels mould than James Ennis, but atleast he gets after it when the coach gets into him.

Enjoyed that gane , was a bit ugly at times but some really good battles . Anyone know who the court side announcer was tonight . I thought he was really good.

Jawai is likely to feast on huge slabs of meat under the post. Someone bring a pepper grinder so he can have some cracked pepper. I'm expecting the refs will be sympathetic to Jawai.

Oy vey.

Glad that's over.

Should have known Bartlett was going to explode against us. Some amazing shooting by Abercrombie at times tonight.

You know you need another guard when...

Greg Hire is running Point!

Gees Louise we need Damo back.
I'm getting a bit worried when they said last week would be a "game night decision," and a week later its the same story.
Plus I wonder how he'll be when he does make it back? When Hire returned from his calf injury, late last season he basically couldn't jump.

I was reasonably impressed with Kenny. Considering he was brought in as backup PG, he does ok. Drained that clutch 3 in the dying minutes, and looked good running the ball.

I'm warming to Prather as a ROLE player. He runs the ball nicely, cuts the key well.
He really puts the SMALL in SF, but the good news is that Perth have the flexibility to put the bigger players out there when needed.
I just want to see him get on the end of some more fast breaks, that's where he could really do some damage.

And yes, if Beal gets injured, we might as well all go fishing.

I don't like the Prather/Knight/Jawai starting combo. Not enough floor spacing.

Also don't particularly appreciate the announcement post-game of the Melbourne-Adelaide result, given I hadn't watched it yet.

Kenny was fantastic last night purely because he perfected his role. He is a very good pick up for an NBL team.

Proud, I know you want Kenny to be more decisive when shooting the 3.

I think its great that he isn't going gun-ho. Hes one of the more intelligent players in the league and knows what he is capable of.

What I have found really creeping into the league is a lack of IQ and players not playing within their means.

Wesley, Vukona, Ced all jacking up threes when the stats suggest what they shoot way outside what could be a normal acceptable %. Its refreshing to have a guy who knows his role and knows what he can and can't do.

Id be concerned with Martin too, UNLESS they took the risk, saw how the Breakers played at Illawarra and figured they'd take their chances and get him 1 more games rest. Hopefully its the latter, not my favourite team, but anytime you play a rival your want them at full strength.

"When Hire returned from his calf injury, late last season he basically couldn't jump."

You say that like those 2 things are somehow connected ;)

Paul, i didn't like the game because from a Cats fan POV, it was lacking in effort and intensity from the home team in the first half. It was like they were walking through the offense at practice int he first half. Missed layups and free throws doesn't help either.

One play where Wagstaff tried an up and under in the post and it was incredibly slow, which results in the defender blocking his shot. Slowing the game done is one thing, actually moving in slow motion is another. Not a good way to get the crowd involved.

I think the Breakers bigs resorting to 3pt shooting was a strategy. They were trying to stretch the Perth bigs and get Jawai and Knight out of the paint and open up the driving lane for their guards.

It is not easy to score in the paint when you have two monsters parked in there like Perth does. You either have to put the ball on the floor and beat them with quickness or resort to jumpers.

Here's my take on the game - http://wildcatsviews.com/2015/10/17/recap-perth-wildcats-vs-new-zealand-breakers/

Warning, it's very long!

Crowd of about 11,500 last night. If they have 7,500 members then pretty good effort to sell 4000 seats, despite downthecorridor predicting that no one would buy any.

Don't think so.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/29772670/salesman-marvin-outlines-his-vision-salesman-marvin-outlines-his-vision/

Ok what is the deal with the website nbalivescorenow.com ??
They appear to take normal articles written in English and put them through a synonym generator or something. The results are pretty weird.
For example this Cats-Breakers game report


Kiwi local breaks Breakers' hearts
http://nbalivescorenow.com/?p=15222

"After a delayed start, Prather's charge and pushing valid critical, including a chest-pounding arrangement after creation a layup"

But at least Knight came in Adult Large.

It is, to do something through the back translation and Google, as this joke.