Yeah, the season has started with some blow ups, but so what? When teams figure eachother out a bit more the games will become closer. Always has to be some "the world is over" moron.

Oh it's all over isn't it, anonymous? The NBL is done for. There has been some blow outs, so it is over. It can't be repaired. Round three, and blow outs. Oh, no. Oh no. Someone get him his athsma medication. .

Yeah, the league needs to be more competitive if it's going to be successful. Like the AFL!

Crocs are going to get smashed by everyone, so what? Kings and 36ers will be tight.

All the use of the capital letters makes me think you need too chill. The league is great, the playing pool is deep the close games will come.

I think we have different definitions of blowout. The games I've seen have been competitive even if the final result has been 10-15 points. Wouldn't have thought that more than 2-3 have been blowouts.

And anything including Sydney has to factor in Childress being out.

Good show? LOL...36ers won by 11?

Did you actually watch the game? It was a 2-point game at the start of the 4th after Cairns went on an 11-0 run in the third to cut the gap.
Meh, I'm debating with an idiot..

I don't know too much about the AFL over here in NZ but it seems like just about every AFL game is a blowout.

OP has a different definition of blow out to every single other person in the Universe.

Ergo, no, I doubt Fox will drop the NBL due to all of the blow outs.

This thread is getting way more attention than it is worthy of

Hey OP... Here's some year 2 maths for you. If I have $88, and buy something for $79, how much change do I get?
Hint: it isn't $11.

What proves the standard of the league is the guys coming off the bench.

Warrick, Wortho, Ere, Redhage, etc.

#178 is also a moron.

#178 is the original OP for sure, Maybe lost money on the line or something.

So by "blowout" you mean allowing the refs to take charge and change the game.

Congrats on the post that is all bullshizen

Looking at the ladder it looks pretty competitive to me with two outliers at either end. Actually, come to think of it OP, perhaps that is the first place you should have looked before saying something silly?

11 points is a blow out?

LMFAO

This guy has been posting in every thread trying to drum up negativity about the league, he's not getting much support so he starts his own thread, and doesn't get any support!

In terms of the dreadful dreads. Stats are what's currently on the FIBA site.

Marcus Thornton: 13.8 PPG (13th in league, 3rd amongst imports)
Jordair Jett: 12.6 PPG (18th in league, 6th amongst imports)
Charles Jackson: 11.2 PPG (25th in league, 8th amongst imports) plus 8.2 RPG

Last season's MVP on a team without much scoring competition is averaging 13.6 PPG, 14th in the league.

Tough for an import to assert himself when there are capable locals around like Penney, Khazzouh, Kickert, Ogilvy, Blanchfield, Johnson, Goulding, Gliddon, etc.

Wrong thread I think Isaac, but I would say look deeper at the amount of shots Thornton is taking and at what percentage, and his assist to turnover ratio. He is struggling badly, but as a rookie it's not easy on a team that hasn't functioned that well the past three games.

paul, was responding to this comment further up:

The dredds imports are terrible.

Good show? LOL...36ers won by 11?

Another blow out.

"His 3P% is same as Cedric's."

Arguing against yourself there Isaac! One's a non-passing shooting guard and the other's the number one playmaker in the league.

Thornton has been the most disappointing new import in the league for mine. (Except McNeill due to injury).

It's all about expectations. Thornton was an NBA draft pick, and has had a golden opportunity to step up in the absence of Childress. But has struggled. Still, I think the diversion of attention to Childress will help. Thornton does seem to be getting better.

At least Starks came from div 2 Italy, so no one would've really expected a new Wilbekin.

Thornton seemed to discover that he can actually attack the basket from time-to-time against NZ, so I'm hoping he keeps that up.

and the other's the number one playmaker in the league

Re: blowouts. Is there any link to these "blowouts" and the time the losing team in the blowout has had between games compared to the winner? I'm not agreeing with OP about blowouts but if a by-product of this compressed/five nights a week schedule is seeing fatigued teams not being competitive against fresh teams, then it isn't a good outcome.

Are you suggesting maybe a team like Melbourne United may have fixed the draw and that's helped them with so many home games early on?

Kind of obvious that someone will benefit from home games in a row until every team adjusts, definitely would be a factor I would think...

I wasn't suggesting anything about any specific team and I didn't mention home games at all. I'm saying that we're all thinking that its great to be seeing so many games per week, but if the quality of games drops off later in the week because teams are playing more frequently in a shorter season, then it isn't a good thing.

I don't know if that is the case or not so thats why I asked.

The schedule would benefit some teams more than others, but it isn't as simple as time between games I wouldn't think.

Many causal factors can be included, but these will be compounded by a heavy schedule that hurts some teams more than others.

Travel would be just as damaging to a team as a lack of time to recover properly, remember the distance these guys have to go for games is often massive.

Everyone has to accommodate this tight new schedule but especially early on it is obvious some teams have it a little easier than others, and some will adapt quicker too I imagine...

I think there have only been four real blowouts of the 16 games so far. In contrast, there have been six or seven where the result has been in doubt deep into the last quarter.

"Who keeps shooting threes!"

And who averages more assists per game than Thornton has for the season. Comparing the two is silly mate, sorry!

Is the league competitive? After nine games all eight teams already had a win. Judge for yourself.

Bear, I still think you're missing the point. I'm not saying any teams have an easier draw. I'm saying that playing more games in less time may seem like a great win for fans, but not if it means that the quality of games will suffer if one team is playing its third game in 5 nights while their opponent has played just the one.

Yes, that will even itself out across the season but its that actual game where one team is heavily fatigued that will suffer and that may result in more blowouts.

I am actually agreeing with you in essence, but also making my own point mate...

Quality of the games wont fall away i dont reckon just to put my 2 bobs in... more games only 40mintes and less training is what it really means. The players in the league I know are a lot happier with more games and less training haha

Ok fair enough, I thought you were misconstruing what I was saying.

As Kobe said, more games, less training should ultimately result in better basketball, including (hopefully) better FG% as players become more accustomed to playing for real.

I can shoot 90% FT in my backyard but put me in a game situation and I'd probably drop back to an ordinary 50%.

One school of thought says that more games means less preparation and scouting, and running a deeper bench. That can mean more times when the best players are facing off against the weakest.

Less scouting and a greater player disparity in isolated plays should theoretically mean more entertaining play.

I think the league has been competitive for sure, but I don't know about the quality of basketball overall.

Turnovers are very, very high - there's been a couple of games where there's collectively been more than 50 - and a lot of games become grinds. Shooting percentages overall have been low as well.

Good if you like defensive basketball I guess but sometimes the spectacle hasn't been great. That said, it is early in the season and I'd expect it to even itself out over time.

That's true Isaac, but the schedule this year is only one round shorter than last season, so I doubt there's any real change.

Townsville in Perth.

/thread

So, anon...... with a win for the Crocs over Perth, how uncompetitive is the league?

If it hasn't already been called, I am officially calling it, OP you have been exposed as a troll, sorry just calling it as I see it...

No way is the NBL noncompetitive, more like one of the most competitive leagues I have seen in a long time, great stuff tonight, just awesome!

Dare I say it again, Happy Days in NBL land.....

"I could only imagine what is going to happen tomorrow night when the Crocs go to Perth."

Quote from the OP. I don't think you could have imagined, sir.

Just goes to show, even really close games can be absolute SHIT.

Yet another 11 point NBL blowout tonight. Will this league ever give us a tight contest?

What about the 2 point blow out between Townsville and Perth? I mean, that game was completely done with and over with half a second left on the clock!

Wasn't 2 points Mark.
Final score 63-66 = 11 point shellacking.

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Just goes to show, even really close games can be absolute SHIT.

x2!

might be speaking for a lot of other non-Wildcats fans too when I say this, but I found it highly entertaining!

Cats were messy after 1/4 time but the Crocs were good. I didn't think they could beat Perth in a slowdown game but their halfcourt execution at both ends was impressive in those final three quarters.

Not fussed about it being messy when an underdog is coming back to beat Perth in Perth. ;)

I didn't enjoy the result and the final few minutes but it can't be a bad thing for the league to have a result like last night.

I was a tad drunk and the only thing I can remember is Beal not scoring in the final quarter. Not even sure he got a decent shot off so full credit to the Crocs for shutting him down.

Agreed, SC.
When our offence was breaking down possession after possession, and I'm looking at who's on the floor and wondering where our next points were going to come from, all I could really come up with was Beal. I didn't even notice him getting a break last night, but as I look now I see he "only" played 38:55.

The Crocs were right to put a lot of effort into keeping the ball out of his hands and slowing him down when he had it. Pretty basic stuff I guess, but they did it effectively.

Anon^ seriously I am over your idiotic posts and this thread, please go away!

We weren't missing 3 of our starting 5. We were missing Martin & Prather, so that is 11 of our starting 5.

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