Melbourne by 2

Melbourne by 2 in a close, tight contest from start to finish.

These teams know each other well, it will be about who executes better down the stretch. United's starting 5 + Warrick is a great group to be able to use in that situation.

Having said all of that, the odds on NZ ($2.65 last I checked) are very tempting. I'm not gonna do it, cos naturally I want United to win, but I do believe NZ are a better chance than that.

"Having said all of that, the odds on NZ ($2.65 last I checked) are very tempting. I'm not gonna do it, cos naturally I want United to win"

Do it. Its win-win.

The insurance bet! Do it - either your team wins or the bookie pays for the consolation drink.

NZ by 7.

Should be a top contest.
I threw a few $$ on NZ purely because I think their price is good. In reality I'm finding it hard to tip a winner.

United by 16, They have been pretty good of late no reason they wont keep it up. Pledger is in doubt with a virus and Big CJ will get into foul trouble and have to sit on the bench. United need to go at Big CJ right away.

Breakers by 5

NZ by 5...extra bet- Goulding to cry about every call (but its only pay $1.01)

Hopefully NZ will carry some form into this and take the win. Corey Webster in Sniper mode.

Hard to get a read on both teams. NZ on a run but not against great opposition. Melbourne took their foot off the pedal, will that mean they come out fresh or flat? Should be a close one but I'm going with NZ's experience.

NZ out the gates early. Sharing the ball and locked in on d.

Breakers looking like, well, the Breakers.

NZ racing out of the blocks. Will see if this United team has ticker or is as I believe a team of flat track bullies.

United looking like, well, the Kings

Hell, Kings offense is more imaginative than Melbourne's I'd say. 80% of United possessions they don't seem to actually run anything outside of guys taking turns trying to penetrate from the perimeter.

This one's over.




(this quarter, that is)

That went really quickly.

Breakers V Warrick

Melbourne selected Breakers over Sixers. Probably thinking that just them the season

Oh hey, Blanchfield is still in the NBL.

Tomlinson is underrated. Really good PG.

Thing is, will United keep going to Warrick? Can Goulding, Holt, Blanchfield etc continue to feed him or will they resort to hero ball?

Seems harsh that Warrick can keep hooking but as soon as the Breaker bigs body him up a bit its a foul.

Warrick could have been a 25 and 10 player with more minutes. He literally creates a miss match with every other PF

"Breakers V Warrick"

NZB have stopped, and Warrick has hit the lead

Geez Warrick is a beast

Everytime i hear a United game all you ever hear is Goulding Goulding Goulding

Good to hear them showing love to Warrick.

They still lost the plot over that 3 by Goulding.

Awful 2nd quarter from NZ. They're suddenly in an ordinary position down 3 at the half, with Charles Jackson on 3 PFs and Vukona & Wesley each on 2.

Rucker on the Goulding layup "See Pledger has to put him on his backside there..can't allow the easy layup".

No but that's the problem..you do that these days and you're getting pinged for an unsportsmanlike.

"No but that's the problem..you do that these days and you're getting pinged for an unsportsmanlike."

Still worth it to smash Goulding

Charles Jackson fouls out in 6:17 of playing time

Hahahahahahahaha Melbourne. GO NZ!

It went down, but why is Webster shooting long step-back 2s with time on the clock...

Goulding is making a real name for him self with the douchy plays.

Haha who cares that the refs cant call a foul on a replay, nice work pinging Goulding

Love that play by Goulding, but his foot was out of bounds when he did that. Does that change anything? I don't even know.

Firstly not one of the three clowns saw Goulding grab Abercrombie's leg and place it out of court. Then they don't even know the fkn rule about replay use.

fwits

Refs in make-up call overdrive.

Karma for Gouldings flop earlier in the year i say

Let me repeat what I have posted in the past. How fkn dumb is a coach or team that passes the ball to CJ when the other team is in a fouling situation.

Hack-a-Ced 75% successful so far

Yep, must know that Melb are going to foul there. Idiotic to inbound to CJ.

It's happened a few times this year. Seriously any junior coach would know that you would never do this.

2nd best option for these fools, that's right...pass it to Vukona who shoots 50%

lol... nice work by Holt there.

The thing is the commentators go on about Goulding as if he is some out of this world freak.

Tonight he went something like 4/14(?) On 3s and 7/20 (?) FG with some stupid shot selection.

I asked the question would he keep going to Warrick or would he resort to hero ball..its clear what he decided.

And that's why no one wanted NZ to make the finals. What a terrific performance from the Breakers.

United have to win in NZ to keep the series alive... ouch.

Melbourne and Perth starting to regret not keeping NZ out lel

"2nd best option for these fools, that's right...pass it to Vukona who shoots 50%"

Yeah I had a major LOL at that, too.
To his credit he made both though.

Prepare your brooms, Breakers fans...

Great game by Vikona , set the standard early.

"And that's why no one wanted NZ to make the finals."

Damn right

Melb United choked, melb stink!

Monstered!

Real chance of UTD going out 0-2...

I think Demopoulos should've had the courage to sub in Majok for Kickert during that stretch in the fourth when the Breakers were killing them on the offensive glass.

^ Agree, was thinking similar...

Kickert was not doing either, scoring or rebounding!

Karma can be such a bitch.
At least Adelaide fans now have something to smile about.

Well done to the New Zealand national team

Yes, well done to NZ for defeating Victoria (a state with > 1 million more people than NZ)

@KET

"Melbourne and Perth starting to regret not keeping NZ out lel"

Would you mind explaining how Perth had a hand in keeping NZ in and the Sixers out of the playoffs??

NZ were beasts tonight.
Take out Warrick and CG43 and united lose by 30.

Damn, looks like the brooms are needed in Auckland!

Bye, bye United

Pffft. Toft is toss.

Perth could have tanked against the 36ers and Melbourne tried to actually beat NZ on one of the occasions.

If NZ beat Mel and Perth beat Hawks, Perth face up against NZ again, and they don't want it.

Right, so it's Perth or Hawks v New Zealand for the GF, Home court against NZ on the line, I believe, since they finished higher. That's one thing that in all of their playoff series so far Perth hasn't had. Could change some mentalities.

But I wonder if NZ would rather Perth get through than the Hawks?

I reckon they would prefer Perth. Hawks have given them problems, whereas they know they can deal with us.

Watched the whole first half but only caught small bits of the second half.

Based on the stats, it looks like Warrick kept dominating the game like he did in half one.

I guess after finals losses, it's fair to point the blame at individuals.

Holt must do more.

Kickert- he is an all NBL first team level player. But only at one end of the floor.(And he wasn't that tonight either). If you're a professional power forward, you can't play 33 minutes and get 2 rebounds. It's just not good enough.

"Perth could have tanked against the 36ers and Melbourne tried to actually beat NZ on one of the occasions."

You do realise that at the Sixers @ Perth game, even if Perth tanked, Sixers would still be 5th?

Even if the Utd beat NZ, Sixers would still miss the playoffs due to the split with NZ.

I find it really odd that you would lay the blame on Perth and Melbourne, yet not ask :

- Why didn't the Sixers protect home court against the Brakers? OR at the least lose by less than 16 points to preserve the split? How hard is it to not lose by 16 at home?

- Why didn't the Sixers beat Illawara?

- Why didn't the Sixers win @ Perth?

Why is it that you think that the rest of the league owes the Sixers a playoff spot?

Entitled much?

What's with all the "swap the" comments???
The better team on the night won (as usually happens.) Yes that team includes the players (surprise surprise) and to some extent the coach. Doh!

Melbourne make their bed when they through the first game, and complacently thought that HCA would carry them through the next couple.

Perth dropped a game to the spooners, it didn't effect anyone, then gave themselves a good hitout against Adelaide.

Melbourne not only allowed NZ to lock-down 4th spot, but gave them two massive confidence boosts, whilst at the same time undermining their own. Epically stupid move, and whoever is responsible for that strategy should be looking for a new job.

At the same time, once again credit to NZ. They have again got their shit together at the pointy end of the season, and shown that they can win the games that need to be won.

Getting ahead of things a bit here, but IF it does come down to a Perth v NZ final, I would give both teams a good chance. Perth would have HCA, which gives them a shot. However Perth really struggle to win in NZ, I would put money on that game going NZ's way. Whereas NZ have been very competitive in Perth. Perth should win, but NZ taking 1 of 2 games in Perth is a possibility.

Frankly, I think it would suck to see the NZ ("national team") win their 5th flag in 6th years, but you can't deny their professionalism.

The "national team" slur, has some validity, but it is what it is. That potential has existed from the moment they were allowed into the NBL, and the only way around it is to foster more teams from NZ. Bitching about it doesn't alter reality.

The Breakers academy turned development players into guys who are first choice players for the tall blacks.
No other team in the league has a development program close to the Breakers.
NZ's import selection has been fairly solid also.

Great win but they need to back it up at Vector on Saturday against a United team with their backs to the wall.

Marcus Camby, you completely missed the point, it shot wayyyyyyyyyyyy over your head.

It's not about the 36ers deserving a spot, it's that Melbourne and Perth would rather face the 36ers because the 36ers are easier to beat. They had the opportunity to fix it to keep NZ out of the 4 and they didn't. Therefore, if they both end up losing, that's the point of the "starting to regret".

Those are two completely different propositions and you just went on a tangent on one that wasn't being discussed. Nice work wasting your time.

"National team players include

Abercrombie
Webster
Vukona

And ocassionaly bartlett if needed"

You left out Pledger and TeRangi.

All of those players were also Breakers DP's

"Take out Warrick and CG43 and united lose by 30."

Take out Warrick and they lose by 30 - yes. No way Goulding deserves to be mentioned in that same sentence.

See this is what is wrong, people buy into the CG hype because he hits some ridicolous shots but peolple (especially the commentators who lose their minds over CG) need to look at the individual game stats more closely - the fact of the matter is that Goulding went 4/14 from the 3 last night and 7/21 from the Field.

If anything, if Goulding didn't resort to taking such ridicolous shots in that 2nd half and he fed the ball into Warrick they would have stood a better chance of winning.

I do tend to agree that Cedric and Corey, while also taking some crazy shots, play with a little more sacrifice for the team than Goulding.

However last night when he needed to stand up, Holt went missing for too long and this partnership wasn't as effective as the NZ guard duo.

Then you have to factor in the cameos, Bartlett made shots and that kept NZ handy from the outside while Pedger covered Jackson being fouled out and of course Vukona was awesome...

I'm with MACDUB.

Until Goulding learns to be ruthless in his approach and focus on his shots instead of his hair and sucking in refs, and becomes more of a team player, he'll always just be a player with potential for me. Sure, he's shown some great skills and exciting plays, but I still reckon he's way short of how good he COULD be.

He reminds me too much of Carmelo Anthony - very talented and exciting but a selfish git who wouldn't pass or defend hard.

I didn't see the game but can someone tell me what the go was with Odigie?

The stats show he subbed on in the last minute of the first half, fouled a few secs later and subbed out, In the last few seconds of the game he subbed on, fouled a few secs later and was subbed out again,

What was the context?

In my earlier post I pointed the finger at Holt and Kickert. But some blame must go to Demopoulos too. Why wait so long to call a timeout in the first quarter?

Once United steadied, they did a fine job of getting back into the game (or should I say Warrick did a fine job of getting them back in the game). But they were clearly rattled at the start like a deer in the headlights. Why wait so long to call TO?

Fundamentally though, looking forward to game 2:

I think United have an issue with their bigs.

- Kickert is a below average defender- he doesn't get low enough and doesn’t move well enough laterally. He isn’t physical enough- and isn’t quick enough in getting across to help. Basically he’s a poor defender. But his biggest problem is this: He has no presence on the boards whatsoever. This is a massive issue when you’re playing against perhaps the most physical and tough team in the league, led by one of the toughest guys around, in Vukona. NZ massacred MU on the glass last night, and Kickert is the biggest culprit in letting this happen.

- So my inclination is to bench Kickert. If you’re gonna play 33 minutes and grab 2 rebounds, then you don’t get another 33 minutes.

- But- then you have Majok and Warrick playing together. Warrick was the best player on court last night, but he does his best work in the low post and around the hoop. With Kickert on, it allows the spacing to let Warrick isolate his man in the low post. Kickert helps spread the D so when Warrick rolls to the hoop or cuts baseline, there’s space for him to use his athleticism. With Majok on court we’d have another guy playing near the hoop, which could cause congestion in the lane and make it tougher for Warrick to have another similar impact like last night. Even if Majok steps 12 feet away from the hoop, his defender will hedge because he’ll know Majok isn’t a threat to hit a 12 foot jumper. Which will make it more difficult for Warrick...

Having said the above, if I was Demopoulos I’d still give more time to Majok and less to Kickert. (Last night, Kickert got 33 minutes and Majok got 15). This might be detrimental offensively, but MU needs rebounding and defense right now. Majok plays physical defense, and he’s the best rebounder in the competition. If Holt can get going, it’ll help counter Kickert’s absence on the offensive end.

And late in the game he went in for Kickert I believe, then out for him as a planned substitute from what I saw.

LV, would you consider playing Kickert in the three, Holt and Goulding as the guards and Majok with Warrick to try and cause miss-matches?

I can't remember UTD trying this combination...

Warrick clawed them back in that 2nd quarter and for a bit of the third, then they resorted to their usual style and it went haywire.

If they went back to Warrick time and time again (as you're taught if something is effective keep going at it):

1. He scores; or
2. He draws fouls and gets Weasley and Vukona out of the game.
3. He scores and draws foul.

They went with Goulding and other perimeter shooters who did neither.

I have also been critical of UTD's game plan being the 3 ball first and obviously when they are hitting those shots they look hard to catch.

But in the finals, shooters can tighten up, so you do need those interior options for balance.

This is where the Hawks have it over UTD I believe, especially as their two bigs are very effective in the post. Perth are very strong in the post and last night we saw what the Breakers offer inside.

Seems to be something coaches are keen to exploit, the three ball shooters, and something the game pretends is the 'way to go', but I have always subscribed to the theory that your outside game comes after you try and establish the inside game.

Call me old fashioned like that, but UTD have a huge mountain to climb in a very short time now...

Am I the only one who doesn't like Melbourne United's coach? I just think he's a bit....

...not aiight?

Abercrombie's speed and athleticism would kill Kickert at the 3 and he could defend him on the perimeter. If Melbourne go big NZ can put Vukona onto Warrick and run Pledger and Jackson in tandem.

I'm surprised people aren't bringing up the whole Tai Wesley essentially being a 3rd import thing now that he's proving to be a consistent player.

Hawks may have something to say about that tonight, but it is a possibility anon^...