Players that dont play with each other could be worse. I think if we play bad nba teams like the suns it is likely to be closer, more often, but you probably want to play good teams

Aka an NBA team v Taipans

Got in quick, J.

It is pre-season though so teams aren't as fluent as they would normally be anyway

NBL All-star idea might help counter depth issues, but chemistry and lack of identity will make it boring. To counter depth, I'd prefer a tag-team with 2 NBL teams vs 1 NBA team.

The current setup is best. NBL teams can always introduce ring-ins like United did last year.

Can't see it happening, sorry - we are too far behind in skill, athleticism and entertainment value. Where we have an advantage is in teamwork, hard work, and we play a different style of game to what NBA players are used to.

FWIW, I think our results weren't too bad - we can certainly compete with the lower NBA teams:
Melbourne United v Philadelphia 76ers 84-104, with the NBA team cruising for most of the game
Perth Wildcats v Utah Jazz 72-130, ditto
Sydney Kings v LA Clippers 91-110, in a game that was closer than the scoreboard suggests
NZ Breakers v Phoenix Suns 86-91, ditto
Melbourne United v Toronto Raptors 82-120, where Raptors were missing significant stars and Melbourne competed but were outclassed
Perth Wildcats v Denver Nuggets 88-96, where Cotton scored 33
Adelaide 36ers v Utah Jazz 99-129, where Sobey scored 25

People are talking quite disparagingly about the concept after today, which is surprising. Perth gave Denver a close one, Adelaide was there for 40 minutes, and Melbourne... well yeah... Melbourne sucked. But we have four games this series - Sydney, New Zealand, Perth's Second, and Adelaide, that were particularly competitive and very useful for both the leagues and teams involved. Why do we need to change what we're doing? I'd say last few games have justified the format, win or lose.

I had some full on NBA guys watching the Adelaide game and telling me they plan to catch more Sixers games now. Isn't that the kind of thing this is all about in the end?

The idea of pre season is for teams to find form leading inri the season. Changing anything to an all nbl or all nba team would be horrible as it doesnt help the teams get ready for a season.

Cotton
Randle
Hall
Wiley
Bogut

Ware
Webster
Goulding
Wesley
Boone

Regardless of the chemistry, that team is a problem. I feel like it'll be a fun match-up. NBA teams are taking our teams out of their comfort zone anyway. This NBL team offers a bunch of bailout options and there is playmaking in numerous positions.

Then again, our best players are imports and the point is to sell Australia, so could defeat the purpose

26 years ago I could only dream of Australia getting within 30 points of a USA Olympic team comprising NBA superstars, now we talk of possible miracle wins.

NBL teams playing against NBA teams and getting with single digits was also a flight of fantasy, now I am watching in hope an NBL team might actually beat an NBA team as inconceivable that might seem.

We love this game for the escapism and Larry Kestelman and his team are making dreams a possible reality.

Keep it going, I find it more inspiring to see our teams giving their best against the best than watching teams from other Asia/Oceania competitions getting smashed by NBL teams in pre-season games.

I would love to see a few mini-tournaments before our season, each consisting of 2 or 3 NBA teams, 1 Euro team and 1 NBL team, playing some round-robin games and then a final between the top 2 teams.

That way, we'd have time to find our feet, play at least 2 NBA teams and maybe a top Euro team.

Remember lads, this is not about NBL teams beating NBA teams, although would be nice and might happen once in the next ten years if we played multiple games each year, this is about boosting the visibility and strength of the NBL "product", nothing more, nothing less IMO.

Every time LK mentions the league now his buzz word is “product”. It's all about making the league as financially strong and successful through marketability, sponsors, tv rights etc etc.

"Even with imports these games are blowouts, most of them.
Ditch the imports to showcase Aussie talent.
"

Yeah, why don't we just throw out a SEABL team? The imports help make the NBL what it is. If you can't appreciate imports, you don't like the NBL, period.

"Ok, from a reasonable sample now, we've established that on balance, the NBA teams are 30 - 40 points better. Not going to change anytime soon. No need for any more games, just flogging the point."

Most games have been lost by less than that. And I don't think you see the point of the games in the first place, so of course you think it's flogging the point. The point was never to figure out how much worse than the NBA we are, but I'll allow you to figure out for yourself what the point actually is.

"To truly expand why not have an Australian team in the NBA, similar to Toronto/NBA or New Zealand/NBL.
The NBA could expand to have an Asian Pacific team, African, European and Russian."

Why not catch a herd of unicorns and race them as well while you're at it?

"
NBL teams playing against NBA teams and getting with single digits was also a flight of fantasy, now I am watching in hope an NBL team might actually beat an NBA team as inconceivable that might seem.

We love this game for the escapism and Larry Kestelman and his team are making dreams a possible reality.

Keep it going, I find it more inspiring to see our teams giving their best against the best than watching teams from other Asia/Oceania competitions getting smashed by NBL teams in pre-season games.

"

Yep, whether or not NBA plays benches or not, it would have been inconceivable but the games be in any way competitive not that long ago, now we're winning quarters, doing certain tangible things better, I don't think anyone can genuinely say that our results have not improved from year one to year two.

"This series has been a resounding success and again underlined the enormous strength of the NBL and Australian basketball," NBL owner Larry Kestelman said.

I think that's an accurate summary. Replicate the success of the current model and look for incremental ways to improve on it. Don't even think about blowing it up and doing something totally different.

many times i often thought about 48 minute nbl games ...because my team , the adelaide 36ers were pretty deep and 40 minutes ....not enough....
now our bench is weak ....so 40 minutes would be sufficient.....

actually i would like to see just one (1) game nba v nbl next preseason at 40 minutes... would be kinda interesting to watch ... in particular 36ers who go uptempo then were fatigued last qtr of their game.....
although jazz started slowly then go going .. still , just one game to see it at 40minutes....

some sports play shorter games in preseason.... i just wanted to see a little bit more of deng drmic moore etc. previously... finding minutes was pretty hard ,then

48mins on their turf that's fine with me.
If ( a big if) an NBA team came here then they would play 40mins.

Maybe we should ask for teams comprised of only G-League and 2-way players, but branded as their NBA affiliate, to come over here and play.

That way it would be a good experience for everyone.

One thing is for certain for most of the people on here:
1. This is the year that Perth don't make the finals and the end of Gleeson, and
2. Sixers won’t make the finals.

End of the year, reality will hit. Sixers and Perth making up the four and hoops posters dusting off their comments ready to repeat their predictions for 19/20 season.

Would be very interesting.