United won't lose this, new import Kidd is just what they need.

United by 14

Sorry Cairns but United getting down to business tonight for a double digit win

The open roof makes this a really awkward game to watch on TV... It looks blurrier than usual

United suck, getting beat down over the course of the season by a bog average team is pitaful considering how much they spend.

Well technically the more you spend the better team you should have. Its not just this season, united have for whatever reason struggled against Cairns when they have never really had a good team and that's mostly due to how restricted financially they are.

Cairns are not bog average, Kelly actually got this side firing very nicely. Three very good imports.

I'd say 2 good imports, newbell is just meh for mine.

100% agree Kelly has got the team playing above themselves and has totally embarrassed vickerman since leaving utd.

Newbell might be average but Newbill is a gun.

heat check

Is that kuany kuany on the 2nd row bench

Kenny is stealing money at this point... They'd be better off playing a development player over this spud.

Sad watching cairns slowly choke this away

Couldn't even get a shot up. Awful.

Should've been USF on McCarron if they were consistent.

Yeah Snakes

Kelly and for that matter Mitchell might be the reason United won the championship two seasons back, they have both done fine as head coaches where vickerman has struggled.

Pretty sad for Utd that they could not win it in their own gym with Cairns choking as hard as they did in the last 15 minutes.

"Kelly and for that matter Mitchell might be the reason United won the championship two seasons back, they have both done fine as head coaches where vickerman has struggled"

Settle down. Vickerman won championship with NZ. I'd say it’s more to do with a healthy Prather and Casper then Mitchell

Prather missed two thirds season when Melbourne won and NZ were star studded. United are spending more than anyone and can't bear Cairns.

Taipans gunning for top 3, Melbourne United better win the next game or they could slip down to 6th Place.

0 and 1 Jack toft

Vince should be looking over his shoulder right now.

I'm done with the 36ers, I’m all about the cairns train now! They play the game the right way.

united rob by refs. Why no usf call is mind blowing. Cost the game.

Which play should have been an USF?

United robbed by refs? What an oxymoron.

Did you watch the first half? Refs kept United close

As pitiful offensively as they were in the first half, it's Melbourne’s defence that is the glaring problem right now. Long takes only a passing interest in it, Trimble is getting better but still nowhere near where he should be and Goulding is laughably bad at it. McCarron and Ili work hard but they are on an island sometimes and their team systems just aren’t getting the job done. I know they held Perth down in Perth, but that was more due to the lack of execution by the Cats more than anything special United was doing. To me, it’s what stops United from winning a title. When it comes right down to it, they can’t get stops when they absolutely need them.

When we are going to put to bed the idea that Melbourne's expensive and star-studded line up is going to translate into success? Injuries aside, they still have a stacked team but haven't been able to get it together. They've got too many ball dominant players and their defence has been shocking in patches. Their record is indicative of not having the right balance in their squad.

They are stacked and they know it. Even the best teams the league has seen have dropped some games along the way. It is only natural for a group this talented to be complacent sometimes. All they need to do is win enough games to stay in the top 4 until Prather gets back and they will be just fine once the playoffs start. Even without Prather they will be the 2nd best team in the league by the end of the regular season. Acuil gets better every week and Kidd only just arrived so have some patience.

Prather won't play again this season. He’s done. Melbourne were offered a bunch of guys by agents but needed someone both available immediately and who would be on the roster for the rest of the season, including the playoffs. Kidd fit the bill.

Sounds like a few years ago when Perth almost missed the playoffs but then smashed through everyone once Prather returned near the end of the regular season.

Kelly done a great job, shown how smart he is. Put a young and fit side together that play attractive basketball.

Noi out out makes them more team oriented, he should comoff the bench when he returns.

Acuil gets better every week

Hahahahaha no he doesnt.

"It is only natural for a group this talented to be complacent sometimes."

Complacent enough to have a record barely above .500?

Talent is useless unless you have brains to go with it, Melbourne have some dumb and selfish players that are well overrated. The homicide talks up Long the more rubbish he plays.

Cg43 is a great shooter and he's Also great at .........?????

I've watched many games this year newbill is far away the most consistent I’ve seen along with creek .

"Cg43 is a great shooter and he's Also great at .........?????"

drawing fouls

fully recovering from serious in-game injuries

motivating teammates to play a certain way despite not playing that way himself

arousing dwayne russell

Yes it's good to see the parity in the league so close.
What utter dribble.

Sydney's bad is pretty bad to. They lost to Perth by almost 30 and bullets and cairns game to

Kings got injuries hasn't helped but yes all sides are definitely beatable.

I laugh when commentators and the public talk nba with bubbles he is so far off wouldn't even be a good training scrimmage player because defence . slow sideways movement and no athleticism .solid nbl shooter at best

Horrible slow defender that's defends the oppositions worst offensive player like teys damian Martian etc you will never see bubbles on newbell Casper randle Cotten etc educated people know this

Martian
Newbell
Cotten
Educated...

OK then.

Good to see the Taipans learning and improving every game.

Poor grammar but hard to argue with his or her points I noticed he never guards the good players either

"I don't think any team would want to play Cairns in a 3 game series, to tell you the truth. I'd much rather Sydney face Melbourne than Cairns in the semis or Finals."
I guarantee you that any team would much rather face Cairns than Perf or Sydney.
Besides, Cairns have no depth

Melb united compete with each for who will top score and have the best stats.
Check body language when certain guys dont get the ball