Breakers fan here, will watch and cheer for them but I think United too strong here.

The West Island, I'd be happy with that. Melbourne by 15.

Levi Randolph not available until 4th April due to quarantine. Will McDowell-White available 29th March.

So a couple of weeks yet, also this is just their availability, there are not guaranteed to be starting etc.

Probably somewhere between 1500 and 2K I'd suggest. Bendigo love their hoops

"It's a Breakers home game"

It's another United home game, I don’t care what the NBL calls it. The breakers have no home games this season.

Anyway, United by 15+. Breakers seriously undermanned.

^its like they're not even trying to hide the bias anymore.

Does this mean NZB get the profit from the ticket sales etc?

You would hope so.

Zodiac SEM can get more spectators under COVID restrictions at John Cain than they can at SBC you moron. Its called maximising your opportunities. Gee some people are blind dumb.

Who's home game is it at the Silverdome then?

When Tai Webster is a distributor first and a scorer second the Breakers look much, much better.

Landale is seriously overrated & one of the worst defenders I've ever seen.

Melbourne has a great defensive backcourt, but you know their front court is weak when the Breakers are going to town down low.

Yes, Landale with out White covering holes has looked suspect defensively. Landale offensively he very good, I'm not seeing nba though.

Abercrombie's been an elite athlete in this league and always a good defender, but there’s been times this season where he has been incredible. Goulding is locked down.

McCarron is not a point guard.

Let the ball go through hands and United struggle defensively. Again games are not won by names on paper.

Melbourne won't win the title if McCarron is the point guard. He doesn’t have the instincts for it.

If the Breakers continue to control the glass (never happens) and keep turnovers low (never happens) Melbourne is getting blown out.

I think White was making Landale look very good.

I'm a big fan of Iverson. He’s a big reason Corey Webster was so efficient offensively prior to going down. But the refs aren’t a fan of him. And unlike Brandon Ashley, I don’t think it’s a case of him not adjusting. Our refs are just terrible at reffing big, strong men.

Can't wait for LV to ruin this thread later on with his excuses

Sub Landale off.

Nz stopped passing the ball missed easy shots and Iverson in foul trouble opened the door.

LV will also not mention that crazy phantom call on iverson

And without fail a terrible call on Iverson and the tech to probably end the Breakers night. Does anyone else get frustrated the way these guys get called? Jawai's good for a few fouls every round because someone tiny runs into him and comes off worse.

No home cooking here. United doing well to have a 5-0 foul count on the road.

The Breakers should just go home and end their season. It's a tough night with the calls but it’s been like that every game. Refs are very petty towards them while Vickerman and Goulding moan with impunity.

Is lv doing a timestamp of all the fouls United are getting here? We all know he's not biased....

Did they just call an offensive foul call on a catch!?

Saying he pulled the shirt, Webster has done nothing but dribble the ball in the second half and cost nz big time,

So landale didn't travel??? Hmm

Gotta feel for the Breakers. Refs did them in. I don't agree with Webster over dribbling. Melbourne got mega physical which disrupted the Breakers getting into their sets. A lot of hand checking and holding.

Trist does great on Landale and Webster jumps in the air to let Ili get a lay up. Webster is horrible.

Yep feel for breakers but they shot themselves in both feet. Stupid back chat by Iverson starting it. Refs didn't help though. Landale so overrated on any one that’s bigger than him.

It's been like this all season. Breakers sacrificed so much just to take part in the league this year, and this is the treatment we get.

Bro, Landale couldn't score on Trist. That’s the first time this season I’ve seen Trist guard someone competently.

No matter what sport you play if you get stuck into refs it goes against you, you can talk and question but do it with a bit of respect even through gritted teeth. Nz have had it tough and it's starting to show, hopefully they can get a few games at home.

United are overrated and I can't wait for them to lose to Perth in the finals.

United fans will be thankful for the 3 points. But against any other team (or perhaps any other reffing crew) and they're getting blown out. No way they’re contending.

In any normal season, I'd agree that refs will hit you harder when you chat. But in the context of the season, the situation the Breakers are in, the players they’ve got missing and how hard they’re trying just to survive it is absolutely petty behaviour by professional referees to lose their cool and go after a team. The Breakers were tech’d 3 times, including Abercrombie who I don’t think has ever been t’d in his career. If I was reffing I’d take a deep breath and explain why I made a call or not a call, and ask the player to move on. This league has been on the up in so many areas for a few years now but the reffing leaves a lot to be desired.

^the reffing is actually getting worse. I didn't think that was possible, but it’s true.

The refs were not great but nz went back to hero ball in the second half, you could hear their coach telling them in the time outs. Team work wins games.

#925 what a joke this post is. Just the utter crap about Abercrombie. The guy has got saltier as his career has progressed and gets close to double figure technical each season. Never had a tech in his career, oh my goodness

" gets close to double figure technical each season. Never had a tech in his career, oh my goodness"

I'll donate $100 to a charity of your choice if you can fact check and provide a source that Abercrombie gets close to double figure technicals each season.

It's a closer reality to never being T’d in his career

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRrVnjovHU

NBA do it so much better

Dig lv, just dig. By the time your done we will have an underground trade route to China. That could be handy actually.

#952 yes his arm came down, and hit the ball.

his arm came down, and hit the ball.

It was a tough call on Iverson but still a foul, Iverson 3rd and 5th fouls were stupidity, tech for bad mouthing and whacking a player outside the three point line through reaching when no need to.

#958 the baseline camera shows it clearly

While there was some ref shenanigans, I would like to appreciate that some guys from the Breakers showed some great improvement last night in Bach, Trist and Weeks.

Didn't see Bach losing his man defensively ad much, weeks shot decently and Trist defended under the post pretty well considering who he was up against. I just feel Trist needs to give a bit more offensively still, doesn't seem to contest rebounds or screen as effectively as they need him too, but still defensively much improved.

Still waiting for the stats on the Tom Abercrombie technicals... Yes, the guy moans when called for a foul (what player doesn't in this league?!), but he is never impolite, rude or unprofessional.

I think Iverson had a right to be frustrated. It wasn't just last night he had some borderline calls against him. It's been all season long where he has great position and is a model of verticality, and the refs just can't call it right. This isn't just a problem with Iverson or other imports, Jawai has had the issue and Bogut prior to retirement would sometimes be called for soft calls too. The refs anticipate fouls on big men.

#999 you can blame Daniel Johnson and players who whinge and complain every single time down the court, flailing his arms and bitching at the ref relentlessly. DJ even quits in the middle of play, forcing the ref to either call the foul or a violation on him. There is a reason why he shoots so many free throws, and legit bigs in the league such as Iverson are hurting as a result.

Hodgson is another who gets punished more than he really should, but he does make some bone head plays too. But seeing him play unimpeded by foul trouble, like we saw in the NBL Cup, is a sight to see.

Bigs are punished in this league on the defensive end. It's just the way it is called.

Trist was reasonably good, again in my opinion showing the plus minus stat to be worthless.

He get's plenty

"I think Iverson had a right to be frustrated. It wasn't just last night he had some borderline calls against him. It's been all season long where he has great position and is a model of verticality, and the refs just can't call it right. This isn't just a problem with Iverson or other imports, Jawai has had the issue and Bogut prior to retirement would sometimes be called for soft calls too. The refs anticipate fouls on big men."

This is exactly it, it's not just this season, it’s every season. For years every import big the Breakers bring in has the same issues. These are players that have been all over the world and not had significant foul issues before, then suddenly they get to the NBL they’re getting fouled out every other game. The NBL refs are the problem.

Man that first game the Breakers had against Adelaide was crazy where they had the DPs on in the first half was crazy. Adelaide did well to bring it back and make it competitive.

"Trist was reasonably good, again in my opinion showing the plus minus stat to be worthless."

His on-ball defence was fine. But he isn't a great rebounder and he doesn't set good on-ball screens. That's the +/- difference for you in a nutshell.

Abercrombie is one of the best and most gentlemanly players over the last ten or so seasons. Some people are just ignorant.