Round 4 is the first five-game round of the 2016-17 NBL Season, and with the ladder starting to space out a fraction, the pressure on certain teams to hit form is building, while others are looking to extend their lead.
The blockbuster clash of the round will see the league-leading Sydney Kings host the Brisbane Bullets on Sunday afternoon for the second time this season.
The Bullets, while being a little up and down so far this season are the only team to have beaten Sydney yet, albeit in Round 1 when the Kings looked a little lost.
It will also mark the first game of former NBA guard Steve Blake in the purple and gold, and a big crowd is expected at Homebush – potentially more than what we saw in Round 1.
For the Bullets, who sit third, it’s a huge game as they attempt to build some breathing room between them and the bottom four and make a statement about what sort of game they want to play.
Simply put, the Kings have been clinical so if the Bullets can’t be consistent and put things together it could be a long 40 minutes for them.
Before that, though, the round will kick off with the Cairns Taipans playing their first game of the season. For a side that hasn’t had a win yet they have played some remarkably good basketball at times, but against Melbourne, it will be a whole new challenge.
Illawarra then get the chance to aim for revenge against the Wildcats back on their home court after being beaten pretty convincingly last Friday.
On Saturday, all eyes will be focused on Auckland as the New Zealand Breakers get the chance to right some wrongs and build a bit of form against the 36ers, who will be without Mitch Creek in what is a massive game for the club.
For the Breakers, it is imperative they defend their home floor. With the amount of travel being done, they struggled to win in Australia last year and early signs this season indicate things won’t be good.
Containing Jerome Randle will be pivotal to their chances here, but the 36ers will also be looking to build form after they swept past the Taipans last weekend.
The round closes out on Sunday night when the Hawks host the Taipans in a battle of the two bottom sides in the competition, a match where both sides will be looking for a confidence-building win in what should be a high-scoring encounter.
Fixtures (times AEDT)
Cairns Taipans vs Melbourne United at Cairns Convention Centre (Thursday, 7:30pm – live Fox Sports 503)
Illawarra Hawks vs Perth Wildcats at WIN Entertainment Centre (Friday 7:30pm – live Fox Sports 503)
New Zealand Breakers vs Adelaide 36ers at Vector Arena (Saturday 5:30pm – live Fox Sports 503)
Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets at Qudos Bank Arena (Sunday 3pm – live Fox Sports 503 and SBS)
Illawarra Hawks vs Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre (Sunday 7pm – live Fox Sports 503)
My tips
United by 8
Hawks by 6
Breakers by 12
Kings by 15
Hawks by 2 (OT)
Lock of the week: The Breakers to look somewhere near their best at home
The New Zealand Breakers have had what can only be described as a very disappointing start to their season.
After three rounds, they sit in sixth position on the table, with only a single win from their four games.
While the Breakers have at times given up glimpses of what they are capable of, for the most part, the first few weeks of the season have been disastrous.
Their single win came in unconvincing fashion against Melbourne United in Round 1, and they have struggled to stay in contests since, being outplayed at both ends of the floor.
But the glimpses they have shown should bring them back into proceedings back on their home floor, and that must start this weekend when they take on the Adelaide 36ers.
The 36ers are missing one of their most pivotal players in star captain Mitch Creek, yet they have found a way to beat both the Brisbane Bullets and Cairns Taipans without him.
If the Breakers don’t get it right this time, though, then the season is really going to be starting to slip for them, even though we are only a month in.
With a lot of travel and plenty of games coming through the middle of the season, this is shaping as a season-defining fixture, and you feel that as long as their offence flows, then they should be back to somewhere near their best.
The question moving forward, though, is whether they can build on one performance and take some momentum going forward.
Big question of the week: Can the regional teams rescue their seasons?
It’s been a disastrous start to the season for the two regional teams left in the competition, with the Cairns Taipans and Illawarra Hawks both sitting at the bottom of the table after three weeks.
For Cairns, it hardly comes as a surprise given the tough start they have had. They haven’t played two matches in the same round yet and have spent all of the season so far on the road.
It’s not just a matter of being on the road either – they have had two of the tougher road trips in the competition going to Perth and Sydney, as well as Adelaide last weekend.
They finally get to play their first home game to start Round 4, but even that comes against Melbourne and will test every element of their play.
Against Adelaide, their attack was one-dimensional at best, and shooting a record amount of three-point attempts but losing won’t fill anyone with great confidence.
The Hawks, on the other hand, showed everyone what they were capable of in the first round, running up a record 122 points on the 36ers.
It has been all downhill since then though for Illawarra, not winning another game and reaching a low point as they were blown off the court by the Sydney Kings on Monday.
Their record, which sits at one win and four losses, is simply not good enough in this league and their chances of making the finals are slowly slipping.
They do get back on their home floor this weekend, though, although the first match against Perth on Friday will be a real struggle, but like the Taipans’ season-defining match against Melbourne, this will be a critical game for the Hawks.
The Hawks and Taipans then clash on Sunday Night. If neither team can get a win in their first meeting then the stakes for that clash are going to be absolutely huge.
Whatever happens, it’s pressure on for both sides.
Bonus: Just how good are the Kings?
Very, very good.
The Kings have spared absolutely no expense trying to turn themselves into a powerhouse of the competition, and after a shaky start in Round 1 against the Brisbane Bullets, they haven’t looked back.
Given they sit top of the table with a record of one loss and four wins, are blowing past teams with absolute ease, and still have some key players to hit the floor, it’s scary to think how good this team can be.
Their key centre (and best player) from last season, centre Julian Kazzouh, is still recovering from an injury suffered in January, and instead of rushing him back into the fold the Kings can now be patient and slowly work him back with Joshua Powell and Aleks Maric doing some great things in the paint.
The Kings also cut Michael Bryson, signing sharp-shooter Steve Blake instead, and the NBA veteran will add more depth and more offence to an already high-flying Kings outfit.
As Roar expert Chris Pike wrote yesterday, it’s win or bust this season, and as a Kings fan nothing is more exciting.
Don’t forget to tune into The Roar throughout the week as we bring you live coverage of the NBL season.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
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