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With #hardball plastered on billboards all over the country, the NBL was promising to be an entertaining product. Three games into the season and they’ve mostly delivered.
Two of the three games were lopsided victories, but there was enough action in both matches to warrant our attention.
Here’s a recap of the three games played so far.
Adelaide 36ers 90 defeated New Zealand Breakers 71
The season opener in Adelaide started out as a very scrappy affair, with both sides struggling to get into any sort of rhythm. The 36ers finally got it going in the second quarter and broke the game wide open, outscoring the Breakers by 23 points for the term.
The 6ers were masterfully guided by point guard Adam Gibson, who finished with eight assists. He went head-to-head with Breakers star Cedric Jackson and came out on top. Adelaide dared Jackson to shoot from the outside all night, and he obliged unsuccessfully, going 1-6 from deep.
Adam Gibson was great, but the star and surprise of the night was 23-year-old, Adelaide debutant Matt Hodgson – who scored 16 points on 10 shots, in just 18 minutes. He was a menace on the offensive boards finishing with seven for the night.
Hodgson was also a beast defensively, blocking three shots and altering many others. The former Melbourne United developmental player was outstanding in his debut for the 36ers and looks to be a great pickup for the club.
Ebi Ere also had a nice debut. He looked rusty, and out of shape, early on but finished the night with 13 points, going 3-9 from the three-point line. Although age seems to have caught up with his athleticism, Ere shows his class by making some huge 3-pointers in the crucial second quarter. At 34 years old his best days are behind him, but he showed he can still be valuable as an outside threat.
While the 36ers were impressive, the breakers were horrible. Cedric Jackson looked like the only player capable of creating any offense. Corey Webster is a huge loss, and if he doesn’t return, this breakers team has little chance of competing for the title.
Making the playoffs will be hard enough playing like they did in the opener. They’ll be hoping to put in a better performance against Townsville on Sunday.
As for Adelaide, not many are talking about them as playoff contenders but there are enough pieces here to form a championship puzzle. We’ll learn a lot more about the 36ers after tonight’s game against the Perth Wildcats.
Cairns Taipans 79 defeated Illawarra Hawks 74
This game also started out as a scrappy affair. Both teams were shaking off some rust early, but it was the Taipans who got into a rhythm first. Led by captain Cameron Gliddon, 19 points, who along with Stephen Weigh, 15 points, looked dangerous all night, combining to shoot 5-12 from downtown.
Cairns were most effective with Mark Worthington on the floor, who tallied 12 points and 7 rebounds. Playing Worthington as a small-ball power forward, the Taipans were able to fill the court with shooters and create great spacing on offense. That helped the Taipans get out to a 9-point lead at quarter time.
Illawarra was able to get back into the game in the second quarter on the back of Cairns getting themselves into foul trouble, which handed the Hawks some easy points at the free-throw line.
Kevin Lisch, playing point guard in Rhys Martin’s absence, was the standout Hawk early on. Unfortunately, he left the game early in the second half after running into a hard screen by Alex Loughton and didn’t return. Jarrad Weeks came off the bench and provided a spark, scoring 12 points in just 17 minutes.
Kirk Penney was slow to start but eventually worked his way into the game. By the middle of the fourth quarter, he looked like the Penney of old, hitting back-to-back three pointers. However, he made some key errors late in the contest. With under two minutes left in regulation, and the Hawks trailing by 2 points, Penney lost Cameron Gliddon on defence, who subsequently nailed a huge three. Then on the next two offensive possessions, Penney coughed the ball up, ending any hope of a Hawks victory.
Penney and the Hawks will be better for the run. With a new coach and so many new faces on the roster, it will take some time to gel. However, once they do build chemistry, watch out NBL. Illawarra has an army full of snipers all waiting to pick you off from behind the arc. Seven out of their ten players nailed a 3-pointer against the Taipans. They finished the game 12-20 from downtown.
As expected with a team unfamiliar with each other, the Hawks suffered from defensive lapses. Coach Rob Beveridge tried using a zone, which the Taipans were able to pick apart with their bevy of shooters. Teams coached by Beveridge are always solid defensively; they’ll iron out the kinks as the season progresses.
One thing they need to do better, and the Taipans were even more guilty of this, was protecting the rim. Only one player recorded a block for the entire game. The big men for both teams were pushing up way too high on defence, leaving acres of space for opposing players to drive to the rim.
Illawarra were manning up on Taipans centre, Matt Burston, at the three-point line. There’s no need for that, he won’t hurt you out there. Once the ball-handler went past his defender, they had a golden path toward the basket. The result, more often than not, was an easy lay-up. Other times the driver would suck in help defenders from the corners, leaving a player all alone ready to drain the three. Cameron Gliddon and Stephen Weigh both hit three pointers in this fashion.
As mentioned earlier these minor issues will be ironed out.
It’s only Round 1, but there were many positives for both sides. Illawarra and their arsenal of long-range gunners will be a nightmare to defend this season. And with the return of Rhys Martin, and a full game out of Kevin Lisch, the Hawks look like one very dangerous team.
As for the Taipans, they’ll look to build on last season’s success and hopefully go one better and win the championship in 2015-16. With their balanced inside-outside attack, they’ll be right there when the whips are cracking at the end of the season.
Melbourne United 99 defeated Townsville Crocodiles 84
This one was billed as a David and Goliath contest, unfortunately for Townsville there’d be no fairytale ending. They were able to keep it close for the majority of the night, but in the end, Melbourne were just too strong.
United, led by imports Stephen Holt 17 points, Hakim Warrick 21 points, and former Croc Todd Blanchfield 29 points, showed the competition why they’re the favourites for the title.
They had too much firepower for a Townsville team playing out of its depth. Stephen Holt looked a class above everyone else on the court. The smooth-moving point guards vision, passing and shooting stroke were things of beauty. Hand this man the MVP right now.
Hakim Warrick started slowly. He missed his first three free-throws and was beaten soundly on his first two defensive possessions. However, once he settled into the game, his athleticism was a nightmare to defend. Warrick, using his long arms and leaping ability, was able to get cheap points around the basket by way of offensive rebounds and easy lobs. Solid debut.
Chris Goulding struggled with his shot all night, going 3-10 from the field, but his passing was sensational. He finished the game with 11 assists, many of those were to Todd Blanchfield, who went 7-10 from 3-point range.
Majok Majok – a man so athletically gifted his parents named his twice – also looked impressive. He started the game off with a beautifully executed ‘dream shake’, straight out of the Hakeem Olajuwon textbook.
For the Crocs, Brian Conklin fought gallantly. He finished the night with 25 points, on the back of some bruising post play. No Melbourne player was able to match up with him down in the block.
Unfortunately for Townsville, no one else stepped up. New import Jordair Jett played solid defence on Goulding but gave little on the offensive end, scoring an inefficient 8 points from 10 shots. He doesn’t have a reliable jump shot and lacks the athleticism to blow by people. These aren’t the traits you’re looking for in an import.
The Crocs put up a fight, but sadly they don’t have the weaponry to compete with the big boys. It’s hard to see them finishing anywhere else but last on the ladder.
The opposite is true of Melbourne United. There’s still four games to go in the opening round, but United are now clear favourites for the championship.
Will that change over the weekend? Can the Perth Wildcats and the Sydney Kings press their case for favouritism?
Tune into The Roar’s NBL coverage to find out.
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