NBL and WNBL Week #2

WNBL: 1-1

Well I sat back and watched all the games from week #1 in the NBL to see how the new imports and team changes looked and I gotta say, out off all the teams, Melbourne was the worst. They lack leadership on the court, they lack any form of rebounding and Goulding for some reason has a chip on his shoulder and thinks he is MJ these days. Thats not going to get you wins. Their starting 5 for me is not impressive anymore. They are missing Holt. Blanchfield doesn't cut it, Majok for some reason has been very quiet, Anderson is playing well (best on the court) and then Jackson tries his best but had nothing on Randle in that Adelaide game. If I get a chance, i will take Randle for MVP this season because if he can get the 36ers to the playoffs, that would be amazing as they are a young, defenseless team but if one man can do it, its Randle. 

The Kings useless once again. Scored 10 points in the 1Q and then Bullets took the a decent lead in the 3Q and didn't look back. Bullets now 2-0 under their great coach. 

Adelaide horrible vs Hawks, bounced back in a big way vs Melbourne coming from an NZ game. When the 36ers play Hawks again, we may see a 200+ total on that game. 

Cairns played very well in the 2H, they looked flat in the 1H and bounced back, took the lead but then blew it and then didn't cover in the end in OT but I think they will be a lot better this season.

The import for me in Week #1 was McKay, Perth's new man. Good on both ends but Perth like Melbourne, looked lost without Beal. Martin is Martin, but he can't do it all himself. Prather 50-50 for me. They miss Matt Knight in a big way. Their bench seems very weak as well. 

The surprise package for me was the Breakers. New coach, some new players but I like them a lot. Webster, Penney, Pledger, Abercrombie, Vukona, Woodside, Loe and the others. This team looks good IMHO. Travel is always an issue for them but I think they may surprise a few this weekend in Perth. They have had plenty of rest for this game and have some revenge on their minds..

Won't go into any details about the WNBL as I don't think many on here follow the league closely.

BOL everyone this week.. 

We all know Mr Beveridge's game plan, he wants his team to put up at least 80 shots per game and try to hit at least 100 points in a game because in his mind, hitting 100 points in an NBL game almost grants you a win. 

So looking at week one stats, the Hawks put up a total of 79 shots and landed 40. Of those 79 shots, 33 of them were 3 pointers which 16 landed. They also received a monstrous 33 free throws and hit 26 of them. The NBL average is around 19 free throw attempts and 16 land. So they were well above average last weekend. Their opposition that night only took 67 shots, landed 32, took 23 three point attempts and hit just 9 and then received 18 free throw attempts and hit 15. So thats more like the leagues' average free throws. In that game, the combined total of the game hit 210 which is monsrous for 40 mins. It basically equates to 252 points in a normal 48 minute NBA game. 

On the other side of the court, the Kings last week took just 63 field goals, hit 25 of them. Of those 63 attempts, they took just 20 three point attempts and hit just 8. They had 20 free throw attempts, hit 15. They played the Bullets that night and allowed them just 56 attempts, Bullets landed just 23 field goals. Took 13 three point attemps and landed just 4. The biggest discrepancy in that game was the fact that the Bullets took a monstrous 34 free throws and hit 27 of them. 

So as you can see, Mr Beveridge succeeded with his team hitting 100+ points and putting up close to 80 shots per game. The Kings, Bullets and 36ers last week all took close to around 65 shots per game in their games. 

I lean the under in this game, hoping that the total gets pushed a little higher because I don't believe Andrew Gaze would want to go into the Gong and play a run and gun style kind of game against a team that can clearly put up some points. But it is always risky taking an under in this league especially if the Kings commit the same amount of fouls the 36ers did last weekend vs the Hawks as the refs seem a little whistle happy in this league. I haven't seen as many 3 point plays in this league compared to the NBA which is risky for the under. 

Gotta admit Hardwood, when I saw the initial line of -1.5 it had me thinking... Why is it so low? Not its up to -5. Hawks may have got the first win with their new roster under their belt but if the Kings bring their A game they could make it interesting...

Good summary there bud. For me the team to watch are the Bullets. Great coach and a quality line up which is strong in all positions. Really surprised at the Tigers. Still see them coming good eventually but I will likely steer clear of their games until they show a bit more consistency. 

These 2 teams played last weekend after the 36ers were in the Gong and then traveled to Melbourne whilst United traveled back from NZ. The total hit 166. In that game, the usual high octane 36ers only put up 66 shots compared to United who jacked up 27 field goals yet only hit 29 and shot a poor 37%. Their 3 point shooting was even worse, hitting 8-38. The 36ers hit 87 points in that game from just 66 shots and that only included 6 successful three pointers. I expect both teams to ramp up their pace in this game and I hope that Melbourne get back to their shooting from last season as that was the main ingredient for winning so many games last season. Both teams dont play defense, home opener for for the 36ers and I think we see a nice open game tonight which hits the mid 180's. Last season, they had totals of 159, 175, 182 & 171. Thee 36ers have won the last 3 vs United but I do expect United to come back better tonight as they head home after this game to play the Hawks on Sunday whilst the 36ers head north to play the Bullets on Sunday as well. 

Cheers Peekay. The NZ @ Perth game was a great game to watch...

The Lynx are easily capable of hitting 80+ in this game. Their last game vs the Fire shouldn't really be taken into consideration as that was a tough game on 1 days rest traveling up North to Townsville to face the Fire after their game against the Flames. Now they are well rested, Boomers have increased their possessions. They took at total of 73 shots last week vs Adelaide and only hit 28. The Lynx vs the Flames took a monstrous 81 attempts which included a staggering 28 three point attempts. The same goes with the Boomers, they took 20 three point attempts. Hoping that both teams continue to hit some 3's for this game to go over the total especially with both on rest after last week's games. Don't forget, the Boomers played Adelaide last week who were on a B2B after OT so they ran out of legs but different story vs the Lynx tonight..