Can't Buy a Basket

You know its grand finals time when it’s the week after the release of the CBAB awards, with all the recipients notified of their nominations and victories, the fun of all that has happened for the season is over and it’s time to get down to business.

Game 1 of the grand final series lived up to the tag of an absolute blockbuster and other than the delayed telecast from OneHD, fans got to see what a real finals series is supposed to be like.

The refereeing throughout the season has been questionable at best, and with the 2 most physical teams in the league squaring off and the added impact of a heated rivalry, many purists were concerned that it would turn into a whistle fest that could destroy any sign of the series anyone had hoped for.

Amazingly though, the refs let the players play and allowed the game to flow quite well, even though there were questionable calls going against both teams, in the grand scheme of things, the game flowed well and provided fans with a game that for the most had you on the edge of your seat.

It was looking like game 1 was going to slip away from the Wildcats, who came out and stunned the fans from across the Tasman by starting strong and keeping the Breakers scoreless for some time in the first quarter, but the Breakers regrouped and brought the game back from the brink and gave the Cats all they could handle.

The Wildcats 2^nd quarter was disastrous with a total lack of offensive production, and while they did play well defensively it wasn’t enough to hold off a 3pt barrage from the Breakers that had them up by 15 at half time lead by the 2 CJ’s and a Corletto, CJ Bruton and Cedric Jackson controlled the tempo of the game and freed up Corletto to drop bombs from the perimeter and break open a lead that had the Breakers comfortable at the half.

But in typical Wildcats fashion it’s not over until the final whistle blows and in an amazing comeback in the 3^rd quarter, which is usually the Wildcats worst if you look at the season statistics, the Cats dropped a 31-18pt 3^rd quarter to bring themselves back into the game to be within 2pts at the last break.

The 4^th quarter saw a battle for the ages with the scores staying close and momentum swings going for both teams, Kevin Lisch lead the charge for the Cats in the 2^nd half and took the game on his shoulders offensively, Lisch struggled in the 1^st half but the league MVP showed why he was the winner of the award and lead the Wildcats to a tied score at the end of regulation and a period of overtime.

In overtime it was close again but the deciding factor was the fouling out of Damian Martin and Brad Robbins who could not provide the usual defensive presence against the likes of CJ Bruton and Corletto, Bruton turning out to be the deciding factor when he hit 2 huge 3pt shots to stretch the lead for the Breakers to more than the Wildcats could close.

Bruton proving once again that he is one of the most clutch performers in the history of the league, he can create space and hit contested shots when the pressure is at its highest and the game is on the line.

So with game 1 complete the series swings back to the Jungle for game 2 and a hostile Jungle crowd, will the Breakers have enough to take it all out on one of the most feared home courts in the league, will the return of Thomas Abercrombie be enough of a boost to get them over the line?

If the Wildcats have their way they will look to make a statement and punish the Breakers setting up a game 3 that is going to be the talking point for a long time afterwards regardless of who wins.

The CBAB boys will be at game 3 and in between screaming and cheering will provide as many updates as possible so make sure to follow us on twitter (@cantbuyabasket) for live updates from the game, but until game 2, which unbelievably is 7 days from now we will be providing our opinions and bantering with our fellow twitter friends (most of whom are Wildcats haters) which will most definitely include some facts and a whole lot of trash talk.

So unless something amazing happens, we’ll speak to you again after game 2, NBL Grand Finals, how can you not love it.

(Box Score)

The after party was a little too big and it is apparent that Haggard and R.Diddy cannot party like they used to, only now getting around to announcing the 2012 CBAB Awards. Mental note to make sure the Breakers get enough awards. We don’t want their media writing another article on how they got jipped at another awards night.

You can find a list of previous winners here.

Without further ado, here are the 2012 CBAB Award winners.

The Ugly Ball Room Award:

The league is full of ugly players, those players wear some ugly outfits but only ten contracted players plus two development players get to call the ugliest place to play basketball their own.

Fan Vote: For the second year in a row the fans have voted in the Breaker’s North Shore Events Centre. Receiving an alarming 50% of the votes. On the bright side, that is 25% less than last season’s poll. Positive stuff for the Breakers.

CBAB Vote: We decided to go in a different direction. Yes, North Shore is very unpleasant on the eye but the Breakers did play games at the beautiful Vector Arena this season. This year we give the award to the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Why? Apart from lacking a little something on the TV screen it uses two different shades of blue, both of them different to the shade on the Blaze’s uniforms. It makes for a potent optical blue cocktail that is too just too much to handle.

The Ugly Ball Dress Award:

To go to the ball you must wear a dress. Your dress is a reflection on who you are as a person and what everyone else thinks of you as a player. So put your mouthguard in and pucker up, it’s time to announce whose ball dress is the ugliest.

Fan Vote: With just under a third of the fans vote the Cairns Taipans have run away with the award for 2012. If this is a revolt on the colour orange then we must change our logo colours quick.

CBAB Vote: Adelaide should take this one because their “Unleash SOLAR” sponsor logo on the front is as big, if not bigger than the “ADELAIDE” text below it which makes for an interesting blend of primary colours, however the Blaze end up taking this one out for the second year in a row; and for the same reason. Everything on it is just too big. The word “Blaze”, the player number, all too big, their sponsor even takes up three lines of text. Gold coast, say it with us…. “Negative space”. Try using it next season.

The Toasted Marshmallow Award:

Everyone knows someone like this, and every team has at least one person like this. This award goes to the guy thinks they are tough (hard on the outside) but in reality they are soft. These type of guys will pretend they are ok with not winning an award but will cry to their mothers when the night is done.

Fan Vote: So many nominations, but only one winner. The Blaze are cleaning up the awards so far. Mark Worthington takes the crown off ‘ball thrower’ Brad Robbins and ‘name caller’ Tyson Demos. Wortho scored 17% of votes for this award and should take this as a cue to hit the gym in the off season.

CBAB Vote: Where ever there is a kerfuffle starts on the court Tommy Greer is there. Whenever a kerfuffle is ended it is because Greer is laying on the floor. Do the maths; it usually ends up with Greer clanging two free throws before inbounding it from half way. If an Alex Loughton chest up can floor you then you are pretty weak.

Don’t Fake the Funk Award:

Each season it seems like there are fewer candidates in the running to be the league’s highest flyer; and at this rate this award will become redundant, melted down and scrapped for gold.

Fan Vote: Jerai Grant bought some much needed athleticism into the league and was a clear fan favourite above the ring. Grant racked up over 50% of all votes and that includes the vote for Adris Deleon and the votes for Nic Naitanui.

CBAB Vote: Even Jesse Wagstaff will have to agree that Grant was the best of a weak pool.

Tools are Useful Award:

You tell your mates that you hate this guy, hate his game and hate his sister too but deep down you know he would make your team better. This award goes to that guy.

Fan Vote: Wouldn’t you know it, Mark Worthington and Shawn Redhage share the award this year. Wortho edged out Red Dawg last year but managed to do enough this year to share with the benchmark.

CBAB Vote: CJ Bruton. Yes the guy is getting on but with CJ on your team that is one less dagger he will hit against you.

Take Home to Meet Mamma Award:

Mama always said you were gonna meet a nice man and the guys you voted are are some of the nicest guys in the league. This was really a trick question as we now know which player you guys are crushing on.

Fan Vote: Known for their tenacious defence the fans voted the Perth Wildcats starting back court as the nicest in the league. Damian Martin and Kevin Lisch have that boy band look and you guys want to hear them sing that tune you swear was written for you.

CBAB Vote: My parents swear I have a crush on Kevin Lisch but he doesn’t get the CBAB nod. Cairns Taipans guard, Jamar Wilson does. It is no secret that Jamar’s smile is infectious and when Jamar smiles the whole arena smiles back with him. My mum has a tendency to be highly strung, Jamar’s smile would be enough to make her chill.

Nacho Libre Award:

We all can’t be blesses with Ben Allen’s natural talent and charming good looks. Some of us have one out of two but most of us have zero out of two. Here is the awards for the NBL’s ugliest (Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; therefore if the masses think you are ugly you can always use the ‘I have inner beauty’ clause).

Fan Vote: Wade Helliwell edged out Gary Wilkinson by a long way…. It wasn’t even close. Despite not even stepping on to the court this season Russell Hinder still scored a vote.

CBAB vote: Wade Helliwell would be the obvious decision but truth is Helliwell sightings were rare this season as he spent a lot of time hidden deep on the bench. Gary Wilkinson however, with one in two photos of ‘Agent Orange’ published caught in that really unflattering Pac Man face it was more than the eyes could bear. Say what you want about it though, Gingers do have souls.

Resident Stockbroker Award:

Given to the player who by their standard had the most mundane season, their games were ‘all ordinaries’ and they are glad to see the season out albeit with a smaller portfolio.

Fan Vote: Ron Dorsey was a high flying hero last season but this season voted at the most ordinary. Was it the change in local, did he have trouble fitting in to a new system or did he just decide it was easier to jack up three ball after three ball this season?

CBAB Vote: We agree with the fans. Ron Dorsey this season played himself into ‘Gone Dorsey’.

Been Short Changed Award:

Some players get looked after by the refs *cough- CJ- cough* others just can’t get a break and spend half their time on the court looking at their coach with a confused face wondering how they got whistled for that one.

Fan Vote: He was only voted the best player in the league but the fans decided that the refs made his quest for NBL supremacy even harder. Lisch has been cited many times driving to the hoop only to get monstered on the play receiving no love from the authorities.

CBAB Vote: Remember Mike English? That poor fellow got fouled out in every game in his NBL Career. Mind you the Blaze import only played one game before getting axed, fouling out 39 seconds shy of nothing up 18 minutes of NBL action. For the record he went 0-5 from the field, that is one foul for every missed shot.

And the Rest (CBAB’s Best)

Anyone remember Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams? With the Corey Hotline no longer in the league no one really knew who to give their own award to.

Vanessa O gives the Perth Wildcats the “Most Affectionate Award” because they cannot keep their hands off each other. Hey Vanessa, with guys like Marto and Lischy, can you blame them?

Someone who didn’t leave their name gave Rob Beveridge the “Who ate all the pies Award” because Rob has apparently stacked on some weight since taking the reins at the club.

DC wants to give the Breakers an award, just so they stop complaining.

Mrs Haggard gives Wortho the “Proudest Dad” award. Mark does seem to be a very proud dad and as one proud dad to another, I say well done Mark. Mrs Haggard also gave you the “Most whipped by his wife award”. I’m glad I didn’t win that one.

Carol MacKenzie gives Alex Loughton the “Should have been a Wella Woman ("cause you can tell a Wella woman by the way she wears her hair") Award”

Ron Dorsey got a few awards handed to him by the fans, some of the better ones were “Beyond Idiocy (the player who prefers to take off-balance three point shots rather than doing the one thing that makes them a standout player, attack the hoop” from Wickzki and Mookie issues the “Passenger Award” obviously because Ron was just here for the ride.

LachieGaff tells us that he loves the Brisbane Bullets but still enjoys reading our Wildcats bias site.

And Mr bEn gives the 'How Are You Here' Award - tie between Tom Garlepp and Alex Gynes. Mr bEn is obviously a disgruntled Blaze fan.

The New Zealand Breakers and the Perth Wildcats have gone through to the grand final series.

The Breakers knocked over the Townsville Crocs winning game three 97 – 80. The Crocs, through Peter Crawford and Todd Blanchfield had kept the deficit to two points at half time before CJ Bruton began to hone in from outside. Leon Henry also added a couple of triples whilst the Crocs offense did show brilliant execution, became clumsy at times. The defence also lapsed on occasions that allowed some Breaker second chance points.

To Townsville’s credit, their production didn’t slow off and they largely didn’t play the Breakers any different than they did in the first half. The Breakers just played with some increased efficiency, a few big shots giving them the confidence to sink some more, the Breakers running away with the 17 point win and a chance to go back-to back champions. But it wasn’t without its own cost. Thomas Abercrombie landed harshly and tore ligaments on his ankle, landing after Peter Crawford challenged a shot. Opinions are divided on the severity of the foul but one thing is certain, The Breakers are no strangers to injuries in the finals. We are pretty sure we’ll see Abercrombie leaping high in the air over the course of next week.

CJ Bruton had 20 points whilst Daryl Corletto and Abercrombie both had 19 for the Breakers. Eddie Gill Crawford finished with a game high 24 points, Luke Schenscher 19 and Blanchfield 12.

(Box Score)

Over west the Wildcats steamrolled the Blaze 88-67. After a Blaze charge early in the third period the Wildcats regathered and took the game by the horns to run out with the 21 point victory.

In an emotional game we got to see a Will Hudson dunk, Kevin Lisch fall into a sponsor box and Deleon and Robboins get tangled diving for a loose ball. Our favourite moment was Wortho and Redhage bumping shoulders and exchanging words, definitely one for the fans to conspire to conclude that they hate each other. We reckon they are good friends who text, send Christmas, birthday and get well soon cards and do lunch in the off season.

Shaggy with his friend, Scooby

As the clock expired, so did Stephen Hoare’s NBL career, the big man venturing into retirement. Hoarey has been a huge asset to the NBL over the years and we wish him the best post retirement. Deleon the lone ranger on 20 points, Worthington 11 and Anthony Petrie 9 points.

Say what you want about Shawn Redhage, but the guy put in a tremendous game. Stepping up and leading the team with an efficient 19 points, Kevin Lisch added 16 and Jesse Wagstaff came off the bench to add 14 points.

(Box Score)

Blaze tie series against Wildcats, 72 - 70

With their season on the line and a game on their home court, the Blaze knew they had to come out strong to have any chance of keeping the Wildcats at bay; and come out strong they did, opening up a 20-5 lead at one point in the first quarter, lead by a huge early dunk by Will Hudson that brought the crowd and viewers to their feet.

Whilst the Wildcats' car was slow off the mark, the Blaze's car had no similar troubles

The Cats knew they had a hard task on their hands, even after their convincing win at the Jungle in game 1 that displayed an effort started by defence but ended with superb offence.

Matt Knight and Damian Martin took centre stage for the Cats with each player scoring a team high 14pts, Knight also adding 9reb and a block and Martin adding 8reb 2st and a block, Shawn Redhage had 11pts to add to the scorers list and had a 3pt shot in the last moments that brought the scores within 1 pt to keep the Wildcats in striking distance.

Kevin Lisch messed around and almost had a triple double but was reduced in his offensive production compared to his season MVP type numbers, his 10pts 7reb 8ast showed he found other ways to contribute other than just offensively, Lisch may have seemingly struggled but he didn’t struggle as much as 6^th Man of the Year winner Jesse Wagstaff who did have 8pts and 7reb but shot 3/13 from the field.

The Blaze were lead scoring wise by their import point guard Adris Deleon with 15pts 4reb 3ast 2st but it was his lack of efficiency that could have hurt the Blaze more than help them, Deleon had more shot attempts than points.

Wortho stepped up his game a little, having a double double of 11pts and 11reb but also didn’t have an efficient night going 3/9 from the field.

Chris Goulding and Will Hudson joined Wortho in the 11pt game bracket providing some much needed offensive production for the Blaze, Hudson also adding 6reb to his point total but the same production in other statistics can’t be said for Goulding, Petrie was the only other legit scorer who didn’t have a tally of 11pts, he managed just one better with 12pts to go with his 5reb 2ast and 2st.

So now it’s back to the Jungle for game 3, a hostile Wildcats crowd and the nemesis of Deleon and Gibson sitting courtside, a guy simply known on twitter as @junglewelcome who will be providing his well known brand of sledging and encouragement from the sidelines, brace yourselves, this game is going to be one for the ages.

We love the confidence in this guy's message

The Jungle crowd as usual will be loud as anything, we’re sure the refs will be doing their hair as they know they’ll be on TV, they seem to blow their whistle’s a lot more when they are televised for some reason, just a shame their game isn’t elevated as well.

Oh, and as usual, the boys from CBAB will be there live seeing as it would be pointless to hope to see it on live TV on OneHD.

(Box Score)

Breakers return favour of home court loss to Crocs, 94 - 83

After a shock game 1 loss on their home court, everyone thought the Breakers were 1 and done, only problem is, nobody seemed to tell the Breakers they were done and dusted and in game 2 they came out to show why they were the number 1 ranked team all year.

The Crocs were hoping their home crowd could steer them home to what would be the biggest upset in season 2011/12 by knocking off the Breakers in the semi finals in 2 games, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

Even on their home court with their crowd behind them, the Crocs were out played by the Breakers who lead for the whole game bar a 1 minute stretch where the Crocs were up by 2 points in the first quarter.

If the Crocs were going to win they needed production from their go to players, Eddie Gill answered that call with a team high 24pts and 5ast, he was one of 3 double figure scorers for the Crocs along with Michael Cedar who had 15pts 2reb 2ast and Todd Blanchfield with 10pts 3reb.

But it all could have been a different story result wise if their usual big game player Peter Crawford had one of his usual nights of productivity, Crawford struggled shooting 3/14 from the field including a horrible 1/7 from beyond the 3pt line, just a few shots dropping for Crawford could have been all that stood in the way between them and a grand final appearance.

The Struggles weren’t just from Crawford, but big man Luke Schenscher who was touted as being their key acquisition in the offseason to provide inside presence and size they had previously lacked in Croc Land was also ineffective, Schenscher had 8pts and 7reb in 20+ minutes, whether he could have been used better or played more is a question that needs to be asked, but one thing is for certain, if the Crocs wish to be in the grand final series, Crawford and Schenscher need to play the game of their lives in game 3 in the land of the long white cloud.

The Breakers were the Breakers we had seen all year, balanced scoring and production from multiple players mixed with big game antics from the veterans on the team.

CJ Bruton turned back time and brought a performance of old that we remember him for leading the scoring for the Breakers with a team high 18pts, Bruton was 4/11 on the shot chart with amazingly all 11 shots being 3pt attempts, his other 6pts coming from the free throw line.

But it was a front court versus back court competition from the Breakers that delivered, the front court of Wilkinson and Pledger mirroring the back court of Jackson and Abercrombie scoring wise, Wilkinson had 14pts 6reb and Pledger had 12pts 6reb to match Jackson who had 14pts 4reb 5ast and Abercrombie’s 12pts, we don’t know what’s going on in the locker room, but there seems to be some kind of competition going on.

Darryl Corletto and his composure was the man who stepped up at the end and put the icing on the cake sealing the victory for the Breakers with his cool head and control of the tempo in the final stages of the game, Corletto only had 8pts and 4reb but it was his control of the game in the final stages that was key for the Breakers victory.

So with the deck stacked against them the Crocs need to have the game of their life if they are going to beat the league’s best team in season 2011/12 and advance to the grand final series, but then again, they did it in game 1 so there really i no reason it can’t be done, but you can be sure the Breakers are going to have something say about that, especially on their home court, Saturday night is going to be amazing as we will know who will be in the grand final series by Sunday morning.

(Box Score)

Whilst many teams celebrated ‘Mad Monday’, four teams were preparing to become the ‘Champions of the universe of the NBL’. The Townsville Crocs have a hard task of taking on the top of the table, Nez Zealand Breakers and the Gold Coast Blaze take on the Perth Wildcats. Two series, Four (or five, or six) games. This is the NBL, it goes off….

Crocs stun Breakers

With the beautiful Vector Arena filled to capacity the referees threw the ball in the air to signal play. Townsville had crossed the Tasman with one thing on their mind and that was to ambush the Breakers, stun then run.

The Crocs rolled with the punches in the first quarter. The intensity matched the size of the crowd. Gary Wilkinson giving it his everything to give the Breakers the edge, just as the Breakers looked like they were going to get going the Crocs just had all the answers.

Behind Peter Crawford and former NBA journeyman Eddie Gill the Crocs took their minor lead and began to peel away in the third quarter. Well, peel is an understatement, the Crocs stymied the Breakers going on a 30 – 18 run. No matter what the Breakers did, the Crocs responded and then some. Though the game finished at 99 – 82; it was over earlier. The Crocs managed to the first game on the road.

With respect to the Breakers, they had such a ‘tough’ week. Not content with two players in the allstar team and second place in two awards the Breakers felt snubbed at the NBL awards night. To make things worse, the thundersticks which were ordered to make the fans louder were almost stuck on the wharf due to industrial actions (they did get to Vector Arena just in the nick of time, in case you were wondering); and then they were apparently peeved because they feel the Crocs picked their opponents and didn’t respect them.

Anyway, the team which ostensibly has multiple players capable of winning the defensive player of the year let the Crocs shoot the ball from 57% from the field (and from outside the arc too). The Breakers weren’t lazy or lethargic out there, they were just shown up by a team, either one that wanted it more or one that is a little more desperate; anyway, with the series going over to Townsville we are seriously looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.

Peter Crawford scored a game high 26 points, Eddie Gill scored 21 and had 4 steals and Elvin Mims scored an efficient 13. Thomas Abercrombie led the Breakers with 20 points, Gary Wilkinson 19 points and Cedric Jackson and Mika Vukona both had uncharacteristic nights notching up 5 turnovers and 7 turnovers respectively

(Box Score)

Perth 85, Gold Coast 70

In what is starting to become a familiar script for games at Challenge Stadium, the Wildcats held out for a relatively comfortable win. After a huge Damian Martin block just after tip off, things were running tight for both teams, the Wildcats slow out of the gate and Anthony Petrie keeping the Blaze in it until Jesse Wagstaff subbed in, the retro man firing up two quick successful threes. Mark Worthington then responded with two threes of his own and just before half time Wagstaff and NBL MVP Kevin Lisch both swished another two three pointers each and the Wildcats went into half time with a thirteen point lead.

Though the Blaze from here didn’t show a lot of fight, they did show glimpses of what they are capable of. With Wortho having a quiet one (game, not beer) Adris Deleon hit some big shots and Gibbo, injury aside was able to get to the hoop relatively easily and Petrie kept himself busy; but they just couldn’t get it all going together. The well-oiled and finely tuned machine that is the Wildcats were just too good in game one. As a fan of basketball in general we just hope that the loss hasn’t tore the hopes of the Blaze like it has Gibbo’s calf muscle. We’d like to see a good battle.

In largely a team effort, Jesse Wagstaff brought some spark off the bench scoring 16 points, Luke Nevill continues his good form against the Blaze with 14 points and Kevin Lisch scored 12 and dropped 7 assists. In comparison, the Blaze were a two man show, Deleon finished with a game high 23 points and Petrie, after a great start finished with 20

(Box Score)

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