16 FEBRUARY 2001
Week 18 Preview
by DEREK NIELSEN

SQUARE EYES

The biggest game of the week is on Fox tonight, as the #1 Victoria Titans take on the #2 Perth Wildcats. Fox Sports is covering that game from 7:30 AEDT, and the game will be repeated on Fox at various times during the weekend. ABC will also replay the game on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday’s Fox game is less essential, with #6 Sydney taking on #11 Brisbane from 7:30 AEDT.

On Sunday afternoon at 4pm, TNQ-Ten Townsville and FNQ-Ten Cairns will present highlights of the Crocs/Taipans clash from Saturday night. Or you can log onto NBL Live that afternoon from 3:00 AEDT, for live coverage of the Melbourne/Wollongong game from Geelong.

If the NBA is more your style, ESPN is covering the clash between Miami and Toronto today (Friday), repeating the game at 7:30 AEDT, and Fox Sports will be covering the Pacers/Lakers game on Monday morning at 9:30 AEDT.

LOOKING BACK

I went 4/7 last week- Saturday’s run of odd results (Cairns? CAIRNS?!) meant I bombed out on the night, but that’s probably karma coming back at me after I correctly picked the winner AND the margin for Hawks/Sixers on Friday. That puts me at 46/69 overall, or 0.667.

LOOKING FORWARD

Victoria v Perth (FOX/ABC)- easily the most important game of the week. Perth has already won the season series, but a couple of poor results in the past few rounds has seen them slip a game back. A Wildcats win here will see them rejoin the Titans at the top of the ladder, while the Titans would all but clinch top spot with the victory. Sit back and enjoy- this should be a ripper. I’ll pick the Titans at home… Titans by 4.

West Sydney v Wollongong- The Hawks continue their away stand with a tough road trip this weekend, and the first stop is at Homebush for a date with West Sydney. The Razorbacks are starting to build up some momentum, but they need to keep winning to keep the pressure on the sixth-placed Kings. It will be interesting to see how the Hawks’ backcourt of Thomas/Saville matches up against the Rucker/Rillie combination. Hawks by 5.

Canberra v Victoria- Well, Cairns beat Perth, so miracles do happen. The Cannons will need something from their backcourt, though, which they didn’t get against Townsville; three forwards scored two-thirds of the team’s points between them, and they coughed up 27 turnovers (!). I don’t think it’s a stretch to think Victoria will be too much here. Titans by 9.

Sydney v Brisbane (FOX)- SWEEP! SWEEP! THE BULLETZ OWN THE KINGZ!!! Okay, maybe not. The possibility of a Rutherford-or-Kerle-versus-Heal shootout makes the game worth a look if you’ve got Fox, but I wouldn’t be rushing to book tickets. Kings by 12.

Townsville v Cairns- Look at the teams’ records, and you’d think Townsville should win by 20. The last time the two teams met, though, the Crocs had to come from 15 down in the third quarter to snatch the game from the Taipans. Cairns have managed recently to give a few teams a scare, and with Sam Mackinnon’s return still a week away, Townsville must bring their ‘A’ game to pick up the win. That said, I think they’ll pull it off at home. Crocs by 7.

Melbourne v Wollongong (NBL Live)- The good thing about all these Taking It To The Streets games is that the Tigers lift their attendances, ha ha ha ha ha ha. Seriously, this is a game both teams need, with the Tigers trying to reel in the Kings in sixth place, and Wollongong fighting off Townsville and Adelaide for that remaining top-3 position. Wollongong has already won the season series here, but that will be of little consequence on Sunday. I’ll pick Tigers by 5, but I expect it to be close.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

Yes, I know the ‘mathematical’ playoff chances are pretty much meaningless with the teams divided into the top 5, the next 3, and everyone else, but…

- Brisbane will be mathematically eliminated from the playoff race with a loss to Sydney. Cairns and Canberra would also be knocked out with a loss, and a Kings win.

- The winner of the Victoria/Perth game will clinch a playoff spot, if Melbourne lose to Wollongong.

Deep Thoughts
3 FEBRUARY, 2001
Miscellaneous notes about the state of the league- some even positive!
Gone Troppo
25 JAN 2001
It's okay to rev up your home crowds, but eventually you reap what you sow.
Shades of Grey
17 JAN 2001
The referees under fire?  Surely not!  Whatever next?