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NormTigers See Red As Bullets Shoot One Game Clear
March 9th 2007 00:55
Tonight we might see a changing of the guard in the NBL. After the three-year dominance of the Sydney Kings was brought to their knees by the Tigers last season, they might lose their crown tonight to the Brisbane Bullets, who attempt to win their first championship in 20 years.
Wednesday night proved how strong the Bullets are, and how desperate they are to win. Making the Tigers look like a second rate team, they completely ran them out of the match. Hard defence, clever shots, and constant pressure gave the Bullets the victory in game 3, downing the reigning champions 113-93.
To look back at what a mentioned on Wednesday, two facts became clear. First of all home court advantage is clearly a factor in these games, with the Brisbane crowd cheering their team to victory, and essentially ensuring that the Tigers lost their focus. Second of all, these finals are on the shoulders of the captains, as Melbourne’s Chris Anstey had one of his worst games in his career, kept scoreless in the first half, scoring only nine points for the match, and being running ragged all around the court. His inability to really influence the game gave the Bullets such a lead going into game 4.
However, it was not just limiting Anstey that gave Brisbane the victory. Stephen Black was again on fire, scoring 22 points including 11 in the final quarter, and the MVP McKinnon was playing like a man possessed after being held tight in the first quarter, scoring 19 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and being the inspiration on the court for the Bullets.
The Tigers, even after losing in such a fashion, are still seeing red during the game. During the first quarter, Brisbane’s Dillion Boucher and Daryl Corletto were involved in a tangle to retrieve the ball. During this incident, it is alleged that Boucher struck out with his leg and kicked Corletto in the head, a major offence.
The incident, which happened behind play, means that there is no footage to use as evidence, and hence Boucher will not be charged for his conduct. It was no secret that Boucher did kick Corletto, as referee commented to the players, and even the coaches during the incident, claiming that Boucher was extremely lucky that he was not ‘disqualified’ for the offence.
This is where I have a problem. This is one of the tightest fought contests in the NBL, and even though every player is giving all to win the championship, shouldn’t they be forced to win within the limits. If Boucher’s kick was in fact a ‘disqualifying offence’, then why wasn’t he? If Boucher actually kicked another player in the head, which is a major conduct offence in any sporting code, why wasn’t kicked straight off the court.
Corletto is extremely lucky that the kick did not injure him in any way, and was able to play for the entire match, but that is not the issue. If the offence rules that the player should be disqualified, then why wasn’t he? This is down to the wire NBL Finals, and as such the referees should be making sure that everyone plays within the boundaries, regardless of how many boos he would get from the crowd.
But with that said, there is not much the Tigers can do now. With no evidence, they cannot charge Boucher, and rather than allowing this to envelop them, they really need to focus on winning Game 4 tonight, or let the championship slip out of their fingers. Anstey will have to recover from game 3, and the only thing they will have to do is try and figure out a way of stopping Brisbane controlling the pace of the game, along with a way to combat their constant pressure.
If they can do all that, then we will be back here for the decider on Wednesday in Brisbane. If not, then the Bullets have proven that this season, they were pretty much untouchable.
Until next time, sports minds.
Wednesday night proved how strong the Bullets are, and how desperate they are to win. Making the Tigers look like a second rate team, they completely ran them out of the match. Hard defence, clever shots, and constant pressure gave the Bullets the victory in game 3, downing the reigning champions 113-93.
To look back at what a mentioned on Wednesday, two facts became clear. First of all home court advantage is clearly a factor in these games, with the Brisbane crowd cheering their team to victory, and essentially ensuring that the Tigers lost their focus. Second of all, these finals are on the shoulders of the captains, as Melbourne’s Chris Anstey had one of his worst games in his career, kept scoreless in the first half, scoring only nine points for the match, and being running ragged all around the court. His inability to really influence the game gave the Bullets such a lead going into game 4.
However, it was not just limiting Anstey that gave Brisbane the victory. Stephen Black was again on fire, scoring 22 points including 11 in the final quarter, and the MVP McKinnon was playing like a man possessed after being held tight in the first quarter, scoring 19 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and being the inspiration on the court for the Bullets.
The Tigers, even after losing in such a fashion, are still seeing red during the game. During the first quarter, Brisbane’s Dillion Boucher and Daryl Corletto were involved in a tangle to retrieve the ball. During this incident, it is alleged that Boucher struck out with his leg and kicked Corletto in the head, a major offence.
The incident, which happened behind play, means that there is no footage to use as evidence, and hence Boucher will not be charged for his conduct. It was no secret that Boucher did kick Corletto, as referee commented to the players, and even the coaches during the incident, claiming that Boucher was extremely lucky that he was not ‘disqualified’ for the offence.
This is where I have a problem. This is one of the tightest fought contests in the NBL, and even though every player is giving all to win the championship, shouldn’t they be forced to win within the limits. If Boucher’s kick was in fact a ‘disqualifying offence’, then why wasn’t he? If Boucher actually kicked another player in the head, which is a major conduct offence in any sporting code, why wasn’t kicked straight off the court.
Corletto is extremely lucky that the kick did not injure him in any way, and was able to play for the entire match, but that is not the issue. If the offence rules that the player should be disqualified, then why wasn’t he? This is down to the wire NBL Finals, and as such the referees should be making sure that everyone plays within the boundaries, regardless of how many boos he would get from the crowd.
But with that said, there is not much the Tigers can do now. With no evidence, they cannot charge Boucher, and rather than allowing this to envelop them, they really need to focus on winning Game 4 tonight, or let the championship slip out of their fingers. Anstey will have to recover from game 3, and the only thing they will have to do is try and figure out a way of stopping Brisbane controlling the pace of the game, along with a way to combat their constant pressure.
If they can do all that, then we will be back here for the decider on Wednesday in Brisbane. If not, then the Bullets have proven that this season, they were pretty much untouchable.
Until next time, sports minds.
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