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WNBL (Australia) 2017/18 Season
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Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/03/18 7:09 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Richyyy wrote:
Ouch, 6-19 for Whitcomb and 7-23 for Williams really hurts. Something definitely looks like it was working for Melbourne's perimeter defense. This would be the intrinsic unfairness with the system where a league becomes virtual knockout at the end. You spend all year proving who the best team is and then decide the actual winners in a week or two at the finish.

I haven't managed to time it right to check whether I can watch a live game, but any of the archived videos of full games on that Fox site say they're unavailable outside Australia (suggesting live ones probably won't work either). Which is a bit of a shame. Seems like pretty unnecessary geo-blocking considering the WNBL presumably won't make any money selling games outside Australia.

Yeah, it's a pity. I'm guessing it's probably just a general policy that they can't be bothered modifying specifically for the WNBL games. I'll be trying to upload the playoffs in a more timely manner than the regular season in case anyone is interested in checking them out.

Pretty sure Williams nailed her first 4 shots of the game, but it was a brickfest after that. Lots of work for Perth to do before game 2 to try and generate some better offence. It needs to start with some half-decent D.



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PostPosted: 01/03/18 8:07 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Luuuc wrote:
Pretty sure Williams nailed her first 4 shots of the game, but it was a brickfest after that.

And to some extent it brings us full circle all the way back to what we talked about when they signed her. She took 23 shots, in an important game, when her jumper clearly wasn't falling - and shot zero free throws. When you're stupidly quick and can't get anything to go down, drive by someone, throw your body into a defender, and get to the damn line. Guys like Wade, Harden and Westbrook have built their careers on plays like that when they've needed them.

I really think that needs to be the next step in her offensive development. You'd love to see her shoot a bit more and a bit better from deep, but I think the 'getting fouled' thing is more important. Contact can be a good thing.



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Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/04/18 12:43 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

^ Yeah, I agree. You need to have a Plan B, even if your Plan A is pretty good. That applies to everyone who plans to make a living based on scoring points.


Melbourne Boomers vs Perth Lynx - Semi Final Game 1: https://youtu.be/ViV1seup0HU



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PostPosted: 01/04/18 7:40 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Game 1 of the [2] vs [3] semi final series was just as big a fizzer as last night's, sadly. Hamson reverted to the version we're more familiar with, Wilson & Ebzery's shooting deserted them, and Taylor was barely recognisable as a player in the MVP conversation as the Fire dominated the game after the 1st quarter. They've got the deepest roster in the league and everyone came to play tonight.
Top 2 seeds are now both firmly on the ropes.

Townsville 78 (Batkovic 19p 15r 3a, Garbin 15p 6r, George 14p 10r, Mincy 6p 4r 4a, Murray 6p 4r, Cocks 6p, Donnelly 4p 4r, Wiese 4p)
Sydney 49 (Snell 11p 8r 3a, Hamson 8p 10r, Graham 8p 4r, Ebzery 6p 4r, Wilson 5p 5r, Taylor 5p 3r 3a)
Boxscore



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PostPosted: 01/04/18 5:56 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Townsville vs Sydney Uni Game 1: https://youtu.be/DMER5zBuc-k



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toad455



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PostPosted: 01/04/18 6:31 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I think Sydney has the better chance to come back a win their series.



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Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/04/18 7:03 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

toad455 wrote:
I think Sydney has the better chance to come back a win their series.

I would agree.
Much depends on the respective mind sets of the teams that are 1-0 up now. Townsville & Melbourne are the 2 best rosters, with mental lapses being their main problems all season. If they are focussed now that it is playoff mode then they should meet in the finals.
Of the other 2, Sydney have the better balance, as well as championship experience. Perth's main worry for me right now is fatigue. Their schedule lately has been brutal. How the hell they deal with Cambage tonight is the other obvious concern.



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PostPosted: 01/04/18 7:31 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

How does Cambage look and do you think she'd realistically report to Dallas this year? It's also important to the Opals that she is ready for the Worlds.


Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/04/18 7:58 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Nerd2 wrote:
How does Cambage look and do you think she'd realistically report to Dallas this year? It's also important to the Opals that she is ready for the Worlds.

At this stage I am still optimistic about Liz showing up in Dallas, but I'm not super optimistic about what she will produce once she is there.
As always, I can't deny her ability, and physically she looks in fine shape, but mentally she is still a letdown, as demonstrated by the ugly incident with Mistie Bass earlier in the season and her post-game whingefest 2 nights ago. Apparently she is above being called for obvious fouls in this league, but maybe the WNBA will treat her like the queen she is.



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PostPosted: 01/04/18 8:36 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Luuuc wrote:
Nerd2 wrote:
How does Cambage look and do you think she'd realistically report to Dallas this year? It's also important to the Opals that she is ready for the Worlds.

At this stage I am still optimistic about Liz showing up in Dallas, but I'm not super optimistic about what she will produce once she is there.
As always, I can't deny her ability, and physically she looks in fine shape, but mentally she is still a letdown, as demonstrated by the ugly incident with Mistie Bass earlier in the season and her post-game whingefest 2 nights ago. Apparently she is above being called for obvious fouls in this league, but maybe the WNBA will treat her like the queen she is.


Wow. She hasn't changed. That's a shame. Maybe she shouldn't come over then because the refs here are clearly going to play favorites with Charles and Griner and Jones and Fowles because she is just as good as them so clearly the refs are cheating her.


zune69



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PostPosted: 01/05/18 12:34 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Dallas already has a significant amount of talent on their roster.They don't need Cambage to be an all-world superstar.If Cambage can put up 14p/8r/2b,and play solid defense,wing fans will be happy.


Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/05/18 8:23 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Melbourne completed their sweep of the Lynx tonight Sad and are the first team into the finals series. It was an intense, see-sawing game, but in the 2nd half the Lynx looked noticeably worn down to me, and it showed in some of their decision-making down the stretch. Boomers were sloppy at times as a team, but got plenty out of Cambage, Garrick & O'Hea in particular, and had a more even spread of contributors in general.

Perth 69 (Williams 20p 12r 3a 3s, Standish 17p 4r, Whitcomb 15p 5r 3a, Kunek 9p 6r 3a, Burton 4p 4r, Farnworth 4p 4r, Dowe 8r)
Melbourne 78 (Cambage 25p 15r 3b, Garrick 18p 5r, O'Hea 12p 6r 5a, Cole 10p 6r 3a, Smart 7p 4r, Purcell 4p 6r 6a, Tomlinson 2p 3r 3a)
Boxscore



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PostPosted: 01/05/18 9:16 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Perth Lynx vs Melbourne Boomers Game 2: https://youtu.be/lWOOwpUq5ow



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PostPosted: 01/06/18 1:08 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

The other semi final series end in a sweep as well, again after a close contest. This one was a real grind, ugly at times, neither team ever got any flow happening.
Asia Taylor looked more like her usual self, but started to run out of gas in the 2nd half. Sydney Wiese has had a fairly underwhelming season overall, but was important today for the Fire.
Interestingly, Tahlia Tupaea played her first minutes of the season today. As you can imagine she wasn't her usual self, but it's nice to know she's healthy again.

So it's Townsville vs Melbourne in the grand final series (Home - Away - Home format, Saturday - Thursday - Sunday)

Sydney 65 (Taylor 18p 11r, Hamson 15p 15r 3s, Wilson 8p 5a, Snell 7p 4r 7a, Ebzery 7p 7r 6a 3s, Boag 5p 3r)
Townsville 68 (Batkovic 14p 10r 3a 3b, Wiese 14p 3s, George 13p 8r 3a 3b, Garbin 8p, Mincy 7p, Murray 6p 3s, Wilson 2p 5a)
Boxscore



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PostPosted: 01/06/18 3:12 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Is it normal for the Aussie season to end so early? I thought China was the one that ended the earliest.


Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/06/18 3:53 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Nerd2 wrote:
Is it normal for the Aussie season to end so early? I thought China was the one that ended the earliest.

No, this is the first time we've tried the compact season. 21 games per team over 13 weeks, whereas last season was 24 games over 19 weeks.
The new schedule was largely a result of trying to get the league back on tv, as was the awful timing of the semi finals. They have tried to cram as much of the season as possible into the "gap" between the mens football leagues ending, and the tennis and women's football league starting.
On the plus side, it does make the league more attractive to players who also play WNBA and want a break in their year, and players who want to play both WNBL and in Europe. I'm not sure how much financial sense it makes for the clubs though. It'll be interesting to see how it is assessed and what adjustments (if any) they make for next season.



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PostPosted: 01/06/18 4:15 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

It is interesting that the two finalists have very little reliance on imports. Smart is a solid enough player at the Australian level, but she is not a key player and they never bothered replacing their other spot. Wiese and Mincy have not been that critical this season either.
Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/06/18 6:11 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

awhom111 wrote:
It is interesting that the two finalists have very little reliance on imports. Smart is a solid enough player at the Australian level, but she is not a key player and they never bothered replacing their other spot. Wiese and Mincy have not been that critical this season either.


Yes, that's a fair observation. I'm not sure if there's any cause-effect going on with that though.
From the start, Melbourne & Townsville were widely acknowledged as having the 2 best rosters, so it's no real surprise to anyone that they're meeting in the grand finals (my prediction before the season was Townsville finishing #1 and Melbourne #2, with Melbourne winning the title. I thought it would take them half a season to get going due to the injuries they started the season with, and with Liz coming off a basketball-free 12 months)

I'm finding it hard to predict now, though. It's anyone's series. I slightly favour Melbourne as a team, but Townsville's home court advantage is a good one.


Here's game 2 of the Sydney Uni - Townsville Semi Final: https://youtu.be/lYAFLwjEgI0



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PostPosted: 01/13/18 9:30 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Grand Final Game 1

Was not a pretty game, which is not unusual for the finals (or as we call them, the Grand Finals). Melbourne's supporting cast were a big part of them winning the semi finals, but they went MIA today. Cambage looked as focussed as I've seen her all season, but didn't have enough help outside the always reliable O'Hea. They shot 3/23 from 3 point range as a team. Meanwhile the Fire had a more balanced spread of threats.

Video is linked below. (If nothing else, check out Liz's cheeky steal & basket with 5 seconds left in the game Laughing )

Townsville 69 (Batkovic 16p 15r, Wiese 14p, George 13p 10r, Mincy 9p 4a, Garbin 8p 4r, Wilson 7p 4a 3s, Donnelly 2p 4a)
Melbourne 64 (Cambage 26p 13r 4b, O'Hea 9p 10r 4a 3s, Garrick 8p, Smart 7p, Cole 6p, Purcell 4p 11r 4a, Tomlinson 2p 4r 2b)
Boxscore
YouTube



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PostPosted: 01/15/18 10:17 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

The last of the awards has just been announced, with Suzy Batkovic winning WNBL MVP - her 6th!

Most Valuable Player
Suzy Batkovic (117)
Liz Cambage (104)
Courtney Williams (95)
Asia Taylor (85)
Sami Whitcomb (82)

All Star 5
Sami Whitcomb
Courtney Williams
Asia Taylor
Suzy Batkovic
Liz Cambage

Defensive Player of the Year:
Kayla Pedersen
(Runner-up: Sami Whitcomb; 3rd: Jennifer Hamson)

Rookie of the Year:
Ezi Magbegor
(Runner-up: Maddison Rocci; 3rd: Kiera Rowe)

Coach of the Year:
Andy Stewart (Perth)
(Runner up: Cheryl Chambers (Sydney); 3rd: Chris Lucas (Adelaide))



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PostPosted: 01/15/18 10:35 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Pederson DPOY?? Really??



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PostPosted: 01/18/18 8:44 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

We going to game 3!

Crazy game. Suzy on fire early, followed by mostly garbage from everyone for the remainder of the first half. For the remainder of the game, really. This was most definitely not a showcase of smart decisions and elite execution under pressure.
With their season on the line, the Boomers came out after half time and somehow sucked even harder than before ... but mid-way through the quarter things started to turn around. The crowd got loud, the Fire got passive, and went things got do-or-die down the stretch, DJ Lizzy C came up big and carried her team over the line. Kalani Purcell the unsung hero in my books, for keeping her team alive when it looked like completely falling apart in the 3rd.

Melbourne 58 (Cambage 19p 9r, Smart 11p 6r, Purcell 7p 10r, Garrick 6p 3r, Cole 6p 3a, O'Hea 5p 3r 3a, Conti 4p, Tomlinson 9r 2b)
Townsville 57 (Batkovic 23p 9r 3a, Wilson 6p 5a, Garbin 6p 5r, Wiese 5p 4r, Cocks 5p 3r, Murray 5p, Mincy 4p 3r, George 5r)
Boxscore



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PostPosted: 01/18/18 11:55 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

toad455 wrote:
Pederson DPOY?? Really??


Yes. She was a defensive monster for the Rangers.


Luuuc
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PostPosted: 01/19/18 4:53 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Video of Grand Final Game 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2bm7h6iqac





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PostPosted: 01/19/18 9:35 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Just watched the 4th quarter of the game. Definitely exciting, great crowd! The Fire should have won if not for Cambage. I'd say the Fire have the edge in game 3.



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