Congrats to the Sydney Kings, the #nbl23 Champions 🏀

Not long now (about 30 minutes) until game 5 of the #nbl23 5 game Grand Final series tips off.

Should be a cracker of a match!

#GrandFinal

Funny how quickly we went from "why do we need Pride Round, it's all accepted these days" to "how dare they let biological men play on a women's team." #NBL1 #WNBL #NBL23

Kings through, JackJumpers eliminated, Lynx put in their worst performance of the season. Today has absolutely sucked. #NBL23 #WNBL23

If I'd bet on Cairns in this series I'd be exploring legal action. This is a fucking joke. #NBL23

Well, that got SPICY. 🌶️

Both coaches get T'ed up complaining about flop calls, Buford gets ejected, 2 Kings foul out, and the Taipans survive a fourth-quarter scare to win 93-82. 20 turnovers is far too many for SYD, and the ankle injury to Cooks (the least-controversial thing on the night) doesn't help.

Both series go to deciders, then- Kings/Taipans at 03:00 GMT Sunday, then Breakers/Jackjumpers immediately afterwards.

#NBL23

I reckon the #Cairns Taipans will hold on to beat the #Sydney Kings in the second of their #NBL23 Semi Finals match tonight and force game 3.

#playoffs #NBL #basketball #Australia #NationalLeague

I reckon the #Cairns Taipans will hold on to beat the #Sydney Kings in the second of their #NBL23 Semi Finals match.

#playoffs #NBL #basketball #Australia #NationalLeague

Superstar DJ just takes me back to the old ABC Sunday morning games. #NBL23

Looking forward to watching the #Sydney Kings v #Cairns Taipans #NBL23 Semi Final

#playoffs #basketball #NBL

#AboutLastNight ...

Good performances up and down the card from the Jackies- Isaac White stepping up with 18 off the bench, Rashard Kelly 11 and 12, and Doyle 25. TAS were almost playing smallball but won the rebounds 42-40.

Cairns will rue a poor shooting night (5/22 from deep) but that's why you work to finish #3- so you get your second chance.

Tasmania now advance to a best-of-3 series against New Zealand. Game 1 Sunday, 16:00 AEDT (10 Peach/ESPN/Sky).

#NBL23

#AboutLastNight ...

SE Melbourne were up 13 with 9:44 left... then Bryce Cotton happened. Cotton's 4th-quarter stat line alone: 18 points, 3 rebonds, 2 assists, 2 steals. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Not sure why SEM took Reuben Te Rangi out for Broekhoff in the final minutes. Nothing against Rowdy, but RTR was also cooking (8 pts in 4 mins that quarter). Run with what's working.

Perth visits Cairns Sunday afternoon (10 Peach/ESPN, 14:00 AEDT).

#NBL23

@samthurston @atomicpoet Nah, I've always been on Twitter almost solely for Australian basketball discussion. Which a) means it's always been pleasant and I've never experienced any of the negativity that people so frequently complain about, either before or after the takeover, and b) means almost nothing moved over and what did didn't last.

Until/unless the league and its teams come over, I doubt that will change. You can check the #NBL23 hashtag and see it's just me shouting into the void, with one other dude chipping in every couple of weeks.

Regular season done and dusted- the playoffs start Thursday on ESPN with the Phoenix hosting Perth (18:30) and Cairns hosting Tasmania (20:30). Loser of CNS/TAS hosts the winner of SEM/PER (Sunday 14:00, 10 Peach), while the winner heads to Auckland for game 1 against the Breakers (Sunday 16:00, 10 Peach/Sky NZ).

#NBL23

Kings will have at least a top-2 spot in #NBL23 ; they are 2 games ahead of Cairns with 2 left, and are +230 in points (CNS is +69). Barring absolute catastrophe they finish #1.

CNS is down on points percentage to NZB so still has to keep winning- and stay fit.

At the other end SEM are probably safe unless United spank Adelaide by 30+. PER needs two wins, or 1 and a MEL loss. And then teams still have to jostle for position.

Best part of this final week- every game matters.

United lost, but that late flurry from Barker may yet save their season- 6 points in the final minute means United are still +1 on for/against.

(PER are +21, SEM are +46, TAS are +48, but a big United win v Adelaide could see them sneak in if other results go their way.)

CNS and NZB clinch top-6 spots with United's loss. Taipans can clinch a top-4 spot (and thus, home court advantage) with a win later v BNE.

#NBL23

Absolutely monster dunk from the basketball game I was at tonight. Had to link to the full highlights reel but go to 2:30 for the play, and the celebration afterwards! Contains score spoilers.

#NBL23 #Basketball #Dunk

https://youtu.be/XUSB-V3S2q4?t=150

You can't really dunk on a bad call while also getting it wrong. #NBL23

RT @TrystanSpooner@twitter.com

Honestly, this is one of the worst calls I've ever seen! How is that Out of Bounds to the 36ers (White)? It clearly came off Robert Franks last, not Nathan Sobey who got all ball on that steal attempt.

You've got to be joking me!! 🤦

#NBL23 https://twitter.com/KanePitman/status/1616021500636844032

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/TrystanSpooner/status/1616092217818644483

This is objectively false.

The top six is the playoffs.

Stating otherwise does not make it so. #NBL23

RT @CoachDuncanBerg@twitter.com

As has been explained to me...

The @NBL@twitter.com Playoffs are the two Semi finals series and the Championship series.

Teams 3-6 compete in the Play-In series, with two teams winning thru to the Playoffs.

So, a team finishing 3rd can miss the Playoffs. https://twitter.com/psmithtse/status/1614111482895306755

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/CoachDuncanBerg/status/1614187447465971714

Bad loss by Adelaide at every level- now a game behind the scrum for 5th-6th and points percentage not on their side. PER +15, SEM +14, MEL =, ADL -40. (I know we don't use straight +/- but that gives you an idea of where the Sixers sit.)

Brisbane are mathematically eliminated after their loss to United.

#NBL23