Well folks, the Boomers handled the Kiwis very easily tonight. They cruised to an easy double figure points win. The final score being 79-67. That is flattering to the Kiwis. It seems like the Australian team just wanted it a little more. That is not great news if you are a New Zealand supporter. Remember, the winner qualifies for the 2008 Beijing Games, while the loser will find it hard to punch their ticket to the Olympics as you take a "loser qualifying" road that goes through Europe.
As I predicted the Kiwis had no answer for the interior play of David Andersen (20 pts, 4rebs, 4 as) and the all round game of Sam MacKinnon (18pts, 7rebs). At the end of the day the "sheep shaggers" have no one to guard Andersen. He is too quick for Pero, or too strong for anyone else. I think at one stage Casey Frank was trying to apply the fatal "grapple" tackle to Andersen in the post.
Where the Kiwis can improve immediately is looking after the ball. Their turnover count was horrendous. They shot well from the field but they gave themselves limited opportunities will their careless ball control. Kirk Penny just has to become a hired gun for them. Pero was tough and created a lot of easy opportunities for his teammates, but all his shots came from down town. He needs to be a scoring presence on the low block if New Zealand are to scare the Aussies at any stage in this series.
I look forward to Game 2 on Wednesday that will be played in Sydney. New Zealand need to make some adjustments and I'll be curious to see if they change their starting line up to get the Australian's guessing a little at tip off.
Here is the box score of the game.
Other things that have caught my eye. If anyone is an NBA fan, you need to check out this Stephon Marbury interview on You Tube. Just punch in Marbury interview and enjoy. It is full of laughs....from my point of view anyway.
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11 comments:
what is your thoughts on luke kendall being iced in game 1 of the series? if australia is to win, surely they need to put a defensive guard like kendall on the floor to shut down penny. do you think gooj is hiding him for crunch time in the series again.
Mrs Kendall:
The Aussies coasted to a easy victory last night so maybe he is saving Luke for crunch time. Goorj was subbing like a madman last night, so no player could get into any groove. Probably just to get everyone involved in the series. Lets just say, it will be intersting to see who Goorj goes with if it is a tight one.
Certainly not Kendall in the clutch, or you'll see more turnovers than a Sara Lee factory.
Was interested on your thoughts on Mills. First time I've seen him and he looks like a great prospect. He reminded me of a raw Tony Parker (sans Eva Longoria). You rate the kid?
That Marbury interview could be the funniest thing I've heard in ages! Talking about his wife: "That's my better ho, er half" Homie's been smelling his sneakers too much!
Monkey boy
Kendall wuz rob3D!!111!!
Snopp Wogg:
Good to hear from you. Regarding Mills, I believe he has a bright future, but like the rest of us, he has to keep working on his game. Going to the USA for college is a great decision. He will be attending St Mary's College in Cali. The only bad thing is, the mighty Zags will touch him up twice a year for however long he stays in the States.
Monday night was the first time I had seen him play. Only being judged on those minutes, I hope he becomes a distributor as well as a scoring. MacKinnon is the only guy on the squad creating for others on a consistent basis.
I know hoops is your thing, however I know coming from Toowoomba you are a mad leaguey. Just wondering your thoughts on the once mighty Canberra Raiders. Why can they not play away from home??
Koooze - isn't that the guy that got beaten up on a basketball court years ago by a melbourne flying aeroplane kid?
Maybe he should stick to pole dancing...
Oh, and the raiders went down years ago when they cut the mighty Wolfgramm.
Kooze:
Good to see you know sooo much about my life. The Raiders are still my team. No jumping off the bandwagon here. While you bring up league, can you tell me how the Pennie Panffers are going. Hope teaching is keeping you honest these days!
Anonymous:
You are correct about the Kooze getting dusted by some kid still in high school. I can remember it as clear as day. MSAC, Kooze and some high school kid doing areoplanes around the court after beating a legend of the ABA. You have to love road trips for this reason. Memories!
Yes boys, that is now why I teach. I spend all lunch time beating up on kids and throwing aeroplanes in the school gym! Pole dancing has slowed a little these days, however, it is great to see JR in the technological age and using the internet.
Anonymous - be a man and identify yourself.
PS Pat Mills can play.
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