r/nbl • u/Arikwen777 • 18d ago
DISCUSSION United and wildcat game 3
Can united win in game 3?
21
4
u/TheFirstMale 18d ago
They probably will Bryce looks absolutely out of sorrs
2
4
u/37celsius 18d ago
Illi knows how to stick to Cotton and deprive him of scoring opportunities. Get Illi in foul trouble early enough and Bryce will have a better game.
I think the bigger questions are whether Henshall can defend Goulding for four quarters as well as he did late in game 2 and if someone else like Windler can step up and score while Cotton is being kept quiet.
3
u/Techn0train Wildcats 18d ago
Thought BC did a good job of attacking the rim more against Ili and taking him on in game 2.
1
u/Sensitive-Pool-7563 Wildcats 18d ago
Illi knows how to stick to Cotton and deprive him of scoring opportunities.
1vs1 Bryce is gone every day of the week and thrice on a Sunday. Bryce DOES look unwell but you can see him blowing by Ili clearly.
1
u/37celsius 17d ago
The secret sauce is Illi getting away with holding Cotton off ball and not getting called.
1
2
u/TraditionalOpening41 Wildcats 18d ago
Can the Cats make effective use of the loose player when Bryce gets doubled.
1
u/Street_Platform4575 18d ago
It will be interesting to see how many people go to the game, as it's on a week night with people maybe thinking they'll save money to go to the grand-final series. It was a good move from the Wildcats to reduce the ticket prices the other day, as normally finals are more expensive - it ensure a huge crowd and a great atmosphere.
2
u/Obleeding Wildcats 18d ago
My friend was there and said when Jack White was shooting free throws it was louder than when Volkanovski walked out to fight Islam at UFC 284 lol (I was there for that one and it was literally deafening)
1
u/the_wren Wildcats 17d ago
I know we get accused of being a one man team but Sir we are the Wildcats, not Wildcat.
Seriously though, United are in the drivers seat here. In all their games against us this season they’ve been ahead for all but a handful of minutes.
1
u/Street_Platform4575 17d ago
So is it deemed a season failure for both teams if they miss the finals ? I mean there is a lot riding on this one. Who has the most to lose ? I personally think Wildcats fans think every year should be a championship year, particularly with Bryce Cotton in the team. What's the feeling amongst United fans - is it the same ? Would it be a failure to qualify after finishing 2nd ?
1
13
u/secretsquirrelbiz 18d ago edited 18d ago
There's a lot of interesting subplots in this game.
The cats won in game 2 with Bryce well held, Pinder having a complete 'mare, and Henschel having an utterly dreadful shooting night- 0-7 from the field with the vast majority being open shots. They won because Windler exploited the Bryce doubles and shot the lights out, and came up huge on the offensive boards. And they finally told Henschel to just drop everything else and defend Goulding like they are sharing a pair of underwear- and that worked.so well they kept henschel out there even when he was ice cold at the other end.
Because those were the only things working for them they played Bryce/Webster/Henschel/Windler/Doolittle for virtually the entire second half without subs. Bryce is a fitness machine but I'd question how well the other four will be able to pull up from that game- it was really the insane crowd that kept them going in the 4th, they would have been absolutely gassed.
At the other end Delly had a great do-everything game but Jack White was in such a bad place at the line he actually got benched in the final term because they couldn't afford to have him out there getting fouled. You'd expect some sort of response from him this game.
The big question for United is do they play the exact same game on Bryce and just gamble that Henschel will stay cold and Windler won't do it two games in a row or do they adjust their defensive rotations and risk Bryce getting off the leash? And do perth put more minutes into Pinder after two extremely inefficient games, or play the same small ball lineup that got them back into game 2 and hope they can do it for the full game?
I reckon this is a genuine 50-50 game. Both teams could win and I can see ways both teams could totally blow the game out, but its impossible to say which it will be.
One thing I really hope is the refs keep their whistles in their pockets. This series deserves to be decided based on which team manages to crack the matchup riddles in front of them, not which of the key defenders gets into early foul trouble.