Sydney vs Bulleen game report (AKA It's all over by the end of the first quarter - where's the alcohol?!)

Monday 01 November 2004

I admit I was feeling good after a couple of minutes when the Flames were up 8-2. Then Bulleen went on a 27-5 run to end the first quarter. I'm sure the focus in Sydney's training this week will be defence. It's the first time this season the Flames have faced an offense that looked organised and they wilted in the face of pressure. In the first quarter, Bulleen beat the Flames again and again with the backdoor play and they consistently found the open player and knocked down the open shots. Bulleen shot a torrid 73% in the first quarter and the Flames responded poorly. They panicked and broke down at both ends of the court - they rushed their offense and looked disorganised on defense. Bulleen up by sixteen at the first quarter break.

The second quarter saw Bulleen's shooting cool off a bit, but the Flames failed to capitalise on the stops they made. Some of it was bad decision making and rushed shooting but it was also bad luck as the Flames also had a lot of shots rim out. They were down by 20 at half time and I was sorely tempted to leave, but I decided to stay to see what the team would do in the face of adversity.

Sydney gave it a good shot. They picked up their D in the third quarter and their offence started to click. Bulleen's shooting form disappeared and they started to make more errors. The problem was that the Flames didn't capitalise enough on Bulleen's mistakes and only outscored them by 4 in the third quarter. The Flames made one final push early in the fourth quarter, reducing the margin to 8 points with key threes from Eva Afeaki and Belinda Snell but their comeback ran out of gas and Bulleen comfortably cantered home.

As mentioned above, the first quarter decided the game. The Flames lost their composure after Bulleen's first quarter hot streak and never recovered. Bulleen are probably the best offensive team in the league - they move the ball around well (27 assists off 34 field goals), they move well off the ball and they're a very good shooting team. Cheryl Chambers has done a fine job in developing the offence.

Sydney have a hoodoo against Bulleen - they always play crap against them year after year. Their first half tonight was some of the worst basketball I've ever seen a Flames team play. There were some good individual moments but as a team, they weren't clicking. They were better in the second half (I'm sure coach Dalton let them have it at half time) but by then it was too little, too late.

What can the Flames do to improve? They have to be quicker on their defensive rotations and have better defensive awareness. Too many times I saw Bulleen players sneak behind the defence for an easy layup. Also they should stop gambling for the steal so much and just focus on clogging up the passing lanes. Bulleen's offence ground to a halt whenever the Flames did this as they don't have any outstanding penetrators (besides Sharin Milner, who doesn't drive as much as she should and didn't get much PT in this game). Also they have to play with more poise in offence - the Flames are good at getting to the basket but often cannot finish (Tammy Hoare and Eva Afeaki are the main culprits).

My "out there" suggestion for the week is to start Adrianne Gilbert. Wilson is a potent offensive threat but her floor game is lacking and when she's off scoring wise, she's not of much use. Gilbert is scrappier on the defensive end and I think the offense runs better with her at the point. Neither point guard has the court vision of Belinda Snell though - Snelly is like the team's second point guard and she holds this team together.

I liked coach Dalton's idea on how to guard Milner. She put Trish Fallon on Sharin. Sharin can outquick most players in the WNBL but Trish's wingspan is a real bother for Sharin, who is only 5'4 compared to Trish's 6'2.

Player analysis

Belinda Snell - Super stud Snell was her usual hard working self. She was off scoring wise in the first half but worked hard on the boards and creating for others. She tried to bring the Flames home in the final quarter with 11 points but it was a bit too late. She ended up with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. My only criticism is that on D, she often gambled for the steal unsuccessfully which led to several easy baskets. She should focus on standing firm - few can outmuscle her in the WNBL.

Trish Fallon - Trish makes scoring look so easily and she had a good game on the boards. If anything, they should have run more plays for her - few can stop her in the WNBL.

Eva Afeaki - Eva nailed two key threes in this game which was a nice surprise and had a flashy reverse layup off a crisp Snell pass. She has so much raw talent but fundamentally, she has to get a lot better. Her decision making needs work and she dribbles the ball too high and sometimes she slashes her way to the hoop, gets trapped and turns the ball over. She works hard though and I think she can develop into a nice player with the help of coach Dalton.

Kelly Wilson/Adrianne Gilbert - As mentioned above, while Wilson is the better scorer, Gilbert is the better point guard. The Flames made their second half run with Gilbert at the point. Gilbert is the frontrunner for most improved on the Flames team - she's entrenched herself in the rotation.

Tammy Hoare - Tammy disappeared again in this game. It's frustrating - the talent is there but the consistency isn't. She can beat so many players with her post moves but then she can't finish. I think Dalton should have given her a few more minutes though - a good way to deal with Grima is to rough her up a bit and Tammy can do that but didn't get the chance to.

The Flames missed Michelle Musselwhite. She'll be back in 3 weeks but her ability to take over a game with her dribble penetration and her solid D is sorely missed.

Hollie Grima - The one thing that Hollie has really improved this season is her finishing. She's almost automatic from 15 feet in. With her height and her ability to move well off the ball, she's hard to stop in the WNBL. However, I am still concerned about her prospects at the next level. She doesn't have many moves - catch and shoot is all she essentially does and her rebounding and defence isn't anything to get excited over. Defenders should either deny her the ball and play her physical or make her work if she has the ball. I still think she needs to work with a good post coach. She's got the potential to be a world class post player.

Katrina Hibbert - Knocked down all the shots she should have and had a great floor game.

Deanne Butler - Did a nice job of playmaking and coach Chambers used her abilities well. Butler's not going to beat anybody off the dribble with her speed but set a screen for her and she becomes hard to stop.