Hooyah & Harden Up (Championship Series - Game 2)

Author disclaimer: To all the players, coaches and administrators, the following opinions are mine and mine alone. It’s ALWAYS business – and NEVER personal. So, if I name you, shame you, offend you or slap you on the back and put your name up in lights, just accept it for what it is and move on.

By Damon Lowery.

Game 2: Illawarra Hawks 102 def Melbourne United 100 (series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Sunday, WIN Entertainment Centre at 5:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 10 BOLD

DOUBLE HOOYAH ALERT:

HOOYAH 1 - The bounce-back is always more important than the set-back. Trey Kell III, you bounced back after a dismal game one with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

HOOYAH 2 - Tyler Harvey, the pathological scorer. Down one with 10 seconds left, you got the ball with Ian Clark all in your personal space, stared him down, made a couple jabs, and let it fly … nothing but net for the win. Big Time!

HARDEN UP – This is a situational Harden Up: With a two-point lead and 10.4 seconds left, Harvey fouled Clark on a three and Clark made all the free throws to put United in front. Luckily for the Hawks, you made up for it, Tyler.

WHAT WENT RIGHT – You won the rebounding by seven and treated the basketball with the respect it deserves with just six turnovers.

WHAT WENT WRONG – You allowed United to hit 15 triples and shot a measly 30% from downtown yourselves.

IF I WAS COACHING:
1 – Continue to play both bigs (Sam Froling and Lachlan Olbrich) when United goes to their small ball line-up.
2 – Tell the players to defend the three-point line like their pay cheques depend on it.
3 – Don’t get too carried away with the win because United have proven they can win in the “Gong”.

HOOYAH – It almost ain’t fair when you can bring a guy off the bench who can get you 31 points @ 62% FG in 29 minutes. Ian Clark, you stood tall. 

HARDEN UP – For the life of me, Jack White, I can’t understand how a player with your ridiculous talent, who averaged a tidy 13 points and 9 rebounds in the regular season, plays 18 minutes and DOES NOT SHOOT THE BALL. You did not even attempt a shot! What in the seven hells is going on?

WHAT WENT RIGHT – You shot the ball extremely well from downtown at 15/32 and had 64 points off the bench.

WHAT WENT WRONG – You treated the basketball with total disrespect with 16 turnovers. You put the Hawks to the line 30 times. 

IF I WAS COACHING:
1 – Bring Jack White off the bench. I’m not gonna be the first coach in the history of the NBL who starts a guy that won’t shoot.
2 – Each player owes me 160 push-ups before we start training: 10 for every turnover. And I’d tell them, “Don’t be mad at me, be mad at yourselves!”.
3 – When the small ball line-up is on the floor, get funky and junk it up by full-court pressing and playing zone defence.