Taipans without Machado see them losing to Tasmania in Blitz
Without a certain star player in the line up, Cairns had a hard time against Tasmania in their last Blitz game. GAME NOTES HERE >>>
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The Scott Machado-less Taipans were gassed by the Tasmania JackJumpers, losing their last preseason game in Launceston 83-68.
Without their leader on the court, the Taipans looked lost on both ends.
Cairns – who lost every Blitz game – started the match with a 9-0 scoring run that was quickly erased by an agile Tasmania squad.
The scrappy game saw a total 41 fouls called by both teams, as tumbles and tussles were commonplace in the matchup with both teams eager to end their Blitz run on a high note.
Uneven shooting from the Snakes hounded them the entire game, whether it was trying to score from distance or from the field (24-56).
On the other side, JackJumper speedster Josh Magette sunk just about every ball he had, finishing with 26 points.
Bul Kuol – who had impressed so far this preseason – made the starting five in Machado’s absence, but was unable to continue his amazing three-pointer streak going 1-2 from downtown.
Failure to launch
The Taipans struggled mightily from the three point line the, only able to sink seven from 21 attempts.
Kuol and forwards Kouat Noi, and Majok Deng were the biggest contributors to this statistic, having slightly better luck at the post but still being overwhelmed by Tasmania.
Matter of security
Turnovers once again stuck out as a weak point for the Taipans in the preseason, turning the ball over 25 while only forcing just 11 from the JackJumpers.
The entire team was guilty in this regard, making a number of careless passes that went wayward in transition.
Jawai jumping
Once again beloved Taipan veteran Nate Jawai proved reliable in the paint, pressing when needed to get nine points on the night.
This was despite the tall only playing 10 minutes from the bench.
With the Blitz done and dusted, the Taipans will head to Perth to face the Wildcats in the first game of the regular season.
McCall absent in final moments as Taipans fall in tight one to Bullets
Scoring runs were had by both the Taipans and the Brisbane Bullets, but the latter kept the former winless in the preseason 86-94 at Ulverstone, Tasmania.
Cairns reeled off 12 unanswered points in the opening half to take a commanding lead.
Alas, their sunshine state rivals came out firing with 16 unanswered of their own in the latter portion of the game.
First-year Taipan Tahjere McCall continued his stellar Blitz form, dropping 17 points.
His 11-point first quarter gave the Taipans a solid cushion, but marquee Bullet Nathan Sobey (27 points, eight assists) turned up the heat in the second half for his side.
Oddly enough, McCall was sidelined for the majority of the fourth quarter, allowing the Bullets to protect their lead and ultimately spell doom for the Taipans’ hopes for a Blitz win.
Another first year Taipan: Bul Kuol continued to rake in the three pointers, however, shooting 3-3 from a distance to go a ridiculous 7-8 through four Blitz games.
Over-turned
The Taipans continue to struggle in capitalising off their turnovers, only scrounging 11 points off 20 chances versus Brisbane’s 27 from 15.
They also struggled in the fast break points department, being outscored by Brisbane 27-11 in this regard.
Missing Machado
Scott Machado had another quiet preseason game, still unable to get into gear at any point.
Aside from some vital threes in the fourth quarter to keep the game close, Machado shot only 4-14 from the field and 2-7 from three in another underwhelming game for the Cairns star.
Anything but free throw
Once again the Snakes struggled in getting free throws, only scoring 12 from 20 attempts.
The Bullets had their own trouble at the line, leaving 11 points of their own on the court.
The Taipans will play the Tasmania JackJumper for their final preseason game on Friday night in Launceston.
McCall, Jawai ball out but Law, Cotton reign over Taipans in Tassie
While a fourth-quarter collapse ultimately costed the Taipans the game, the side showed signs of positivity in their match with the Perth Wildcats.
Both teams looked hungry for their first win of the preseason, but it was the Wildcats who pulled away late in the fourth to win 96-87 thanks to costly offensive fouls and missed buckets.
However, Snakes stalwart Nate Jawai stood head and shoulders above the competition in the bout, both literally and figuratively.
His presence on the court reinvigorated the Taipans; he finished the game with 21 points.
“He’s still out there at 35 and dominating, the guys were looking for him and giving him touches,” Taipans assistant coach Kerry Williams said.
“He was the player of the day, he’s been playing really well.”
Mirko Djeric also made his impact, particularly from a distance scoring nine points from three.
Cairns did not play Kouat Noi and Keanu Pinder in the contest.
McCall magic
After sitting out game two against the Tasmania JackJumpers, Tahjere McCall showed great agility and poise at the key.
The guard fed the ball well on a number of plays, particularly with some sneaky behind the back passes to Nate Jawai.
McCall finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Two towering talls
For limited minutes against the Wildcats, the Taipans played both Stephen Zimmerman and Jawai to create mismatches and trouble for a Wildcats team caught off-guard.
The strategy appeared to pay off for the Snakes, as the line up managed to bring the team back into the game in the opening quarter to keep the Wildcats guessing the rest of the game.
“We came into the preseason wanting to look at different line ups to see how they work,” Williams said.
“Obviously that’s what the preseason is, having different guys playing together and seeing what it looks like.”
Wildcats’ Law
While superstar Bryce Cotton (22 points) showed his usual quality form, teammate Victor Law stole the show.
The forward finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, making life difficult on both ends of the court for the Taipans all game.
WHAT’S NEXT:
The Taipans and Wildcats will play the Brisbane Bullets and JackJumpers respectively on Wednesday night in Ulverstone.
Taipans tall vows: we will strike back
Taipans centre Stephen Zimmerman says it’s way too early to be hitting the panic button but admits the side has “a lot to learn” before the NBL season tips off next month.
The Snakes are 0-2 in the pre-season NBL Blitz competition following an 81-66 loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers at Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena on Tuesday night.
Zimmerman was again a shining light for Cairns, backing up his 18-point, 11-rebound effort against Adelaide with another double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds).
Majok Deng (12 points) and Mirko Djeric (11 points) were the only other Taipans to finish in double digits as the JackJumpers secured a historic first win for the franchise.
Zimmerman said while back-to-back losses were not the way the Snakes wanted to start their Blitz campaign, he believed there was plenty of improvement left in the side.
“It’s tough. We had a lot to talk about (after the game),” he said.
“Obviously the results of the last two games weren’t exactly what we wanted, but thank God it is pre-season.
“We have a lot to learn. One thing we were saying is we can’t have as many turnovers as we did.
“But just keeping our heads up and watching film and learning from it is the main thing right now.”
The Taipans turned the ball over a whopping 23 times against Tasmania, with Scott Machado (five), Kouat Noi and Majok Deng (three each) the main offenders, while also leaving nine points at the foul line, hitting their free throws at a dismal 50 per cent (9-18).
Nate Jawai picked up a technical foul in the second term, while head coach Adam Forde was given one of his own in a chippy third quarter, after he stepped on to the court to contest a holding call against Jarrod Kenny. It’s an area the side will address, according to Zimmerman.
“I feel like we have a passionate team and a lot of guys that want to get in the action,” he said.
“It was a storm, and we were talking about how after that, after everything that happened, we were still only down by eight, so we weathered that storm pretty well.
“Unfortunately, pretty soon after that we caught another one that we couldn’t really handle, so just trying to keep our emotions in check is a big thing for us.”
Star import Tahjere McCall was noticeably absent from the clash as he nursed an illness.
While no time frame has been given for McCall’s return, Zimmerman declared: “He’ll be back and ready soon.”
The Snakes take on defending champions the Perth Wildcats at the Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday.
Tip-off is at noon.
“I’m excited to play against the real big teams,” Zimmerman said.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge.”
Foul frenzy mars Taipans in Blitz loss to JackJumpers
Foul trouble, missed free throws and general frustration had Cairns getting out-duelled by the Tasmania JackJumpers 81-66 at Mystate Bank Arena in Hobart.
Every time the Snakes came close to tying the game, the JackJumpers reeled off three or four unanswered buckets in the relatively one-sided contest.
Offensive fouls stifled the Taipans attack on several occasions, forcing the team to chase a JackJumpers lead for most of the game.
Even head coach Adam Forde could not escape the brunt of the referee’s whistle, the Taipans mentor notably livid after being given a technical after player Jarrod Kenny was called for a holding.
Cairns talls Majok Deng, Stephen Zimmerman and Nate Jawai proved dominant forces in the paint and from distance, and were able to just keep their team in the game at times.
Zimmerman led the team for a second straight game, with 16 points, paired with 11 rebounds.
Import Tahjere McCall was noticeably absent from the Blitz bout due to an illness, with teammate Mirko Djeric standing in on the starting five.
Star point guard Scott Machado had a tough second pre-season outing, unable to convert on a number of good looks, finishing with just five points and going 2-7 from the field.
Not so free throws?
The Taipans struggled at the line when compared to their Tasmanian foes.
Cairns left nine points at the foul line, hitting just half of their free throws (9-18), which costed the side dearly as the match entered the final term.
Jawai’s first minutes
The marquee Taipan took his first step on the court after months of rehab for a hip injury.
After getting beaten badly by former Taipans teammate Fabijan Krslovic on a fake not long after hitting the court, Jawai was able to use his physicality on offence to nab a few buckets in the paint.
He played 11 minutes and finished with seven points.
Keeping his Kuol
For the second game in a row, first-year Taipan Bul Kuol bolstered his case for a top spot on the roster.
The forward sniper collected six more points, going 2-3 from three.
Forde commended Kuol’s shooting prowess after their loss to the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday, and said he’d continue to watch the young talent with eager eyes.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Taipans will take on the Perth Wildcats at Ulverstone on Sunday, while the JackJumpers will face the Adelaide 36ers later that afternoon.
‘Non-negotiables’: Forde outlines changes he wants to see before JackJumpers bout
While Taipans head coach Adam Forde would not reveal exactly what he said to his team after their pre-season loss to the Adelaide 36ers, there were a few areas he wanted to see improvement on as the NBL Blitz continued.
It took an overtime effort and a 33-point game from Adelaide’s Daniel Johnson for the 36ers to overcome Cairns 91-87 in Hobart.
Forde said there were some steps backwards, but also a lot of rust to shake of for the team’s first game time together.
“There’s some things we addressed in the change room that won’t be public,” he said.
“The things we addressed in the change room were those non-negotiables I said I want to do a better job of.
“We’ve been on court together now for more than most of the other teams now, there’s some things we want to be really good at defensively that is stock standard – positions we don’t help at and ones we do.
“That’s what the next two weeks are going to be about – sound that message over and over until they’re sick of hearing, that’s what needs to be done.”
Starters Majok Deng, Stephen Zimmerman and Tahjere McCall all impressed in the NBL Blitz opener.
Teammates Kouat Noi and Jordan Ngatai played their first minutes since suffering injuries in the NBL21 season.
Off-season addition Bul Kuol got his chance to strut his stuff for the first time in orange, impressing with his limited minutes in overtime dropping two three pointers.
“We’re going to explore that a little bit more, we brought him [Kuol] in for his shooting,” Forde said.
“We’ve got four more games and plenty more opportunities to see what he can do.”
In this regard, Forde was pleased to gauge the direction his team was going in as the countdown to the regular season continued.
“This is one game where we were better for it than 2 hours before, we’ll review it and highlight things,” he said.
“As I was taking notes throughout the game, virtually everyone on the roster at one point had that misfire.
“Everyone’s going to be held accountable, this is what we want and this his how we want to operate – but we’re going to get better from it.”
The Taipans will take on the Tasmania JackJumpers on Tuesday night.
Similar to Cairns, Forde said Tasmania’s players have had a substantial time to get to know each other as a unit.
“We’re looking forward to that because we think that’s one of the closest like-for-like NBL games we’re going to get,” he said.
“Where guys are coming back from injury from other teams … it was a tough outfit they put out against Brisbane.
“We’ve got to stay solid with what we do on a defensive end, and not get too rattled under pressure on the offensive end.”
Taipans take 36ers down to wire in OT for first NBL Blitz action
The Taipans shook the dust off a slow first half performance to play a tight game against the Adelaide 36ers, ultimately losing 91-87 at Mystate Bank Arena in Hobart.
The NBL Blitz pre-season match saw plenty of missed shots early from both teams, with Cairns going 7-25 from the field including only 1-8 in three-pointers in the first quarter.
Taipans tall Stephen Zimmerman had bursts of promise in the loss; he led the team with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Head coach Adam Forde said he was pleased with Zimmerman’s performance given his relative newness to the squad.
“I’ve been on Zim a little more than anyone else that he has to change his mindset, that we want him to be a bit more of a go-to guy,” he said.
“He’s such a winning passer and being a fringe NBA player, there’s a market for him … they played him a certain way that would suit having superstars around you.”
“Well we want you [Zimmerman] to be one of our superstars.”
He was joined by Majok Deng who also sunk 18 points, and Tahjere McCall who played aggressively defensively and in transition.
“Taj looked like he’d been in the league for five years,” Forde said.
“He’s going to be exciting I think, people underestimate what he can do on an offensive end.”
Quiet night for Scott Machado
The Taipans veteran took a backfoot in his side’s pre-season loss, scoring 12 points and shooting just 28 per cent from the field.
Machado, however led the team in assists with five and looked to support his new teammates, opening up running lanes and making solid passes across the paint.
“It’s really important now – our pick and roll game. Scott’s learning the options and relationship of how he’ll work with Zim and Taj out on the perimeter,” Forde said.
“He wants to set the table for everybody else and see where their strengths and weaknesses lie.”
Sluggish shooting
While the majority of the Taipans’ scorers managed to start sinking buckets in the second half, the same could not be said for the bench.
Only 20 points could be drummed up by the Taipans off the bench (vs 31 for the 36ers), led by a quality outing for Keanu Pinder (11 Pts, 9 Reb).
“It was pretty disappointing, and they’re aware of that,” Forde said.
“I know there were things I misfired on that I want to do better at … that’s what pre-season is all about.
“Good thing is we get another chance to give it another crack in two days – I’m not going to hold that performance by any means on anybody playing more or less minutes.”
Johnson on a roll
The Taipans had a hard time stopping 36ers’ Daniel Johnson, who led the game with minutes played (34.53) to dropped an impressive 33 points and eight rebounds on the Snakes.
The two-metre forward had his way with the Taipans defence, able to take advantage on mismatches as his opponents continue to build chemistry.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Taipans and 36ers will gear up for their next pre-season matches against the Tasmania JackJumpers and Perth Wildcats respectively on Tuesday night at Mystate Bank Arena.
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