NBL22: Taipans fall just shy of epic comeback against Breakers
Love was definitely not in the air between the Breakers and the Taipans on Monday night, as the two sides exchanged blows in a thriller. MATCH NOTES HERE >>>
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The hearts of the Cairns Taipans and their fans were smashed to pieces by Yanni Wetzell and the Breakers, who marched in the Cairns Convention Centre to grasp an 84-83 victory on Monday night.
Trailing by 26 points at the half in the Valentine’s Day bout, the Taipans managed to claw their way back to be one point down in the final seconds.
But Snakes superstar Scott Machado couldn’t convert on the final possession, muffing the layup to leave fans gasping in the stands.
“I wanted the last shot, just so they couldn’t come down and get a possession,” Machado said.
“I think I could have done a better job in getting the guys to space out, then when I did the spin move I still had time and I wanted to ... the shot felt good, (but I) missed it.”
Wetzell was unguardable as his team battled to a much-needed win, finishing with 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven steals.
Against opposing centre Stephen Zimmerman, Wetzell was too quick at the post, and too physical for any smaller bodies the Taipans tried to put on him.
“It was a huge game for Yanni specifically,” Breakers head coach Dan Shamir said.
“Really happy he got the stop in the end because his stat sheet is amazing.
“The message is that that’s how we should play ... his presence here today was amazing and we really needed that.”
It was a heartbreaker of a night for Majok Deng, who marked his 150th game with a team-high 21 points as his side fought to their last breath to mitigate a miserable first half performance.
Much like many hopeless romantics on Valentine’s Day, the Taipans were shooting their shot all night, but few fell in their favour early on.
The Snakes – one of the best first quarter teams in the league – were only able to conjure 12 points in the opening term versus the Breakers’ 30.
“I didn’t envision us being down 26, it was disappointing,” Taipans head coach Adam Forde said.
“We were getting our arses kicked across the board in every category and every lineup.”
Entering the half, Taipans coach Adam Forde looked ready to light a fire under his squad.
And light it he did, with the Taipans emerging into the third quarter like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
The home team managed to flip the table in the third quarter to outscore the Breakers 32-14.
This was aided by Snakes forward Jordan Ngatai, who clocked up 10 points against his own team, including two nifty three-pointers.
Pinder ignites tinder
One of the brighter stars for the Taipans in the loss, Keanu Pinder continued to prove to be a baller for the Snakes.
The 26-year-old aggressive forward notched up 16 points for his side, edging himself ever closer to the comeback player of the year discussion.
Turn over the tables
The Taipans once again showed themselves to be one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to turning the ball over.
The Snakes gave the ball away 12 times in the first half against just three for NZ.
Cairns managed to tighten things up in their third quarter surge, but it made for little recompense as the reckless turnovers early haunted them the entire game.
Breakers reach breaking point
Staring down the barrel of their tenth loss of the season, the Breakers were fierce from the get-go to keep from total collapse.
At the half, Wetzell said tonight was all about playing with intensity and heart right from the get-go, and the 25-year-old embodied that with his performance.
He was joined by recent signing Chasson Randle (10 points) and fellow guard Peyton Siva (22 points), who showed there’s plenty of talent on this last-placed team.
Deng 150: ‘There’s no place I’d rather be’
MILESTONE man Majok Deng has declared Cairns is where he wants to stay as he pursues a second NBL grand final series appearance – and that elusive championship.
Deng will suit for his 150th game in Monday night’s clash with the Breakers at Cairns Convention Centre, and despite being helped from the floor with a knee injury in Saturday’s loss to the Hawks, declared he will be fine to take the court in front of the community he’s grown to love.
“As we speak now, there’s no place I’d rather be,” Deng said. “I didn’t even know it was my 150th. Hopefully I’ll get 150 more games.”
It is a reflection of how the Taipans, the Orange Army and wider community have embraced Deng’s family.
“I can see Cairns being home,” said the South Sudan-born forward.
“We’ve had nothing but great things happen since being here – and that’s not just the club, but the community.
“We’ve made a lot of friends who have helped my family so much.”
Deng started his career at the 36ers, spending three season in Adelaide on limited minutes as he developed into a genuine NBL starter.
He featured in the 2018 grand final series for the 36ers, and while he was among the top scorers twice was on the end of a 3-2 series defeat to Melbourne United.
It is a memory which still stings the 28-year-old, and has been driven to return to the most important series in the NBL ever since. And he wants to do it in Cairns.
“I’m trying to get back there for another shot,” he said of the championship series. “Every year, it’s always the main goal to make it.
“Once we’re through this patch – the injuries, and Covid – we can start building. I believe we have a team that can get there.”
Throughout his tenure at Adelaide he averaged under 10 minutes on court, but that has more than doubled in his three seasons in Cairns.
As his role and responsibilities have grown in the Far North, so too has he grown to be a piece that Taipans staff – and the NBL club’s opponents – simply cannot overlook.
“I’ve been more than I did in Adelaide, and I’m getting better every year,” Deng said.
“I’m getting a bigger role, and it makes me even more confident to keep building.
“I’m happy with how I’ve gone so far this season.”
Qualifying for and competing for the NBL championship is not the be all and end all for Deng, but the drive to win is firmly a key motivator for the sharpshooting forward who has a noted threat from beyond the arc.
Family is also key.
“I just want to work hard to make them proud,” he said.
“I play for them; they’re my No.1 supporters.
“Winning drives me every day. To be the best player I can be. But you have to enjoy every night.”
While the sample size is small when compared to other clubs in the NBL, Deng is in the midst of another personal best season.
His minutes have increased to more than 30 per game, aided by the Snakes’ injury crisis, and his scoring, rebounding, steals and accuracy from the free throw line have all increased to a career-high level. His assist rate is also up.
And if Deng has his way, Cairns will start the march up the NBL ladder on Monday night and give his side every chance of making a play at the top four, and that elusive championship opportunity.
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM 87-81 LOSS TO HAWKS
GET THE BASICS RIGHT
CAIRNS’ shot chart was gross.
The Taipans hit just 14 of 38 shots from close range, and 11 of 32 from beyond the arc for a 35 per cent total.
Yes, shots are difficult in the heat of competition, with big guys in your face and arms flailing to obscure your view.
But the sheer number of crosses in the paint is enough to make casual baller cry, let alone a professional.
The Snakes could have won that game; they won’t if they repeat that stat.
WELCOME BACK LADS
Cairns welcomed back two men, and while Scott Machado dominates the headlines and attention, it was great to see Mirko Djeric suit up for the first time this season.
Djeric was luckless as he notched just shy of 10 minutes, finishing at 0-from-3 from the field, but it’s a welcome step in his return to the active roster.
Machado sunk some crucial baskets and we were given a glimpse of what the Machado-Tahj McCall partnership could produce with more time together.
MAGIC MCCALL
He’s had a rough trot with turnovers lately but you cannot deny this man’s talent.
McCall came to work, and reaped the benefits with an impressive stat line of with 17pts, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Perhaps the most show-stealing was, deep in the stretch during the Taipans’ fightback, he received the ball beyond the arc.
Rather than go for the long bomb, as the Snakes had been doing for the previous few minutes to close the margin, he put his head down and powered to the basket for the jam - and drew a foul.
HARVEY KEPT QUIET
Tyler Harvey is usually a thorn in the Taipans’ side but the Snakes kept him quiet in his 50th NBL game.
Harvey has scored at least 20 points in all six previous games against the Snakes, with scores of 24, 22, 35, 24, 21 and 25 at an average of 25.2.
He managed just 12 points on Saturday.
ROUGH ROAD AHEAD
The Hawks’ loss is the start of what is a brutal three-week block – but there might be a silver lining.
The Snakes will play two games per weekend, but, before this round, five of those six games are against teams outside the top four.
Illawarra is in and out of the top four, but this is a good time to chalk up some wins.
TAIPANS FIGHT BUT FALL
THE Taipans showed plenty of fight but could not land the miracle fourth-round knockout blow against a club fast becoming their bogey side.
Illawarra led for much of the WIN Entertainment Centre contest, and while a Cairns team inspired by the welcome, successful return of floor general Scott Machado threatened a late boilover, the Hawks prevailed 87-81.
Machado made his return from a two-month lay-off with a heel injury, and while he was only set to play nine minutes that was extended to more than a quarter of an hour as the Taipans rallied late.
“He was fantastic, right?” said Taipans coach Adam Forde.
“I got the okay from our physio that we could extend him out a little bit, tried to time it well where we could weather the storm a little bit and chuck him in there.
“We threw him out there to try and bring it back. He was point a minute.”
He finished with 16 points, which included four long bombs, while fellow import Tahjere McCall stuffed the stat sheet with 17pts, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Majok Deng (14pts) and Bul Kuol (12pts) also hit double figures.
Hawks gun Duop Reath grabbed an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, with two steals and two blocks, while Justinian Jessup also scored 18 points as they bounced back into the top four.
Antonious Cleveland had a big afternoon with 16pts, 6 rebounds, and three blocks, though the usually busy Tyler Harvey, who has scored more than 20 points in his six previous games against the Snakes, was kept quiet, limited to 12pts.
Illawarra has now won 15 of the past 17 games against Cairns, but the Taipans had themselves to blame for the final result.
They fought back well, particularly down the stretch, and could have had a clearer shot at victory had they landed simple shots around the rim.
Instead, they shot a season-low 35 per cent from the field, and when compared to the Hawks’ 50 per cent success rate from the floor, it’s clear where this game was lost.
“What did we shoot, 35 per cent?,” Forde said.
“You’re not going to win too many games with 35 per cent. In the second half, our paint touches were two of 15. Not all of those were good looks.”
That lack of accuracy, plus the Hawks’ domination of the boards (46-37), ensured the home side got the job done to stay in the top four.
They don’t have long to turn it around, with the Taipans travelling back to Cairns on Sunday before hosting the Breakers on Monday night.
Taipans and Tall Blacks forward Jordan Ngatai said his side had to bottle the mindset and energy from those final few minutes of the Hawks’ loss and produce that over a longer period if they are to bounce back in to the winner’s circle.
“We started making a little run, as time kept going we were like let’s turn up the pressure,” Ngatai said.
“We kept turning it up.
“We need to increase that volume a bit more, especially in the Monday game, try to create some energy if it’s a bit low.
“But the whole mindset was lets get on this run and see what happens.”
It didn’t pan out on Saturday, but, at home in front of a raucous Orange Army, there’s no reason why the Snakes can’t collect win No. 4 for the campaign.
MACHADO LOCKED IN TO RETURN
The Taipans have confirmed one of the league’s deadliest point guards – Scott Machado – will make his long-anticipated return to the court after being out for more than six weeks with a heel injury.
Skilled sniper Mirko Djeric will also rejoin the team after missing the start of the regular season with a nagging leg injury.
To say the Snakes missed their on-court leader would be an understatement, with head coach Adam Forde eager to see what kind of impact the returned players will have with the rest of the squad.
“These guys are almost trying to re-find their own ways as well,” he said.
“I won’t put too much pressure on them; we’re seven games in where this is Mirk’s first one since preseason and Scott only played a game and a quarter this season.
“(I’ll) just allow them the space to rediscover their roles within the team, but the expectation would have to be they contribute in a positive way and not try to impact negatively.”
Facing a stumbling Illawarra Hawks team on Saturday night, Forde isn’t ready to rush Machado and Djeric into the fray, with the pair only playing limited minutes in the bout.
“We’ll splice them in with low minutes – we’re hoping to get about 8-9 minutes for each guy,” he said.
“Mirko we’ll probably bring in the middle part of the quarters and we’ll use Scott to be a bit of a respite for Tahj (McCall) at the point.
“The main reason obviously in limiting their minutes is they’ve just been away for so long.
“Anything excessive just puts them in a high risk category on top of their initial injuries they’ve already got.”
Wanting to contribute to the Taipans’ NBL22 campaign in a positive fashion after a tough 2020-21 season, Djeric said being relegated to the sidelines was frustrating.
“I‘ve missed it a lot, just being with and travelling with the boys,” the 26-year-old said.
“It’s hard to just sit on the sidelines and watch, you want to be out on court and go to battle with them.”
“But all that’s in the past, just happy now (and) I’ll play any role I need to.”
The Hawks have been on a downward slope since round seven, losing five of their last seven including an embarrassing 23-point loss to the last-placed New Zealand Breakers.
One of their wins came against the Taipans in round nine; the familiar foes will play one another again on February 18.
“Illawarra did a good job exposing us with our bigs, Keanu (Pinder) did a good job in responding,” Forde said.
Forde’s approach paying off as team gets jump-start
THE Taipans truly rose to the occasion after coach Adam Forde’s clear and targeted words galvanised his team into a winning unit, and they’ll be out to prove it wasn’t a one-off when they head into a big double-header weekend.
The coach challenged the players, and the Snakes made a statement in response, as they head into games against the Illawarra Hawks and New Zealand Breakers with a head full of steam after a bullish 102-94 win against the Brisbane Bullets in Round 10.
“If anyone challenges you, you either rise to the occasion or you don’t,” said Taipans assistant coach Sam Gruggen.
“We’re really fortunate here to have every player that wants to rise to the occasion and they definitely did that.
“We’re pretty proud of how they responded and hopefully we continue that trend upwards.”
The win against the Bullets yielded a career performance from first-year Taipan Bul Koul, who was humble about his own contribution despite tallying a career-high 26 points which included eight three-pointers.
“That game was a good game for us especially (Stephen) Zim, Tahj (McCall) and Jok (Majok Deng),” Kuol said.
“Those shots shoot themselves, especially against Brisbane … it wasn’t anything special.”
Kuol said after losses to the Perth, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Illawarra, Forde’s spray was warranted.
“When you lose three consecutive games, you’ve gotta make a change,” the 25-year-old said. “Coach put a challenge out there, we made a lot of mistakes on the defensive end, so he just called us out.
“It’s our job – he’s not the one that’s out there playing and so he just threw us a challenge and I think we responded well.”
Combine Kuol, centre Zimmerman and a clear tilt at the defensive player of the year award from McCall; the three NBL22 additions to Cairns have shown the selecting prowess Forde possesses.
Injury replacement signing Marshall Nelson, who was signed just a few weeks into the season after point guard Scott Machado went down, said he noticed how Forde’s approach had resonated with the players.
“His level of professionalism and how he holds himself and goes about his business is really good,” the former Hawks development player said. “He builds relationships with players as well which helps with making you feel confident.
“Even if you have a bad game or a loss, he hammers you but he also has your back as well so it’s really good.”
Kuol agreed with his teammate’s sentiments.
“It’s an easy team to play for, coach gives you the opportunity and all the confidence in the world so it’s up to you to really dominate.”
Cairns faces the Hawks in Illawarra on Saturday before hosting NZ on Monday.
Taipans hopeful to have a major piece back for double-header
The potential return of Taipans MVP Scott Machado has his teammates heartened as the team looks to bounce back from an injury-decimated first quarter of the season.
Machado has ditched the moon boot and rejoined sharpshooter Mirko Djeric alongside the rest of the team at practice, looking like they hadn’t lost a beat since going down.
Machado has been nursing a heel injury since mid December after coming down hard on it against the Tasmania JackJumpers.
Just days after setting the NBL ablaze with a career-best 26-point performance in the Snakes’ win against the Bullets, Taipans rookie Bul Kuol said the duo’s return would provide a massive boost to the team ahead of two games in three days against the Hawks and Breakers.
“It’s a good chance to build momentum … you can win one game but if you can put two together this weekend, that really shows we’re making a change and getting better as a group,” he said.
“We got Scotty and Mirko coming back so it’s only another chance to prove we’re getting better as a team.”
While Machado and Djeric are set for a return, fellow injured Taipans Nate Jawai, Jared Kenny and Kouat Noi are all still sidelined.
Taipans assistant coach Sam Gruggen said the pair will be monitored throughout the week before taking a physical closer to game-time to make sure they’re ready.
“It fantastic to see them (Mirko and Machado) join back in team training,” he said.
“Mirk with his jokes and seriousness when he plays the game, then Scott with his leadership and composure – it just releases the pressure from Tahj (McCall) to always bring the ball up the court.
“Hopefully, fingers crossed they’re playing this weekend and we start getting some wins together.”
Kuol has filled in well at point guard in the absence of Machado.
“It’s nice to have Mirk and Scott back, theses are some elite guys,” the 25-year-old said.
“Mirko’s and elite shooter and Scott is one of the best point guards in the league – these are some strong additions.”
The Taipans will face a Hawks team on Saturday fresh off a gut-wrenching one-point loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix, followed by a Breakers visit on Valentines Day after their 19-point belting from the Sydney Kings.
Having played a league-low seven games this season due to Covid, Gruggen anticipated more double-headers on the horizon for Cairns.
“Unless something else happens with Covid it seems to look that way,” he said.
“Every team we play seems to have three or four days off prior to that, so we understand the challenge ahead and we’re pretty happy to have more bodies back on board.”
Kuol shows why he is best buy of the NBL
CHALK it up as one of the best wins in the Taipans’ recent history, and at the centre was a man who was relatively unknown at the start of the NBL season who has now surely burst into the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Bul Kuol shot the lights out of Nissan Arena in Saturday’s 102-94 win against the Bullets, sinking eight triples on his way to a game- and his career-high 26 points to put his own name in lights.
Kuol’s performance was one of several outstanding efforts from an injury-hit team with just nine fit players which was put under the microscope after a three straight losses.
If it weren’t for the injuries, Kuol likely wouldn’t be changing out of his tracksuit, but that performance showed why Cairns coach Adam Forde recruited the forward.
“I told him after the Blitz I wasn’t happy with a few key areas,” Forde said.
“If we were full strength, Bul would probably be registering DNP’s (did not play) and maybe a couple of minutes off the bench because I don’t know how I felt after his pre-season. He still shot at 53 per cent for the entire pre-season tournament but there were other things we wanted to capitalise on.
“But here we are, we are down a lot of bodies and with that you get a lot of opportunities … he’s taken the bull by the horns.”
Forde wasn’t only impressed with his efforts on the ball, as Kuol drained his first six shots from long range, but his work defending Jason Cadee and Lamar Patterson, two of the Bullets’ key men.
“It was only a matter time before he had the offensive game he did,” Forde said.
“He’s had a great college career spanning over five years where, his whole career, he’s shot at 41, 42 per cent as a spot-up shooter. We knew that was going to come.
“What’s been real positive is him defensively. Him harassing Cadee in the full court, then you switch him out on to Patterson, then he switches out and he’s battling the bigs in the post. He’s such a good dude, and I’m so happy we’ve got him on our team.”
It had been a rough seven-week stretch for the Snakes.
Since a 93-67 thumping of Adelaide on December 18, the Taipans went 0-3, battled a Covid outbreak, have lost five key players to injury, and, after a humiliating defeat on their home court seven days ago, endured a week in which Forde questioned the players’ character and made clear what he expects from everyone.
A trip to Brisbane without a group which could, on another day, make up a starting five in Scott Machado, Mirko Djeric, Kouat Noi, Nate Jawai and Jarrod Kenny was expected to be tough, even though the Bullets missed four of their own.
But few expected the Taipans to strike so venomously.
A 20-point opening five minutes set the tone, and as Bul Kuol (26pts, eight-from-10 from long range) and Majok Deng (26pts at 53 per cent) kept adding to their tallies, the Snakes set the pace throughout the contest.
They well and truly passed the “manhood test” coach Forde mentioned during the week, and the nine men on the active roster for game day stood and delivered.
“This was them taking those words and turning it into action … great to take the win and do it with the players that we have out but players have to fight for minutes now.”
CAIRNS CASUALTY WARD OVERFLOWS
CAIRNS can’t catch a trick with as many as five regular NBL stars in danger of missing the Taipans' crucial clash against the Bullets.
The Sunshine Stoush is one of the most highly-anticipated games on the Taipans’ calendar, but Cairns could be forced to field development, training and injury replacement players in Saturday’s clash at Nissan Arena.
Scott Machado, Mirko Djeric and Kouat Noi have missed the Snakes’ past few games and remain unavailable.
Star centre Nathan Jawai was set to play his 200th NBL game but suffered a Grade 2 tear of hsi right adductor at training and is expected to miss the next four weeks.
Point guard Jarrod Kenny will be a game day decision due to back spasms.
Machado and Djeric are expected to return in Round 11, but Noi’s knee will be evaluated in the next few days to determine a return date.
MCCALL BACKS FORDE ON SPRAY
TAIPANS star Tahjere McCall has urged his team to go back to basics as Cairns prepares to snap a three-game slide against their fiercest rivals.
The under-fire Snakes will travel to Brisbane to face the Bullets in the first Sunshine Stoush of the NBL season this Saturday, and will be keen to impress after coach Adam Forde put the squad on notice.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE BASKETBALL NEWS
Forde called out his players after last Saturday’s 94-75 loss to Illawarra, questioning the players’ character as he tries to spark some life into Cairns’ stuttered start to the campaign.
The coach delivered a clear message to his players at practice, and it was a spray McCall actually appreciated.
“You need that passion, it just show you how much he cares,” McCall said.
“When your coach cares that much, you have to go out and play hard, because if not, it’s disrespectful to somebody who cares that much about you and your best interests. I need, I like that, we need that.”
Cairns did endure a 25-day break due to health and safety protocols in January, but no member has used that as an excuse for their performance.
McCall, who has taken on more of the load in point guard Scott Machado’s injury absence, said he felt the team had to “get back to basics” as they chase a bounce back win.
“In the games, we’ve been beating ourselves a lot, a lot of mistakes on our end,” he said. “We just need to compete.”
McCall has impressed in most aspects, particularly in terms of shooting and his work on the defensive end, but in the past two games was guilty of nine turnovers (January 25 v Phoenix) then fouled out (January 29 v Hawks).
And he didn’t shy away from the responsibility.
“Definitely starts with me,” McCall said. “I can’t foul out, I can’t get in foul trouble.
“It’s not acceptable.
“I’ve played too long, I know what to do, what not to do. That hurt my team.
“We just need to play together and trust each other. We’re playing good teams right now, we have to know they’re going to make runs.
“Things aren’t going to go our way the whole game but we just got to stick together and just trust what we practice, what coach watches, and trust that the numbers will play itself out.”
ROUND 10 PREVIEW: CONTENDERS FLEX THE MUSCLES
McCall, who described the current lean patch as a hump, said this team wasn’t panicking, but there a “sense of urgency” among the group.
“You can’t fall back in the league, it’s too tough to fall back then try fight your way back and win fighting your way back,” he said.
“Definitely a sense of urgency, but panic? Our team’s too together to panic.”
FORDE DRAWS LINE IN THE SAND
THREE straight losses and a lacklustre, noncommitted approach to training has forced Taipans coach Adam Forde to fire up and challenge his players to prove they belong in the NBL, and at Cairns.
The Taipans were blown out 94-75 by the Hawks at the Snakepit, making a mockery of the mooted Cairns “fortress” as the Snakes slumped to second last on the NBL ladder.
But the fortress may as well have been built with straw and decorated with smiley faces, because no NBL rival fears Cairns according to Forde.
“I know I mentioned the crowd sticking around at the end of the game, but I hear this term, the ‘fortress’,” he said.
“It’s not a fortress, we lost two games in a row. Nobody is scared to come here. That’s what I put on them, nobody is scared to come play us, so what are you going to do about it?”
That was just one aspect of Forde’s “line in the sand” at the club’s practice court on Tuesday, as he called out his players for their nonchalant approach to training, which has transferred to game situations.
“There’s almost a question of character – how badly do we want to win? Are we going through the motions?,” he said.
“We’ve lined everybody up and we’re questioning people’s character. I want to see how they respond.”
The coach doubled down on post-game comments about the source of his team’s issues, and called on his players to step up – or step aside.
“If we don’t train hard, then how do we think that’s going to transfer over to the game and being ready?” he said. “The problem is we we’re making the same errors.
“How upset do you get when someone gets the upper hand on you?
“That’s what I questioned these guys on. How much pride do you take when Tyler Harvey takes it and drills a three in your face? How much pride do you take when Duop Reath spins baseline and finishes a reverse? Are you nonchalant, or are you going to knuckle down a bit and say I won’t let that happen again?
“You can’t go second or third gear here and expect to play at an elite level in the national league. You’re kidding yourself if you think that’s how games are won and lost.”
And nobody was safe, with all players and staff called upon to make a difference ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Bullets in Brisbane.
“I challenged the staff, I’ve got them to challenge me, everything we do on a day-to-day, what can we improve and be better at,” he said. “Challenge everybody, because whatever we’re doing right now is not working.
“Be better. You get paid to do this. Be a professional and be better.”
HOW PINDER CAN LEAD CAIRNS TO PLAY-OFFS
HE is generally overlooked whenever the Taipans are discussed but Keanu Pinder has shown how he can lift Cairns into the NBL playoff chase.
The Taipans were blown off the court by the Hawks, but if there is anything fans can take away from the 94-75 loss, it’s that Pinder could be the missing link when the Snakes are back to full strength.
Cairns coach Adam Forde made clear he wasn’t happy with aspects of his team’s recent performances, including a 10-point loss to South East Melbourne, but he praised the way Pinder put his team first against the Hawks.
It wasn’t so much the 15-point, 10-rebound double-double that caught Forde’s eye, but more the way in which he put his body on the line.
As Hawks big man Antonius Cleveland produced one of the dunks of the season, it was Pinder who tried to stop him.
According to Forde, who had earlier hooked Pinder for attempting a long-range shot the coach didn’t agree with, the guard did what so many others refused to do, and highlighted what Forde said was an issue in modern basketball.
“I know that dunk will get the rounds, everyone loves the highlights,” Forde said.
“I need to commend Keanu for that because this is probably the problem with basketball today – people don’t challenge that now. They don’t want to end up on a poster.
“He didn’t let his image or his ego influence going for that. I can’t be more proud of that. That, to me, is something I’ll identify for years to come.
“I’ve used Tom Jervis as an example of a guy in the past, you’ll get more blocks than you do getting dunked on but it’s that one that will get cycled through. And rightly so, it’s a very impressive play by Cleveland and I’m not degrading what he did. There’s a guy that put his body on the line, and that’s all I can ask for.”
Forde said Pinder was one of the men he challenged after the loss to the Phoenix, and while it wasn’t perfect, the performance proved he took every word on board.
“He was someone I challenged, I didn’t think he performed to his standard at South East,” Forde said.
“There was someone who took that criticism on, wore it, he still shot that three I didn’t agree with – that’s the reason I subbed him out, because that was something we could get a better look at. Everything else, I thought he was good.”
The Taipans face the Bullets in Brisbane on Saturday.
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM SNAKES’ LOSS
Illawarra made a mockery of the fortress-like reputation of the Snake Pit, leading the undermanned Taipans from buzzer to buzzer to pick up a crucial 94-75 blowout win.
Here’s five key takeaways from the match.
TO TURNAROUND
After a NBL season-high 23 turnovers in Tuesday’s 10-point loss to the Phoenix, and an average of 18.6 per game, there was plenty of attention on the Taipans’ TO stat column.
The Snakes gave up six turnovers in the first quarter, but were guilty of just five more in the remaining three terms to get it under control.
They stepped up there, but fell off in other areas to be blown out at home.
HAWKS CAN FLY
The Hawks had won just one of their previous four NBL games, but showed glimpses of the finals contender many expect them to be in Cairns.
All five of the Hawks’ starters hit double digits, led by Tyler Harvey’s 24 points, but it was no one-man show for the travelling Hawks.
Justinian Jessup (17 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, one block) and Sam Froling (11pts, 11 rebounds, one block) finished with double-doubles, while Antonius Cleveland (15pts) and Duop Reath (15pts) were massive.
TAHJERE’S TRICKS
Cairns import Tahjere McCall has impressed in so many areas this season, but it was a smart, sneaky move nine minutes into the contest showed his smarts.
As the Taipans took the ball down court, he crossed the halfway line and noticed Tim Coenraad took his eyes off the guard. McCall stopped in his tracks, allowing the Hawks forward to bump into him, drawing the foul.
It was one of six fouls McCall drew in the first quarter alone, adding to a mixed night in his return to the home court.
He let himself down by fouling out, but stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks in just under 24 minutes of court time.
CLEVELAND SHOW
Antonius Cleveland produced another contender for dunk of the year with a thunderous slam which effectively ended the Taipans’ hopes of a comeback.
He capitalised on the Taipans’ undermanned defence, and when you could tell he decided to go for the slam as soon as the Spalding landed in his hands.
Cleveland held it in his right hand, showed super hops and slammed it home with authority to put an exclamation point on the Hawks’ win.
He finished with 15 points, two rebounds, two steals and a block in another good night.
PINDER POWER
The imports might attract most of the commentary, but Keanu Pinder is proving how good an acquisition he is.
He finished with the second double-double of his career, jagging 15 points and 10 rebounds, and if he can maintain that productivity he will be a key piece of Forde’s roster moving forward.
His efforts don’t always show on the stat sheet, but was big on defence, particularly while marking Duop Reath, and his offensive output shows just how an underrated and crucial component of Cairns’ roster he is.
HAWKS HAMMER UNDERMANNED SNAKES
ILLAWARRA made a mockery of the fortress-like reputation of the Snake Pit, leading the undermanned Taipans from buzzer to buzzer to pick up a crucial 94-75 blowout win.
The Hawks had won just one of their previous four NBL games, but they showed glimpses of the finals contender many expect them to be in a dominant team performance.
All five of the Hawks’ starters hit double digits, led by Tyler Harvey’s 24 points, but it was no one-man show for the travelling Hawks.
Justinian Jessup (17 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, one block) and Sam Froling (11pts, 11 rebounds, one block) finished with double-doubles, while Antonius Cleveland (15pts) and Duop Reath (15pts) were immense on both sides of the ball.
“It feels good to bounce back after that tough one at home,” Jessup said.
The visitors were helped when the Taipans’ star import Tahjere McCall battled foul trouble throughout the night.
He has clearly been Cairns’ leader in the absence of injured point guard Scott Machado, and while he stuffed the stat sheet with 19pts, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks, he fouled out midway through the final quarter.
An ill-fated coach’s challenge for what was McCall‘s second foul – which was clearly a foul – meant Taipans coach Adam Forde couldn’t protest his star import’s fifth and final, which likely would have been reversed after McCall ate Harvey’s hand on the downward swing after a shot.
“I wish I didn’t listen to Tahj in that second foul,” Forde said with a grin.
But there wasn’t much more to smile about for Forde, as his Snakes slumped to a second-straight loss on their home court.
“The break hasn’t been good for us, there’s some things we need to address,” Forde said.
“Performance based, mentally, the break hasn’t been good, and we have regressed.
“It’s disappointing now that things start to creep in when you lose. This is where you see what your worth is, when you lose again at home.”
Keanu Pinder (15pts, 10 rebounds) finished with the second double-double of his career in his best night in orange, while Jordan Ngatai (12pts) and Majok Deng (10pts) both hit double digits.
The Hawks travel to Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena to face New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday night. The Taipans head to Brisbane for the Sunshine Stoush against the Bullets on Saturday, February 5.
TURNOVER TAIPANS
After a NBL season-high 23 turnovers in Tuesday’s 10-point loss to the Phoenix, and an average of 18.6 per game, there was plenty of attention on the Taipans’ TO stat column.
And, despite some improvement, coach Forde might wanted to have seen more in some key areas.
Careless, simple turnovers, poor man-marking and positioning on defence allowed the hawks to exploit the gaps and pick up easy buckets throughout the night, scoring 20 or more points per quarter.
The Snakes gave up six turnovers in the first quarter, but were guilty of just five more in the remaining three terms to get it under control and show they responded to the coaching staff’s feedback.
TRICKY TAHJERE
Cairns import Tahjere McCall has impressed in so many areas this season, but his season-high nine turnovers against the Phoenix meant there was more attention than ever on the 24-year-old.
But it was a sneaky move nine minutes into the contest showed his smarts.
As the Taipans took it down court, he crossed the halfway line and noticed Tim Coenraad took his eyes off the guard.
McCall stopped in his tracks, allowing the Hawks forward to bump into him, drawing the foul.
It was one of six fouls McCall drew in the first quarter alone, adding to a mixed night in his return to the home court.
He let himself down by giving up three fouls just three minutes into the second quarter, but Forde backed his star to walk the tightrope.
“Now we got Tahj back in the second half – if he fouls out, he fouls out,” Forde said at halftime. “I don’t want him to change a thing.”
McCall fouled out midway through the last quarter on a controversial call, hit with his fifth foul when on the receiving end of a Tyler Harvey swat.
THE CLEVELAND SHOW
Antonius Cleveland produced another contender for dunk of the year with a thunderous slam which effectively ended the Taipans’ hopes of a comeback.
He capitalised on the Taipans’ undermanned defence, and when you could tell he decided to go for the slam as soon as the Spalding landed in his hands.
Cleveland held it in his right hand, showed super hops and slammed it home with authority to put an exclamation point on the Hawks’ win.
He finished with 15 points, two rebounds, two steals and a block in another good night.
PINDER POWER
The imports might attract most of the commentary, but Keanu Pinder is proving how good an acquisition he is.
He finished with the second double-double of his NBL career, jagging 15 points and 10 rebounds, and if he can maintain that productivity he will be a key piece of Forde’s roster moving forward.
His efforts don’t always show on the stat sheet, but the way he controlled Duop Reath in the first quarter, was a nuisance defensively for other Hawks players, and chipped in offensively, shows just how an underrated and crucial component of Cairns’ roster he is.
DENG BACKS SNAKES TO SHINE
DON’T read too much into Tuesday night’s 10-point loss to South East Melbourne Phoenix: this Taipans team can beat anyone.
That’s the message from Taipans forward Majok Deng, as FNQ’s only national team prepares for its first game in Cairns since New Year’s Eve.
The Taipans returned to the court for the first time on Tuesday after enduring schedule changes then a Covid-forced break from training and games in a long 25-day stretch.
And they have learned a lot about what Adam Forde’s team is made of.
Without three regular starters – star import Scott Machado and sharpshooters Mirko Djeric and Kouat Noi – the Taipans were brought undone by themselves, a NBL season-high 23 turnovers ruining any chance they had of victory.
For that reason, Deng believes this Taipans team can beat any other.
“I still think we are a better team,” Deng said. “If we take care of the ball, we would’ve won the game.
“Like any other team, if you give them the ball, give them too many possessions and keep turning the ball over, you don’t give yourself a chance of winning. Once we take care of that, minimise the turnovers and execute, I think we’re going to be a tough team.”
The Taipans returned to practice on Thursday, as Forde ran his troops through an intense session in which the key focus was on how they executed on both sides of the ball.
Cairns can’t afford to give up the ball, nor give up easy shots, and if they can get those right it will go a long way to securing victory when Illawarra swoops into the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Taipans assistant coach Sam Gruggen described the Spalding as a “pot of gold” the players simply could not afford to let go, as the turnover issue reared its head after dominating much of their preseason talk.
“That ball is like a pot of gold, we have to make sure we value the possession, and if we do that we put ourselves in position to win any basketball game,” Gruggen said.
“Executing our plays, setting great screens, passing the ball, moving it with purpose and not trying to force the issue, and that will help with the score, minimise the turnovers and make that quarter much more reasonable and put us in a position to win the game.
“We feel good about every game.
“Our prep has been great, athletes are receptive to every scout or information we give them. We do feel confident heading into every game, we trust what Fordey has put in place. It’s a matter of coming in, executing, and playing the four quarters.”
Regardless of whether the injured trio will return on Saturday, Deng has grown into a leader of this team and will play a big part in their success.
But the 28-year-old won’t be doing much too differently, instead driven simply to deliver a dub for home fans.
“Nothing changed really, just trying to do whatever it takes to help my team win, whatever they put me in,” Deng said. “I’m still confident.
“I didn’t do enough of what I like on the weekend but I’m looking forward to Illawarra.
“They’re a great team, they can shoot the ball. We have to lock in, we have to do everything a lot better than we have been to give ourselves a chance. It comes down to shutting down turnovers. We don’t want to give them a lot of chances.”
Tip-off is at 4.30pm.
TAIPANS LEARN FROM MISTAKES; SUFFER INJURY BLOW
THE Taipans will learn from Tuesday’s tight loss to South East Melbourne and take better care of the ball when they return to the Snake Pit on Saturday afternoon.
Cairns committed a NBL season high 23 turnovers in the 87-77 loss to the Phoenix, the team’s first game in 25 days, and coach Adam Forde took his side to a higher intensity in their return to the practice court on Thursday.
Forward Keanu Pinder said the team had learned from the loss, with ball control among the most important focuses.
“We had a problem with that in preseason, and our first game back we had a problem with that again,” Pinder said.
The Taipans confirmed late Friday that Kouat Noi would remain on the sidelines after a flare-up with his troublesome right knee.
A Taipans statement read that “following nine days in isolation, Noi’s knee has been aggravated as training loads have increased”, and medical staff are taking a cautious approach at this stage of the season.
Noi tore his posterior cruciate ligament in the same knee in January last year and was ruled out for 12 weeks as a result.
The 24-year-old forward joins star import Scott Machado and sharpshooter Mirko Djeric on the sidelines, with Taipans training player Robbie Heath suiting up.
The Taipans host Illawarra Hawks at Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday.
Tip-off is at 4.30pm.
Meanwhile, the Taipans will begin preparations for a rivalry clash and short two-game series with Melbourne United in the space of three days after the NBL was forced to make changes to its schedule due to Western Australia’s border controls.
The Snakes will now prepare to write another chapter in the history of the Sunshine Stoush against Brisbane Bullets at Nissan Arena on Saturday, February 5, before a home-and-away series with Melbourne Utd the following week.
They will face United at John Cain Arena on Saturday, February 12, before hosting the defending NBL champions at cairns Convention Centre on Monday, February 14.
Perth Wildcats will remain on the road for the foreseeable future, with their planned home games at RAC Arena in early February postponed.
PHOENIX MAKE SLOPPY TAIPANS PAY
The Taipans were their own worst enemy when it came to turnovers against South East Melbourne Phoenix, with star player Tahjere McCall the worst offender in the loss.
The defensive player of the year candidate and league assist leader committed a regrettable nine turnovers in the 87-77 defeat to the Phoenix.
In their first game in nearly a month due to Covid the Snakes dug themselves in a deep hole early, with missed passes and miscues on attack costing them 23 turnovers, which had head coach Adam Forde livid on the sideline.
“You get a stop, and you throw the ball in the front row,” he said after the game.
“You get a stop, then you come down and pass the ball straight to the opposition and there were little bits where we stopped playing and we’re looking to complain instead of moving on.”
Despite this, the visiting Taipans were able to keep themselves in the game thanks to a solid night’s shooting from McCall who ended the game with a team-high 16 points and nine assists.
While the team was still down marquee guard Scott Machado, bench player Mirko Djeric and starting shooter Kouat Noi, Forde made no excuses about his team being undermanned.
“We miss them but we’re not sitting here saying ‘wait until those guys are back’,” Forde said.
“We need to understand what it takes to win. Winning isn’t supposed to be fun, winning is supposed to be hard.
“You start making excuses then you’re not embracing hard work.”
South East Melbourne scoring juggernauts Mitch Creek and Ryan Broekhoff (14 points) took advantage of every stray ball, getting plenty of good looks on a reeling Taipans defence.
He may have been fish out of water – playing at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium – but Creek feasted like a shark at the rim finishing with 26 points and eight rebounds.
Taipans forward Keanu Pinder showed a few bright spots in his first start for Cairns, including two stupendous blocks on attempted layups by Creek and Reuben Te Rangi.
Despite drawing three fouls in the first half, and a subpar night in shooting, the 26-year proved one of the more reliable defensive players for the Taipans.
Cairns and South East Melbourne will move on to Saturday match games against the Illawarra Hawks and Brisbane Bullets respectively.
EARLIER: Taipans head south to face Phoenix
AFTER what feels like an eternity for both Taipans fans and players alike, it appears the team will finally take to the court on Tuesday night.
But it won’t be a warm welcome back to the league by any stretch, with Cairns travelling south to face South East Melbourne Phoenix who brought the hammer down on the Tasmania JackJumpers 76-63 on Sunday.
Cairns has played a league-low four games, with Covid seeing them sidelined for more than a month.
“I feel like every game we were excited for got cancelled so it’s been tough,” Taipans tall Stephen Zimmerman said.
“We had to be really patient, it might’ve been worse with a different group of guys but I feel like everyone was really positive … we just kept working.”
Zimmerman has had himself a season so far at the post, leading the league in average rebounds per game with 11.
Fellow import and defensive machine Tahjere McCall is another player who’s stunned NBL22 so far – he’ll make a massive return after rolling his ankle and missing the new years game.
While McCall will make his return, the Taipans will not have skilled shooter Kouat Noi, who will remain in Cairns due to an extended Covid waiver after not passing a medical check.
Star Scott Machado – and bench player Mirko Djeric – will continue to remain out after extended injury absences.
McCall leads the league in average assists at six per game and is ranked second in steals with two per game.
“He sets the tone for everybody, that was something I was looking forward to because of this break,” Zimmerman said.
“Before the break, I was excited about how our defence was looking and how we were moving – with him back I think it’s going to stay that way.”
Since Covid protocols caused last week’s game against the New Zealand Breakers to be called off, the concept of finally being able to play after so long has left Snakes players jumping out their skins.
“We’re excited to go, it’s going to be a long travel day but we’ll do anything at this point to play somebody,” Zimmerman said.
'Nek minnit, a game is cancelled’: Taipans players adjust to constant Covid changes
After nearly the entire Taipans roster came down with Covid – and fixtures continue to be tossed around by the pandemic – players have opened up about what the chaotic January has been like.
For the third year, the pandemic has caused chaos with the NBL schedule, including seven match alterations for Cairns.
This includes Sunday’s postponed home game against the New Zealand Breakers – the latest match to feel the brunt of Covid.
“With Covid, you can’t plan on anything, you just need to be on your toes,” Taipans shooter Bul Kuol said.
“Because nek minnit, a game is cancelled or you’re playing a whole different opponent.
“You’ve just got to stay ready … we come in and practice regardless of whether we’re playing an opponent on Sunday or not.”
The Snakes have played a league-low four games this season, with some teams playing as much as nine games despite constant outbreaks.
It’s also been a long hiatus from playing ball, with Cairns’ last game a home loss to the Perth Wildcats on New Year’s Eve.
Kuol said most of the team caught Covid during its seven-day lockdown.
With most of the squad and staff back at team facilities, he said the team was locked, loaded and eager to get back into the action after a promising start to the season that had Far North fans optimistic.
“It’s been a minute … coach has just been preaching to us, (some) teams haven’t played for a month,” Kuol said.
“We’ve seen the outcome if you come into a game unprepared and you haven’t played for a month.
“We’re just coming in and trying to get that engine and our lungs going and trying to win these games.”
For key bench player Jordan Ngatai, the time away from basketball has been important but frustrating.
Covid aside, most of the 28-year-old’s season has been spent on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Ngatai said in his time away from playing, his family and teammates were key in helping him manage the time off.
“Honestly, if I didn’t have that time, I’d be in a lot tougher spot,” the forward said.
“Being with my partner, having my family around me even here I had a lot of support and that helped me get through it a lot.”
However, with his recovery complete, Ngatai could not wait to get back on the court and do damage from the three point line.
“I felt happy again – it was a long time away from basketball, I don’t really want to have that feeling again to be honest,” he said.
The Taipans are scheduled to face South East Melbourne Phoenix on Tuesday, January 25 in Melbourne, then return home for a clash with the Hawks on Saturday, January 29.
More Coverage
Originally published as NBL22: Taipans fall just shy of epic comeback against Breakers
Car allegedly stolen, set ablaze
Emergency service crews have responded to reports of a stolen vehicle on fire, south of Cairns, on Friday morning.
Read more
Cairns’ 40 ethnic groups to receive $4m gathering place
Labor candidate for Mulgrave Richie Bates has pledged $4m to build a new multipurpose centre in Cairns, should the party remain in power after the October 26 state election.
Read more