Crosscourt: NBL addresses crucial missed calls from semi-final thriller, where will Cotton land?
Tuesday’s NBL semi-final thriller has been hailed one of the greatest games of all-time — but Perth, and fans around the league, were left fuming over a series of crucial late calls.
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Melbourne United’s stunning one-point semi final win that ended the Perth Wildcats’ season has been hailed as one of the greatest NBL games of all-time after the two teams went punch-for-punch before an enthralling finish that brought with it late controversy.
With 2.39 left and the game tied, the referees missed a massive goaltend when Marcus Lee slapped away Ben Henshall’s lay-up — after it hit the backboard. Moments later, the whistleblowers let go what appeared to be a clear Ian Clark travel and he capped a 5-0 run on the back of the initial missed call.
Those two gaffes left the Red Army understandably filthy — owner Mark Arena tweeted a video of the missed goaltend — and led to the NBL conceding the officials got it wrong.
“The NBL acknowledges there was a missed goaltending call during the fourth quarter of last night’s Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats playoff game,” a league spokesperson said.
Heartbroken pic.twitter.com/2itSrjdK4s
— Mark Arena (@WildcatsMark) March 4, 2025
THE GREATEST GAME OF ALL
So remarkable was Tuesday night’s epic game three decider, even the players had a sense it would be one for the history books.
United’s 113-112 win is being hailed among the best NBL games of all time and one of its chief protagonists, Melbourne’s 30-point, nine three-pointer hero Chris Goulding, said players knew something special was unfolding on John Cain Arena.
“We were talking about it after the game, off the top of my head, one of the best games, I would imagine, in quite some time,” Goulding told Crosscourt in the locker room, post-game.
“What a game of basketball, what a showcase for the NBL.
“Maybe I wouldn’t be saying that if we lost but the runs, the shots, whenever they made big shots, I thought we made big plays, and vice versa, and it was just like that for 40 minutes.
“There were countless times where your defence is under stress and we had to say ‘you know what? We’ve got to live with that’ and they just kept making tough shots.”
UNIVERSAL APPROVAL
Goulding’s view is shared by just about everyone who witnessed the thrilling decider, which put United into the grand final for the second straight year.
Six-time NBL champion and Boomers legend Phil Smyth said the game was “one of the best of all time”, believing it would draw more eyes to the NBL.
Sydney Kings mentor Brian Goorjian, the NBL’s most successful coach, said he’d not witnessed a better contest.
“That was as well played game that I can remember,” Goorjian said.
“The shot making was the best (I’ve seen).”
Recently retired Adelaide 36ers guard Jason Cadee was courtside at John Cain Arena and left believing it was equal to any game he’d seen in his 15-year NBL career: “It was top class. Big shots, people making plays all over the place and everyone was gassed.”
THE BIG SCHEDULING ISSUE
The NBL’s continued growth has meant the scrutiny of scheduling has become more acute. The Kylie Minogue debacle of a month ago that booted Perth off RAC Arena and out to the old Challenge Stadium for a Tuesday night play-in game against South East Melbourne was partially the Wildcats’ fault and resulted in less than 3000 attendees.
John Cain Arena was at just over half capacity on Tuesday night, with 5618 turning up for a game that deserved to be played in front of a sellout.
A combination of day, time and, with just 48 hours between tickets going on sale and the game, United was always in an uphill battle.
Goulding said it sounded like a sellout on the court.
“The crowd was not massive but they were really loud,” he said.
“Perth always have a good contingent, so it was a really good crowd for a Tuesday night.”
The league is looking at putting more games into a fixture that is already hamstrung by two FIBA breaks.
There’s a 10-day break in November and then a more problematic February window that, this year, separated the regular season and play-in from the semi finals. The league tries to cram as much of its season into the period between the end and start of the winter footy codes.
Venue availability is always a juggling act but, in a bid to maximise attendance, does the NBL bite the bullet and take on the footy codes? It might be getting to a point where it either has to begin earlier amid AFL and NRL finals or push its own postseason deeper into the opening rounds of the footy codes.
IMPORT GUARDS SHOOT IT OUT
Back to the game and United captain Goulding went a ridiculous 9-12 from deep, among four players to exceed 30 points in a game that had 10 ties and nine lead changes.
Perth import Kristian Doolittle dominated with a career-high 37 points, while former NBA guards Ian Clark (career-high 38 off the bench) and Bryce Cotton (33) waged their own personal shootout.
“IC was ridiculous through that stretch when Bryce was going, they just went back and forth with each other,” Goulding said.
“At one point I was like, ‘oh my, Bryce is having his way with us’ but I looked up and IC had the same points.
“It was just big play after big play, all night.”
Perth jumped United with a 40-minute era playoff record 37-point opening quarter and led 11 at the first break before United wrestled its way back into the game, closing the gap to four at halftime.
Scoreless in the first half, Jack White exploded for 12 in the third, bookending the quarter with huge treys that gave United a three-point lead with one to play.
“It’s a pity that one of us has to get knocked out,†Jack White full of praise for the Wildcats
— Jessica Robinson (@jessrobinson_96) March 4, 2025
And on his shooting form: “I never lost confidence, the main thing for me was overthinking the free throw line.â€
Excited to see what he can do this grand final series.@codebballaupic.twitter.com/uCDrKncY02
AN ETERNAL MINUTE
Following the aforementioned late ref controversy and United’s run, Lee missed two free throws with 57 seconds left that would have killed the game, Cotton cut it to two and then Delly missed his try. Doolittle, then Cotton missed threes but the Wildcats kept it alive and 500-game veteran Jesse Wagstaff hit one of the biggest threes you’ll ever see to tie it up at 112.
As overtime loomed, United had one last shot with 2.9 seconds on the clock. Coach Dean Vickerman set up for a play that, earlier in the year, ended with a Jack White game winning finish against Sydney.
This time, though, a little Goulding deception gave him a shot at the gamewinner and while young Ben Henshall did all he could to stop him, the Wildcat caught Goulding’s arm and was whistled for the foul.
John Rillie’s coach’s challenge prolonged the inevitable and Goulding stepped up to the line, draining the first and then missing the second to ensure the Wildcats would not get a last-second chance at a gamewinner.
Even gutted Perth legend Jesse Wagstaff begrudgingly conceded the quality of the game.
“I’m sure it was fun to watch and entertaining but, at the same time, it sucks to lose, right, I don’t care how boring it is I still want to win,” Wagstaff said
.
THE $2.4M QUESTION FACING NBL’S HOTTEST PROPERTY
With Perth’s season now done, all eyes are on out-of-contract superstar Bryce Cotton and where he decides to take his considerable talents.
Speculation around the 32-year-old’s next move has been rampant for the majority of the season, especially after he parked contract talks until the Cats’ campaign is over.
As of Tuesday night, we are at that point and the five-time NBL MVP has a decision to make.
But there are so, so many layers.
New Wildcats owner Mark Arena has tabled the biggest contract in NBL history in front of Cotton — said to exceed the reported $1.1 million per year deal signed by Xavier Cooks in Sydney.
It makes sense — Arena, understandably doesn’t want to be the man who lost Bryce.
But was club legend Andrew Vlahov’s speech at the Wildcats MVP night preparing the Red Army for the unthinkable?
Sources who attended the event told Crosscourt Vlahov, a three-time Wildcats champion and former owner of the club, told the gathering Bryce owed the Wildcats nothing and urged understanding in the event their beloved star did decide to leave the club.
Some eyebrows were raised when Arena re-signed John Rillie to a three-year deal, earlier this season, given reports of a strained relationship between the coach and Cotton.
That relationship has been called ‘strictly professional’ but a source close to the club told Crosscourt that connection has improved as the season wore on.
Rillie played a straight bat to questions about Cotton’s future, post the game-three defeat.
“We just lost a really heartbreaking series and, no offence, we’ve just addressed two players’ situations (Cotton, Jesse Wagstaff) for next year. Let’s reflect on the season the series if we can, please?”
Money isn’t the only factor but it is a factor.
Say Cotton signs a deal worth $1.2 million per year in Australia, he’ll give just over $500,000 back to the Australian Government.
If he goes to Japan or China as an import, he will command over $1 million US net and potentially up to $1.5 million.
A quick conversion check shows that translates to around $2.4 million Australian — with every cent in his pocket.
“I’ve never been a guy that is only going to chase money or is only about money — if that was the case, I wouldn’t have played in Australia all these years,” Cotton told Crosscourt in November.
“For me, it’s about the total package of what I’m getting for quality of life, my mental happiness, my peace.”
Cotton is comfortable with his legacy, but there is merit to being a one-club NBL player, winning a couple more MVPs to match — or exceed — Andrew Gaze’s seven and, of course, more NBL titles.
Of course, those things can be achieved at other NBL clubs and there are a number who will pitch to Cotton.
Code Sports reported last year Cotton’s agency was quietly exploring rival interest in his superstar, with Melbourne United and Brisbane among teams who would have more than a fleeting interest.
Following Tuesday night’s semi final, where Melbourne ended Perth’s season, United legend Chris Goulding and Cotton shared a brief moment.
“He’s so impressive, man, the amount of minutes he plays, and the shots he makes and the attention he gets, it’s impressive,” Goulding said of Cotton.
“There’s a lot of talk about whatever he’s going to do, but I have no idea.
“It’s respect at the back end of a really tough series.”
So would Goulding like to play alongside Cotton?
“Oh yeah, any time you have someone with that level of talent, you’d want them on your team, but I don’t think that’s real,” Goulding said.
An overarching frustration is the naturalisation debacle which, in 2021, resulted in Cotton copping a ban from applying for a Visa for four years.
That ban was supposed to lapse in February but was extended to May after a pre-season return to the US and a trip to Japan for exhibition games added more government red tape.
Despite nine season in the NBL, Cotton remains without citizenship and some fear the latest bureaucratic madness might have been the nail in the coffin for Perth or any other NBL club.
If that were the case, then the riches of Asia would surely appeal.
Japan has become a real destination for NBL players and coaches, with great conditions and plenty of money on offer.
Former Wildcats teammates Nick Kay and Angus Brandt have enjoyed their time in Japan and one of his closest mentors, five-time Wildcats championship coach Trevor Gleeson, heads up B.League club Chiba. While there’s no certainty Gleeson will be there next season, there’s no doubt he will have an eye on Cotton.
The Wildcats might have shot themselves in the foot a little too. It’s understood Rillie had agitated Craig Hutchison’s SEN Group, the club’s previous owner, for a pre-season tour to Japan. It never happened, but Arena said yes this season and that gave an opportunity for Cotton to see the country first-hand — and for Japanese clubs to see his considerable talents.
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Originally published as Crosscourt: NBL addresses crucial missed calls from semi-final thriller, where will Cotton land?
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