Throwdown III: Melo Trimble dominates as Melbourne United top Phoenix, Chris Goulding’s contribution to the NBL
The threat of being dragged after a scoreless first half was enough to spark Melbourne United’s Melo Trimble into action, the point guard finishing off his masterclass with the gamewinning free throw against South East Melbourne.
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Melbourne United star Melo Trimble said the threat of being taken off the floor fuelled his match-defining 22-point second-half haul.
Trimble’s onslaught included United’s last 10 points, eight of which came from the charity stripe.
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After going scoreless to halftime, the confident import guard, who drew critical fouls down the stretch to claim the 96-95 win, had United coach Dean Vickerman’s voice ringing in his ears.
“My teammates told me to just keep ‘doing you’ and be confident,” Trimble said.
“Coach also said if I’m not aggressive he’s going to take me out so … I decided to go out there and do that and my team needed me.”
Great to have the Curnow bros in the house tonight! ðŸ€ðŸ‰
— Melbourne United (@MelbUnitedHQ) November 16, 2019
Thanks for coming along!#WeStandUnited pic.twitter.com/wWZBUYJv3Q
Phoenix guard John Roberson was fouled out of the game with less than three minutes to play.
“I know Roberson was in foul trouble, he started getting more aggressive as the game went on,” Trimble said.
“To get him out was very key, they really had no ball handler and tried to rely on (Mitch) Creek to get a lot of buckets for them.
“Shots wasn’t falling and we knew we had to keep attacking, be aggressive the whole second half … foul count went our way when (we) started being more aggressive.”
While Trimble iced the contest, back-up guard Shea Ili kept United in the hunt with a career-high 16 points, including four of six three-point attempts.
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Melo Trimble shows Melbourne United fans exactly what he is capable of in victory over Adelaide
MELO TRIMBLE IS ON A MISSION! 😤
— Melbourne United (@MelbUnitedHQ) November 16, 2019
This nifty move kick-started three buckets in a row from Melo to even the scores!#WeStandUnited pic.twitter.com/c0lq2wBkNI
Vickerman credited Ili’s work rate in the win.
“They left him open and he made shots,” Vickerman said.
“He blew up things, he got us some steals, I thought everybody reacted to him today … he was a massive factor for us to stay in it today.”
United had nine more free throws than Phoenix and capitalised late, with the go-ahead buckets.
But Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell refused to apportion blame on the refereeing.
“I got no control over the referees, I’m not going to blame them,” Mitchell said.
“Too often teams lose and you see people b****ing about f***ing salary caps, fouls, just take it on the chin.
“They outplayed us in the last quarter and we got to get better if we want to roll with the big dogs — and we do want to roll with them.”
Instead, Mitchell said Phoenix went looking for Roberson too much in the second half and paid the price for being too “John-centric”.
“I felt like we didn’t get good looks at the end of quarters,” Mitchell said.
“We got to execute down the stretch of games.”
HOW GOULDING KEEPS UNITED TICKING
Chris Goulding could barely watch the dying seconds of last night’s Throwdown thriller at Melbourne Arena.
His job was done, largely, keeping the grand finalists in the hunt as South East Melbourne Phoenix looked the winner for the majority of another hotly-contested Throwdown derby.
With Dean Vickerman deploying a defend-at-all-costs line-up, his team trailing by one with three Melo Trimble free throws to come, Goulding was summoned to the bench.
Goulding wears a number of different hats on match day.
From gamebreaker to cheerleader, to traffic controller and assistant coach – an extension of Vickerman – between the lines.
He was relegated to spectator last night and, as Phoenix moved the ball in search of an equaliser – or better yet, a go-ahead three – Goulding could only peek over the top of a towel clasped firmly on his face.
Goulding’s fingerprints have been all over United’s resurgence after a dogged 1-4 start to the season, the grand finalists now awaiting Brisbane Bullets with a handy 6-4 record after five straight wins.
Goulding has gone bananas in recent weeks, stroking long-range bombs with clinical precision.
When it mattered early, Goulding was there last night, and then, with the game on the line, the selfless captain acted as a conduit between Vickerman and the starting five.
Is he an MVP candidate? You better believe it.
THE CRAFT
It can’t be taught what Goulding has – the sweetest shot in Aussie basketball.
Goulding’s ability to catch and shoot – anywhere, anytime – was on full display again last night at Melbourne Arena when he kept United in the hunt with a buzzer beater to end the first quarter.
#JustChrisGouldingThings pic.twitter.com/cktuZBLt2I
— Melbourne United (@MelbUnitedHQ) November 16, 2019
United needed a spark and the captain chimed in accordingly, draining the clutch three-pointer over Phoenix guard John Roberson with 1.4 seconds on the clock.
Goulding never looked like missing after receiving the rock from Shea Ili well behind the arc, at the Chemist Warehouse logo, about eight metres from the hole.
Goulding finished with 13points including three three-pointers in United's win last night to maintain a slot in the league's most valuable player race.
Goulding went into last night's Throwdown averaging a career-high 21 points and equal second fewest turnovers (1.13) of his career, since playing more than 20 minutes per game.
THE AMBASSADOR
If Goulding was paid by the appearance and promotional shoot he’d easily be the highest paid basketball player in Melbourne – by some margin.
Not since Andrew Gaze, the greatest of them all, has one player been required to carry the torch for basketball, year in and year out, on and off season, like Goulding.
Don’t look now that United puts bums on seats and sells out more than its share of games but think of the early years where wins and fans were as rare as haircuts for Goulding, who returned to the league in 2015 after a stint in Spain with a ponytail, which was lopped this year for charity.
Goulding’s Los Angeles-based Australian agent Daniel Moldovan hailed his long-time client's influence on the sport.
“He’s the most recognisable Melbourne player since Andrew Gaze,” Moldovan said.
“A lot of the success of the league can be traced back to him over the last few years since (Larry) Kestelman took over.
“(Goulding) is the single best ambassador for the game in this country with regards to the way he conducts himself off the court.”
Goulding’s improvement on the hardwood has not gone unnoticed either, the past two especially as the Launceston-born star has battled through niggly knee and ankle issues.
“It’s no coincidence that now healthy, he is playing the best basketball of his career,” Moldovan said.
“It’s no longer just about being an elite scorer (either), he simply makes game winning plays whether it be creating for others or getting the crucial steal.
“I’m biased, obviously, but I think he will be this season's MVP.”
THE BOOMER
What better way to prepare for a 13th NBL season than shoot the lights out for Australia on the world stage.
Goulding did that and then some this past off-season, helping Australia bring down USA Basketball in Melbourne with a crisp shooting display in front of more than 100,000 fans at Marvel Stadium before playing a pivotal role off the bench at the World Cup in China.
Boomer bench bomber Goulding averaged 7.3 points across eight World Cup matches, including hauls of 16, 15 and 14 despite limited spark plug minutes.
Goulding did telegraph the breakout campaign, timely too with the Olympics next year, scoring an equal team-high 19 points against USA Basketball in the first of two warm-up games in Melbourne.