Melbourne United’s NBL season alive after 95-72 victory over Illawarra Hawks
Melbourne United is alive in the NBL finals race, but needs a favour from Perth Wildcats and two thumping wins to turn their remote finals dream into a reality.
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Melbourne United has earned a stay of execution.
With a season on the line United delivered on a declaration to dispatch the last-placed Illawarra Hawks 95-72 in front of a sold-out Melbourne Arena.
But Brisbane Bullets, currently in fourth, could puncture United's Hail Mary bid to play finals with a win over reigning champions Perth Wildcats on Sunday in the west.
The equation is very simple for Dean Vickerman's team.
Win the last two games of the season and do so with big margins.
Real foot to the throat areas.
The killer mentality which delivered the franchise a championship just two seasons ago.
In an ideal world, United needs the Bullets and New Zealand Breakers to drop their last home-and-away games to take percentage out of the equation.
Mitch McCarron, David Barlow and Stanton Kidd set the tone early for United before usual suspects Melo Trimble, Chris Goulding and Shawn Long got rolling to run up the scoreboard.
Captain Goulding went into halftime shooting blanks from the perimeter (0-3) but finished with 20 points including six second-half downtown daggers in front of a crowd of 10,300 fans.
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Back-to-back triples from Goulding with less than five minutes to play lit up Melbourne Arena and even extracted a discreet low-five from Hawks big man AJ Ogilvy.
“First of all we had to win and win by as many points as we can,” Goulding said.
“Aggression was our mindset from the jump (and be) super aggressive offensively.
“When we started racking up the points the crowd went up to another level.”
MELO MAGIC
If Melo Trimble returns to the NBL next season, and was to stay in Melbourne, he might ask coach Vickerman to start him off the bench.
Trimble was understandably surprised last week after being demoted to the six-man role but after two breakout performances the emerging guard, a genuine matchwinner able to score quickly and in bunches, franked Vickerman’s decision.
Trimble exploded last week with 36 points including 21 in a quarter but last night the Baltimore native, showcased not only his scoring power but defensive drive and distribution skills.
The 25 year-old was disruptive from the second he got on the floor, playing his part in a full-court strangulation of the Hawks.
On the flip side, with ball in hand Trimble not only drove the lanes to score 13 tough points but handed out nine assists along the way.
Let's not forget, when United plucked Casper Ware, a keen onlooker last night from the corporate section coincidently, sitting with Sydney Kings teammates Jae-Sean Tate and Deshon Taylor, he was already a season professional with experience in US and Europe.
BLOCK PARTY
United has shot itself in the foot enough all season.
Building margins on teams then stargazing only to get beat.
United held up defensively first last night, then went about its business amassing a valuable 23-point win. Could it have been a greater margin? Of course, the sluggish start not ideal.
By the time Shawn Long got back on the floor after turning his ankle slightly, United’s big men Alex Pledger, Jo-Lual Acuil, Stanton Kidd and Tohi Smith-Milner had made their presences felt.
It was billed as a game for the shooters, with Melbourne needing to run up the scoreboard, but the five individual blocks showcased intent.
With good reason too, because on Thursday every aspect of United’s game will be audited by the lively Cairns Taipans.