Preview: SE Melbourne v Cairns

When: 5.30pm (AEDT), Saturday 8 October
Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Broadcast: ESPN; Foxtel; Kayo; Sky Sports NZ
LIVE SCORES & STATS

Who won the last time?

Cairns 90 (Pinder 21, Deng 16, Machado 16) d SE Melbourne 85 (Creek 27, Munford 17, Le’afa 11) – Round 18, NBL22 at Cairns Convention Centre

This one hurt Phoenix fans. Having fallen to the struggling Sixers the previous round, South East Melbourne travelled to the far north and were rarely in the contest as they continued to fall out of the playoff race. Keanu Pinder was the star of the show with 21 points and 13 boards while Scott Machado dished 11 dimes. For SE Melbourne, Mitch Creek led the way with 21 of his own, Xavier Munford added 20, but a horror 3/20 outside shooting night was decisive.

What happened last game?

The Phoenix couldn’t throw a beach ball into the ocean for much of Thursday night either, scoring just 48 points in the opening 30 minutes at 22 per cent from deep as the Hawks eased to their first victory. Cairns had no such troubles in their opening-round win, dropping 12 triples and dominating Tassie’s interior on the back of their speed and selflessness.

What’s working?

Moving the ball – The Taipans led the NBL in assists last season (17.1), but they also ranked second last for giving in back to the opposition (14.6). However, they dished a league-high 23 dimes in opening round and coughed it up just 11 times, their star quartet of DJ Hogg, Tahjere McCall, Shannon Scott and Pinder combining for 23 helpers and just eight miscues.

Junior Madut – On an ugly night for the Phoenix their rookie small forward made a serious statement with 21 points at 60 per cent and seven rebounds. Across the opening two games he’s shown some serious athleticism, the ability to finish in traffic and connect from the arc and a real willingness to defend, which will be needed defending Hogg and McCall.

What needs stopping?

Three-point differential – The Phoenix have been outscored by 24 points from the three-point line already in NBL23, shooting 31 per cent while giving up 45 per cent. Cairns landed 12 threes at 41 per cent in their win over Tassie, with Hogg, Bul Kuol, Scott and Majok Deng going 12/23 between them. Can Simon Mitchell’s men find a way to defend the paint against the Snakes’ athletes while also crowding their key shooters for space?

Playing rushed – The Taipans were an offensive mess last season, and the first quarter in Hobart looked very similar with 4/14 shooting and a series of out-of-control turnovers. Enter Scott, who brought composure while still maintaining a good pace. His six assists and no turnovers are a good indicator of his settling effect, while McCall had six dimes and three miscues in the final three terms, after three cough-ups in the first eight minutes.

Who’s matching up?

Kyle Adnam v Shannon Scott – While Scott’s offensive numbers in Tassie were good – 16 points on 2/5 from range and six dimes – his athleticism and speed defensively was very impressive. When Adnam’s allowed to use the ball-screen in a composed manner he is a handful – and with 41 points and 10 assists in the opening two games – but if Scott can stay attached and reduce the need to help it will limit SE Melbourne’s ability to create open shots.

Mitch Creek v DJ Hogg – ‘Wolf’ is fighting a lone hand with four key teammates out, contributing 35 points, 13 boards and five assists. However, the Phoenix need him to be more efficient than his current 10/25 from two-point range and 6/11 from the foul line. Hogg went at 53 per cent from the field and 3/7 from deep on debut, along with four assists and four blocks, and if he gets going again Creek will need to go into shutdown mode.

Alan Williams v Keanu Pinder – After a solid opening against the JJs, Williams took another step forward in the 'Gong, adding 13 points, 11 rebounds, four o-boards and four assists, which could have been more if his sublime back-cut feeds had been finished. Pinder drew six fouls and got to the stripe nine times in Tassie, can he sucker Williams into situations that NBL officials will whistle? And can he get some easy buckets by out-running big Sauce?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">OUR SEASON HAS BEGUN ?<br><br>Keanu Pinder letting &#39;em know with this hot start ? <a href="https://t.co/vvtnQV1V7S">pic.twitter.com/vvtnQV1V7S</a></p>&mdash; Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans/status/1576856607853400064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Who’s saying what?

The Phoenix gave their fans a treat on opening night, and their supporters responded in kind.

“It was jumping last Saturday night, it was amazing,” Kyle Adnam said.

“Talking to Sauce and some of the other guys they were so impressed with how the crowd turned out and how loud it was in the arena.”

With almost 6000 flocking to Melbourne Park they overcame the absence four key players to register a win over last season’s grand finalist.

The same stars are still sidelined this week, and the Phoenix will hoping their fans again step up as a sixth man.

Here’s the thing though, Cairns travelled down to Hobart last week and silenced one of the most parochial crowds in the Hungry Jack’s NBL.

What was most impressive was the Snakes trailed by 11 midway through the second term, MyState Bank Arena was pumping and they held their nerve, whereas last year in the same building they were blown away after having a fast start themselves.

“We were shooting 2/12 at the half and this team’s built on shooting,” coach Adam Forde said.

“What was really cool was we were in touch through our defensive effort, even though we made some errors defensively with our switching, but the checks and balances always balance out.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The block, the pass, the bucket! ?<br><br>Taipans closing the margin towards the main break ? <a href="https://t.co/hCqhkCBlQb">pic.twitter.com/hCqhkCBlQb</a></p>&mdash; Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans/status/1576868503025463296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Did I anticipate 39 points in the third quarter? Probably not, but I knew Bul (Kuol) was going to get going, I knew DJ was going to get going, Shannon was going to get going. Stay with it, stay disciplined, stay with our stuff and it’ll flow.”

A large part of that resilience came from new floor general Shannon Scott, who showed his calm in a mini-crisis by settling the team and logging five points and four assists in the second term to steady the ship.

“I trust him immensely,” Forde said.

“Settle it down, talk to Tahj, run something for KP, steady it. To not have to call a timeout because I know Shannon will manage it on the floor (is invaluable).”

The JackJumpers charged again late, but Cairns looked like a veteran outfit, belying their status as the least experienced team in the league.

“We’re still building an identity, this is really important. Out of our 13-man squad there’s eight brand new guys, and out of those guys there’s five rookies,” Forde said.

“There was a real moment in that fourth where the momentum swung towards Tassie, we were trying to get fouls that weren’t fouls. Tahj can sometimes force it so he’s adjusting to try and trust the guys around him, but we stayed locked into the task.

“For a team that is the least experienced team we’ve ever fielded on the court, I thought the guys showed a lot of composure and maturity and professionalism.”

Right now, South East Melbourne are challenging the Taipans as the inexperience capital of the NBL, with the likes of Grant Anticevich, Owen Foxwell and Junior Madut having to step up in place of veteran internationals.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">??Block at one end ?? a beaut of a ? from Junior!<br><br>? Tune in on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/Foxtel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Foxtel</a> <a href="https://t.co/5s1YhGyIJi">pic.twitter.com/5s1YhGyIJi</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1577944017786245120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With little margin for error, coach Simon Mitchell is examining the finer details that can give his team the edge, starting at the defensive end.

“What we've got to do is focus on little things,” he said.

“We made some errors defensively in the first half that were disappointing and I thought we could have had a lead going into half-time if we were more disciplined at that end.”

They also need to be able to get their defence set, especially against athletic teams like the Taipans and Hawks.

“We failed to get to the free-throw line, which we need to do. We've got too much firepower sitting in street clothes for us not to get to the free-throw line, so we've got to make a concerted effort,” he said.

“I thought our attack on the rim was ok at times but it was also a little reckless as well and we weren’t rewarded. We've just got to be a little sturdier when we do get our feet in the paint.”

Then they’ve got to make the most of the extra opportunities their effort is creating, after converting 17 o-boards into just eight second chance points in Wollongong.

“We didn’t capitalise on our offensive rebounding which was a little disappointing, even just that aspect of the game if we’re able to get ourselves to the line. Offensive rebounds are a great opportunity to score,” Mitchell said.

“We weren’t very strong on our finishes and we didn’t find guys on the kick-out.”

Yet while there are big challenges at the moment, the Phoenix are 1-1 and playing hard. Like his counterpart in Cairns, Mitchell is pleased with the way his team is competing.

“Love the endeavour, love the fact that we’re fighting,” he said.

“From the development of our brand, who we want to become and how we want to be recognised I think we’re doing the right things out there from an effort standpoint.”