Phoenix keep season alive with win over local rivals Melbourne

Melbourne head coach Dean Vickerman has teed off on the officials after United dropped Game 2 of their semi-final series with South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The 90-79 win for South East Melbourne saw a combined 56 fouls called and 68 free throws attempted, well up from 40 and 32 just two nights earlier in Game 1.

“We knew leading into this game (the Phoenix) were going to put their head down and attack. To me, that turned into something ridiculous. Who’s going to be better at creating contact and running into people and getting to the foul line,” Vickerman fumed.

“I’m not sure if I’ve been in a playoff game where teams are shooting 38 free throws. I don’t understand why we change two referees in the middle of a series. That’s a totally different game to what we played the other night. Are we meant to adjust to the referees for every game or are we going to play a series where we know how it’s going to be refereed? I’m disappointed with that.”

Compounding the frustration was star big man Jock Landale fouling out in just 13 minutes, with Vickerman believing the officials are lacking consistency with the way they call the star.

“Jock fouled out in 13 minutes or whatever it was, and the contact is just not the same for the things that he got called for and other things that were going on. We need him on the floor, and I hope they look at this game and say they got some of those things wrong because I believe they did,” he said.

In the opposite locker room, Phoenix head coach Simon Mitchell chose to look at the positive side of things, particularly his squad’s ability to withstand the pressure of foul trouble.

“You have got physically gifted athletes attacking the rim, there’s going to be some contact, there has to be a decision of what you allow, what you don’t allow, and consistency,” Mitchell said.

“That’s all you can hope for and that’s all I’ve got to say. A lot of this is mental this game and being able to live with foul trouble is a problem for teams to overcome. We got our fair share of it tonight as well, but I thought we were able to handle that well.”

The series is now set for a deciding Game 3 on Tuesday night, with a spot in the Grand Final on the line.

“We knew what was coming today. You just know that once you lose a game in the playoffs the mentality you come back with. We saw a little drop off in the absolute desire to win some loose balls and to do the hard things that got us the lead the other night. It’s a great jolt but we are in a position where it’s lose or go home right now. We don’t want that; we want a chance at trying to win this championship so it’s going to be a battle,” Vickerman said.

South East Melbourne Phoenix have kept their season alive, reversing a Game 1 drubbing to level the NBL semi-final series at 1-1 with a 90-79 win over Melbourne United at Sydney Olympic Park.

The gutsy performance sets up a Tuesday night decider with a spot in the Grand Final on the line.

Holding no answers for United star Jock Landale throughout NBL 21, it was a renewed aggressive style on both ends of the floor that opened the door for the Phoenix to pull off the upset win in Game 2.

Coming off a 26-point display in Game 1, the intent of the Phoenix when it came to Landale was clear from the opening tip. Sending an immediate double team every time he touched the ball on offence and consistently attacking on his body on the other end of the floor, Landale’s first bucket came on a dunk midway through the third quarter, with foul trouble leaving the big man frustrated throughout.

Landale’s first bucket came on a dunk midway through the third quarter, with foul trouble leaving the big man frustrated throughout.

The night went from bad to worse for Landale, when he fouled out of the game with 5:55 to play after tussling under the basket with Yannick Wetzell, setting the scene for a classic finish with United up 76-72.

Combining for just 27 points on 20 shots on Friday night, it was South East Melbourne’s star duo of Mitch Creek and Keifer Sykes that rose to the occasion on Sunday. Establishing attack mode early, the pair combined for 21 points in the first quarter, connecting on seven of the nine made field goals for the period.

Down the stretch it was all Creek, with a personal 9-0 run turning a 77-77 game into an 86-77 lead. It was vintage Creek, with a 3-point make mashed in with some old school bully ball. Creek and Sykes each tallied 26 points.

Courtside mics captured Creek telling United centre Mason Peatling “we’ll see you in Game 3” in the final minute.

That he will. The series is back on.

Red hot Hop

Melbourne United’s bench gunner Scotty Hopson is in scorching hot form. Dropping 22 points in just 19 minutes on Friday night, it was once again the American import who looked unstoppable on the offensive end.

Hopson dropped 19 points to lead United in scoring, finishing 6-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-7 from 3-point territory. Named as a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award last week, the dynamic scorer is on a tear.

Broekhoff’s struggles

It’s been a rocky return to the floor for Ryan Broekhoff in NBL 21, with the Olympic representative struggling with a variety of injuries that kept him from finding his rhythm. After just eight points in Game 1, Broekhoff tallied four in Game 2.

Whistle happy officials

The look of bewilderment and frustration was etched across the faces of players and coaches from both camps in this one. A total of 56 fouls were called and 68 free-throws were attempted. With both teams playing physical defence, the officials did not buy into the old adage of ‘letting the guys play’.