Sunday, November 11, 2015, 3pm AEDT, Hisense Arena, watch on Nine Network
Ladder position
Melbourne United: Top
New Zealand Breakers: Third
Season record
Melbourne United: 8-0
New Zealand Breakers: 4-3
Last five matches
Melbourne United: WWWWW
New Zealand Breakers: LLWWW
CAN anyone stop Melbourne United?
That’s the question on every one’s lips after the juggernaut rolled into it’s eighth straight win to start the season with a second win over Sydney in less than a week.
Many believe United ($1.42 with CrownBet.com.au), with its star studded line up, could go the entire season without losing.
But they have to get past a side that is almost as stacked in the New Zealand Breakers ($3.07 with Sportsbet.com.au).
The Breakers started the season very slowly, but have welcomed back superstar Corey Webster after his failed attempt at making the New Orleans Pelicans roster in the NBA.
And that’s directly correlated with some serious improvement in the side.
They improved to third place with a 10 point win over Adelaide last night, 98-88.
Webster and the imports Jackson and Jackson were on fire, but it was the less heralded Tai Wesley who went off, nailing 26 points to go with eight boards and three assists.
Webster dropped 20 points with five treys, while both Charles and former NBL Most Valuable Player Cedric each recorded double doubles.
Cedric set the table with 13 dimes to go with his 11 points, two steals and two blocks and Charles cleaned the glass with 10 boards and 21 points on an incredible 9-11 shooting.
Alex Pledger got in on the action off the bench with 10 and seven with a couple of block thrown in.
Coach Dean Vickerman was pleased with his side’s performance, especially that of Wesley and Charles Jackson, who responded after getting in early foul trouble.
“I pulled him out in the first two minutes and just had a great response from him to say, ‘yeah, that wasn’t acceptable, I didn’t quite get it done’, and for him to bounce back the way he played for the rest of the game was outstanding,” Vickerman said.
“He’s got something special in his ability to be around the rim and finish.”
Wesley had 26 points for the second straight game, indicating he is ready to deliver on the big stage.
“He played a lot more minutes tonight, but he did a great job getting his post catches, his rebounds, and his screening in the fourth quarter that got Corey and some others open was a big factor,” Vickerman said.
It was a nice turn around from the Breakers, who were smoked in their earlier season meeting with the 36ers, 90-71.
The Breakers are actually the only team Melbourne hasn’t beaten this season, on account of the fact they haven’t played yet.
But United seems to be mauling every team it comes across, with only the Perth Wildcats pushing them last week, but only getting as close as two points 75-73.
United travelled to Sydney last night and really brought the pain, whacking the Violet Crumbles 105-94.
Hot pick for this year’s MVP, Chris Goulding was at his dazzling best, continuing his hot shooting streak with 31 points, seven boards and four assists, dropping an incredible eight treys in the process.
Import Stephen Holt provided the one two punch with Goulding, hitting five threes of his own to register 23 points.
United as a team was unconscious from the outside, dripping 20 of them at almost 50 per cent. You’re always going to win when you shoot the outside shot that well.
Todd Blanchfield has quitened down after a massive start to the season, but managed 14 points and six boards – with four of those three pointers – while centre Daniel Kickert continues to enhance his standing in the league with 10 points and seven dimes, setting up plant of play out of the post.
Garrett Jackson, signed as cover for injured NBA man Hakim Warrick, also had his best game in the league with 14 points and five boards in 17 minutes off the bench.
Goulding passed all the credit on the the import point guard after the match.
“Steve set the stage for us in the first half, he went on a blitz and was hitting some crazy shots,” Goulding said.
“We knew they were going to try and shut him down so we had to stand up.
”We face New Zealand on Sunday and we want to get a sell-out crowd and give everyone some entertainment.“
Goulding has been arguably the best player on the best team in the NBL.
Averaging a tick over 20 points per game, Goulding is in the top five in scoring, at over 44 per cent, with a little more than 3.5 dimes per game.
United has enjoyed six of eight at home, and this will be eight of nine, but Goulding says when the road games start, the side will be out to “wreck fans’ nights”.
“I said to coach (Dean Demopoulos) the other day that while we love playing here in this fantastic environment, teams like ours want to play on the road in front of booing fans,” Goulding said.
“We want to play in front of fans who don’t like us, we want to wreck their night.
”We want to go on the road and beat some teams and we have a team that’s built to do that as long as we keep moving in the right direction.“
“There are going to be some tough games and we have to be realistic about this because it’s not every day a team goes 7-0 or 14-0.
“We have to be realistic about the quality of this league and the calibre of players in this league.
United is again expected to be without Warrick, who is battling injury, but that’s merely been a bump in the road for the Melbourne side this season.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I like my team, I like these guys,” Demopoulos said.
“They seem to know who they are and what they want.
“(Goulding) works at it. I’m more in awe of his work ethic than what the outcome is.
“He’s a gym rat, in the truest sense of the word.
“He’s got a great spirit for this game.
“He enjoys it.
“He’s a showman that doesn’t necessarily attack the integrity of the game.”
Webster has been back for three matches and the Breakers have won all three of those games.
He’s leading the league in scoring with a tick over 25 a night, including a monster 35 point night.
He’s the man United must stop if it is to win this game.
Predictions
Match winner: Melbourne United ($1.42 with CrownBet.com.au)
Line: New Zealand Breakers +5 ($1.91 with CrownBet.com.au)
Total match score: Over 164.5 ($1.90 with sportsbet.com.au)
Two of the most potent offences in the NB go head to head and we’re expecting plenty of fireworks in this one. The overs are a must with scoring talent the likes of Webster, Jackson, Holt, Goulding and Blanchfield firing them in from everywhere. And while United has been blowing everyone out, we reckon last year’s champions are just hitting their stride and should be able to really take it to the team from Melbourne. The two Jacksons are as tough as nails, Wesley has been a surprise packet and Webster tops them off. We’re not saying United is about to have their streak closed, but we do believe it will take everything they have to hold the Breakers off. Remember, this is a side that won the title less than a year ago. They will be doing every thing they can to enhance their credentials of winning it all again. A win here would put Melbourne an incredible four games ahead of second spot, but if the Breakers can somehow break through that superstar line up, they will claim second to United – and send a message to the rest of the league that they’re not to be messed with. Both are the form teams of the competition, we’ve gone with United, only because it’s at home, but we’re strapping ourselves in for a nail biter.
