Matt Illman

@HoopConsultants @andrewbogut @Adelaide36ers

@Adelaide36ers As President of the overweight basketball coalition I stand behind Bogues. Mr Griffin will just have to toughen up. I’ve taken 34,456 more weight jokes from Bogues than the owner Mr Griffin has taken and I made it just fine. Bogues is fine in my book and should carry on !

The club has issued the following statement in the wake of persistent and repeated personal attacks on club owner Grant Kelley. Read more below. adelaide36ers.com/news/club-stat…

@OlgunUluc It’s only a foul if they call it….

Here’s Kings head coach Brian Goorjian on how his team is guarding Bryce Cotton (in response to Wells’ issues with officiating).

36ers head coach Mike Wells was immensely displeased with the officiating in Game 3 of the Championship Series. He notes Matthew Dellavedova having 0 fouls, and a lopsided foul count (Adelaide committed 24, to Sydney’s 11). Bryce Cotton drew 3 fouls (K. Davis drew 8) in 39 MIN.

@OlgunUluc I guess ‘defending him’ has a broader definition than I thought…..

One of my takeaways was Bryce Cotton’s elite facilitating in the 1st half, before it looked like he got gassed. That clearly affected his decision-making + ability to get to his spots with the same pop. Here’s Goorj, on the Kings wearing Cotton down: “… he’s a human.”

The attention of the entire league was laser focused on Kendric Davis. His response? One of the greatest individual performances in NBL history; a floor game masterclass to put his Kings a win away from a title. That, and more from Game 3, on @ESPNAusNZ. espn.com.au/nbl/story/_/id…

@SpikeEskin @RTRSPodcast @MOConnor_NBA Joel/Giannis is also a very tricky fit - if you’re trading for Giannis now, you probably should try and see if anyone will take Joel and get back something that fits better, even if you attach assets. I don’t want to do this either.

@SpikeEskin @RTRSPodcast @MOConnor_NBA Giannis has played 3 more games than Embiid this year and is out for the next 6 weeks. Another injury prone superstar is more than I can take.

A giant Sixers trade deadline preview from the unmatched @MOConnor_NBA rightstorickysanchez.com/p/sixers-trade…

@OlgunUluc Amen to that!

@mattillman The first point is primarily what I mean. There are others on the team who are solid advantage creators but seems like they’re not given the license. It’s very heliocentric around BC, which is simple to guard. More opportunities for others would also open up BC’s game even more.

The 36ers pick up a hugely important road win, on the back of this seemingly inevitable Bryce Cotton game winner. Stealing this win in NZ - while not playing their best basketball - before Sunday’s game in Sydney felt vital. Brutal loss for the Breakers.

@OlgunUluc By play-style issues - I assume you mean the fact that anyone who isn’t Bryce is not allowed to look at the hoop without checking with him first? Or that a team with this much talent doesn’t have a single 3 man on the roster?

There’s so much value in picking up wins while still figuring stuff out. There are some really obvious rotational and play-style issues going on with the 36ers right now, so taking tonight’s game in spite of that is really important. • Getting a big John Jenkins game (24 points, 6/11 3PT) is a good sign, but the defensive/ball-carrying load doesn’t work with all of Cotton/Jenkins/DJ sharing the floor. • Good to see Adelaide make some tweaks to their switch-everything scheme; it was slightly more sustainable and effective tonight, relative to last week vs SEM. • ~15 minutes for Isaac Humphries - on any night, but especially when he’s in the midst of a good game - is curious. Not sure what the strategy behind that could possibly be.

@Harrison_Grimm Joel not playing isn’t what it used to be….

Yeah, going into tomorrow’s game with low expectations. Might be a rough one.

@bdetrick So who should they give the ball to late in games then?

Maxey is a weak iso scorer who passes less frequently when driving than anyone in the NBA who drives a lot (both per "play type" stats). Until he irons out those issues—which are connected—he should probably spend more time off the ball late in games

@bdetrick How do the numbers compare when Joel plays to when he doesn’t?

The major point here: when you're leading the NBA in minutes per game, FG attempts per game, and touches per game, the offense is your baby

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik That we can agree on

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik

Randle w/ the good steal and in the open court, you could count 4 steps from the last dribble. But that's not how the rules work. We only count from when the dribble ends. It's still flaring until he puts both hands on the ball. Foot on floor does not count towards 2 legal steps

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik Expanding was more accurate

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik *explaining 🤷‍♂️

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik Expanding the rule is a very good description….

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik Well, I spend half my time out here expanding the rule, and why it isn't vague. It's pretty clear, and it's remarkable how often the refs get it right in hindsight with the benefit of slow mo

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik You’re missing the point- yes, you can have 2 steps after you gather/zero step/pick up your dribble, whatever you want to call it. The problem is the interpretation is so broad/grey as to what this is. But you understand it so good for you.

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik x.com/bballbreakdown…

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik Well I’m definitely convinced now! 🍎 🍊

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik x.com/bballbreakdown…

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik I mean footage from the 30’s would be impressive. Or alternatively find something from any other league in the world that looks remotely like this.

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik It does, actually. Would u like to see gather steps from the 1930s?

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik Oh, well that makes it ok then….

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik lol, half the layups in high school utilize a gather step, no one bats an eye, and the whistle doesn't blow

@GamblingSheriff @bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik Infinity

@bballbreakdown @mattillman @mrshaheedmalik how many steps could Randle take if he decided to keep the ball in his right hand, not underneath just on top/side of the ball, the whole time?

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik Don’t worry everywhere else on the world has always laughed at the NBA travel rule and you’re right for decades before too. It’s basically a different sport - as long as it’s a highlight, you can take as many steps as you like.

@mattillman @mrshaheedmalik Well, the gather step rule was added in 2009 to the rulebook simply to reflect how the game had been called for decades before that. People just didn't notice

@bballbreakdown @mrshaheedmalik The fact that we’re talking about something called a zero step tells you all you need to know about the rule. Just hold the ball in one hand and run the length of the court….

@mrshaheedmalik The foot that is down when dribble ends (right foot) does not count, it's the gather, or zero step.