A series of upsets in Round 17 turned NBL22 on its head.
Back-to-back losses for Perth at home, Illawarra making a statement against Melbourne United and South East Melbourne stumbling against Adelaide leave a bunch of questions to be answered this weekend.
Kane Pitman, Peter Hooley and Josh Garlepp are on hand once again for this week's edition on NBL 3x3.
Is the final four locked in? What did we learn from Round 17? Which stat catches the eye?
THREE OPINIONS
Kane Pitman: Perth Wildcats head coach Scott Morrison has not been in a good mood of late, with back-to-back losses at home not helping the situation.
The Wildcats were unable to secure the required FIBA clearance for the defensive minded John Brown III from Russian club UNICS Kazan, while their issues on the defensive end, particularly on the glass continue to frustrate the head coach.
"Had we won, I would've been in a good mood, and I could maybe do this f***ing song and dance or smile or tell a joke and pretend I don't know what's going on. It's annoying, I'm tired of the questions," Morrison said when asked about the lingering import situation.
The response to a perfectly reasonable question was ridiculous, but a little bit of back-and-forth in a press conference isn't the worst thing, it's an emotional game.
The big question is how the Wildcats begin to flip their struggles as currently constructed. Unable to make league requirements of suiting up for seven games for playoff eligibility, any discussion around a potential exemption should be scrapped immediately. It's simply bad luck. Perth was in pursuit of Brown for a reason, as he would have filled a significant need with the team still ranked dead last in defensive rebound percentage and fresh off giving up 64 points in a half to Sydney.
Perth will make the postseason, but we all know simply making the playoffs is not what this franchise is all about.
Peter Hooley: It's been a long time since we have seen United give a performance like that on their home floor.
The Illawarra Hawks were outstanding on Sunday and completely took United out of everything they have done well all year. Yudai Baba will help that. No, he won't come out and score 20 each night and win the game himself, but he is an energy boost. With his defensive game and his ability to get out in transition, it not only fuels the rest of the team, but it gets the fans back involved in the game.
Something that United has always done well is feed off the fan's energy. In fact, that's been the product of all the championship winners in recent times. Dean Vickerman will be looking for Baba to come out and be a spark for however long that is, and with that, hopefully he never has to see a performance like that again.
Josh Garlepp: If finals started today, Sydney would win it all.
A slow start, some personnel changes and now the Kings, after nine straight wins, are in the box seat for their first championship in 17 years.
Jaylen Adams an MVP frontrunner, Jarrell Martin is engaged on both ends and Ian Clark dominant in patches, but the team's role players have also gone to another level.
Prior to Saturday's blowout loss to Sydney, Cats veteran Todd Blanchfield detailed to ESPN that from the outside, it looks like the Kings' strength comes from the collective.
"They've got their top guys, their superstars, but I feel like they've got those role guys around them that play those roles so, so well," he said.
"They have really stepped up and have really contributed to them winning those eight (straight) games and that's really been the difference for them."
AN INTERESTING STAT
Kane Pitman: Only the New Zealand Breakers are giving up more points per 100 possessions than the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
With just six games remaining before the postseason tips off, the Phoenix have failed in their desire to improve their play on the defensive side of the ball this season.
Holding the sixth ranked defence a season ago, the Phoenix have struggled to contain scoring in NBL22, with head coach Simon Mitchell telling ESPN his squad has struggled with physicality, particularly on the glass.
"It's about a mindset. It's not about waiting to get beaten and then react, it's about preparing ourselves mentally and physically and being willing to give up our body."
Now would be the time to do so, starting with Cairns on Saturday night.
Peter Hooley: We know some players are slow starters and strong finishers, whilst others are the opposite. Well, Mitch Creek is both.
Creek leads the league in first and fourth quarter scoring this season. The NBL's second leading scorer will need to find a new level to help the Phoenix get back into the finals race.
For those playing at home, Bryce Cotton leads the league in second and third quarter scoring. Which would somewhat explain Perth's struggles with their slow starts. Not completely, though.
20.56 minutes per game for Tim Coenraad.
Illawarra veteran Tim Coenraad has become a key component of a winning Hawks side, despite turning 37 this coming June.
Over the team's last three wins, Coenraad has almost averaged 10 points per game at just under 21 minutes per game.
Big minutes from a guy who retired at the end of the 2020 season, but clearly his fearlessness, range and consistency is something coach Brian Goorjian and assistant Jacob Jackomas need in their rotation.
IS THE TOP FOUR LOCKED IN?
Kane Pitman: Illawarra's schedule on the run home means the answer is no.
Topping Melbourne was huge for the Hawks, but they still have Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane on the road in their final six games.
Oh yeah, in addition, one of their two remaining home games comes against the white-hot Kings. If the Hawks make it, they'll enter the postseason holding absolutely zero fear against the other playoff squads in what would be a remarkable run home.
Peter Hooley: No sir.
The NBL has dished up way too many surprises and exciting finishes for the finals to be set with four rounds to go. There is some sort of epic twist left and I'm here for it.
It does seem that the Hawks have turned a corner and are playing their best basketball, whereas the Phoenix have gone the opposite way. However, have we stopped thinking about the JackJumpers as legitimate finals contenders?
They're ready to pull a Steven Bradbury in NBL22. Whilst we are all focused on the other teams and top spot, the JJ's just keep winning one game at a time and are ready for someone to fall at the finish line.
Josh Garlepp: Likely, yes.
With the New South Wales clubs firing and Perth with room for error at home, South East Melbourne and Tasmania's chances of leapfrogging into a finals spot are fading.
But with just two wins separating third and sixth there's still opportunity for the outsiders.
SEM and Perth have a similar spread of opponents remaining and take on three of the current top four to finish the season.
The Jack Jumpers have a tough run home but if they find a finals spot, Scott Roth goes from a Coach of the Year contender to an outright lock.
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM ROUND 17?
Kane Pitman: The NBA prospects in the NBL don't mind the bright lights.
Players across the league who are hoping to have their name called at the June 23 draft are no stranger to having visitors to their games. Scouts and front office personnel from the US have been entering Australia since the turn of the new year, but one way to garner media buzz is to deliver when ESPN's own Mike Schmitz is in the country.
Luke Travers was a bright light for Perth against Sydney, pouring in 20 points to go along with eight boards, while Makur Maker put up a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double down the other end. Ousmane Dieng dropped a season-high 20 against Cairns, while Hugo Besson added 16 and six assists.
The New Zealand duo appear locks to be drafted, but the other prospects did themselves no harm in Round 17.
Peter Hooley: ELAM Ending - No.
There's been a bit of buzz around basketball circles about the possible addition of the ELAM ending for games. Whilst it does have some positives to it, and it would create a new feature for a league, I think it's best to keep that thought as an addition for an NBL Cup/Blitz.
The Brisbane vs NZ game last week should be the perfect example of how incredible and crazy a game can finish. Brisbane were down seven with 18 seconds to go and won on a prayer from Anthony Drmic after a simply insane sequence. That might be one of the most improbable and ridiculous wins I have seen in some time.
Josh Garlepp: Perth's inconsistency on the road has followed them home.
The Wildcats escaped their two-month road trip with a 50 per cent record and their return to nine-straight games at RAC Arena was meant to lighten the load as the side targets a top-two finish.
However, back-to-back losses on the weekend and frustration from coach Scott Morrison showed the side has bigger issues to conquer than homesickness.
"I think our team needs to realise that perhaps we're not as talented as some people like to think," coach Morrison said after the loss to Sydney.
"We got outworked and outexecuted four games straight we just got lucky to win a couple."
The loss of perimeter defenders Mitch Norton and Michael Frazier has impacted the Wildcats. Fortunately, the side has an eight-day break to figure out what's going wrong.