The Warriors Vs Clippers Game 3. Can Steve Curry make the difference?

It’s that time again – the Playoffs. The big surprise was the Warriors losing to the Clippers in Game 2 after comprehensively beating them in Game 1 121-104 on the Sunday. But then in Game 2, the Clippers came from 31 points down to win by 4 – 135-131.

The NBA is the world’s leading Basketball competition, the elite. And it’s played on absolutely elite surfaces – sprung timber sports flooring of the highest calibre.

In Victoria and Tasmania, Nellakir are the leading suppliers, installers and maintenance experts on FIFA approved Timber Sports Flooring, exclusively supplying the ASF/Horner Sports Flooring Systems.

Here is an article on the Warriors Clippers contest from CBS Sports.

It isn’t crunch time or time to panic, and it isn’t time to start writing the obituary of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. It’s not time to launch comparisons with the Warriors and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning – a top seed that flamed out at the first hurdle.

But it is time to learn something in these NBA playoffs, and the defending champions and their current predicament provide intrigue for a case study.

Their upcoming Game 3 clash with the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night has turned into far more than just another first-round playoff game.

Not only did the eighth-seeded Clippers tear Golden State apart down the stretch of a spectacular 31-point comeback at Oracle Arena in Game 2, but they opened a window of potential fragility of a team that rarely shows any.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry stands on the court during a break in the action.

What the Warriors do about it, and how effectively they respond, may tell us everything we need to know about the mindset of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and company, and whether the assumption they will cruise towards another championship passes muster. 

“Make adjustments, hold ourselves accountable,” Curry said when asked how he wanted to see the Warriors bounce back. “When we get on that plane, we have a fresh start to take control of the series.”

It was widely assumed around the league that this was the playoff matchup Golden State wanted, one made possible when the Clippers’ impressive late-season form suffered a temporary blip in an April 5 loss to their struggling neighbors, the Lakers. That set in motion the potential for the Oklahoma City Thunder to leap into sixth, with the San Antonio Spurs sandwiched between.

Yet even with Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder were never going to be the Warriors’ first-round kryptonite. The Warriors are the ultimate star-studded group, and they have withstood the challenge of rosters built around one or two superstars before – with one notable exception. And the Thunder have little in common with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving’s 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers.

A sturdier challenge comes in the form of the Clippers, at least partly because Doc Rivers’ squad is built on such fundamentally sound foundations that it highlights any weakness in the opponent.

Pound for pound, it’s not a fair fight. Player for player, the Warriors against pretty much anyone is not a fair fight, even with DeMarcus Cousins out with a torn quad. If the Warriors are as united as they claimed on their “60 Minutes” special, then bouncing back from Monday’s embarrassment should be easy. If all is well within the camp, their army of fans have little to worry about.

But if that togetherness is on shaky ground, the Clippers, who work for each other as a matter of habit, have a chance expose it. If there is discord, it will be apparent against Los Angeles.

And if there is some kind of mental fatigue about the Warriors, because, you know, winning so often can get tiresome, then the never-say-die attitude and constant work rate of the Clippers will give them plenty to handle once more.

April 15: LA Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell celebrates after the Game 2 win over the Warriors at Oracle Arena. (Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
This isn’t a prediction of a series upset for the ages, just an assertion that it’s time for the real Warriors to stand up after playing the regular season on autopilot.
“We let our guard down (in Game 2),” Klay Thompson said. “We weren’t the aggressors anymore. We didn’t deserve to win that game.”

That this is a team of championship caliber has been proven over and again. Possessing such pedigree and history buys you a lot of leeway, which is why no one panicked when Steve Kerr’s group suffered uncharacteristic losses throughout the regular season and often resembled a soap opera.

The latest that you might have missed, because there are so many plotlines around the Warriors that it’s hard to keep up: Draymond Green’s mother has been retweeting critical comments about Kerr and Durant.

There are so few dynasties in sports because while winning is hard, continuing to do so is even tougher. Now, there is a call and it needs to be answered.

On Thursday, we will find out if the Warriors still have the stomach for a fight and can turn the humiliating start to their week into a laughed-off blip, or whether the seams of togetherness are being stretched on the NBA’s greatest modern team.

Source: msn.com

Don’t hesitate to call Nellakir now on 03 9467 6126 for all your court maintenance requirements – Re-surfacing and relining and also Re-sanding when required. Nellakir can assist with simple maintenance requirements through to complete flooring replacement and refurbishment.

Nellakir – the leading experts in the construction and maintenance of all Timber Sports Flooring.

Call now on 03 9467 6126 or leave your details here for a prompt reply to your enquiry.

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Ben Simmons – he wanted to play Cricket for Australia

“Every time I step on the floor or whatever I’m doing, I’m always representing Australia and especially Philadelphia,” he said post-game. “I have two homes now, it’s an amazing feeling I’m representing something much bigger than myself and my family.”

In 11 minutes, Simmons threw down 18 points, two rebounds and two assists. – Philly 76’s 114 vs Orlando Magic 106, 5/3/19

Ben Simmons athleticism is clear when you watch an NBA game and like many stars, he excelled at many sports as a youngster.

The 22-year-old Aussie said he showed plenty of promise in rugby league and Aussie rules but the Philadelphia 76ers star said he couldn’t go down the route of becoming a star cricketers with one major roadblock holding back his potential.

“I’m six foot 10 (208cm tall),” Simmons told reporters. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a six foot 10 cricket player.”

He’s pretty right about that, the two tallest Australian cricketers were Peter George and Bruce Reid, both six foot eight.

But the tallest first-class and international cricketer is Mohammed Irfan who is seven foot one.

Still, the Aussie star found his sport, making Australian basketball history as the first Aussie to be selected in the NBA All-Star game, which will be played Monday at midday AEDT and will be live on ESPN and Kayo Sports.

But first Simmons will play for the World Team against the best young US stars in the Rising Stars game, the traditional match between the NBAs best first and second-year players.

While Simmons was at the centre of an All-Star first with a trade for Russell Westbrook, Simmons said he was looking forward to working with Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic, who he predicts to follow in his footsteps and be named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Despite his cricket career not panning out, Simmons is still eager to represent Australia however, potentially as early as two exhibition games against Team USA in Melbourne in August and even the Boomers’ World Cup campaign in China.

“I’m not really focused on it right now, but I know when I have the right opportunity to go play and represent Australia I’ll do that,” Simmons said.

Simmons was embroiled in controversy the past week when news broke he was interested in working out with Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers legend and president of the team’s basketball operations.

Simmons explained his desire to learn from the game’s greats.

“I mean, whenever you have an opportunity to talk to a Hall of Famer regardless of who it is you want to get some information and learn from them,” Simmons said.

Johnson and the Lakers, keen to add All-Stars to their roster, have been fined for breaching the NBA’s tampering rules the past year.

The NBA cleared Johnson and the Lakers on Tuesday after finding it was the 76ers who initiated the contact “with the Los Angeles Lakers by requesting a meeting between Johnson and Simmons”.
Simmons was asked to name his basketball role models growing up and he chose James and Johnson.

“Somebody I looked up to as a player was LeBron, for sure,” Simmons said. “I watched a lot of Magic highlights.

“So I think those are the two guys I have really looked at.”

— with Peter Mitchell, AAP

The NBA is hotting up. Ben Simmons is the current MVP on his latest performances. Judging by the comments on some of the videos, the US fans are somewhat miffed that an Aussie can stroll in and take centre stage. Now it appears 13 year NBA veteran, Andrew Bogart, currently a free agent after a year with the Sydney Kings, is being courted by a number of clubs as well.

The standards required to achieve NBA professionalism start with the playing surface young players are trained on. It’s vitally important that the Timber Sports Flooring is FIFA approved and fully maintained to the highest standard. Ben Simmons started playing Basketball as a child in Knox – Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs.

Nellakir are the leading installers of genuine Sprung Timber Sports Flooring utilising the ASF/Horner range of products to achieve the highest standards of professional playing surfaces, whether at major stadiums like the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna, the Bendigo Stadium or many more first class locations, or maybe just your local State Primary School.

Nellakir – the experts in Construction and Maintenance of all Timber Sports Flooring.

Nellakir – Champion floors for future champions.

Aussies burn hot for Utah Jazz.

In the NBA, Australian born basketballers are going gangbusters. Crafting their skills on local competition courts (sprung timber sports flooring), Joe Ingles and Dante Exum are now starring for the Utah Jazz in the NBA.

Joe Ingles is a South Australian boy from Happy Valley, an Adelaide Suburb. He played junior basketball for the Southern Tigers. In Australia he played with the South Dragons in the NBL as an 18 year old and was NBL Rookie of the Year in 2006-2007.

Before joining Utah Jazz, he played in Spain for CB Granada then FC Barcelona. In 2013 he signed with Israeli Club Maccabi Tel Aviv, and was a member of that team’s Euro League Championship win in 2013-2014.

He signed with Utah Jazz in October 2014.

Dante Exum was born in East Melbourne. He played for Keilor Basketball Association as a junior. Like Joe Ingles he studied at Lake Ginninderra Secondary School in Canberra and attended the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport). He joined Jazz in 2014 being drafted at fifth overall pick.

Basketball in Australia is played at the highest levels of competition on FIFA approved Timber Sports Flooring.

Champions are produced playing on championship floors, Nellakir are proud to be the leading experts in the Construction and Maintenance of all Timber Sports Flooring in Victoria and Tasmania.

Call now on 9467 6126 for a free, no obligation consultation.

Nellakir – The Sports Flooring of Champions.

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year from everyone here at Nellakir

From last year’s NBA fixture – enjoy the video. This year catch all the action on ESPN. See last week’s post for the schedule.

We look forward to another great year building fabulous new Timber Sports Floors for local competition here in Victoria and Tasmania. The State Government here continues to roll out major PPP (Private Public Partnership) projects for Schools throughout Victoria. Nellakir are pleased to announce a solid continuing involvement, with new projects commencing from January to February. These competition level Sprung Timber Sports Floored Courts are used for school, local competition, gymnasiums and assembly halls. Locations include Banyule, Springside West and Keysborough College.

Bendigo Stadium

As well we will continue to develop major competition Sports Flooring at Stadiums such as Bendigo Stadium (opened a major new court built by Nellakir this year) and Eagle Stadium in Melbourne’s fastest growing region of Wyndham (Werribee).

Eagle Stadium

Stay safe these holidays and see you next year.

Nellakir helps young athletes reach their goals by providing the highest quality Sprung Timber Sports Floor playing surfaces.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

NBA 2018 Christmas Day schedule

• 12 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks (ESPN)
• 3 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (ABC)
• 5:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (ABC)
• 8 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (ABC/ESPN)
• 10:30 p.m. ET: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (ESPN)

First of all we’d like to wish everyone a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. For Nellakir it’s a very busy period so we won’t be slacking off as it’s that time of year when Timber Sports Flooring undergoes first of all a full cleaning process and then annual cyclical maintenance.

Nellakir will be closed for Christmas on the 25th and 26th of December and for New Year’s Day on January 1st.

Other than that our teams will be ‘full steam ahead’ with complete recoating of court surfaces, re-sandings, repairs and linemarking on some of Victoria’s best known stadium surfaces. When you think annual cyclical maintenance on Sprung Timber Sports Flooring, look no further. Nellakir are the industry leading experts in both construction and maintenance of Competition level Timber Sports Flooring in Victoria and Tasmania.

So sit back, watch the games on Christmas Day, enjoy your family Christmas meals and a few drinks. Your favourite Basketball Competition Court will be ready for top flight Competition after the holidays thanks to Nellakir.

Nellakir the Sports Flooring for Champions.

Nellakir helps young athletes reach their goals by providing the highest quality Sprung Timber Sports Floor playing surfaces.

New Rules introduced to the NBA Competition in North America

The NBA is the world’s premiere Basketball Competition. So when the NBA changes its rules it’s time to sit up and take notice. Nellakir are the leading supplier of elite competition style Timber Sports Flooring. Using the ASF Horner / Australasian Sports Flooring renowned and trademarked range of Sprung Timber Sports Flooring. Nellakir provide championship surfaces to FIFA standards throughout Victoria and Tasmania. So take a look at these changes – It would be reasonable to expect that the new rules will flow through to Australian competition.

NBA changes shot clock, clear path foul, and hostile act rules. Here’s what it means

The Board of Governors unanimously agreed to these rule changes. Here’s what you need to know.

The NBA Board of Governors approved three rule changes that will take effect beginning with the 2018-19 season, the league announced in a statement. The changes, though minor, will impact different areas of every game this year.

Here is a breakdown of each change we’ll see this season:
Shot clock resets to 14 seconds

According to the NBA, the shot clock will reset to 14 seconds — not 24 seconds — in three scenarios:

After an offensive rebound of a missed field goal or free throw that hit the rim
After a loose ball foul is called on the defensive team immediately following a missed field goal or free throw that hit the rim
After the offensive team gets possession of the ball after it goes out of bounds immediately following a missed field goal or free throw that hit the rim.

This rule change was made in an effort to speed the game up. It has been implemented in FIBA competition since 2014, in the WNBA since 2016, and in the G-League since the 2016-17 season.

But according to data from Nylon Calculus, most NBA possessions following an offensive rebound last season resulted in a shot attempt zero to five seconds later. This will though prevent teams that benefit from grabbing offensive rebounds late in close games from dribbling the clock out before hoisting up a shot.

A simpler clear path foul definition

This one’s a little trickier, so let’s try to break it down as simple as possible. There are now a list of requirements for a referee to be able to whistle a clear path foul during a transition scoring opportunity:

• The ball is ahead of the tip of the circle in the backcourt
• No defender is ahead of the offensive player with the transition scoring opportunity
• The player with the transition scoring opportunity is in control of the ball
• The foul deprives his team of an opportunity to score.

The list of prerequisites needed to call a clear path foul now makes it less of a judgment call and more of a call reinforced by a set of laws. The NBA’s league office posted a video on Twitter that shows examples of how the rule changed from last year:

The NBA Board of Governors today unanimously approved rules changes in advance of the 2018-19 season. This includes a simplification of the clear path foul rule. To view examples of the clear path foul rule simplification, see the video below. pic.twitter.com/HQjJCqK5rv

— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) September 21, 2018

If a defender is making a play on the ball and bumps the offensive player in a transition scoring opportunity, or if the defender fouls a player in the act of shooting, it is no longer considered a clear path foul.

In addition, if any defender is ahead of the player with a transition scoring opportunity, a clear path foul cannot be called. In past seasons, referees made judgment calls to determine if the defender ahead of the play was in position to influence a transition scoring opportunity.

Expanded definition of “hostile act”

The definition of a hostile act has also been broadened for instant replay purposes. The expanded definition will allow referees to review plays to “determine the appropriate penalty for players or coaches if they are involved in hostile encounters with each other, referees or fans.”

No further explanation was given, but if things get messy during a game, officials will be taking their time to determine the proper course of action.

These rule changes won’t prove to be anything drastic, but it’s a collective step by the NBA toward honing an already impeccable product.

Source: sbnation.com

Nellakir – The Sports Flooring for Champions. Expert Construction and programmed Maintenance. Call now on 9467 6126.

Nellakir helps young athletes reach their goals by providing the highest quality Sprung Timber Sports Floor playing surfaces.

 

Australia takes lead in Netball Quad series with win over arch rival England

At Nellakir, Victoria and Tasmania’s leading provider of Sprung Timber Sports Floors, we take more than a passing interest in how our National teams fare in both Netball and Basketball. Nellakir built the two major show courts at the Victorian Netball Centre in Royal Park, so it was with some satisfaction that we note Australia’s victory over England in that sport (Netball) at the Netball Quad series being played in Newcastle yesterday, exacting revenge on the team that beat them in the Commonwealth Games in April.

Victorian State Netball Centre

Championship level Netball requires a championship level surface. Nellakir use and recommend ASF Horner Sports Flooring systems for truly professional Sports Flooring of the highest quality. In NSW these same ASF Horner systems are installed by Shoreline Sports Floors and the surface of the venue for the Netball Quad series is one of our sister company’s (Shoreline) completed and maintained projects. Read all about the game here…

Australia grind out victory over England to take Quad Series lead

Almost five months to the day since England sensationally beat Australia to claim netball gold at the Commonwealth Games, a less-than-sparkling Diamonds team exacted their revenge, seeing off the Roses 52-47 in Newcastle to take the lead in the Quad Series.

Lisa Alexander’s charges may have won the first encounter between the nations since that watershed moment on the Gold Coast in April, but it was a grind. The win in front of 4,544 fans at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre also came with a big asterisk.

England were without Jo Harten, who was sidelined with a knee complaint, after getting a knock late in the Roses’ 52-39 victory against New Zealand on Saturday. England, with the NSW Swift recruit Natalie Haythornthwaite starting at goal attack in Harten’s absence and their Games hero Helen Housby back at shooter, settled quicker than the Diamonds and led 14-11 at quarter-time. An upset looked on the cards.

But once the Diamonds attack end hit their stride, thanks to the injection of Liz Watson for Kim Ravaillion at centre at quarter-time and a more settled Caitlin Bassett, who shot 37 from 40 at 93% accuracy thanks to beautiful feeding from Kelsey Browne, by half-time Australia had taken the ascendency 26-24.

Alexander admitted the Diamonds were disappointed Harten was missing. “I must admit, yes we would have really loved that challenge,” she said. But, in the lead-up to the World Cup in Liverpool next July, Alexander said the side would work hard to simulate the Harten/Housby partnership in training.

Alexander played down talk of revenge and said Australia were thinking about the future, not the past. “It’s about establishing our way of playing, we’ve got a new group. For bits of tonight I thought we did that. But we’ve got work to do. It was a grind really tonight.”

When the sides meet again, on English soil, physicality will be a talking point. Alexander was not impressed with the “hit and bang style” employed in Newcastle. “It’s a very interesting style … closing off space really,” she said.“We’re not playing like that. We play with skill. We try to get our defenders going around the body, to the line of the ball, not hitting the bodies … I thought that was a little bit untidy tonight.”

Source: theguardian.com

Nellakir offer expert construction and maintenance of all timber sports flooring. Call now on 03 9467 6126 for an obligation free quotation on regular maintenance, renovation or refurbishment, or complete new construction of all sprung timber sports flooring surfaces. Or leave your details here and one of our technicians will contact you to assist you with your enquiry.

Nellakir – The Sports Flooring of Champions