Throwing towels; Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets - 2006/07 NBL Semi-Finals Game 2 - 22/02/07

Ethan Switch - Friday, 23 February 2007 - Print Version

Sambol at the ready and it's a dicey flavour of burning hotness gracing the lips and tongue to deceive on actual temperature. Very much the pain threshold of testing fatigue. Breaking point past here and no lines in the grains of rice. Tasty fat lips and counter time to swap coins aplenty for the hole in the pocket holds nothing more than disappointment. And no coins.

No love lost for once Sydney Kings players, Ebi Ere and CJ Bruton, now on the enemy's side of beef with angst for gravy. Russell Hinder strikes up the offense on the Kings to start the wincing movement, slow as it is. Bruton finds his skills overtly magnificent on picking up fouls from every which way but around. Standing at the line becomes his second home. Struggling to keep a lid on this far out and early in the game, Kings down at 21 to the 26 from the Brisbane Bullets.

Three mops and one towel hit the courts between the dripping sweats. Mops to the lads, a towel to dance on for the lone girl out there. Gatorade T-shirts all of them, it's an apparent disparity and question for where the other broom/mop disappears to when not out there on the clean up.

Dive! Dive! Dive! Bruton continues picking up the pace as his strike on the charity line attempts improve with each second a Kings player steps inside his aura. Magic man makes quite the show. Bullets' Mark Bradtke makes quite the excellent standing post to toast as Jerome Beasley spins round for nice and clean dunks across his ears. Captain Jason Smith finds easy work slapping away a block or two on the rise. Fight in the home team is looking to breathe a little as they tie the first half on 43 a piece.

Cosima de Vito clears out the half-time entertainment "Playing to Win." Strong vocals, walking about ready to leave and yet not quite so, there and all the while waiting on the line to not stand between any and or all of them. Sneaking in with a new track, "Keep It Natural" sees the Sydney Kings cheerleaders join in on the array. And it's quite the display as they branch out into forks across the platter, covering a lot of ground and making much of the inbound area.

Third quarter and the crowd support the life line of the drip causing a bit of a seizure. Blow out on the rebounds means the Kings shoot and rarely pick up to clean the mess gone wrong. BJ Carter executes a quick dunk not long before Mark Worthington slams home a skyrocket to miss the end of the net loops. Ed Scott is all hands for the Kings with steal after steal appearing to sprout up in his palms at the crazy. Massive rush back and forth catches out the lone towel girl as she bolts, towel not in hand. Play stops and momentum swings shut on the foot. Brisbane up a ring with 63 against the home side.

Crash carts and whiplash as the kids race on figure-8 with tricycles to skirt. First place with such a lead that the second and third find their bikes thrown along by the elders in a variation of the nitrous boost channel. No less than three near on collisions occur. Nearly, and the walk away flags them all down without showy incident. Neck trauma uncertain.

Final quarter, Luke Kendall finds himself on the foul side of things with his frustration spreading into the seats. One step after another and the man is at a loss. Not so for Ere and Bruton who collect points from all over the line, charity and across the key.

Quite the bump and grind machine that Lion is. When the lady chooses not to hit the boards with his mane, he takes the dance to her lap. Nothing but touching, no tipping however. The Lioness leaving in a huff and puff of stuff.

Fighting the break, the lone towel girl now finds a sweep for herself as a lad on the other side of the court does the bath towel shimmy. Fouls are all out on the board and no movement on stopping the haemorrhage leaves the ploy of fouling to the line a goner. Few too many side shots miss and it's all done for for the Sydney Kings' chances at another final appearance.

Sydney Kings 86 - Brisbane Bullets 93.
Towels 2 - Sweeps 2. At least some things even out.

Brisbane Bullets still reigning high with now their 20th win in a row to pick up a spot in the NBL Championship Finals for 2006/07.

Ethan Switch