Pepper shred; Sydney Kings vs Melbourne Tigers - Entertainment Centre - 28/01/07

Ethan Switch - Tuesday, 30 January 2007 - Print Version

Zone out to the cold sweats, the break into the city is a step off on the station before it all goes underground. After that, time is no longer an ally but a lying, filthy, cheating cur.

How often do you see a bloke washing a soft drink can at the public toilets any how?

Numbers are relatively bouncing on the seats of the Kingdome. Turn out rather up and the emptiness not as severe as the lactacting breast of a wrist bent to fit the flip up seat. Early Sunday is good for the families. Then again, it makes for time displacement that not all are able to hack into.

Sydney Kings are holding the start with a growing defense hit. Chris Anstey of the Melbourne Tigers, however, makes short work as he does a number to at least put a show on their side of the scoreboard. Refs are making no friends with fouls and shots all over the place to see the home side perch on five fouls before the first half of the game is even done with. Kings' own Ed Scott kicks into planetary gear as the ball hovers about his person like Callisto of Jupiter before finding the eye like Shoemaker-Levy 9. Kings sit fairly well with 25 to the 16 of the Tigers.

One thing to note of this incarnation of the mascot, The Lion, is that he does make the trek up into the stands quite a lot and has done a fair bit for the season. The Lionness, however, appears to be without a strong reason and looks quite often left in the trailing dust of the mane one.

Might of flashing biff in the second as Mark Worthington lays it on Anstey for the squads to throw their hands up in the air. Kings continue to let loose with Jerome Beasley handling the run only to never really complete the switch. Up, up and shot down before letting it travel. Captain Jason Smith rails it despite Rashad Tucker and Stephen Hoare purring out the Tigers to keep the hosts in front with a 48-45 lead into the break.

Out of nowhere, Paulini Curuenavuli, without the rest of the Young Divas, saunters out after a good slice of the half-time dead space is out in the open. Sydney Kings Cheerleaders flank and surround the songs with an ambient sparkling atmosphere.

Non confrontational and washing easy into the noise of the crowd, "So Over You," of the two from Paulini, is the one with a little pulse of excitement and a rise in entertainment for the biding time. It's the costumes of the cheerleaders that does a number of sparkles. Free style jamming is distracting for the break away feel takes a pill of being unable to read the scene.

Third quarter hits a stride of cool and the cash register is already dead from the over exposure. Not like a possible grab of Doc Brown's exasperation. Great Scott handles a swift sideswipe into the hole for a nifty dunk that's impressive in its sudden and sharp style. Dave Thomas of the Tigers holds the court as his leather bound slave, ratcheting up a smooth swing of 11 for the quarter alone. Sadly for them, it's pretty much a solo effort that only pips a closer margin to hold the Kings up in front with 64 to 62.

Rapper with a name what looks like "Azntalekz" fronts up again and again the reception is less than kind. Great would at least be karaoke on the big screen. Dancers are in finer rhythm to the words and disregard the halting nation to flow on with the carry-over.

Money time and it's the accountants squeezing every cent out of the ledger. What the Kings lack in strong offense, they more than level out with a comparable defence. Not a round game in any fashion, yet enough to hold one over the Tigers. Questions on the shooting skills of Beasley continue as his ball handling leaves a gaping wound that takes a suture up a stitch quick enough for the kill. Down on the line, the margin looks sour as Melbourne tip it screamingly close for an away win. Cut the lip and they bounce out for Sydney to walk away with a tight win.

Sydney Kings 82 - Melbourne Tigers 81.

Ethan Switch