Fish and chips; Sydney Kings vs West Sydney Razorbacks - Entertainment Centre - 30/12/05

Ethan Switch - Saturday, 31 December 2005 - Print Version

A fat man with sweaty fingernails and a brunette without a cap dole free CD mailers to the lingering outside the Entertainment Centre. With the supply from a nearby Defence Force recruitment van, the contents are semi-educational with not nearly enough brainwashing in hand. Their sell is soft and wanting, a desire more on handing out the postal items than in swinging new recruits to lay their lives on the line.

Darkness for the introduction, a cooling turn from the massive hold of heat on the outside in Darling Harbour. Spotty sections of the lower bowl see a call to the upper section to fill it out. Many do, others remain back in their seats not eager to tempt to trot and fall over each other.

King's Ben Knight starts things rolling. A simple pocket over after two minutes into the raucous. Play is fairly quiet. Shots from the floor fly about and stick at random. Movement is erratic, a loose style that also ends with loose attempts missing on more than they care. West Sydney ramp up the early panic to land shots outside. Razorbacks' Graeme Dann looks good with a dunk that closes as the Kings take out the first with 23 and the Razorbacks clutching 18.

Breathe from The Prodigy smacks the air as the cheerleaders strut. Missing only swords for effect, the dancers deliver an otherwise fine performance freeing sharp corners easily close to comical.

Wild hands in the stands at the firing of beanies into the crowd drives a man with beer nuts. Smacking wild at the prospect of free headgear, he inadvertently bumps off a kid into the aisles back into his seat.

Razorback's Miles Pearce helps Jason Smith find the floor. A smooth and quick push that sends the Kings captain sliding thirds up the boards. Pigs fly about all over the place on a defence losing step, CJ Bruton sneaking a few with the Kings looking worse from the outside. Their attack on the inner set turning better batter butter at 51 on top of 37 for the first half.

Dead quiet hits the air conditioning as young basketballers use up six or more of the half-time allocation. Mixing boys and girls on both sides, it's a game for the girls. Their command of the court and game play outshining that of the rather brutish knock of the males on court. No fists fly, no fouls fall and this prompts the announcer to remind the kids of the referee's lack of whistle. Thanks to unclear pronunciations, there is no idea where these players come from.

Clint Reed from West Sydney is feral, though not as rough as Reace. Visitors up their efforts slightly, the keeping of the goal in their aim. King's Mark Worthington cranks a dunk to reassert the hosts as they amble with a look at some competition on 78 and 61 into the last quarter.

Pervasive smells of fried fish oil and/or tartar sauce spoil the air. Kids running back and forth throwing up popcorn and spilling pounds of sugar only do so much. The fish reigns and distracts all game long.

Luke Martin enters the final quarter amid cheer, quickly making up the absence with a couple of points. Everybody on the Kings notch scores to their names. All except for an out of game Rolan Roberts, still nursing a shoulder from an All-Star dunk. David Barlow sews things up with a three. An otherwise limp match wherein the Kings hold their home game streak with a win of 109 over the Razorbacks' 92.

Ethan Switch