We don't know at which point this becomes a crisis but if not now, it's soon.  Our bothan spies tell us the Thunder will be without 7 players tonight, a new season high with almost two thirds of the team unavailable.  Said one player, "This team is falling apart," amidst talk of a teammate being stuck in prison and whilst we look forward to his release from California Penal, we have a lot of questions and maybe Grok can help us.  Which Thunder player is most likely to be in prison?  You tell us, Grok.  Two teams enter, one team leave.  With no further adieu, we present to you Gateway v Air Journey.

LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
2/3/2026:  Gateway 61 (Jonty Smith 34, Brodie Sleep 10, Josip Vucetic 10) d Air Journey 52 
27/10/2025:  Air Journey 57 d Gateway 47 (Terry Sleep 16, Kerwin Penn 10, Josip Vucetic 9)
18/8/2025:  Gateway 87 (Jonty Smith 34, Kerwin Penn 15, Daniel Smith 15) d Air Journey 59
2/12/2024 (semi-final):  Gateway 64 d Air Journey 60
18/11/2024:  Gateway 69 (Jonty Smith 20, Terry Sleep 15, Daniel Smith 14) d Air Journey 47

LADDER
1. Gateway Thunder 4-0, 12pts, +63
5. Air Journey 1-3, 6pts, -22

OUR PREDICTION
Before we comment on tonight's game, our thoughts and prayers are with said imprisoned player and we look forward to him regaining his freedom soon.  Back to the game and with only 4 players available, we await news of who will appear as the fifth player for tonight's game.  Is it a veteran or perhaps an Under-14 player from the Blizzard?  Look, it's happened before with the Blizzard fast becoming a breeding ground for Thunder players with Daniel Smith, Jonty Smith, Joshua Smith, Lucas Brook and Brodie Sleep all having spent time with the Thunder's junior academy.  Air Journey meanwhile remain a formidable foe, having easily beaten the Thunder last October.  Will the Thunder rise to the occasion or will the purple and blacks send them to their second consecutive loss?  Our tip?  Air Journey by 16 points.  Let's hope not.  Nervous times, nervous times.

We miss Phil Smyth.  We have to admit we know Phil and his assistant coach Steve Breheny as people in the basketball industry as much as we know them as former 36ers coach and assistant coach, but things just felt different back then.  Now we know it was nearly 30 years ago but wowee, the 36ers were irresistible back then and had a calm 'She'll be right, Jack' approach to them that was the envy of everyone in the league.  We watched from afar and marvelled at their ability to keep their cool in pressure situations, resulting in 3 championships in 5 years and probably should've been 4 except for a phantom foul call on Damon Lowery that we're over but clearly not.  Back to now and today, the Sydney Kings proved too much for Adelaide despite a breakout game from John Jenkins and Zylan Cheatham.  Sydney are just so deep, play their style and push things to the edge without going over and held a 10-point lead shortly after halftime through to the final siren.  We move on to Game 4 in Adelaide and one Kings player should expect to be mercilessly booed by a crowd desperate for a new Mark Bradtke, Julius Hodge, Chris Goulding moment.  We haven't seen a villain at that level for several years but after all that's happened this year and even moreso this series, it will be on.  Here's hoping Adelaide can turn it around in Game 4 and we go to a final game but they'll need to turn it around quick.  They can and let's hope so.

Back to the NBL1 and South Adelaide competed out of the blocks, their youthful backcourt of Rio Bruton and Koby Moir taking it at Forestville but the Eagles' frontcourt proved too much, overwhelming the Panthers in the second half despite the blue and white giving it their everything.  From where we sit, they're missing a 6-7 forward who will hopefully return from college at some point but until then, they'll have to manage with what they have.  0-2 to start the season ahead of a Thursday night clash v Norwood.  Final score Forestville 97 (Greg Mays 29, Adam Doyle 22, Daniel Johnson 22) d South Adelaide 79 (Rio Bruton 23, Lloyd McVeigh 15, Koby Moir 15, Jeremy Smith 11, Yevgen Sakhniuk 9, Jonty Smith 5).

We all remember where we were when Tasmania's Jack McVeigh buried Melbourne United with a basket from just inside halfway and whilst this may not be quite of that magnitude, it sure is close.  Wowee.  It was even Stevens throughout the first half until Sydney put the foot down in the third quarter, jumping out to a 14-point lead with 12 minutes remaining.  Then Bryce happened.  15 last quarter points but it came down to the final play, Sydney's Kendric Davis driving to the basket and missing, Adelaide's Nic Rakocevic fumbling the rebound to Bryce Cotton who sprinted up court, pursued by Torrey Craig.  Davis twice looked up that the clock as he sprinted, then extended his left hand and caressed the ball off the backboard as Craig tried desperately to LeBron James the shot but it wasn't to be.  The siren sounded, Adelaide won and we have a series.  We for one, still can't believe Bryce Cotton is playing for Adelaide and from here on in, anything could happen.  We still think Sydney win the series with too much depth for Adelaide but you never know, as Adelaide now have hope and hope is a dangerous thing.  Incredible times, incredible times.

Ready:  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” – Ephesians 1:18-19  

Set:  When one of my sons was about five, my wife met me at the door as I arrived home from work one day. She told me that this son was having a rough day of disobedience. When I asked my son why he wasn’t doing what he was supposed to do, there was a moment of guilty silence. Then he said, “I just had trouble making myself be good today!”  

We identify with this 5-year-old’s honest assessment. Whether in the context of competition or other areas, we can understand how Jesus wants us to speak, act or think—yet struggle to put this into practice. It feels like we can’t make ourselves be and do what we need to be and do.  Why do we have trouble? It’s the result of both the impact of sin on our hearts and the pressure around us to do something different than living for Christ. To overcome this internal and external resistance, we need power. Prayer for power must be part of our prayer practice plan. This is what Paul does in Ephesians 1:18-19, praying that we would access “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.”  Praying for power first involves recognizing we need God’s power. Consistently coaching, playing, and living for Christ in the face of resistance—both internal and external—requires more than our own best efforts. We need God’s power to enable us. When we place our faith in Christ, He resources us with His power. However, we won’t access His power until we recognize in prayer, “Lord, I need Your power.”  Second, we actively trust God’s power. The “immeasurable greatness of his power” and “the mighty working of his strength” is more than sufficient for us in every situation! Express trust in God’s power as you pray: “Lord, as I pray for Your power in this situation, I trust You to enable me to do all You desire—no matter what resistance I encounter.” Then let this expression of trust in God’s power compel you to take action consistent with how you prayed, being confident in God’s empowering step by step.  

Go:  In what specific areas are you struggling to overcome internal or external resistance to living fully for Christ?  What steps can you take to more consistently practice praying for God’s power? 

Workout:  1 Chronicles 29:10-13; Ephesians 1:15-23

Overtime: 

Each round we'll bring you the Immer Kitchens or Rise Above Adversity NBL1 Player of the Round award as judged by our editors and anyone else we know who's attending the games or watching on replay.  This round saw a player set career highs for points, fouls, field goal attempts, 3 point field goal attempts and 3 point field goals made.  Considering he was the only Thunder player suiting up, he wins but with career highs in several categories, he would've won anyway.  With no further adieu, we present the NBL1 Round 1 Player of the Week award to South Adelaide's Jonty Smith.  Congratulations and all the best for the season ahead.

Round 1 (L):  Jonty Smith 26:29min 12pts 5reb

We did our sums prior to the grand final and we had Mr 66 running away with a 427 point win.  But in the words of Rudy Tomjanovich, never underestimate the heart of a champion and in this case, a four-time champion.  Some shrewd coaching moves left the Hoxley Tigers with just two originally drafted players - 1st round Wembanyama and 3rd round Durant - as a revolving door of waiver wire pickups saw the team almost unrecognisable at the halfway mark of the first ever 2-week grand final and no doubt with plenty more moves to come.  We still have Mr 66 winning but wowee, the Hoxley Tigers are making a game of it.  One week go go, folks.

GRAND FINAL WEEK 1 of 2
2v4: Mr 66 1871 trailing Hoxley Tigers 1908

With six players missing, the Thunder were up against it as they faced off against the #2 ranked North Western Mustangs.  It was Mustangs 8-3 early before the Thunder settled, the game going back and forth until the Thunder went 12-0 late, only for the Mustangs to respond 5-0 of their own to tie the game up.  Wowee, Vucetic hits a triple, only for the Mustangs to close out the game with 2 final baskets to claim a one-point win that we didn't see, our game review based solely on the Action Log (thank you Basketball Connect).  The loss is the blue team's first of the season but with a myriad of players missing, it happens and life goes on.  Final score North Western Mustangs 44 d Gateway 43 (Kerwin Penn 18, Josip Vucetic 12, Terry Sleep 6, Lucas Brook 5, Brodie Sleep 2).  Interesting times, interesting times.

It's happening again.  Our bothan spies tell us more than half the Thunder are unavailable tonight and that has us justifiably nervous, especially when you're coming up against the league's 2nd ranked team.  Short game preview today because we don't want to give too much away but let's just say, pray.  Two teams enter, one team leave.  With no further adieu, we present to you Gateway v North Western Mustangs.

LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
23/2/2026:  Gateway 83 (Lucas Brook 22, Jonty Smith 18, Brodie Sleep 13) d North Western Mustangs 45
13/10/2025:  Gateway 53 (Cal McKinnon 12, Lucas Brook 11, Jack Shepperd 11) d North Western Mustangs 51
25/8/2025:  Gateway 65 (Jonty Smith 23, Kerwin Penn 17, Terry Sleep 8) d North Western Mustangs 51
2/5/2022:  Gateway 53 (Daniel Smith 20, James Smith 13, Jonty Smith 7) d North Western Mustangs 41
21/2/2022:  Gateway 69 (Jonty Smith 23, Josip Vucetic 15, Daniel Smith 10 d North Western Mustangs 42

LADDER
1. Gateway Thunder 6-0, 18pts, +96
2. North Western Mustangs 5-2, 16pts, 0

OUR PREDICTION
It's happening again.  Our bothan spies tell us the league's tallest team will be undeniably short again and we're not feeling it this week.  You can't keep going to the well and not expect the well to eventually run dry.  Until now, the Thunder have held off their opponents but at some point, it's too much.  Let's hope it's not to night but we've got a funny feeling about this one.  North Western are sitting in second place and ready to strike.  Our tip?  North Western by 3 points.  Let's hope not.  Nervous times, nervous times.

Look, it's not ideal.  Sure, it could've been worse.  Someone could've been seriously injured or even died.  That aside, it was probably as bad as it gets.  Sydney executed a defensive masterclass that quietened Adelaide'ss Bryce Cotton and all but silenced backcourt teammates Flynn Cameron, John Jenkins and Dejan Vasiljevic.  The series isn't over yet but wowee, it's gonna take a serious turnaround.  It's not ideal.  Final score Sydney 112 (Kendric Davis 25, Tim Soares 22, Jaylin Galloway 15) d Adelaide 68 (Isaac White 11, Bryce Cotton 10, Isaac Humphries 10, Nick Rakocevic 10).

Meanwhile 1500km down the road, South Adelaide started their season on the road at Springbank.  We turn to Instagram for this game review:

Heartbreaker to open the season ... a back and forth battle all night but Sturt edge South 96-3 in a thriller.  This one went down to the wire with both teams trading blows late, but South just couldn't quite get over the line.  Lloyd McVeigh led from the front with 24 points, 6 rebounds while Jeremy Smith was elite with 23 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, shooting 82%.  Rio Bruton added 18 points and 3 steals in a strong showing.  Big moment for the Thunder's Jonty Smith with a career high 12 points and 5 rebounds, and an impressive first NBL1 outing from Koby Moir with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals.  Plenty to like from this group.  We're not far off.  Final score Sturt 96 (Jacob Rigoni 29, Josh Tomasi 21, Joel Spear 17) d South Adelaide 93 (Lloyd McVeigh 24, Jeremy Smith 23, Rio Bruton 18, Jonty Smith 12).

It's that time of the year when the NBL Finals and NBL1 season tip off on the same day and that means one thing - predictions.  So with no further adieu, here's our predictions for the NBL Finals and NBL1 season.

NBL Finals - Sydney 3 d Adelaide 0
NBL Finals MVP - Torrey Craig

NBL1 season - South Adelaide 10-8
NBL1 MVP - Jeremy Smith
NBL1 All Star Five - Jeremy Smith, Lloyd McVeigh, Jonty Smith, Daniel Smith, Yevgen Sakhniuk

And no, we're not biased in the slightest bit.  We hope we're wrong about the 36ers but this Kings team is just so talented and deep ... and then they added Torrey Craig.  As for the NBL1 season, we've done extensive research based on the zero games played so far so mark our words when we say, this is how it will be.  So let it be written, so let it be done.  Good times, good times.

Ready:  “And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.” – Philippians 1:9-11 

Set:  The greatest impact of a coach often happens not through the sport-specific skills they teach but through the character they model. The same can be said of an athlete: his or her impact on teammates is often far more about character than athletic ability. How then do we keep developing and living out the right character? One crucial aspect is prayer. We make praying for growth in character part of our prayer practice plan.  In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul prays that believers in Jesus would “be pure and blameless” and “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” He is praying for their character. We would do well to follow Paul’s example!  From this passage, here are three prayers for growth in Christ-like character to build into your prayer practice plan: 

1. Pray for growth in loving Jesus and others well.  When Paul prays “that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,” he’s talking about both love for the Lord and love for other people. The more we love the Lord, the greater our understanding of His heart (knowledge) and how to live the way He desires (discernment). This leads us to love others well and wisely. Consistently praying for growth in love leads to growth in character. 

2. Pray for growth in reflecting the righteousness of Jesus.  The “fruit of righteousness” is speaking, acting and relating to others just as Jesus—the Righteous One—would if He were in your situation. Every day brings unique opportunities and challenges. Pray that you would reflect Jesus in each situation as you go through the day. 

 3. Pray for growth in speaking and acting by the power and grace of Jesus.  Thankfully, we’re not on our own to try to live out the right kind of character. This character “comes through Jesus Christ.” It’s by His power and grace that you can coach, compete and live according to His character—no matter what the situation! Ask the Lord to help you draw upon His power and grace in how you speak and act.  As praying for growth in Christ-like character is part of your ongoing prayer practice plan, the impact you make will be significant. And this will be for “the glory and praise of God.”

Go:  What steps can you take to more consistently practice praying for growth in character?  In what specific areas of Christ-reflecting character do you need growth? Pray for the Lord’s grace and power in this area. 

Workout:  Psalm 101; Colossians 3:12-14 

Overtime: 

Exciting times as the Thunder's Jonty Smith launched South Adelaide's NBL1 campaign, the absence of forward Daniel Smith understandable given the school year rolls on at Central Wyoming even after the basketball season has concluded.  The most exciting news of the night though was that Rise Above Adversity are back again to sponsor Jonty Smith, whilst Immer Kitchens will sponsor Daniel Smith.  We thank both of them for their support and can say with confidence that if you're not confident about your confidence and need to be more confident and not just confidentially but publicly, then contact Rise Above Adversity today and rise above adversity.  Meanwhile, our bothan spies tell us they had first hand experience with Immer Kitchens and can say first hand that they were absolutely first class, professional, well priced, and made a difficult task easy.  So if you're in the market for a new kitchen or maybe a tweaked kitchen or a renovated kitchen or any kitchen, contact Immer Kitchens today and from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, let's get it on.  Season starts this coming Saturday 21 March.  Good times, good times.

And so the third week of finals has passed and the big results continue as we move on to the grand final.  In one semi-final, D Major and Mr 66 went at it all week but on the final day, Mr 66 ran away with the win and looks to be the grand final favourite from where we sit.  In the other semi, your Hoxley Tigers rolled on, handing Blaming Injuries their second loss of the season.  And so we have it, Hoxley Tigers going for their 5th title against the raging hot favourite Mr 66.  Two teams enter, one team leave.  Our tip?  Mr 66 by 200 points.  His team is just too deep but like Rudy Tomjanovich told us 30 years ago, you should never underestimate the heart of a champion and definitely not a five-time champion.  Exciting times, exciting times.

SEMI FINALS
2v7: Mr 66 2019 d D Major 1772
1v4:  Blaming Injuries 1423 lost to Hoxley Tigers 1705

It's on tonight and we'll have an intrepid reporter there to keep track of proceedings.  Yes folks, it's knockout final time as the South East Melbourne should-be-Magic Phoenix take on the Adelaide 36ers for the right to defeat the Sydney Kings in the grand final.  We remember Mike Wrublewski and Bob Turner wanting Sydney to be everyone's second favourite team.  Well, we say they're everyone's favourite team as in favourite to beat.  Like the Los Angeles Lakers as a fellow yellow and purple team (maybe it's the colours), it's anyone but the Kings for our liking.  So from everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, may the best team win, as in the best team with the best chances of beating the Kings.  We hope it's the 36ers.  Exciting times, exciting times.