MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - Did you see that?!

If you didn't, get to LiveBasketball.TV or nbl.tv, whichever one you've got and watch a replay of the Perth Wildcats v Melbourne Tigers game from tonight.

That was playoff stuff, high intensity, both teams desperate for the win and the game coming down to the final buzzer.

If you are going to watch it and don't want to know the score I suggest you skip ahead past the next sub-header.

Spoiler
It really was a game for the ages, a cracking inside battle between near-seven-footers Tom Jervis and Scott Morrison, the old match-up between Olympic teammates Shawn Redhage and Mark Worthington, two tough point guards in Damian Martin and Nate Tomlinson going head-to-head, and of course the NBL's two leading scorers, James Ennis and Chris Goulding on the same floor.

Goulding was magical, looking every bit a man who should be at the FIBA Basketball World Cup this summer.

Despite all the attention from the elite Perth defence, he seemed to bob up when the Tigers needed him to hit some exquisite, under-pressure jumpers that had the 11,500-strong Perth Arena crowd gasping.

Jervis slightly got the better of Morrison but both had plenty of good moments, while youngster Tomlinson was more than a match for legendary defensive stud Martin.

Worthington was slow to start, but he was doing all the little things that make Wortho great. Then the jumper started dropping, none better than his fade-away post move in the final minute to bring Melbourne back within one.

Goulding put them up two with an incredible triple, then Martin snuck backdoor to tie it up with 11 seconds left.

After a time-out the ball ended up with Goulding. Perhaps channelling Marcelinho Huertas, the man known as Bubbles worked a re-screen and drew the help defence to the roller.

He then pitched the ball to Worthington, who calmly quietened the cavernous arena with what really was a dagger triple as the buzzer sound. Game over - 83-80 for the Tigers.

The best bit? The two teams meet again next week in Melbourne.

Disciplined Tigers
One of the really impressive parts of the Tigers' win was their composure all night. They are a team that has been known to work the refs relentlessly, but on hostile turf they simply ignored the zebras all night and got on with the job at hand, with coach Chris Anstey leading from the front.

That was a huge factor in maintaining their focus as the Wildcats charged hard in the final quarter.

That disciplined performance was in stark contrast to their efforts in Perth last season, and also a welcome change from their comments about referees after last week's loss in Sydney.

Not our fault
After having been out-played by a much-improved Kings team, Anstey fronted at the press conference to talk about three ordinary human beings on the court, which I can only assume meant the refs.

Worthington chipped in by saying the team didn’t know if they were in a netball game in the first half or wrestlemania in the second.

Regardless of whether they thought the officials had cost them the game - and from my view they didn't - those outbursts lacked class and made the Tigers come across as sore losers.

Their club has done so much good this year to earn respect on and off the court - they are an impressive group - so it is a shame to set such a poor example after going down to a better team on the day.

I hope they choose Exhibit B - their attitude in tonight's game - over last week's disappointing Exhibit A for the rest of the season.

Old habits or progress?
Worthington's point was actually accurate, though overstated. The first half of that clash was called in line with the new vision, while after intermission the whistleblowers slipped back into some old habits.

The good news is in recent weeks, that has been the exception rather than the rule.

While fans, players and coaches like to pick out individual calls as justification for criticising officials, the more important point is really how the refereeing allows the game to play out.

In the clear majority of games the past two-to-three weeks the officiating has meant offensive players can play free and aggressive basketball. As a result we've had attractive, high-scoring games littered with plenty of highlights.

Fans complain that sometimes soft fouls are called and others times a lot of contact is let go. That just comes from the lack of understanding in Australia that the rules of basketball allow for a lot more body contact in certain situations than hand contact.

I hope the refs stick to their guns, continue to improve, and over time both players and fans will get used to that style of play.

Wildcats lose focus
Interestingly, for a team that has been very well known for its discipline with the refs in recent years, Perth have transformed into a team who are often complaining to the officials.

Most notably, Martin - someone renowned for just getting on with the job after a whistle is blown - can now be found regularly in the face of refs because a call hasn't gone his team's way.

Perth have lost three of their past six games, with two of those wins were against last-placed Townsville, so perhaps it is time for them to get back to playing basketball and allow the refs do their job.

When the Wildcats are switched on they are a mighty unit, and when their captain is leading the way - like he has so well and for so long - all his mates follow suit..

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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