BASKETBALL
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Watching New Zealand point guard Cedric Jackson control a game at both ends of the court conjures memories of Darryl McDonald's wondrous do-it-all talents.
Even the 50-year-old McDonald can see the similarities in his and Jackson's styles, particularly when it comes to defence.
"I don't want to put it like that, but I do," the ever-modest Melbourne United coach said.
"The way he can get into the lane, his anticipation on 'D' and things like that, the post-up, I see a little bit of myself.
"He's shooting the ball better and I became a bit of a better shooter as I got older. He does a little bit of everything and that's what makes him so tough."
McDonald has his team in fourth spot with a 9-7 record after weekend overtime wins over Wollongong and Sydney.
Melbourne accounted for the Hawks 103-98 in Wollongong on Friday and the Kings 105-101 at home on Sunday.
He said defence wasn't a feature of Friday's clash.
"There wasn't a lot of 'D' but it was a good game," McDonald said.
"Fifty-four per cent [shooting] for them, 53 per cent for us. I wasn't expecting anything different coming in here. They've been playing well the last couple of weeks, especially on their home floor.
"We knew they would make a run and come back and I'm just happy our guys stuck together. This is one of those games we could've easily lost. It's games like this that brings teams together."
Wollongong coach Gordie McLeod disagreed with McDonald's assessment.
"I thought there was some reasonable defence. People made some tough shots," McLeod said.
"They love to run and get in the open court. I thought it was a high-quality game. In the end they made some big plays.
"We're really pleased with the effort.
"We're disappointed we couldn't come away with a win, but that's a very talented team.
"That's a top-four team and for us to play them so tough, we should take something out of that."
The Hawks (3-13) host second-placed Cairns (11-5) on Saturday.