Goorjian questions officiating shift amid NBL Cup slump

The Hawks never really looked in the match, trailing from the outset and by as much as 20 points in the the third term to go down 93-76, his side's second loss to the Phoenix this season. It was a game that saw a vast disparity in the foul column, with the home side making 30 trips to the foul-line.

Illawarra made just seven and were hit with three unsportsmanlike foul calls in the final term, while they also had to go to the video and get a foul scratched from Justinian Jessup's sheet after he was called for a foul without being in the vicinity of the ball.

Goorjian made limiting opposition free-throws a key plank in his side's early-season success, with the Hawks sending the opposition to the foul-line an average 14 times over the opening seven games (5-2).

That averaged has jumped to 24 in four Cup outings, with a first-up loss to Cairns the only game they've given up less than 20 freebies. Goorjian was not laying blame for Sunday's defeat at the feet of officials but says the shift in interpretations since entering the Melbourne hub has been baffling.

"I've tried to keep my mouth shut during this but I just can't" Goorjian said.

"A huge factor for us, I've been yelling about it on the sideline the whole time, is to keep that fouling down. In those [first] four wins there's no secret our defence was keeping the opposition off the foul-line.

"We haven't had that situation since we got here and we've got into this tournament. It's [the Phoenix's] home court, their home game and 30 free-throws to seven... all of a sudden we're a different team when we get here? I don't think so. I'm disappointed in that.

"I've tried to work the sidelines a little bit and try to figure that out but I was really disappointed tonight and [Friday] night with where that's gone. I'm sending clips, I'm trying to communicate but the coach's challenge, the verticality, holding off the ball, these are all things that I've got to come to terms with and I've got to learn what to tell my team to do to keep the opposition off the foul-line.

"Tonight they beat us, they outplayed us, we had a bad start but [in that] fourth quarter...nothing, [we got] no fouls. We're not drawing any fouls, we're not getting to the foul-line and that's a huge factor with the closeness of the competition. I thought I was doing well on that aspect in the first four games on the road but, since we've been here, it's been diabolical."

Read more: Lacklustre Hawks outgunned by Phoenix in NBL Cup slump

Goorjian didn't rule out seeking further clarity from NBL officialdom, saying defensive structures he puts in place depend on consistency in how the rules are interpreted.

"I've got to figure out how they call certain things and instruct our guys at practice how to play things," Goorjian said.

"A guy's off the ball, what's allowed what isn't allowed? When a guy drives to the rim, what are you allowed to do? Can you put your chest on a guy and keep your hands high? Do you try and get in front and keep your hands up? Off the ball can you put your arms around a guy, have an open hand on a guy or do you have to gap the guy?

"I've been out of the competition for 12 years and I thought I had this right, but I've been frustrated with what I've been instructing our team to do and what is being called.

"It's been a huge factor, we've lost a couple of close ones and tonight it was a really big factor. We were beat, and we were beat good, but the foul count was huge - 30 to seven, three intentional fouls... that's got to be addressed."

The overall foul-count had nothing to do with a sluggish start, with Goorjian suggesting the team has been leaning too heavily on sharp-shooters Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup, who were kept to a combined 21 points at 9-25 from the field.

"I thought there was a sign of fatigue on some of the guys that we've been riding their backs the last couple," Goorjian said.

"That start really got me on my heels. I wasn't expecting that and the group wasn't. That's not good for us right now. Everything got a bit tighter after that, now we're hesitant to take shots out of the corner, we're over-penetrating and just looked like a stressed situation and playing from behind was definitely not good for us.

"Do we want to have ball movement, do we want it through hands, yes we do, we just didn't have the energy and the crispness to get anything done that way. I thought 'I'm chasing my tail here, we're asking too much of these guys for where they're at physically'.

"I think we got that [season] start and everyone's brought their A-game and come at us hard. We lost a couple of close ones to Cairns and Brisbane that have affected us a little bit, we've been on that ride."