Cairns Taipans coach Adam Forde has blasted the NBL's officiating even though his Snakes team left Wollongong with a thrilling 93-92 victory, thanks to a Lat Mayen three-pointer on the buzzer.
Forde didn't hold back after Thursday's game, sarcastically describing the officiating this season as fantastic with "the stamping out of any critical feedback and accountability".
While Forde was being facetious in what his players can do to avoid fouling, he also likes his group feeling the forces are working against them.
"We've got to do a better job of getting even more thinner over those screen, we have to do a better job of verticality to the point of where they can collapse their chest a little bit to avoid creating contact," Forde said.
"Maybe we can do a better job of, I don't know, allowing second chance points because you aren't allowed to compete for the rebound.
"We'll figure it out but we gave up 46 foul shots to Adelaide and we won, tonight we gave up 20 foul shots in the fourth.
"Keep throwing these things at us and it's only going to make us a little bit more ticked off about it."
The win improved Cairns to an 11-12 record on the season, replacing the Hawks in sixth position.
In the last two games, both wins at home to Adelaide and away to Illawarra, the Taipans have attempted a total of 28 free-throws while their opponents have taken 78.
The Snakes have been called for 56 fouls across those two games while having just 32 against them.
On Thursday night, Tahjere McCall, Taran Armstrong and Akoldah Gak, all starters who were playing key roles, fouled out.
They still managed to win even with Sam Waardenburg and Bobi Klintman also missing through concussion protocols.
Meanwhile, the Hawks lost consecutive games for the first time under interim coach Justin Tatum.
Illawarra now have slipped outside of the top six at 9-11 and will fall further from the play-in race with another defeat.
Tatum will be hammering home the importance of Saturday's clash with the last placed 36ers to his team.
"I just challenge them as basketball professionals," he said.
"We gave one away and now your job is to come back and regroup, refocus and come play way harder, and be way more focused than you were today to help us win.
"I'll challenge them in certain areas and I hope they'll change that when it comes to Saturday."
