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East Got Game podcast hosts Jacinta Govind and Lachy Frances are back for the NBL1 East 2026 season.Matt Mims steps into the spotlight<\/p>\nEast Got Game breaks down Illawarra\u2019s win, Mims\u2019 rise, and key NBL1 East Round 1 insights.<\/p>\n
The latest East Got Game episode breaks down Illawarra\u2019s Round 1 win over Maitland, spotlighting Matt Mims\u2019 breakout, Todd Blanchfield\u2019s impact, and early trends shaping NBL1 East.<\/p>\n
Round 1 delivered one of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend \u2014 and while the scoreboard showed a 13-point result, the deeper story was far more nuanced.<\/p>\n
LISTEN NOW<\/p>\n
East Got Game podcast hosts Jacinta Govind and Lachy Frances are back for the NBL1 East 2026 season.Matt Mims steps into the spotlight<\/p>\n
The biggest takeaway: Matt Mims is ready for a lead role.<\/p>\n
In his transition from bench contributor to primary ball handler, Mims controlled tempo, created space, and dictated Illawarra\u2019s offence.<\/p>\n
His ability to:<\/p>\n
Slow the game when neededAttack seams in transitionCreate opportunities for teammates<\/p>\n
\u2026stood out immediately.<\/p>\n
The takeaway is clear: Illawarra\u2019s offence now runs through Mims \u2014 and it works.<\/p>\n
Blanchfield\u2019s gravity changes everything<\/p>\n
Todd Blanchfield delivered 28 points, but the episode highlighted something more important \u2014 his presence.<\/p>\n
Even in a scoreless fourth quarter, Blanchfield:<\/p>\n
Drew defensive attentionCreated space for othersImpacted possessions without touching the ball<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a reminder that elite players don\u2019t just score \u2014 they shape the floor.<\/p>\n
Illawarra\u2019s depth quietly wins the game<\/p>\n
While the headline names delivered, the Hawks\u2019 bench sealed the result.<\/p>\n
Young contributors:<\/p>\n
Played aggressive defenceTook on key matchupsMaintained energy and structure<\/p>\n
The fourth quarter was the proof point:<\/p>\n
Blanchfield, Mims and Peatling combined for just five pointsIllawarra still controlled the game<\/p>\n
Takeaway: Depth and role clarity separate good teams from contenders<\/p>\n
Maitland\u2019s margin for error is small<\/p>\n
Despite the loss, Maitland showed they\u2019re still a top-tier team.<\/p>\n
The issues weren\u2019t structural \u2014 they were execution-based:<\/p>\n
Pick-and-roll defensive breakdownsMissed high-percentage looks insideLimited ball movement in key stretches<\/p>\n
They generated opportunities \u2014 they just didn\u2019t finish them.<\/p>\n
Takeaway: Fix the details, and this result flips<\/p>\n
Pick-and-roll defence the key battleground<\/p>\n
A recurring theme throughout the episode:<\/p>\n
Maitland struggled to contain Illawarra\u2019s pick-and-rollMiscommunication created open threes and paint looks<\/p>\n
Blanchfield\u2019s four-point play and multiple Peatling finishes came directly from these breakdowns.<\/p>\n
At this level, small defensive errors get punished immediately.<\/p>\n
Early season identity forming<\/p>\n
Round 1 revealed clear trends in NBL1 East:<\/p>\n
Illawarra: structured, disciplined, balancedMaitland: explosive but inconsistent executionYoung players: playing with confidence and responsibility<\/p>\n
And with more roster pieces still to come across the league, this is only the starting point.<\/p>\n
Big picture: Why this game matters<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t just a Round 1 result.<\/p>\n
It was a preview of a potential finals matchup \u2014 and a signal of how tight the margins are in NBL1 East.<\/p>\n
Illawarra executed betterMaitland created enough to winThe difference came down to detailListen now<\/p>\n
The full East Got Game episode breaks down:<\/p>\n
Illawarra vs Maitland in detailKey player performancesTactical insights from Round 1<\/p>\n
Plus discussion around roster announcements, league trends, and what\u2019s next in NBL1 East.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t sleep on the East.<\/p>\n
Jacinta Govind <\/p>\n
is a former pro-baller hustling to promote women’s basketball and the NBL1 East. She is the co-creator, co-host and producer of East Got Game and the creator of Front Row Hustle podcast. Jacinta is also a leading female colour commentator in NBL1 having commentated NBL1 East, NBL1 North, was selected to commentate at three of the four NBL1 National Championships and has commentated the FIBA U17 and U19 World Cups for the last 3 years. <\/p>\n
Jacinta aims to integrate her playing experience and inquisitive nature to peel back the layers of stats, athletes, coaches and associations to provide insightful content that showcases local talent and resonates with wider audiences. <\/p>\n
Lachy France<\/p>\n
A devotee of both NSW basketball and women\u2019s basketball in general, Lachy France cut his teeth reporting on Aussies in college before covering the women\u2019s game at every level from Waratah Youth League to World Cups. Now a play-by-play commentator for Sutherland Sharks and Sydney Comets, Lachy will take any chance to remind you, \u201cDon\u2019t sleep on the East!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"East Got Game breaks down Illawarra\u2019s win, Mims\u2019 rise, and key NBL1 East Round 1 insights. The latest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-580270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}