10 things we saw on day 3 of the NBL Blitz

• The New Zealand Breakers beat the SEM Phoenix 109-101
• Illawarra bounced back from an opening night defeat to beat the Perth Wildcats 100-92
• NBL is back, baby! How to watch the Blitz TODAY

1. Crowd banter must improve in Canberra

The crowds for the NBL Blitz in Canberra have been amazing with every day a sell-out apart from day one on Wednesday. The noise and atmosphere has been exceptional but one thing that MUST improve if they want an NBL team back in the nation's capital is the banter from the stands. It's been very basic and lacked creativity. We've heard everything from "make the shot you idiot", to "nice haircut, can you cut it more please" and even the noise of a dog barking. We need more than that.

2. McLaughlin may be a done deal

Illawarra need a high-level guard to fill their third import spot, and after earning a trial with the Hawks JaQuori McLaughlin may have secured an NBL contract following a dominant second-half performance to lead the defending champions to a comeback win over Perth. McLaughlin had 24 points and five assists as the Hawks fought back from a 14-point halftime deficit to bounce back from a disappointing performance against the Adelaide 36ers on opening night of the Blitz. McLaughlin played for Hawks mentor Justin Tatum in Indonesia and he may have repaid the faith with his outing against the Wildcats. Is it enough to have Illawarra back in championship contention? We'll have wait and see.

3. Breakers blue is best

There's no doubt there's more quality uniforms in the NBL this season and after the Cairns Taipans have led the way each year with their jerseys, other teams have joined the party. I love the Wildcats uniforms and rebrand and feedback across the Blitz has been the same for Perth but I'm taking New Zealand's blue uniforms with the black stripes as the best strip so far. Simple, but impactful. Takes you back to the famous blue jerseys of the mid-2010s. Do fans agree?

4. Who'd want to be the video guy?

Your you-know-what is on the line as the member of the coaching staff who does the video. We got treated to exactly what a day in the life of one of these people are on day three when the Perth Wildcats challenged a refs call. Assistant coaches asked their video man to check the replay, he responded with saying it was 50-50 to which an assistant coach responded "make a call" and another line that emulates calling for someone to step up. Of course it was in a joyful and jovial way. Thankfully, he was right and his work was rewarded with cheers and high-fives from the coaching staff and most of the team but especially captain Jesse Wagstaff. PHEW!

5. Why isn't anyone talking about SEM and New Zealand?

Being around at the Blitz for the full tournament, I haven't heard one person talk about the South East Melbourne Phoenix orthe New Zealand Breakers. Oh, sorry, there was one person who said "no one is really talking about the Phoenix or Breakers". Why not? All the talk has been about the 36ers, Sydney, Brisbane's new import trio, what the defending champs are doing and if Melbourne United are going to contend again. But with so much talent in both the Phoenix and Breakers rosters, these two teams could easily surprise people and feature in the playoffs.

6. Watch out for Bolden

Jonah Bolden was an under-the-radar signing for the Illawarra Hawks in the offseason but many people within the club believe he can be an x-factor in their attempt to repeat as champions. With JaVale McGee coming in and being a big inside presence for the Hawks, if Bolden can knock down the three consistently like he did against Perth, it'll be amassive bonus for Illawarra. Bolden kept his team afloat in the first half against the Wildcats with 3-from-3 from beyond the arc before Tyler Harvey and McLaughlin took over in the second half.

7. Dylan Windler set for All-NBL?

Let's continue with the far too early predictions but after seeing returning import Dylan Windler across the two Blitz games for the Wildcats, the former Los Angeles Laker could be set for an All-NBL season. Now it would probably be an All-NBL Second Team if he did make it but with his ability to impact both ends of the floor and increased responsibility offensively without Bryce Cotton, Windler could go to another level. He showed what he could do with a 27-point and seven-rebound performance against Illawarra on Friday night.

8. Phoenix letting it fly

Mark it down now, the South East Melbourne Phoenix will lead the league in three-point attempts by a country mile. In the team's Blitz opener, the Phoenix put up 46 attempts from beyond the arc, 24 more than the Breakers. It seemed SEM players have the biggest of green lights and I like it. Be different, and they have the players who can do damage from there too. Nathan Sobey, Owen Foxwell, new import Vrenz Bleijenberg as well as Angus Glover can all rip a game apart from the three-point line. They did only make 13 of those attempts against New Zealand at 28% but could be a trend we see from the Phoenix in NBL26.

9. Okwera breakout year anyone?

David Okwera looks like a different player. He looks aggressive and confident. Now, again, it is only preseason but it's more about a change in mindset for the Wildcats forward. Okwera had 12 points in 17 minutes and could be a contender for Most Improved Player if given the opportunity this season and with the help of Jo Lual-Acuil and skipper Jesse Wagstaff, he appears set for the breakout year everyone's been wanting since he came into the league in 2021.

10. NBL to NBL1

Love that several clubs allowed their development players to represent their clubs at the NBL1 National Finals. We saw Adelaide's nominated replacement player in Blake Jones help the Southern Districts Spartans to a win, Kobe McDowell-White star for the Illawarra Hawks NBL1 side as well as Johnny Narkle lead Geraldton to victory. Great to see considering we haven't seen that in the past and that's the benefit of having both tournaments in the same place at the same time.