On Saturday night he picked at the label with his thumbnail and muttered something under his breath. It was inaudible and he did not care to repeat it.
But it was not too hard to imagine what he said. The Nuggets had just been humiliated 100-58 by the highly-rated Waikato Pistons with 1193 fans watching on in horror.
The 42-point drubbing was the Nuggets' equal-heaviest defeat since the National Basketball League began keeping detailed records in 2000.
Understandably, the coach was not impressed, particularly with the second-half capitulation which saw his side outscored 62-29.
"The wheels just fell off in the second half," Arlidge said.
"We went away from what we were trying to do early in the game, which had worked for us. You can't get into a foot race with them, because we don't have the horses."
It was a huge challenge for the Nuggets matching up with what is clearly one of the best teams in the league. Tall Black Craig Bradshaw (15 points, 5 rebounds) and American Lance Allred (12 points, 7 rebounds) had their hands full with Thomas Abercrombie (20 points, 7 rebounds) and Alex Pledger (11 points, 16 rebounds). But they gave as good as they got and the contest was pretty even.
The Nuggets' guard line, as expected, struggled to contain the Pistons' classy trio of Jason Crowe, Jerry Smith and Hayden Allen.
But where the Nuggets really let themselves down was on the bench. The so-called Nuggets of the future managed just two points between all seven of them, while the Pistons' bench amassed 28 points thanks largely to a game-high 21 points from BJ Anthony.
Tom Rowe, Sam King, Damon Cleverly, Riki Buckrell and Hayden Miller combined to go 0/11 from the floor. Matt Trueman did not put any shots up and James Ross made one basket from four attempts.
With a support crew like that, who needs enemies? Rowe, Buckrell and King have all played for the junior Tall Blacks and, while they are still young, it is time they started delivering on their promise.
"I think a lot of those guys got good looks but didn't knock the shots down. We'll have to go back to the drawing board," Arlidge said.
American point guard Scott O'Gallagher top-scored for the Nuggets with 19. His ability to cut to the hoop, draw fouls and slot free throws is real asset. But his passing game, on the other hand, is yet to be witnessed.
In 28min of basketball, the Nuggets floor general failed to register any assists.
With just one win against an exhausted Manawatu Jets side in the opening half of the season, the Nuggets face some tough personnel calls. Something has to change if they are going to be more competitive.
No such problems for the Pistons, though. They shape as final contenders alongside the Wellington Saints and Hawkes Bay Hawks.
The Pistons wasted little time asserting their dominance, shooting out to a 11-2 lead. The Nuggets clawed their way back into the quarter through their big men. Bradshaw threaded a beautiful pass through to Mark Morrison who completed the move with a polished lay-up. Allred got a hook shot over the outstretched arms of Pledger, and Sam To'omata stuck a well-executed three-pointer.
But that was pretty much as good as it got for the home team. Waikato emerged from the quarter break with more urgency. Anthony sliced through the defence for a couple of classy buckets, while the Nuggets missed shot after shot at the other end.
The Pistons enjoyed an 11-2 run before Arlidge called a much-needed time out.
The visitors turned the heat up with some full court pressure at the beginning of the third period and eased away to a 16-goal lead.
The home side's defence promptly fell away and the score quickly mounted. There was no mercy, with the Pistons drilling four consecutive three-pointers at the start of the fourth quarter.
Allen raised the century with a mid-range jumper from the baseline.
PISTONS v NUGGETS
- The scores
• Pistons 100
BJ Anthony 21, Thomas Abercrombie 20, Jerry Smith 20
• Nuggets 58
Scott O'Gallagher 19, Craig Bradshaw 15, Lance Allred 12
• Quarter 22-19, halftime 38-29, third quarter 67-48
