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Charity Begins At Home
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The finals home curse claimed yet another victim as Blue Chip Nelson Giants came to Napier and snatched the first game of the Dominion Finance NBL championship series 76-67 off titleholders Easy LPG Bay Hawks.
If the Hawks can take any consolation from the result, it is that they will successfully defend their crown if the trend continues.
Donít count on it.
Not since the Waikato Titans prevailed at Mystery Creek in 2001 has the home team won a national league crown. Thatís six straight finals encounters won by the visitors.
But the Hawks face an uphill battle to extend that streak with the loss of Aussie import Andrew Rice for Games Two and, if needed, Three in Nelson over the next two nights.
Soon after the final buzzer at Pettigrew Green Arena, Rice boarded a plane home to be with his seriously ill mother and was not expected to return.
Bad enough that the Giants now seem to well and truly have the measure of their rivals after their third victory over the Hawks this season. Last time they came to the PGA, less than a month earlier, they had rallied from 12 points down at halftime to win by nine.
This time out, Giants forward Mika Vukona dominated at both ends of the court as his team stole a march midway during the third quarter, reeling off a 17-6 run that swept them into a decisive lead that the Hawks could never recover.
Both teams struggled to find the basket, shooting a combined 39.4% FG, and that played right into the hands of Vukona, one of the leagueís premier rebounders. He accumulated a ìdouble doubleî of 17 points (3/7 FG, 1/3 3pt, 10/14 FG) and 15 rebounds, almost single-handedly depriving the home side of second chances off the offensive boards and sparking the Giantsí own attack.
From the tip-off, Vukona got the scoreboard rolling from under the basket, but was soon answered in similar fashion by Hawks import Kareem Johnson.
Even in the early exchanges, Vukona was proving a menace around the offensive boards, but was having trouble finding his range from the free throw line. Johnson, meanwhile, had seven of the Hawks first nine points before collecting his second personal foul and heading to the bench.
Both teams began man to man defensively. The most intriguing of these match-ups was newly crowned league MVP Josh Pace against his immediate predecessor, Hawks captain Paora Winitana.
The hometown favourite had the best of the initial exchanges, taking his counterpart on for six early points, while Pace struggled to find his stroke.
As the first quarter drew to a close, the Hawks held a 17-15 edge and eeked further clear when veteran Clifton Bush converted a left-handed hook shot to open the second term. They had their beaks in front, but still they couldnít shake the visitors.
The first real break came when Pace struck from the arc to cap a 10-2 run that saw Nelson sweep six points clear with 1m 32s left in the half. By the interval, they were still 31-26 up in a low-scoring affair.
The Giants were dominating the possession stakes with 11 offensive rebounds and had hit the only two treys of the game so far, but, generally, the shooting had been as chilly as the temperature in the stadium. Nelson had converted at 37.1% FG, the Hawks 38.5% and 0/6 from long distance.
In his final appearance in Napier, veteran Nelson centre Ed Book (36) led all scorers with 10 points. The naturalized American had made it known this was his last season and was still chasing his elusive first title.
Hawks point guard Paul Henare cut into the advantage immediately after the restart, but Book replied to restore the status quo.
Not for long, though, as the Hawks came charging back. Winitana drove baseline for two, Everard Bartlett also flew high over the defence and Johnson slammed home an offensive tip in an 8-1 run that carried them into ascendancy.
Back came Nelson as guard Mike Fitchett, the hero of their semifinal thriller over U Park It Waikato Pistons, hit his first trey and suddenly the guests had reeled off nine unanswered points.
Vukona was beginning to re-assert himself, scoring off a missed three throw, then slotting a rare trey as the lead stretched to nine points. With 10 minutes left, he already had 13 rebounds and his team, shooting 61.5% FG for the third period, were 53-46 ahead.
Pace extended that as the final stanza began. With 3m 43s, Fitchett made a pair of freebies to nudge the lead to double figures for the first time and the Hawks probably sensed their best chance of stealing a victory had slipped away.
The margin grew as big as 15 points, before the home side finished with a flourish to lend some respectability to the scoreline.
Pace led all scorers with 23 points (10/16 FG, 1/2 3pt, 2/4 FT), while Book contributed 18 points.
Johnson had a ìdouble doubleî (17 points/11 rebounds) for the Hawks, but their inability to make the most of their few chances from the free throw line (8/18) will likely haunt them as this series continues.
The curse is still very much on the side of the champs … in the past five years, the Giants have lost two NBL finals at their Trafalgar Centre headquarters.
Then again, such streaks have to end some time.
Dominion Finance NBL Finals (Game One)
Thursday, June 28
Napier
Blue Chip Nelson Giants 76 (Josh Pace 23, Ed Book 18, Mika Vukona 17) Easy LPG Bay Hawks 67 (Kareem Johnson 17, Paora Winitana 12, Paul Henare 11)
Quarter 15-17
Halftime 31-26 (16-9)
Threequarter 53-46 (22-20)
Fulltime 76-67 (23-21)
