Playoff Forecast Still Cloudy
Tagged in: Competitions, NBL
The home semifinal situation may have got some clarification but the quarterfinal mix got no clearer in round 13 of the Dominion Finance NBL.
While the Century City Wellington Saints and Waikato Pistons, both 12-4, have secured postseason berths and will likely host semifinals, the make-up of the rest of the six-team playoffs has a giant question mark hovering overhead.
With two rounds of the regular season remaining, only one game separates third from sixth as the four franchises – Appliance Shed Harbour Heat, CPS Nelson Giants, Easy LPG Bay Hawks and Youthtown Auckland Stars – sit level in the loss column with six each, while seventh-placed Devon Dynamos Taranaki still have hope.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Hawks fifth-year coach Shawn Dennis said.
“The change to six teams is doing what it’s meant to. There’s still seven teams that can make the top-six . . . third to sixth can go any way really.
“With the way the games have gone over the last few weeks, I wish I could give you my prediction. I just don’t know. There’s some tough games coming up for the top-six teams playing each other, someone has to win. You just can’t predict it.
“We played so well last week and then went down to Nelson and played poorly in the first quarter, Taranaki beat Waikato last week and Harbour have been inconsistent all season. And I guess that’s good for the League because you just don’t know.”
Dennis’ Hawks missed an opportunity to go someway towards securing a home quarterfinal, going down 90-79 to the Giants in Nelson on Saturday night, following their 92-76 home win over the Property Brokers Manawatu Jets on Wednesday.
Instead they fell back to fifth, sharing a 9-6 record with the Giants, but only one win behind the third-placed Heat (10-6), one win above the sixth-placed Stars and two wins over the outside-looking-in Dynamos.
In the final two rounds, seven games feature match-ups between the top seven, ensuring the re-ordering will continue until the regular season’s final night.
Young Giants swingman Chris Daniel, who recently signed a fulltime contract with the Singapore Slingers, torched the Hawks for 25 points and seven rebounds, and did not miss a shot, going 9-of-9 from the field, 5-of-5 on three-point attempts, and 2-of-2 from the foul line.
Tall Black Phill Jones scored a team-high 27 points while American centre Michael Harrison provided 21 points, three steals and two blocks, to negate Hawks centre Kareem Johnson’s 28 points and seven rebounds.
The Heat and Stars solidified their positions – the Heat for a home quarterfinal, and Stars for a playoff berth – with wins in round 13 as Taranaki went winless in their City of Sails double-header, losing to the Stars 68-65 on Thursday and to Harbour 90-69 on Friday, reducing their playoff odds to longshot.
Australian forward Oscar Forman had 10 points and 13 rebounds in his return to action for Harbour, who now hold pole position to host a first-round playoff game.
The Saints overtook the idle Pistons for the League lead and can look up the regular season title and home advantage throughout the postseason with wins in their regular season-ending double-header in round 14.
In what has often been a hazardous road trip, the Saints made the Southern double-header seem like exhibition games.
American forward Ernest Scott top-scored with 27 points, while Lindsay Tait had 18 points, Nick Horvath a double-double and Luke Martin 10 assists as Wellington cruised to a 31-point win, which equaled the Marley Canterbury Rams franchise’s biggest loss, on Friday night.
Then 24 hours later, Tait had 21 points and Horvath another double-double as the Saints routed the Cartridge World Otago Nuggets 93-73 in Dunedin, despite a monster 29 points and 17 rebounds from Otago import Antoine Tisby.
Dominion Finance NBL Round 13
Wednesday, May 21
At Pettigrew.Green Arena, Taradale
Easy LPG Bay Hawks 92 (Paora Winitana 25, Kareem Johnson 19, Aidan Daly 17, Calum Macleod 12) Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 76 (Kantrail Horton 33, Keith Davis 17, Piers Finch 15)
1Q: 26-19
HT: 51-34 (25-15)
3Q: 66-64 (15-30)
FT: 92-76 (26-12)
Thursday, May 22
At ASB Stadium, Auckland
Youthtown Auckland Stars 68 (Casey Frank 14, Reece Cassidy 13, Jonathon Shepherd 10) Devon Dynamos Taranaki 65 (Keith Salscheider 13, Tony Rampton 11, Ben Jeffrey 10)
1Q: 13-19
HT: 31-30 (18-11)
3Q: 49-41 (18-11)
FT: 68-65 (19-24)
Friday, May 23
At Cowles Stadium, Christchurch
Century City Wellington Saints 108 (Ernest Scott 27, Lindsay Tait 18, Troy McLean 15, Arthur Trousdell 12, Nick Horvath 11) Marley Canterbury Rams 77 (Joey Harrell 22, Jeremy Kench 16, Mike Townsend 11, John Whorton 10)
1Q: 26-21
HT: 47-35 (21-14)
3Q: 76-50 (29-15)
FT: 108-77 (32-27)
At The Furnace, North Shore
Appliance Shed Harbour Heat 90 (Hayden Allen 23, Tim Behrendorff 20, Dan Ryan 15, Oscar Forman 10) Devon Dynamos Taranaki 69 (Keith Salscheider 20, Link Abrams 14, Aaron Nowell 12)
1Q: 27-17
HT: 54-34 (27-17)
3Q: 66-60 (12-26)
FT: 90-69 (24-9)
Saturday, May 24
At Trafalgar Centre, Nelson
CPS Nelson Giants 90 (Phill Jones 27, Chris Daniel 25, Michael Harrison 21) Easy LPG Bay Hawks 79 (Kareem Johnson 28, Paul Henare 14, Paora Winitana 11)
1Q: 32-15
HT: 56-39 (24-24)
3Q: 73-62 (17-23)
FT: 90-79 (17-17)
At Lion Foundation Arena, Dunedin
Century City Wellington Saints 93 (Lindsay Tait 21, Luke Martin 13, Nick Horvath 12, Ernest Scott 12, Kevin Owens 10) Cartridge World Otago Nuggets 73 (Antoine Tisby 29, Lemar Gayle 21, Brent Charleton 13)
1Q: 24-23
HT: 47-38 (23-15)
3Q: 74-54 (27-16)
FT: 93-73 (19-19)
