Ultimate Role Guy Takes MVP
Tagged in: Competitions, NBL
When his name was announced as MVP of the Dominion Finance NBL Finals, Puke Lenden was perhaps the last to realise.
“I didn’t even know, I was talking to my Mum and she just started screaming,” Lenden said Friday night as the Waikato Pistons celebrated their third NBL championship after an 84-79 win in game two to complete a series sweep.
“I’m still shocked. It’s just awesome . . . I just thought they were calling my name out first to go up and get the winners’ medal.”
Lenden, an 11-season and 160-game veteran, who started his NBL career in Hawke’s Bay and won a championship in his second season with the Auckland Stars, was the surprise winner of the Finals MVP award.
Waikato captain Pero Cameron, who averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and was a defensive beast, was a hot favourite to walk away with MVP. Or either American guard, Jason Crowe, who had 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists, and Brian Wethers, 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals.
But instead Lenden, the ultimate role player - a guy the offence rarely, if ever, runs through but still manages to get his points - averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the Finals to join Lindsay Tait, Aaron Olson and Paora Winitana as Finals MVPs.
“I sort of do what I can and it’s paid off,” said Lenden, who had 15 points and eight rebounds in the championship clincher, including four straight free-throws late in the second quarter that push the Pistons 10 points clear.
“I enjoy that role too, it suits me. I think everyone overplays everyone else and I get left open. I’ve just got to make sure I put it in.”
Asked what those selecting the award saw in his play, Lenden could only shake his head and mutter “I don’t know” several times.
The 28-year-old joined Waikato for the 2003 season, which ended with an NBL Final defeat to the Saints, and was part of the highly fancied playoff teams in 2005 and 2007, which failed to get out of the semifinals.
“I guess there is some vindication,” said Lenden, who started all 21 Waikato games and finished second in field goal percentage during the regular season.
“I guess all that hard work has finally paid off. We finally got over that semifinal hump that we’ve all been talking about. And we’ve done it now.”
