By PETER JESSUP
Crunch games loom for defending basketball champions Auckland this weekend, and they will go into an away double-header without most of their front line.
Centre Matt Barnett has a stress fracture of an ankle that will keep him out for a fortnight, forward Daryl Cartwright has a torn calf
muscle, and Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron has been given leave to stay with his partner, who is expecting to give birth to the couple's second child.
The heat will go on import Bryan Christiansen, captain Dillon Boucher, back-injury-plagued Simon Mesritz and junior buy Mason Le Pou to keep up the scoring against the Hawkes Bay Hawks tonight and the Palmerston North Jets tomorrow night.
Two losses would have Auckland, now fifth on the ladder on 12 points, facing a string of must-win games and under the sort of pressure they are not used to.
"We're starting to get to the desperate stage," said coach Tab Baldwin. "This is the biggest challenge we've had in my [six years] with Auckland."
Early losses hurt the champions, and Baldwin is now reflecting on the late return from England and the United States respectively of Cameron and guard Paul Henare, on injury-enforced changes, on losses to the national side and on late choice of imports.
Waikato - half the team and coach Jeff Green having migrated north - go to their grudge match in Wellington with a solid second placing and should improve their points total.
They have an easier run home than Auckland, but the Rebels have almost finished their travelling.
They have five home games to come, while Waikato have yet to go to Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Palmerston and Auckland.
North Harbour look like clearing out to an unassailable lead in the playoffs race as they host the lowly Canterbury Rams on Sunday but their coach, Tracey Carpenter, is wary because of the hiding his side got in Christchurch in round one.
"We have adopted an approach whereby we don't focus at all on the opposition," Carpenter said.
The Kings have eight wins from 10, and Carpenter is hoping the loss to the Rams was the low point of their season.
