Basketball: 'Banged up' semifinalists ready for tough battle

The Stars' Casey Frank will be a worry for the Saints today. Picture / Greg Bowker

The Stars and the Saints will present near full-strength but bruised teams for the National Basketball League semifinal in Auckland today.

Stars coach Kenny Stone described his squad as "a bit banged-up" after their 14-win, two-loss season.

Wellington's Gordy McLeod said the Saints were "bumped and bruised" after their 12-6 results.

The Stars will miss starting point guard Lindsay Tait with a broken wrist, and Saints bench guard Glen Joe has suffered a dislocated shoulder.

No one expects a points gap as wide as that in their roundplay encounters, where the Stars won 106-84 in Wellington early in the season, then 76-64 at home earlylast month.

"I expect a totally different Wellington team. I've been reminding my team that two years ago the Saints were number one and we were number four, and we went down there and beat them by 20 points," said Auckland coach Stone.

"We will have to be focused. We have to do a good job on Nick Horvath and Terrence Lewis - Horvath is a quality big man and Lewis remains a big threat - and we can't let any of their role-players step up and take the stage ... George Le'afa, Brendon Polyblank, Brendon Pongia."

American import Horvath was kept quiet in the last Stars-Saints game and that's something for which coach McLeod has adjusted.

"We need big contributions from everyone, we need all our players turning up on the day if we are to have a chance," McLeod said. "We have to learn from the last times we played them.

"It will be tough, it will be physical, they play a very good up-and-in defence and they are very well coached at our end of the floor."

McLeod said the Stars' advantage extended beyond home court.

"They are very good at competing at this end of the season. There is no substitution for finals experience."

If Auckland does win at the North Shore Events Centre, the final next weekend will be at the same venue.

Nelson travel to Napier for the second semifinal tomorrow, the home side without former Tall Black Paora "Bishop" Winitana, who does not play on Sundays because of his Mormon faith.

The Rams' Dennis Trammell has won the NBL shooting award with an average 25.6 points a game.

NBL Semifinals

Auckland Stars v Wellington Saints, North Shore, 3pm today

Bay Hawks v Nelson Giants, Napier, 3pm tomorrow

Stars
Judd Flavell, Brock Gillespie, Dillon Boucher, Casey Frank, Josh Nigut. Bench: Daryl Cartwright, Reece Cassidy, Josh Clark, Dan Ryan.

Saints
George Le'afa, Terrence Lewis, Brendon Polyblank, Mike Thompson, Nick Horvath. Bench: Chris Anderson, Brendon Pongia, Damian Ekanasio, Alex Wastney, Matt Te Huna.