Basketball: Big plays at crucial moments see Stars and Hawks in final

Dillon Boucher drives the ball past a Wellington opponent in Auckland on Saturday. Sandra Mu / Getty Images

The Auckland Stars can repeat their "three-peat" of finals wins from the 1990s next weekend after earning hosting rights for the last NBL game of this season.

There were remarkable similarities between the weekend's two semifinals, the Stars and the other home team Hawkes Bay winning after trailing and grinding down teams that were tiring.

The losers Wellington and Nelson both made bad choices in the home stretch and though both came within four points late in the piece, they chose the wrong plays, fouled the wrong players and blew their chances.

The two winners, conversely, had stand-out performers who delivered big plays at the crucial moments despite adversity.

Defending champions Auckland trailed for all bar the first and last minutes against Wellington and muscled to a late 85-79 win on Saturday.

The Hawks had a more comfortable run against the Giants yesterday, trailing early then leading for most of the game until Nelson closed it up at the end in an 88-82 result.

The Stars' home court at ASB Stadium is unavailable next Saturday so the title will be decided at the North Shore Events Centre.

The Giants led for most of the first quarter yesterday. But after big plays from Arthur Trousdell in taking turnovers and steals and turning them to points the Hawks overtook them to lead 27-18 at the first break.

In the second quarter the Hawks' accuracy nailed the Giants - accuracy of pass as well as shot.

As evidence of frustration plus their game that far, big Ed Book's dunk attempt bumped off the front of the hoop. Turnover ball and better shooting extended the Hawk's lead to 13 points, 52-39 by halftime.

As with the Saturday semi, a big dunk was a deciding moment, Kareem Johnson scoring crucial points to end a Giants run. A.J. Majstrovich top-scored for the Hawks with 29 despite suffering a rib injury mid-game.

The Saints led the Stars 47-38 at the main break in their match in which stars import Brock Gillespie and the Saints' American Chris Anderson traded three-pointers. But Saints also had threes from Brendon Pongia and Terrence Lewis and therein lay the points difference after the home team sunk 16 of 35 shots, the visitors 17 of 31.

The danger was that the Stars were being sucked into niggle and as Gillespie came off court he was grabbed by the shirt by coach Kenny Stone, who delivered instructions not to get distracted.

In the third quarter the Stars adjusted their defence, which had concentrated on closing down big import Nick Horvath. They went on a 10-0 scoring run and finished that period one point down, 59-60.

As the fourth period unfolded the Stars gathered fouls and, as the score stayed close and the Saints stayed foul-free, it looked like overtime ejections might cost the home team. But the Saints were tiring.

Captain Frank fired up again and dunked a two to regain the lead for the Stars for the first time since the opening exchanges and point guard Judd Flavell stepped up with some big threes.

"Judd was huge," Stone said. "You don't normally expect three-point shooting from him and a lot of teams will step off him a bit, expecting him not to shoot it. He made them [Saints] pay."

Saints coach Gordy McLeod agreed fatigue cost them, Polyblank (foot) and Glen Joe (shoulder) playing after injury lay-offs.

"I don't want to take anything away from the Stars. We knew they would make a run at us at the end, we didn't execute down the stretch when we needed to," McLeod said.

He praised the Stars' athleticism and ability to make the big shots when needed. "We forced them to the perimeter as we wanted to but then Casey and Judd made some big threes."