Basketball: Defensive hero blanketed the Boomers

By DAVID LEGGAT

If any doubts existed over Aaron Olson's place in the Tall Blacks' Olympic scheme, they were extinguished in the space of 20 hectic minutes in an emotional Saturday night at Christchurch's Westpac Stadium.

The Auckland Stars' guard got coach Tab Baldwin's vote for the stellar individual display as the Tall Blacks beat Australia 80-75 for just their fourth win in 39 games, to square the series going into yesterday's decider.

Baldwin had at least a couple of other candidates to choose from.

Shooter Phill Jones got 13 of the first 16 points to set the Tall Blacks off to a flying start.

They were 11 points clear at the end of the first quarter, and Jones finished with 18 points. Big centre Ed Book chimed in with a strong allround display and 17 points.

But it was Canadian-born 26-year-old Olson who played the decisive hand when he shut down the Boomers' key playmaker Shane Heal in the final quarter as the Tall Blacks worked away after surrendering an 11-point halftime lead.

Heal snared 15 points in a sizzling third quarter in which the Boomers outscored the Tall Blacks 28-17 to have the game tied at 66-all going into the final 10 minutes.

But in the decisive battle of a thrilling contest, Olson stuck like a limpet to Heal, and his team-mates, playing smart, thoughtful basketball, restricting the Boomers to just nine points in that quarter to seal a richly-deserved victory.

"He didn't let Shane Heal touch the ball. I have so much admiration for Heal, he never stopped running. But he had a pitbull hanging on his jersey," Baldwin said.

Jones knows what Heal went through.

In last month's national league final, Olson did a job on the freescoring guard to help the Stars topple the Nelson Giants.

"Heal couldn't do anything. It's tough and it's very, very frustrating. Trust me, I know how it feels," an admiring Jones added.

Olson has gained most respect within the Tall Blacks camp for his defensive gifts.

"Most people think of him as a shooter, but we know him best as the most dogged defender around," Baldwin said.

As for the quietly-spoken Olson, he shrugged off Baldwin's resounding verbal pat on the back.

"Heal's a great player. I was just out there trying to do what I could to stop him."

Olson reckoned the Tall Blacks were "pretty confident" going into the fourth quarter that they had the Boomers measure.

"We weren't too worried about the score. We just went out to do a job and did it.

"It was awesome. It's the first time I've played Australia, so it's good for me, and the team, to get a win."

Neither Baldwin nor Jones could remember being involved in a two-game run with a bigger turnaround in so short a timeframe.

Baldwin was low key about the win, essentially stressing the "evolving process" his team are going through to prepare for Athens.

"Beating Australia is significant in the greater scheme of things for our federation, just to get continued respect out of Australia.

"We're continuing to work with them to improve basketball in this part of the world so it's important we are competitive so they don't feel like we're the younger brother."

Using that analogy, if anything Saturday night suggested the brothers are closer in age than the Australians might think.

NZ triumphs

1978: Lower Hutt, New Zealand 67 Australia 65.

2001: Wellington, New Zealand 85 Australia 78; Auckland, New Zealand 89 Australia 78.

2004: Christchurch, New Zealand 80 Australia 75.