By Peter Jessup
Auckland are likely to be without Pero Cameron for Friday night's National Basketball League showdown with the tall timber from Taranaki.
Cameron, the Auckland skipper, is still suffering from a month-old calf muscle tear.
He played a limited game through the Challenge Cup playoffs to help his side to secure
the inaugural knockout championship, but coach Tab Baldwin has decided he now needs to rest and recover.
Baldwin revealed that Cameron had played through the pain in last week's semifinal smashing of Waikato on Thursday and the Saturday final win over the Nelson Giants.
"Pero could probably play again on Friday night in pain, but it's one of those situations where at some point we need to give him some recovery time," Baldwin said.
"It would have been preferable to wait until Kenny Stone is back but we don't want to risk further injury."
With Stone out for at least one more week with a fractured wrist, the pressure goes on Challenge Cup star Scott Benson and Auckland's other import, Iona Enosa.
Taranaki have the biggest forward line-up in the league, with Tony Rampton and Sean Ramjagsingh measuring 2.13m, Doug De Vore at 2.03m, Darren Shaw at 1.98m and Johnathon Disher 1.96m.
And with player-coach Mike Foster, Tall Black Kent Mori and former Aucklander Parlayne Hawea behind them, the Oilers carry considerable credibility.
"We had to work hard to contain them in the first round," Baldwin said, indicating that he expects a similar points battle at Unitec on Friday night.
The game is crucial for both sides in the rundown to the playoffs.
With only five games to go, Auckland are first equal on 16 points with Nelson, but second to the Giants on points differential.
They look assured of a spot but will want to be top qualifiers and take the easier ride in the quarters.
Taranaki, on 12 points, need to continue their good form of recent weeks to cement the fourth and last place ahead of Canterbury and North Harbour, who both have 10.
