Basketball: It promises to get physical

Expect a physical encounter in the National Basketball League final at the North Shore Events Centre today, with Hawkes Bay sure to try to exploit Auckland's tendency to get wound up.

Stars' guard Brock Gillespie is facing a disciplinary hearing next week, as is Otago's Branching Fluvial, after they were ejected from an Auckland-Otago game, Gillespie for kicking Miles Pearce.

And last weekend, Stars' coach Kenny Stone was driven to grab Gillespie by the shirt and drag him from the court while issuing instructions about one centimetre from his left ear after the American threw the ball at Saints' player George Lava during the semifinals.

The Hawks beat Auckland in Hawkes Bay after the Stars imploded in a rash of fouls and turnovers and lost focus on the game.

Hawks' coach Chain Dennis is blunt when he admits that the refereeing today, and the way the teams adjust to it, are critical.

"Auckland do a great job of pushing the rules to the limit. What happens early will set a standard - if they are allowed to get away with that, we need to adjust."

Dennis said the Hawks learned plenty about the Stars when they lost the second-last game of the season in Auckland.

"They gave us a real lesson in what it takes to be champions. We took that on board and came out the next day and smashed North Harbour, and we still had that intensity last week against Nelson."

Stone said he expected a real war.

There's no doubt the Hawks resent losing last year's final to Auckland at home.

Still with Auckland are Casey Frank, Dillon Boucher and Reece Cassidy. Key players missing this time are Aaron Olson (time off) and Lindsay Tait (broken wrist).

How they've performed

* The Stars average 88.6 points a game at 48.1 per cent success, Hawks 87.2 points at 48.3 per cent.

* Free-throws: Stars 73 per cent, Hawks 70 per cent.

* Three-point attempts: Stars 34 per cent; Hawks 37 per cent.

* Stars concede an average 79.6 points a game, Hawks 78.3.

* This year, Stars beat the Hawks 75-66 in Auckland, the Hawks won 101-89 in Napier.

* Semis: Auckland beat Wellington 85-79, Hawkes Bay beat Nelson 88-82.

* 2005 final: Auckland beat the Hawks 69-68 in Napier.

The Teams

Auckland Stars
Casey Frank (c), Judd Flavell, Brock Gillespie, Josh Nigut, Dillon Boucher; bench Reece Cassidy, Daryl Cartwright, Dan Ryan.

Hawkes Bay
Paul Henare (c), AJ Majstrovich, Field Williams, Paora Winitana, Kareem Johnson; bench Aidan Daly, Arthur Trousdell, Willie Burton, Everard Bartlett.