KEY POINTS:
Harbour Heat coach John Dorge has laughed off suggestions his side could struggle for motivation in tonight's final regular-season match against Waikato Pistons.
With a four-point buffer over second-placed Nelson, with a game to play, the Heat (14-3) will top the table regardless of the result at the North Shore Events Centre. The Pistons (11-5) can claim the fourth and final playoff spot with a victory.
But Dorge scoffed at the idea there could be a mismatch in motivation.
"I disagree that we don't have anything to play for," he said. "If you said that to my team they'd laugh and walk away. These guys have got a lot to play for and pride is very much up there."
The chance to earn a psychological advantage over the Pistons in a match that could very well be a semifinal dress rehearsal also looms large.
"We want to keep our momentum going and try to get a little edge on whoever we are playing leading into the playoffs," he said
But with import Oscar Foreman on international duty with the Australian Boomers, the Heat will have their work cut out to reverse the 86-75 defeat by the Pistons in round seven.
The Heat will again field a four-man bench, with Foreman not set to return until June 22, a day before the first NBL semifinal.
"It is a concern but there is nothing we can do," said Dorge of the prolonged absence of the team's most prolific three-point exponent. "We have been dealt the hand and we have to overcome it. We have to come out and give it our best shot."
* Wellington Saints sacked coach Kevin Brooks on Monday after a disappointing season in which they failed to make the playoffs. Brooks' assistant Kenny McFadden and former player Frank Mulvihill have taken over for the final game, against Nelson tomorrow.
