KEY POINTS:
The Nelson Giants continued the South Island's ball sports domination in impressive style on Friday, sweeping to the National Basketball League title by maintaining their stranglehold over defending champions Hawke's Bay.
The Giants' comprehensive 96-83 victory at the Trafalgar Centre wrapped up the best-of three series 2-0, a week after the Southern Sting claimed domestic netball's holy grail for the last time.
While the Sting have been attuned to completing victory laps, it was the Giants' first title success since 1998 -- the third in their history.
It was a fitting conclusion for the Giants who orchestrated their fourth consecutive victory over the Hawks this season.
Led by league MVP Joshua Pace and Tall Blacks forward Mika Vukona, the Giants were in control from the tip-off, picking up where they left off in Napier last night to provide retiring 37-year-old veteran Ed Book with a perfectly scripted farewell.
The American-born former Tall Blacks Olympian exited the court to rapturous applause with 55 seconds on the clock after nailing one final two-pointer as the celebrations got under way.
"How sweet is that?" Book enthused as the Giants set about the traditional title-winners' net-cutting ceremony.
"It's what we've been working all year for, all that pre-season in January .... it's all paid off.
"Wooooo, it's a sweet victory, what a way to finish."
Nelson, 76-67 winners in game one, surged to an early 10-2 lead before the Hawks, calmed by a time-out, constructed the first of many mini comebacks that couldn't quite bridge the gap.
Michael Fitchett had the hot hand early, draining four of eight three-point attempts in the first half while the heavily marked Vukona had to wait until five minutes into the second period before he broke the shackles with his first bucket.
Vukona ended up with 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to support American import Pace's 25-point haul.
The Hawks were hamstrung by Clifton Bush slipping into early foul trouble -- three inside the first quarter limited his involvement until the penultimate quarter -- while the former champions were also tardy from the free throw line converting just 13 from 25.
Nelson held a two-point advantage at the end of the first quarter and trailed by one, 33-34 midway through the period before Vukona, his scoring duck broken, propelled the home side to a 12-point lead with 2min 50 remaining.
Kareem Johnson's missed brace of free throws encapsulated the Hawks' inaccuracy and ended the Giants to hold a comfortable 52-44 advantage as they headed to the sheds.
Hawke's Bay again ate into the deficit in the third quarter as Paroa Winitana (24 points) fought a lone hand but Vukona's radar failed to deviate.
Leading 72-63 entering the home stretch Nelson inevitably kept the Hawks at bay as American import Jamil Terrell extinguished any hopes of the Hawks clawing their way to a decider tomorrow night by nailing demoralising back-to-back three's inside 60 seconds to boost the Giants to a 78-65 lead with 7min to play.
Book then struck gold from long range as the capacity crowd switched into party mode.
- NZPA
