Basketball: Stars and Hawks ready for dress rehearsal

Neither the Auckland Stars nor the Hawkes Bay Hawks have injury woes ahead of what may be a precursor of the National Basketball League final tomorrow night.

Auckland are assured a home semi spot but the Hawks could lose that assurance if they drop to both the Stars at ASB Stadium on Friday and the Harbour Heat at the North Shore Events Centre on Saturday.

"We're looking forward to it, it's a great challenge," said Hawks coach Shawn Dennis.

Hawkes Bay beat Auckland in Taradale in a game where the Stars let their emotions run away, earning fouls and losing it from the free-throw line.

The Stars fought out another ill-tempered game against Otago last weekend. But pushing them to try and achieve brain explosion again is not something on Dennis' game-plan.

"I expect they will have talked about staying focused on the game, I can't imagine them doing that again ... We need to think about what we are doing, not the opposition," Dennis said. But Auckland would be out for revenge, he knows.

In the last of 13 rounds, Taranaki host Canterbury tomorrow night, the Rams play the Saints in Wellington on Saturday, Otago host Nelson and Waikato host Taranaki.

* Auckland Stars point guard Judd Flavell has been posted development officer for the Breakers and assistant to head coach Andrej Lemanis.

Flavell, 32, is a veteran in the NBL with stints at Hawkes Bay, Nelson and North Harbour since debut in 1992.

He made the Tall Blacks in 1999 and 2001 and has been coaching at junior level at Nelson then North Harbour.