Basketball: Tall Blacks soar to new heights

By JENNI RUTHERFORD in Indianapolis

No summit appears too high for New Zealand, whose march into basketball folklore took another giant stride forward yesterday.

The Tall Blacks, performing herculean tasks at the world championships in Indianapolis, once more moved into uncharted territory with their 65-63 quarter-final victory over Puerto Rico.

Their historic win booked them a semifinal with the formidable Yugoslavs at 8.30am tomorrow (NZ time), after the defending champions handed the United States their second successive loss with an 81-78 victory.

"The impact of our success on the world basketball stage is gigantic," ecstatic New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin said.

"I hope the people of New Zealand get their flags out in support of this team and themselves and fly them with pride."

Some of Baldwin's players admitted they struggled to describe the feeling of reaching the medal round.

"It does leave you very speechless and overwhelmed," shooting guard Kirk Penney said.

"We, from little New Zealand, have gone and made it into the top four in the world and made it to the Olympics.

"What a game this meant to the country and this means to Basketball New Zealand."

The guaranteed top-four finish booked the Oceania region two qualifying spots for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, meaning Australia were likely to join New Zealand at the Games.

Baldwin summed up the feat by saying: "I wish I spoke other languages because the English language just seems inadequate to me.

"Words like rapture, thrilled, unbelievable and awesome - you should be able to grab them all and mash them together to come out with a new word."

The Tall Blacks never gave too much away to the Puerto Ricans, leading at every quarter break, 14-11, 31-29 and 48-44.

They finally cemented the semifinal spot through captain Pero Cameron, who broke a deadlock with 23 seconds left on the clock.

New Zealand will now front up against a team stacked with five NBA players and most likely without their own NBA player, Sean Marks. The Miami Heat forward, who injured his right eye in the pool game against Argentina, will visit an eye specialist today.

Team doctor Paul Wharam said that while the eye was healing he doubted Marks would take part in the semifinal.

Spearheaded by Sacramento Kings forward Predrag Stojakovic, who has averaged 19 points a game so far, Yugoslavia represent yet another step up, but they are far from unbeatable, as New Zealand proved three weeks ago at the Super Cup in Germany.

"We have to go into the game with a lot of confidence," said Tall Black point guard Mark Dickel.

"We beat the top seed in their side of the draw so there is no reason we can't win. If Puerto Rico beat Yugoslavia there is no reason we can't win.

"We've beaten Yugoslavia before, we just have to have confidence, go out there and get the job done."

Baldwin is not about to take a step back after he and his side have come to one of the last base camps of their Everest-like ascent.

"They have players like [LA Clippers guard Marko] Jaric, Stojakovic, [Dejan] Tomasevic, [Sacramento Kings centre Vlade] Divac, [Dejan] Bodiroga - great players with unbelievable experience. They have excellent coaching.

"They are a great team. No doubt about it, that team could walk on the court with any side in this world and every NBA team and they would be a strong competitive unit. I keep saying it's steep up here at the top."

The advantage yesterday yo-yoed in the opening minutes, with New Zealand opening a six-point advantage midway through the first quarter.

Cameron, who scored 16 points in the match, made big plays at crucial times to ensure his team were in touch each time Puerto Rico hit back.

Native American Ed Book played his biggest match of the tournament, returning 10 points and making six rebounds.

Forward Phill Jones rose to the occasion as he did in New Zealand's crucial second-round match against China, scoring 21 points. Jones' silky shooting skills were epitomised when he drilled a three-pointer as the shot-clock hit zero in the third quarter.

Puerto Rico guard Elias Ayuso top-scored with 24 points, including seven three-pointers.

The New Zealanders gave their diehard fans at the RCA Dome and thousands of Kiwis in New Zealand a nerve-jangling ride in the final four minutes as the scores were tied three times before Cameron shot the Tall Blacks into history.

"Pero's the leader," said Dickel.

"At the end of the game, if we are close he is going to get us over the line.

"He is one of the biggest clutch players in the world and people now need to respect and recognise that."

Dickel said the team had the belief that no one was unbeatable at the championships.

"We watched the video of Puerto Rico and thought, 'man we can beat these guys'.

"We've got that belief. It's unbelievable, you can't put it into words what's it like."

Dickel was also generous in his praise of Baldwin and his coaching staff, who have been feted as being among the best at the championships.

"In Tab Baldwin, [assistant coach] Nenad Vucinic and [video analyst] Murray McMahon, we have three of the best basketball minds in New Zealand, in the world maybe."

The game was another rollercoaster ride for Baldwin, who again pulled some coaching magic.

"It never felt like we were in control, it was a funny game," said Baldwin.

"It's one of the hardest games I have ever coached.

"I just didn't feel like I had all the options available because of the way Puerto Rico were playing."

As for the Americans, the loss was their second in succession after being tipped over 87-80 by Argentina and ended any chance of a medal for the hosts. Yugoslavia, lining up in the semifinals for the 10th successive time, now attempt to retain the title they won four years ago.

The best the United States can do is finish fifth, which would match their worst placing. They were fifth in 1970 and 1978.

Tomorrow's match-ups have Yugoslavia against New Zealand, and Argentina against Germany after the Germans eliminated Spain 70-62 and the Argentines dispatched Brazil 78-67.

The United States will play in the consolation semifinals today against Puerto Rico.



American newspapers bemoaned the end of the unbeaten era since NBA players were allowed on to the playing roster.

"The reign ended in a nightmare for the, ahem, Dream Team," Steve Wyche wrote in the Washington Post. "The United States NBA-laden men's basketball team not only had its 58-game international winning streak snapped, it also had this nation's decade-long ownership of international basketball dominance ended, in its backyard."

New Zealand 65 (P. Jones 21, P. Cameron 16, E. Book 10) Puerto Rico 63 (E. Ayuso 24, J. Ortiz 13). Halftime: 31-29.

- NZPA

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