Basketball: Time flies for Phill Jones

4.00pm

Phill Jones can hear his basketball clock ticking. At 30, the Nelson Giants guard is taking a pragmatic approach to Sunday afternoon's National Basketball League (NBL) final at the Trafalgar Centre, Nelson.

He's been to six finals, winning twice in 1994 and 1998, but Jones knows his chances to be a champion may be limited.

"When you're younger, you can always tell yourself there will be another chance, that you'll get an opportunity to come back from a loss and go one better the next time," he said.

"But, when you get to the point in your career where I am now, it is in the back of your mind that this might be the last shot.

"I have been lucky to have had the chance to play in a final every couple of years when some great players go through their whole career without being in one, but there's this nagging little thought now that the opportunities are limited as I get older. It's a strong motivation."

Jones is hardly on his last legs. Despite drawing the attention of every defender determined to make a name in the league and having to cope with an altered role in the Nelson squad, the international marksman has still averaged 20 points a game with a high of 38.

His rebounding and defence have been steady, his passing as a part-time point guard greatly improved. And, if he's open for a split-second, Jones is still going to get a shot up.

"The main reason I haven't scored a lot in the last four or five games is because I haven't had to. Darnell (McCulloch) has been a beast, Mika's (Vukona) converting his offensive rebounds into points, Ed (Book) and Lance (Baker) have kept the score moving.

"I've been able to concentrate on doing other things but I've made a career out of being able to shoot the ball so that's not going to change if that's what the game requires."

Jones has been impressed by the emergence of his 20-something teammates as the season has progressed.

The Giants were ranked a lowly seventh before the NBL began -- on Sunday they are favoured to win a third championship and the first on their home court.

Much of the improvement is down to the growth of Vukona, Baker, Tu Umaga-Marshall, Mark Jones and Nelson's other young talents.

"Their ability was always there," Jones said. "For a lot of them, this has been their first chance to get regular court time and have an impact on a result. We've made mistakes and adjustments along the way, but the payoff is coming now."

Last weekend's semifinals saw both of the two top seeds tipped over on their home courts. The keys for the Giants and for Auckland were defence, rebounding and intensity. Sunday's final is likely to see more of the same.

"I think the score will be somewhere in the 80s because both teams have plenty of scoring power. Even against great defence, you can't expect to close out good offensive teams for the whole four quarters," Jones said.

"When Sunday comes, we have to step it up and lead. If we can get halfway to where Darnell and Mika have set the standard, and bring some finals experience as well, we should be in with a good chance.

"We have to do well because there is only one thing that sucks more than losing and that is losing in our house. The whole team will tell you, it's all about winning now -- one point or 20 points, it really doesn't matter."

- NZPA