Basketball: Victory within Titans' grasp

By PETER JESSUP

The Waikato Titans hold all the aces as the national league winds up with the Titans' semifinal against Auckland today and Palmerston North versus Wellington tomorrow.

There will be something wrong if Waikato cannot beat the Stars and the winner of the second semifinal to win the title.

There are good reasons they are defending champs. They have the most potent go-to guy in the league in Pero Cameron. They have the more experienced line-up, better bench-depth and more options in their attack than any team in the league.

It's simplistic to question Jeff Green's coaching ability in those circumstances. He has to get all his names to play together.

Whereas the Stars' starting five play three-quarters of the game or more, Green's rotation means some of his starters play 10 minutes.

The Titans have beaten the Stars four times this year - twice in the pre-season and comprehensively home-and-away in the season.

But that counts for nothing in a one-off semifinal and Green knows it. He is right when he says the league should showcase its top talent in a best-of-three or best-of-five series.

You also have to wonder why one semi was booked for the Te Awamutu Sports Centre, with a capacity of around 1000, when the Titans could have drawn four times that many to Mystery Creek.

The latter was booked apparently, while lack of management at the Saints in the early season resulted in their not booking a venue and scrambling to get the similarly small Walter Nash Stadium. That's a lot of potential exposure and revenue lost.

If Waikato win they will take the final to Mystery Creek.

Stars forward Daryl Cartwright is still not 100 per cent with a back strain but will play. He is the only one under an injury cloud.

Auckland coach Kenny Stone said they had to come out fast at each quarter.

"Everyone knows what they do - no one has been able to stop it," he said of the speed and rolling interchange the Titans use to wear down opponents.

Titans forward Dillon Boucher agreed.

"It may come down to how well their stars play against how well we rotate our bench," he said.

"Sometimes our bench can take the game to another level. It's always good when you're subbed off to know that the next guy will keep the pressure on. It gives you confidence."

The Saints-Jets game may also follow in-season results, where the Saints have been two-time winners.

The post battle - Brendon Polyblank, Ben Knight and Michael Tompson against David Cooper, Kent Mori and Miles Pearce - should square off.

The Saints have the best recent record of all the teams in finals, six straight wins, including victories over Auckland and Waikato, and that should instil confidence.

They also have the better long-range game.

Both semifinals are live on TV2.

SEMIFINAL SHOWDOWNS

TITANS v STARS

Te Awamutu Sports Centre, today, 3pm.

Referees: Stan Battock, Gavin Whiu, Jamie Hickey.

Titans won 94-84 in May, 101-86 in July.

Titans' record: Undefeated at home, 7-2 away: 30 points, first place in round-robin.

Stars' record: 5-4 at home, 7-2 away: 24 points, fourth place in round-robin.

Seven Titans have previously played for Auckland - Pero Cameron, Dillon Boucher and Prem Krishna (won five titles there), Mason Le Pou, Puke Lenden, Glen Joe and import Iona Enosa.

Former captain Riki Strother and Parlayne Hawea, who retired mid-season, also played for Auckland.

Mike Homik came from Hamilton and played briefly for the Waikato Warriors.

SAINTS v JETS

Walter Nash Stadium, Lower Hutt, tomorrow, 3pm.

Referees: Ken Coulson, Dallas Pickering, Alan Godden.

Saints won 89-69 in May, 88-62 in July.

The Jets have the best defence in the league.

The Saints have the second-best offence, behind Waikato.

Wellington have the best three-point record, 38.8 per cent. Captain Terrence Lewis is the league's highest-scorer from long range with 53 successful shots.

The Jets shoot 34.4 per cent from the three-point arc and are the league's second-best. Forward Kent Mori is one of the league's most accurate shooters.