Under Tab Baldwin last winter, the Hawks were 9-0 at the PG Arena but this season they already are 1-3, with just a victory over the James Blond Supercity Rangers.
Their only win on the road came against the Airs in New Plymouth, 97-90, with former Taranaki import Suleiman Braimoh claiming player-of-the-week bragging rights on the foundation of 21 points and 14 rebounds.
That day the Hawks kept Taranaki point guard Chris Hagan on a short leash - bullied to a season-low two points. The fact isn't lost on Hawks guard Anamata Haku.
"Chris Hagan is a quality player in the league. We'll be putting the clamps on him this week," says the 21-year-old Aucklander, who played alongside Hagan for Harbour Heat in age-group ranks.
But the Hawks will be preoccupied with other things, not the least the Big Dee, although they have been the lowest-scoring franchise in the eight-team NBL, averaging 81.2 points.
The Airs have allowed opponents to rack up more than 100 points on average, a league worst, but last Saturday the Hawks slipped on the banana skin to the tune of 101-90 to gift the Jets their first victory.
Flynn had emphasised in the match programme the need to put up the shutters but it seemed his troops were on a different wavelength that forgettable night.
Haku will be the first to agree it definitely wasn't the team's greatest performance in the two seasons he's been here.
"Just everything wasn't there from the start and it was too late to come back into it," says the 21-year-old, echoing the sentiments of Kenny soon after that game.
A hint of lottery kicks in when Haku says the Jets took some tough shots and instantaneously found love with the rim but even that's too simplistic.
When the shooting is mediocre on the offensive end and the Jets' fox terriers, Brook Ruscoe and new kid Deron Raukawa, start making inroads into the Hawks' defensive system, it's time to chant the mantra of hanging their hats on the foundation of the Big Dee.
A slam dunk may whet the appetite of the PG Arena faithful but it doesn't necessarily equate to victory when a yawning gap appears in the scoreline early in the game.
"This week we've had a lot of focus on the Dee," Haku reveals, outlining that the focus was on offensive play last week, as well as turnovers.
"We're closing out players and there needs to be more communication because we're not talking enough out there," he says, elaborating that when they do strike a rapport the players "aren't usually on the same page".
While the experienced, such as Winitana, Kenny, Zack Atkinson and Braimoh, are vocal, too often others are making assumptions.
Venting their spleen at the referees and expecting them to swallow their whistles on ticky-tack fouls often loosens the vocal chords but all that sort of communication does is delay the inevitable.
Identifying the go-to guys at both ends of the court is imperative. Haku, who has had two starts this season, may have to start indicating from the bench his intentions to cause some havoc in the driving lanes.
"We are two [wins] and three [losses] so we need to pick it up," he says.
Coming in from the off-season, Haku believes he's a lot more court-savvy. He's brimming with confidence.
"I come on as an impact player and I'm getting a lot more minutes than last year," says the man who represented the NZ Maori team on their tour of Hawaii last November.
"It was a good time and good experience even though we lost two out of three games against college teams."
Haku says Taranaki are physical and it'll be a good time for him to test his worth at both ends of the court. No doubt he believes it's time for the shooting guards to put their hands up, too.
NBL DETAILS
WHO: IMS Payroll Hawks (2-3) v Augusta Airs (0-6).
WHEN: Today, 7pm tip off.
WHERE: Pettigrew-Green Arena, Napier.
REFEREES: Yalla Edwards, Gareth Teahan, Shane Nikora.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHS
33 points: McKenzie Moore (Nelson Giants) v Augusta Airs.
18 rebounds: Sam Dempster (Giants) v Airs.
14 assists: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints) v (Giants).
6 steals: McKenzie Moore (Giants) v Airs.
3 blocks: Three tied.
POW ORDER
Rd 5 player of the week: McKenzie Moore (Giants).
Stat line: 33pts (12-22 FG), 12 assists, six steals and two blocks in the 109-80 win over the Airs.
This season Moore leads the league in points (21.7), assists (4.3), and blocks (1.9) in the Giants' robust start 6-1 record.
The point guard backed this up with 28 points against Wellington but were unable to get the win.
This season Moore leads the league in points (21.7), assists (4.3), and blocks (1.9).
Standings:
1 McKenzie Moore (Giants) v Airs 49.
2 Tai Wesley (Southland Sharks) v Supercity Rangers 43.
3 McKenzie Moore (Giants) v Saints 41.
4 Lindsay Tait (Saints) v Giants 35.
5 Josh Duinker (Giants) v Airs 34.
6 Torrey Craig (Saints) v Giants 28.
7 Todd Blanchfield (Sharks) v Rangers 27.
8= Tom Garlepp (Rangers) v Canterbury Rams 25, Casey Frank (Rangers) v Rams 25.
10= Jeremiah Trueman (Jets) v Hawks 24, Brook Ruscoe (Jets) v Hawks 24, Jason Cadee (Rangers) v Rams 24.
Last night's games:
Augusta Airs 99 Supercity Rangers 84, Nelson Giants 90 Manawatu Jets 89, Wellington Saints 85 Canterbury Rams 89.
