Basketball: Three-point philosophy - but who will ram home the philosophy and who'll take flight?

The Rams and Hawks have had a history of exchanging handbags on the court in the past few seasons but TV coverage may keep emotions in check tonight. Photo / Photosport

Basketball watchdogs will be reaching for their protractors (a flat semicircle, mathematical instrument for measuring angles - for the benefit of millennials) when the Canterbury Rams host the Hawks in a three-point affair in Christchurch tonight. Can National Basketball League (NBL) fans stomach a triple-digit (135-128) score or will it be a case of indigestion?

Will Taylor Corporation Hawks sniper Ethan Rusbatch become trigger happy against his hometown franchise as he leads the trey department to the tune of 66.7 per cent?

And what does all that say about the ability of players to defend against those who are gifted so much time to flirt with the rims?

The Rams and the Hawks, whose round four game will tip off at 7.35pm and will be televised live on Sky and Prime, are at the forefront of championing the love affair with the three-point philosophy that the likes of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry glamorised when he dropped 402 three-pointers in 2016.

Thrilling? For the great unwashed, definitely, but try telling that to the big men who have been banished to the bench in the NBL this season. The Southern Huskies had no choice but to park big man Bradley Simpson on the bench after four minutes to keep up with the Hawks' tempo.

For what it's worth, undefeated powerhouses Wellington Saints have trampled over the philosophy of tonight's contenders.

"It's a really good challenge and a team that'll probably be there come playoff time so it'll be a great test for us," said Hawks coach Zico Coronel, paying tribute to counterpart Mick Downer on debut with the Rams who are big, deep and organised with 11 contracted players.

The two teams have had a history of exchanging handbags on the court in the past few seasons, albeit under different personnel and fiery coach Mark Dickel, but TV coverage may keep emotions in check tonight.

Coronel felt under Downer's tutelage such flights of emotion might be a thing of the past and something United States import Winston Shepard III banked on last year but he isn't back this season.

"The team [Canterbury] are perhaps a lot more calculating than last year's Rams," he said.

Coronel relished the thought of making big men redundant, at times, in any match but suspected the No 4 and No 5s are a lot more versatile in the NBL.

"There's big men and then there's big men," he said, reflecting on Rams American import Isaiah Wilkins, who was voted 2018 defensive player of the year in the US college conference.

Rams starting five player Mike Karena and his fellow forwards on the bench, Alex Talma and Jonathan Janssen, were also mobile.

However, Coronel said temporary Australian import centre Angus Brandt, taking the floor while compatriot Daniel Kickert recovers from a back injury, gave the Hawks a point of difference.

Rather than raise eyebrows at teams' ability to put up storm shutters, he put the sluggishness towards three-point attack down to adhering to habits of the traditional chores of guarding the fellow bigs and pulling off defensive rebounds.

Coronel said there was no doubt the game was mutating to a three-point one, taking its cue from the NBA and growing exponentially every year, but stopped short of saying small forwards or swingmen would provide the future template.

"People aren't necessarily looking for smaller players," he explained. "What they're looking for is skills."

He harked back to the 1980s and 90s when a good or bad seven footer determined the success or failure of a team until Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan prompted a shift in paradigm.

"For a long time they used to say you can't win with the point guard as your best player and then Steph Curry came along and showed that was possible because of a man's skills."

Considering there were few two-metre Peters (seven-footers), never mind their ability to shoot, meant skills and tempo were the way to go.

The Hawks, who are 3-1 to the Rams' 2-2, have Brandt coming off a double-double against Taranaki Mountainairs.

US import EJ Singler is setting the pace on the MVP lead board going into the fourth round of the New Zealand NBL against the Rams in Christchurch tonight. Photo / Photosport

US import EJ Singler, a small forward by NBL standards, is setting the pace on the MVP leaderboard with Rusbatch behind by one on 27.

Chuck in the little generals, Hawks captain Jarrod Kenny and Emmett Naar, and it'll be interesting to see who'll be running with the bulls to create more space at a compact Cowles Stadium.

Having crammed more than 4000 Rams faithful at Horncastle Arena in their previous home match, the hosts will add to the hostility of the atmosphere.

With Wilkins in the faces of Rusbatch and Singler, American import Shaquille Thomas, Dion Prewster and veteran Everard Bartlett will have to find their mojo.

"Our learnings from the last game is that we are a better team when we play on the front foot and aggressively at both ends," Downer said of the Rams, who have lost to defending champions Southland Sharks and losing finalists Saints.

The Hawks also have been found out, reduced to spectators on defence and rebounds, but any lackadaisical attitude will leave them preening their feathers on what-ifs.

Aussie import shooting guard Cameron Gliddon has claimed 10 three-point drops (45.5 per cent) from three outings but the visitors won't want him to find his rhythm tonight. Ex-Hawks Luke Aston and Tony Tolovae are no mugs either.

Shooting volume outside the arc heavily favours the Hawks and it's something Coronel regards as a hoop-heaven truism.

"You miss 100 per cent of the shots you never take," he said, stealing the quote of former ice-hockey great Wayne Gretzky.

Stage fright isn't an option for teams in the three-point mantra, although a bigger Rams roster may enable them to adopt plans B and C if things start to go awry.

Canterbury Rams coach Mick Downer reckons playing on the front foot and taking an aggressive stance at both ends of the court make them a better outfit. Photo / Photopsort

■ RAMS: 4. Emmett Naar (point guard), 8. Adam Gibson (guard), 1. Luke Aston (guard), 17. Isaiah Wilkins (forward), 44. Mike Karena (forward).

Bench: 5. Taylor Britt (guard), , 6. Cameron Gliddon (guard), 10. Sam Smith (guard), 30. Toby Gillooly (guard), 9. Jonathan Janssen (forward), 45. Brent Fisher (forward), 24. Alex Talma (forward), 25. Tony Tolovae (guard).

Coach: Mick Downer.
Asst coaches: Terry Brunel, Piet Van Hasselt.

■ HAWKS: 6. Jarrod Kenny (point guard), 13. Dion Prewster (guard), 12. Ethan Rusbatch (swingman), 25. EJ Singler (small forward), 8. Angus Brandt (power forward).

Bench: 3. Nick Fee (guard), 5. Everard Bartlett (guard), 21. Shaquille Thomas (forward), 7. Darryl Jones (forward), 27. Jamal Mikaio (forward).

Coach: Zico Coronel.
Asst coaches: Morgan Maskell, Rob Hartley.
Manager: Jordan Wise.
Physio: Kerry Raynor.