NBL Basketball: Hawks in for a mighty brawl

Nothing will matter from the second the clock strikes six and the buzzer goes in the cauldron of heightened expectations in Wellington.
Fancy hairdos, awesome tattoos and designer accessories will count for nothing for the four Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) title hopefuls still standing after the dust has settled momentarily following 16 matches.
Even the number crunchers' enigmatic NBL statistics on the HBS Bank Hawks, juxtaposed with that of Waikato Pistons in the semifinal, will take a bashing.
What will matter is what's going through the minds of Hawks coach Paul Henare and his assistant, Kirstin Taylor, and their troops.
Every so often, former Tall Fern Taylor will cup a hand over her mouth to whisper key words in ex-Tall Black Henare's ear.
The rookie coach may be 16-match-old but if he's already thinking what's she's echoing it'll consolidate his belief in his impending decision. If he isn't, then it'll be a timely interruption of the collective thought processes.
"She's great. She's a godsend all season long," he said from his Wellington hotel after the Hawks arrived from Napier before training at 4pm.
Taylor will point out a Hawk who's looking a little lethargic or she will furiously scribble statistics on her clipboard provided she isn't kneeling down on the sideline motioning "systems" that are coming up a little shy of what they were rehearsing throughout the season.
Ultimately, though, the ball is invariably in the players' court, even before referees Tim Brown (Auckland), Melony Wealleans (Wellington) and Gavin Whiu (Waikato) take their positions.
Will the Hawks look across in awe at their beefy opponents warming up at the TSB Arena?
When the three-quarter shorts brigade go through the routines to the sounds of some contemporary beat, will the accentuation of their swagger tell the full story?
The nifty, colour flyer handed out at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale, after the quarterfinals win speaks volumes.
Pistons forward Thomas Abercrombie, Wellington Saints guard Lindsay Tait and Nelson Giant veteran Phill Jones feature in the "2011 Final Four".
What? No Hawk worthy enough to cut it in the NBL promo stakes?
What were they saying again about the NBL statistics? Can they count? Four, no look at my fingers, one, two, three ...
Should the Hawks be sensitive about such oversights?
It's bad enough losing the incentive to bust one's guts for a semifinal at home.
With the gate takings taking a pounding and having to travel to the capital city where only a smattering of PG Arena faithful will be flying the flag, it'll be a gigantuan task. Now that should be enough ammunition to fire up the Hawks boys tonight if they are seeking motivational cannon fodder.
Consequently Henare doesn't give a rat's tail about such "meaningless numbers".
"They just don't add up."
It's simply two more games to taking the scissors to the spent ropes clinging to the hoop.
Whether captain Jarrod Kenny will be perched on the broad shoulders of American import Galen Young remains to be seen.
From Henare's perspective it's simply playing well on the nights ... er night - let's not get one ahead of ourselves now.
"It's about solid defending, doing a great job on the boards and executing well," he said.
No magic there, really.
No excuses either or blokes trying to push each other with buzz words such as passion, dedication and pride.
No doubt talk, if it wasn't already a few rounds ago, will be cheap.
"I hope we don't have to mention those words ... because we all know what's at stake here," Henare said.
For the Dean Vickerman-coached Pistons the script is set for a fourth consecutive grand finals after they etched their name on the silverware in 2008 and 2009, adding to NBL titles won in 2001 and 2002.
For the Hawks it's their second semifinals in a row after they stumbled against the Saints last season at the same venue under Australian coach Shawn Dennis, who was at the helm when the Hawke's Bay franchise won their first NBL title in 2006.
Rookie coach Henare's mob will have their sights on a fourth grand final entry in the franchise's history.
At the end of the quarterfinals in Napier last Tuesday night, veteran power forward Young made a relevant point - the Hawks had beaten every team in the league this winter so there's no reason why they can't shower in confetti soon after 8 o'clock on Sunday night.
In the head-to-head victories since 1995, the Pistons edge out the Hawks 17-15 but the Bay franchise team have 30 play-off appearances to their credit compared with the Pistons' 21.
Oddly enough, the NBL commentary reveals the two sides have never met in a play-off game.
Pistons are sitting on 11 NBL victories on the trot and, since returning to the Waikato line up from his New Zealand Breakers campaign under 2010-11 ANBL title-winning captain Henare, forward Thomas Abercrombie hasn't played in a losing Mooloo outfit this winter.
In that purple patch, the Hayden Allen-skippered Waikato have clinched victories with an average margin of 23 points.
Statistics suggest the Hawks' "bigs" will have to muscle up if the lop-sided percentages are anything to go by, living up to the team mantra of hanging their hats at the end of the season on the "big D".
Blokes such as Benny Hill will have to have their knuckle dusters handy and their three-point radar switched on.
Swingman Chris Daniel, who will recall physiotherapist Colin Tutchen doing running repairs to his chin on the floor early in the semifinal against the Saints after he put his tooth through his tongue, will be crucial off the bench as the No 6 player.
If last month's 94-75 defeat to Waikato here is any indication, it'll be a brawl.
Road kill, temper tantrums, referee bullying and a bloody mouth came to the fore.
Pistons' late American import replacement, Jason Crowe, found himself on the bench using a towel to dab blood off his fat lip when the match was only six minutes old.
If that wasn't enough, Breakers forward BJ Anthony looked like he needed a straitjacket as he ranted and raved, kicking the hoardings and chastising himself, responding to the din of the odd cowbell in the crowd as retired world champion boxer Mike Tyson did when he came charging into the ring after the first-round bell.
Young's message at halftime that memorable night was palm-thumpingly unostentatious: "Attack! Attack! Attack!"
The "littles" will have to be a tad quicker, not just physically with steals and assists but also mentally locked into the grid, almost communicating by osmosis.
No doubt, if talk will be cheap in the bowels of the TSB Arena at halftime it's value on the court will be ten-fold in building any modicum of cohesiveness.
Even a shade of bickering, should it creep in, will be a sign of urgency to sort out any flaw in the defensive and offensive systems.
The Hawks' patchy performances towards the end of the round-robin stage isn't an accurate yardstick of the side's capabilities.
Their eight-match streak in the start of the campaign, which the Manawatu Jets unceremoniously ended at the PG Arena, is a better reflection of the Hawks' tenacity.
The loss came across as a calculated and premeditated decision. After all, what is it to a team that wins the battles but loses the war.
To win every round-robin game but stumble on one of the crucial hurdles in the final straight of the "one-and-done" dash suggested the winning streak was fast becoming a poisoned chalice for the frontrunners - Hawks, Pistons and the Saints.
As much as it'll be a full-blown war, the battle-hardened Hawks will be mindful they'll need some serious loving in the form of numerous dates with the hoop.
Crowe has been in great nick deep off the arc, perched on the third rung of the top-10 three-point shooting stats in the NBL.
But Hawks playmaker Josh Pace, having recovered from surgery for a dislocated cheekbone and broken nose, is on fire and saving himself for the big one.
Filthy about the premature end to last season against the Saints, the American import wants closure, averaging 19.7 points a game and second on the overall points leader stakes, below Taranaki import Jack Leasure.
Veteran guard Paora Winitana is hitting his straps at the right time and Daniel has shown he can do the job when the chips are down.
If Arthur Trousdell, Young and Hill will find their niches in the matrix then anything is possible.
Kenny and Aidan Daly directing traffic in the fast lane will be equally significant.
Ominously Crowe is top gun in the assists and steals departments and Abercrombie is runner-up in the rebounding stakes.
The hitmen from both sides will be out to negate any advantages creeping into the 40-minute war as they re-evaluate their court plans for a reconnaissance in the tight intervals of the 10-minute battles.
Wiping the smirk off Vickerman's face will be extremely satisfying but, then again, Sunday will bring fresh challenges.