Paul Henare is pumped up, despite a season that has stretched almost continuously since the 2001 success of the Tall Blacks put them on the world stage.
He has found no animosity among his Hawks teammates, in spite of a rushed departure to play for Tab Baldwin's Banvitspor team in
Turkey just as the NBL kicked off.
"Jeremy and Shaun (owner Jeremy Bayliss and coach Shawn Dennis) were great about it. They were shocked at first, but then so was I when I got the offer.
When I first came back, I felt a bit reticent about stepping in and taking control, being vocal and being the enforcer. The Hawks were doing okay without me, I wanted to bide my time a bit but it's the business end of the season now," he said.
He felt some loyalty to the team as a result of the opportunities given him and wanted to repay that by winning the title, he said.
The Turks play a different style of game and Henare feels he learned a lot, banging around against bigger bodies. It was easy to slot in there given his knowledge of Baldwin's systems after playing with him in Auckland and in the national side. He's also fitted back in at the Hawks neatly and praised Dennis' coaching: "He's right up there with the best coaches I've had."
Two years ago, Giants knocked the Hawks out of the finals in Napier and it's a feeling Henare doesn't want again.
He rates Nelson as the best team - aside from his, of course. "They are the toughest in the competition, they've really stepped up and they have so many attacking weapons - their imports, Ed Book, Mike Fitchett and the world's best rebounder - Mika Vukona."
