KEY POINTS:
Somewhere between the desire to develop a winning habit and the realisation that pre-season results mean very little, Harbour Heat coach John Dorge can afford a moment of quiet satisfaction.
In a performance characterised by a suffocating zone defence and slick execution on the offensive end, the Heat
ran away with the National Basketball League Blitz tournament final 53-33 from reigning NBL champions Bay Hawks, avenging their only loss of the weekend in pool play.
Harbour shot faultlessly (10/10) from the free-throw line through the first half and unleashed 14 unanswered points at the end of the period to reach the break 35-15 clear by halftime. Unable to penetrate the Heat zone, the exhausted Hawks tried to shoot themselves back into contention, but could get no closer than 15 points in the second half.
"Pre-season is pre-season," said Dorge, a legend of the Australian NBL and better known to Kiwis as NZ Breakers assistant coach. "Once the regular season starts, it's a completely different kettle of fish.
"We didn't go into the weekend with any expectations - we were just trying to get something out of it. Now we believe we can win game in and game out, and if we can do that, we can win a championship, whether it be pre-season or regular season."
Lord knows, Harbour haven't won a lot in the past.
They have twice made NBL finals, losing on both occasions.
In 2000, they took out the regular season title before self-destructing against eventual champions Auckland in the semifinals.
The years in between have been littered with shattered dreams and broken promises.
So when co-captains Brent Charleton and Hayden Allen got to raise the trophy on Saturday, it was not a moment to be dismissed lightly.
"I'm pretty impressed with the way the guys have learnt their roles on the team," said Dorge. "We worked on a couple of different options and came together as a team."
The Heat open their regular season next Sunday, on the road against the Taranaki Mountain Airs, and unlike most of their rivals, seemed to emerge from the Blitz with no injury or availability concerns.
Organisers would have been hard pressed to award an MVP prize at the tournament, given that the winners succeeded without relying on any one player along the way.
Former Tall Black Darryl Cartwright led all scorers with 14 points in the final, but guard Nat Connell coolly slotted a pair of free throws in the dying seconds of Harbour's pool loss to the Hawks to sneak them through a three-way countback into the semis.
"One of the most pleasing things was the way my co-captains [Charleton and Allen] made sure the team was ready to play every game," said Dorge. "We've got some talent, but we're not as strong individually as other teams.
"We're not a one-on-one team - we haven't got guys who will score off the dribble. We have to do it as a team."
But the players weren't the only ones trying to find an identity. Dorge is in his first stint as a head coach and must establish his own style after serving others in the Australian league.
