One of New Zealand basketball's great rivalries will resume on Saturday night when the Canterbury Rams host the Otago Nuggets in Christchurch. The Rams have returned to the league after a five-year absence. Basketball writer Adrian Seconi looks back over some of the more memorable moments between the sides.
For the record
• The Nuggets and the Rams have met 41 times, with the Rams enjoying a 27-14 advantage in the head-to-head battles. In play-off games, though, the Nuggets have won two of the three clashes.
The opening chapter
April 2, 1990
• The Nuggets and the Rams began their rivalry in Christchurch in April 1990. Otago had made its NBL debut a week earlier, losing 120-89 to North Harbour in Auckland. The Rams proved too strong for the rookies, with a runaway 113-73 win. Ouch.
Welcome to the play-offs, baby
September 1, 1992
• The Nuggets, under the leadership of Parke Beede, secured a quarterfinal berth but were turfed out by a ruthless Rams side, 114-68. The 46-point hammering remained the Nuggets' heaviest defeat until the Southland Sharks thumped them 114-67 in Invercargill last year.
Payback is sweet
September 13/15, 1995
• Led by coach Carl Dickel, the Nuggets powered into the play-offs and brushed aside Canterbury with a 86-73 away win and a 72-69 win at home. The Nuggets bowed out in the semifinals, losing to Hawkes Bay. But 1995 remains the Nuggets' most successful season with 20 wins from 28 games.
Donell Morgan's blitz
July 25, 1998
• Eight players have scored more than 40 points in a game for the Nuggets but Morgan is the only Nugget to achieve the feat against Canterbury. He amassed 41 points but the Nuggets lost 119-106 in Dunedin.
A Phill Jones Hail Mary
May 8, 1999
• The Tall Black great played one season for the Nuggets and his debut in the blue and gold singlet will always be remember for a freakish shot described as ''the shot of a lifetime'' in the Otago Daily Times. Canterbury won 107-99, but on the halftime buzzer Jones threw up a hopeful shot from about 3m in front of his own hoop and watched as it dropped.
Dickel's second coming
June 21, 2003
• Seven years after departing the Nuggets, Mark Dickel returned and was instrumental in a thrilling 101-99 double overtime win in Dunedin. The much-celebrated point guard scorched 31 points. Incredibly, John ''The Pope'' Whorton scored 41 points and grabbed 15 rebounds but could not lead the Rams to a victory. Both sides finished in the lower reaches of the league but put on a show at the ''Freezerdome'' that night.
Stats incredible
July 26, 2003
• Dickel again. But this time the little master did more than just score. He was one rebound away from recording a rare triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists and nine boards. He efforts helped the Nuggets sweep to a 92-80 in Christchurch.
Headless chickens
May 26, 2004
• Former Otago Daily Times basketball writer Hayden Meikle slammed the franchise for what was the worst performance he had seen in his six-year stint covering the sport. Otago lost the home game 97-71 and woke up to ''vivid memories of a nightmare in which they were replaced by headless chickens'', he wrote.
Last encounter
June 7, 2008
• It was five years ago but the Rams won the last match between the two rivals 68-63. It was described as a merciful end to a season of discontent. The Nuggets were sidelined the following year. Basketball Otago was no longer prepared to prop up the cash-strapped franchise. The Rams also dropped out of the league. They were replaced by the Christchurch Cougars.
New chapter
Saturday
• The teams played two pre-season games this season and shared the honours. The Nuggets, though, have made a perfect start to the league with two wins while the Rams are 0-2. Both sides will lean heavily on their point guards to set up the play. The Dickel versus Jeremy Kench show should make for an interesting sub-plot.
