NBL playoffs Porirua, 7pm Otago Nuggets: Alain Louis, Buay Tuach, Ethan Rusbatch, Isaac Miller-Jose, Craig Moller, Tyson Thata-Paese, Matthew Bardsley, Zach McKenzie, Caleb Smiler, Oak Chisholm, Patrick Tipene, Harry Bezzet. Wellington Saints (possible): Elijah Pepper, Carlin Davison, Donte Ingram, Akech Alir, Hyrum Harris, Jordan Hunt, Arana Robertson, Sam Gold, Arthur Pilcher, Aubrey Chunga, Hassan Munir, Mercury Nonu. Win or go home. The Otago Nuggets face a challenging NBL playoff game against the Wellington Saints tonight. But, as Adrian Seconi discovers, the Nuggets coach is comfortable being the underdogs. Rookie Otago Nuggets coach Jeff Sparrow knew what he was getting himself into. But for his parents, it has been a wake-up call — literally. The Sparrows set the alarm for an ungodly hour and tune in to watch from their home in Pennsylvania in the United States. Jeff sen and Suzanne Sparrow have not missed a Nuggets game. They even came out to visit and caught a couple of games live. “I can't tell you the last time they missed a game in my life, to be honest with you,’’ Sparrow said. “They're locked into it. “And they're a big reason why I'm here, truly. Basketball doesn't pay the bills in your 20s and really in your 30s as well. “So they've been super helpful — physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually. “They've been there for me. They're the reason why I can be here and be comfortable.’’ If you have seen Sparrow on the sideline at a Nuggets game, you would not describe him as comfortable. He lives every play, every moment. It is an intensity that must be hard to maintain. But it is no less than what he demands from his players. He has managed to squeeze every last drop of talent from the squad and help guide them into the playoffs. They play the defending champions, the Wellington Saints, in Porirua on Thursday night. They are the underdogs. But there is nothing new in that. They do not have a roster overflowing with star power. No-one is expecting them to upset the Saints and march into the semifinals. And that is just where they want to be. “We are the underdog and we know that. We carry that chip on our shoulder. “That's the way I like it. I think it's more rewarding than having the top team going into a season and all the pressure on you.” DROPCAPHERE The Nuggets enter the playoffs in good shape. Everyone is fit, except bench player Toby Hunt, who is ill. They are also playing good basketball. They rested their starting five in their last round-robin game and suffered a 107-66 loss to the Tauranga Whai. But they won the three previous games to secure a berth in the playoffs. The road wins over the Franklin Bulls and the Auckland Tuatara were arguably a season high. There have been lows, too. Sparrow made the tough decision to let import Michael Henn go after seven games. He brought in Australian Craig Moller. His arrival helped improve the Nuggets at both ends. That did not immediately translate into a winning run. The Nuggets dropped four games in a row mid-season, including a humbling 93-58 loss to the Canterbury Rams in Dunedin. That would have made for hard viewing at 3am in Pennsylvania. It certainly made for hard viewing at the Edgar Centre. But the Nuggets responded with a 91-87 win over the Taranaki Airs on the road. They responded again after suffering a heartbreaking 94-93 loss to the Franklin Bulls at home. “I understand the importance of losses in terms of growing, and I just think every situation has been a blessing when you look back at it. "It doesn't feel like a blessing at the time. But I thought Franklin hitting a buzzer-beater on us, and us hopping on a flight and having to play the reigning champs at their place, was a mental check for us that we passed. “We dropped the ball and we let them come back on us, but we controlled that game up there with just a day of prep after heartbreak. “That showed me how mentally invested we were.” The Saints won that one 96-90. They also pipped the Nuggets 91-90 in Dunedin in early July. ANOTHERDROPCAPHERE Those two losses demonstrated to Sparrow his team can beat the Saints and make it into the semifinals. A lot will have to go right, though. Saints guard Elijah Pepper is the leading scorer in the competition. He is averaging a scarcely believable 28.7 points. He is joined in an impressive starting five of Akech Aliir, Carlin Davison, Donte Ingram and Hyrum Harris. Just to underline their class, they demolished the Southland Sharks 119-94 in their last outing. Davison was so close to posting a triple-double with 19 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Pepper (29 points) and Aliir (26 points) combined for 55 points. “If you don't get back on Wellington, they're going to hang the 100 on you, period,’’ Sparrow said, emphasising how important transition defence will be. The Saints swing from defence to offence in a nano second and look to get down court while their opponents are still wondering how the ball bobbled out of the hoop. Pepper is the master at that. So how do you stop him? “I think you have to limit his catches. In a slow game, at home against us, he still shot 24 times. So can we knock that down to 18 attempts or 17 attempts and limit his attempts? “And then secondly, I think you gotta be more physical with him and I think you have to try to get under his skin a bit more.” That sounds like a job for Matthew Bardsley. He is the best defence in the Nuggets squad. But the bulk of the scoring duties will fall on Buay Tuach, captain Ethan Rusbatch and Moller, while Alain Louis will facilitate. adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
