NBL final Invercargill, Sunday 3pm Southland Sharks coach Jonathan Yim had some firm plans when he arrived in Invercargill in 2024. That to-do list has one item remaining — win the National Basketball League title. “When I came here, I had three goals,’’ Yim said. “The first was to make the playoffs, the second was to sell the place out, and the third was to win a championship. “And this Sunday, we have an opportunity to knock off two of those three goals.” Actually, the venue is sold out. They released 600 extra tickets earlier in the week. The “Shark Tank” will have more than 3500 passionate fans in the house when they host the Wellington Saints in the final. It is a rematch of last year’s final. The Saints won that one 88-83. That result still bothers Yim. He felt his side let victory slip away. But this year they have home advantage and that is a big leg up. “I feel like we have the best fans in the league. “They’re loud, they’re rowdy, they get into it, they’re passionate, just like most Southlanders are. “So to have the Saints come in here and play in front of our home team, they’e not just playing us on the court, they’re playing us everywhere. “I’ve always said that our fans really just give us an edge and a boost, especially when we need it.” They will need that boost because the Saints will arrive in Invercargill full of confidence. They blitzed the Auckland Tuatara 112-69 in the semifinal in Auckland, brushed aside the Otago Nuggets 94-81 in the first round of the playoffs in Wellington, and served up the Sharks a 119-94 loss in their final round-robin game. The Sharks have been in impressive form as well. They edged a talented Canterbury Rams unit 84-74 in the semifinal and dispatched the Tauranga Whai 96-81 in the first round of the playoffs. They have had four losses all season and two of them came in the first three games. Crucially, they have most of the crew back from last season. Caleb Asberry, Keylan Boone, Brayden Inger, Sam Timmins and Tukaha Cooper played in last year’s final. “I think that there was a little bit of relief to make the finals because there was a lot of pressure on us this year, especially after making the finals last year. “Now that we are here, we’re completely focused on finishing the job and going one better.’’ One of the players standing in their way is Elijah Pepper. He has been named guard of the year and also named in the all-star five. Pepper is averaging 29.1 points — almost four points more than his nearest rival. His ability to get downhill and fire off shots has caught countless opponents napping throughout the campaign. But he also has some very good players around him. Hyrum Harris stood out in the final last season. Akech Aliir and Donte Ingram combine for more than 30 points between them most nights. Carlin Davision fills out the stats sheet and always finds a way to contribute. The Saints are the most potent attacking team in the league, averaging 100.6 points. “[Pepper] is going to score his points. So for us, we just want to make him work for everything,’’ Yim said, adding he felt the Saints were not as efficient on attack as the Sharks. They turn the ball over more, he said. And that is an opportunity for his side, which is also brimming with talent. Asberry was desperately unlucky not to be named in the all-star five. He has been the Sharks’ most consistent scorer. Timmins is another key player. The former Nuggets captain has been named defensive and forward player of the year, as well as being named in the all-star team. “He should probably be the league MVP as well. He’s done so much to carry us on both sides of the ball. “He is a vital part of why we’ve been successful over the last two years.’’ Boone is another player who can get hot and bang in a bunch of three-pointers. adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
