Giants feel the love
It says something about the Nelson Giants’ season that they are not content to just make the national basketball league playoffs.
Their sights are now firmly on a toptwo finish in the Sal’s NBL, which would guarantee them a semifinal at the playoffs in Auckland next month.
With five games to go, the upstart Giants are top of the table as they play their final home game against the Manawatu Jets in the Trafalgar Centre tonight. They have not made the playoffs since 2018.
Giants coach Mike Fitchett said the team wanted to give to their hometown support something more to shout about before they hit the road for their last four games.
The Giants look set for their ninth consecutive home sellout, a record unmatched in the league. ‘‘Our crowds have been fantastic, and the corporate support has been really good, too,’’ Fitchett said. ‘‘We want to put on a good show in front of our fans.’’
Curiously, the Giants are 4-4 at the Trafalgar Centre, and are a perfect 5-0 on the road, providing another incentive to end their home season on a winning note.
With a lower budget and fewer resources than their NBL rivals, the Giants have used smart recruiting and a core of experienced and young homegrown talent to rise up the table.
Fitchett said their three American imports – Trey Mourning, the son of former NBA legend Alonzo Mourning, Jarrod
West, who is in the running for the league’s most valuable player, and Sam Thompson – had made big contributions on and off the court.
Other big contributors were Giants captain Sam Dempster, having a career year in his 15th NBL season thanks in part to a rigorous physical regime in the off-season, and a more aggressive shooting approach, Fitchett said.
Young locals such as former Waimea College student Tyler Marsh, who is already in his eighth NBL season at just 22, were making their presence felt.
The Giants have a tough run-in towards the playoffs, with away matches including the Canterbury Rams, Wellington Saints and Taranaki Airs, as they attempt to hold on to a top-two finish, which would avoid the taxing prospect of a third-to-sixth place playoff round.
Nelson Giants vs Manawatu Jets, Trafalgar Centre, 5pm.