MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy’s View from Downunder) – It will go down as a famous win for the Tall Blacks, as many of the victories for this small basketball nation do, but there was a lot more to it than just getting the W.

Of course, losing on Friday night to China could have left the Kiwis with little wriggle room left to qualify for next year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Had they fallen to 1-2, and 0-2 against the teams where the results will carry over, it would have made Monday’s trip to Korea and the June/July hosting of China must-win games, but Paul Henare’s men took care of business at a time when business was difficult.

New Zealand came from eight points down in the second term and five points down late in the third to win on the road, in a very tough environment, in comfortable fashion in the final wash-up.



For much of the game it looked like this contest would follow a well-worn Tall Blacks script. Give up an early lead through self-inflicted wounds, fight like hell to stay in touch, make tough plays to create hope, but ultimately run out of steam at the end.

That looked particularly likely because this game was absurdly physical, certainly different from the way we're used to seeing FIBA games officiated.

It didn’t favour either team, so didn't impact the result, but it made clean basketball very difficult. Corey Webster had more hands on him than the last avocado on the supermarket shelves.

The way he handled that and still created and made so many quality shots – with help from some quality Alex Pledger screens – was a huge credit to him after a couple of years of struggles.

New era, new style
Yet while I think most basketball fans Downunder celebrated what was a great win, I thought this game really summed up the transition the Tall Blacks are going through.

The New Zealand teams that have been so admired around the world under Tab Baldwin and Nenad Vucinic had some clear trademarks.

They were incredibly high IQ, they executed as well as anyone in international basketball, they knew how to junk up their defence and make oppo second-guess themselves, and they had plenty of shooters.

But that Tall Blacks era has gone. Stalwarts like Kirk Penney, Pero Cameron, Dillon Boucher and Phill Jones have not been replaced like-for-like, quite the opposite in fact.

The two final leftovers from that era, Mika Vukona and Tom Abercrombie

This new generation isn’t filled with guys who can pick off counter after counter to confuse even high-level defences, and move brilliantly off the ball to create open looks.

However, what this group has is players like the Websters and Shea Ili who can create for themselves and others off the dribble and from ball-screen situations. The previous generation didn’t have that.

Defensively, the ‘old’ Tall Blacks were all about smoke and mirrors, despite not having any genuine size they found ways to protect the paint and force teams into uncomfortable situations.

Once again, generation next doesn’t have that level of sophistication defensively, at least not yet, but what they do have is athleticism, something their predecessors lacked.



Yet in the first half against China on Friday it looked like the New Zealanders were trying to play like the team of yesteryear, and it certainly didn’t work.

I don’t know what schemes Henare had in place for Yi Jianlian, China’s main threat, but that defence was as bad as you will see – Yi had 28 at half-time without sinking a tough shot. It was, as they say, like shooting fish in a barrel.

I’ll give Henare the benefit of the doubt and assume the execution of the plan was atrocious, but it must be said while his coaching style is clear and obvious at the offensive end, his teams have never really had a defensive identity.

A new identity?
Maybe, in the second half on Friday the Tall Blacks found one that fits their talents.

It was Reuben Te Rangi who got things going, getting up the floor, getting in his man’s face, and doing equally good a job forcing Guo Ailun into uncomfortable spots on the dribble as he did pushing Yi off the block.

It was a huge performance from a guy who has been known more for his impressive but sometimes-erratic offensive skills. He turned the game.

Ili joined the party, applying serious heat to the Chinese ball-handlers, Finn Delany was filling gaps with his athleticism and aggression, while Pledger was moving his feet, protecting the paint and cleaning the glass.

It was a proactive, relentless second-half defensive effort that triggered easy points the other way, something that has rarely happened under Henare’s watch at NBL or FIBA level.

Second-half fade-outs against France and Canada at the 2016 happened in large part because the Tall Blacks had to constantly face a set defence. With the athletes NZ now possesses, they need to be more aggressive with how they disrupt defensively.

The current Australian team plays almost 40 minutes of hard-nosed D, we need to see more of the same of the Tall Blacks if they are going to repeat the giant-killing feats of yesteryear’s heroes.

In November they were incredibly reactive to Korea’s fast-moving offence, let’s see if they can up the defensive ante from tip-off in Sunday’s clash, which could lock them into first place in Group A.



Welcome back Chief
Special mention to Pledger for his display. Between the 2010 World Cup and the November qualifying window he had pulled on a Tall Blacks singlet, and Friday night showed just how much of a shame that is.

When the defence overplayed the Websters or Ili, Pledger was always there to receive a dump-off for a lay-up, hook shot or mid-ranger. He made his free throws and generated a number of extra shots for his teammates.

It was great to see him back and firing, let’s hope it’s the start of a long run international appearances for the ‘Chief’, culminating in August next year in China for his second World Cup.

As for the Boomers, well they just continue to impress in so many ways, handing the Philippines their biggest loss in the Andray Blatche era. I’ll write more about them next week, after they have locked in their passage to the second round with a win over the men from Taipei.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.