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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine

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Speaker 1: from News Talks ab Still.

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Speaker 2: A National Basketball League final comes up this afternoon, Wellington

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Speaker 2: Saints the Southland Sharks a two thirty tip off at

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Speaker 2: TSB Bank Arena in Wellington. Jordan Natai with us out

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Speaker 2: of the Wellington Saints camp. Jordan, you beat the Five

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Speaker 2: convincingly in the semifinals by ninety three points to sixty eight.

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Speaker 2: What were you and the team most pleased about that night?

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Speaker 3: I think just the focus mindset that we had. I mean,

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Speaker 3: we had a good week leading up to the game,

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Speaker 3: Our prep was good, all the boys were focused, and

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Speaker 3: then I think it just kind of gave us an

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Speaker 3: extra confidence hinden to the game.

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Speaker 2: That was your eighth strike win as well. So if

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Speaker 2: you look back over the last couple of months, what

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Speaker 2: do you put your consistency down to.

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Speaker 3: I think it's just our day to day work, honestly,

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Speaker 3: Like it might sound a bit cliche, but our process

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Speaker 3: leading up to each and every game has been pretty

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Speaker 3: on point, Like what is it coming in early doing

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Speaker 3: extras if they need getting what they need to get

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Speaker 3: their bodies right. So I think that's been like the

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Speaker 3: biggest thing. But then also us just figuring out a

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Speaker 3: game plan is sticking to it.

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Speaker 2: And you look at the stats and the Saints don't

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Speaker 2: have anyone in the top ten average scorers across the

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Speaker 2: league across the season. So does that speak to a

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Speaker 2: genuine shared scoring responsibility across the team?

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Speaker 3: Oh for sure. I think for us, like I think

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Speaker 3: I said in other interviews, as where like we have

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Speaker 3: one guy that can go off kind of every every

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Speaker 3: different night, Like it's not going to be my night

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Speaker 3: every single night. It could be Isaiah, as it could

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Speaker 3: be Nick Marshalls. Like we got that talented of a

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Speaker 3: group where it could be anyone's night, and then for

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Speaker 3: us it's our jobs to kind of keep that flowing

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Speaker 3: and get them the ball when it is that person's night.

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Speaker 3: But it also goes to show just how talented each

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Speaker 3: individual is.

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Speaker 2: And down the other end of the court, how much

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Speaker 2: focus do you place on defense?

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Speaker 3: I think for us it's something that we try to

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Speaker 3: hang our head on, Like I think some of our

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Speaker 3: best wins have been started started on a defensive end,

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Speaker 3: Like we talked about the semi final where we held

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Speaker 3: the Fire Who's a very talented team and they shoot

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Speaker 3: the war really well, but we were able to hold

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Speaker 3: them to sixty end points. So it's something we definitely

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Speaker 3: hold our heads on, but it's also something that can

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Speaker 3: we can kind of see if things aren't going to well,

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Speaker 3: we know we know where we need to get back to.

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Speaker 2: Let's talk about the Sharks, your opposition in the final.

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Speaker 2: How weary are you of them, particularly after they went

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Speaker 2: to christ Church beat the double defending champion Rams last

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Speaker 2: weekend that was their ninth win in a row. How

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Speaker 2: you know how weary are you of the threat that

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Speaker 2: they will provide.

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Speaker 3: I wouldn't say we're too worried in the sins, but

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Speaker 3: we are like concerned that we can't come out lexadaisically

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Speaker 3: against them. They are very talented team. We don't want

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Speaker 3: to underestimate them. But for us, it's just more or

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Speaker 3: less doubling down and what we do best and kind

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Speaker 3: of focusing more on what we do then it is

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Speaker 3: worrying about what the Sharks do, because I feel like

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Speaker 3: if we get caught up in that, then it can

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Speaker 3: take us down another wormhole and all these things. So

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Speaker 3: I think if we just kind of stick to what's

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Speaker 3: been working for us, I think that's even better. But

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Speaker 3: we just can't come into the game underestimating them because,

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Speaker 3: like I said, they are a very talented team that

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Speaker 3: have some talented players that can have big nights, And

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Speaker 3: I think that's what we've got to be more concerned concerned.

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Speaker 2: You've beaten them a couple of times this season, Is

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Speaker 2: there anything that is useful from regular season games or

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Speaker 2: are knockout basketball matches just an entirely different prospect.

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Speaker 3: I think it's just a totally different prospect. Like it's

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Speaker 3: just the one and done type thing, right, you don't

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Speaker 3: get a second chance that then, Whereas in the regular season,

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Speaker 3: if you play them game one, you know that you're

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Speaker 3: going to play them later down in the season and

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Speaker 3: they could improve. Like for me, I haven't played them

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Speaker 3: this season. This would be my first time, and who knows,

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Speaker 3: it could be it could be the night that we

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Speaker 3: have we celebrate. It could be a night that we

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Speaker 3: kind of look back and like, well, they changed so

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Speaker 3: much during the regular season that they were able to improve.

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Speaker 3: So so yeah, how much do you reckon?

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Speaker 2: The REP League has helped the development and the depth

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Speaker 2: of the National Basketball League.

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Speaker 3: For me, I think it's been one of the best

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Speaker 3: things that's happened. Like you see a couple of our

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Speaker 3: guys that have that have really grown through the Rapid

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Speaker 3: League because they've been able to get game live reps,

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Speaker 3: they've been able to shout to practice consistently and work

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Speaker 3: at it, and I think it's been one of the

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Speaker 3: best things that's happened to this league personally, and not

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Speaker 3: just looking at out guys, but also looking at other

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Speaker 3: other teams players of the young talent as well. I

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Speaker 3: think it can only just get better better from there.

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Speaker 2: You've played a lot of basketball Jordan for a lot

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Speaker 2: of different teams, but does your hometown team, the Wellington

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Speaker 2: Saints still hold a special place for you?

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Speaker 3: Oh, for sure. I think it's it's even more so

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Speaker 3: because I am from here. They are the team that

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Speaker 3: I kind of came came up through developing. I've known

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Speaker 3: the Mills family since I kind of started basketball, so

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Speaker 3: they've been a big help for me through my career.

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Speaker 3: So I think it would always hold that special place

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Speaker 3: in my career and my heart.

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Speaker 2: And following this year off to the Fever Asia Cup

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Speaker 2: and Jitter with the Tall Blacks, preceded by the Solidarity

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Speaker 2: Cup and Four Nations Tournament in China, and for the

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Speaker 2: first time in your twelve year tall Black's career, you'll

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Speaker 2: be captain. Was there something you were expecting?

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Speaker 3: Honestly, not really. I've been saying like they probably just

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Speaker 3: gave it to the old grumpy guy on the team.

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Speaker 3: But it's definitely been an honor. It's something that I'm

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Speaker 3: definitely proud to hold. I've had some great leaders to

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Speaker 3: learn from my twelve years with the toll Blacks, So

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Speaker 3: I think for me, it's just kind of not reinventing

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Speaker 3: anything different and just kind of sticking to what I

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Speaker 3: what I know, And I think it's also just giving

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Speaker 3: other guys more more of a voice as well, Like

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Speaker 3: it's not just me like I do have the captaincy

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Speaker 3: have but we are everyone has a voice in this team.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, what.

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Speaker 2: Are your ambitions for the Asia Cup?

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Speaker 3: Oh, for me, it's obviously to win and to get gold,

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Speaker 3: but also on top of that, like I want to

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Speaker 3: get as high as possible seed as we can because

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Speaker 3: that's only just going to help us get to the

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Speaker 3: World Cup and they could just get another stepping stone,

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Speaker 3: so hopefully the Olympics.

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Speaker 2: Well, that's all ahead. The immediate point of business for

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Speaker 2: you is the National Basketball League Final. Is that your

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Speaker 2: little girl who wears the headphones down one end and

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Speaker 2: then comes on to see you afterwards.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's my little girl.

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Speaker 2: Well, I know she'll be there. Are supporting dad on

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Speaker 2: the weekend as well. Jordan, great to chat mate. We'll

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Speaker 2: look forward to seeing how you get on against Southeak.

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Speaker 3: Thank you. I appreciate it, No, appreciate.

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Speaker 2: You chatting to us. Jordan Nuttai out of the Wellington Saints.

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Speaker 2: They take on the Southland Sharks this afternoon two thirty

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Speaker 2: tip off at TSB Bank Arena in Wellington in the

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Speaker 2: New Zealand National Basketball League Final for twenty twenty five.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live

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Speaker 1: to News Talk said B weekends from midday, or follow

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