Posted on Saturday, June 15th, 2019
Sharks vs Huskies – What It All Means
With three teams almost certainly locked in for the 2019 Sal's NBL Final 4, it appears the fourth and final spot can and will only go to either the Southland Sharks or Southern Huskies.
While the Nelson Giants remain in sight, the sixth-placed team would need an amazing set of circumstances to fall into place for them to somehow sneak into the top four.
The two finals aspirants, the Sharks and Huskies, clash tonight (Saturday June 15) in Invercargill and the result will go a long way to deciding what lays ahead over the coming four rounds still to play in the regular season.
Here's what we know.
IF THE SHARKS WIN
- The Canterbury Rams cannot miss the Final 4 and are 100% locked in.
- The Sharks will be two wins clear of the Huskies, plus they will have the crucial head-to-head advantage over the Tasmanians. In other words, the Huskies are basically cooked.
- The Huskies would have to win all of their remaining four games and hope the Sharks lose at least four of their last five games. They play each other again in R13.
- The Giants (6th) would have to win their last four games, they would need the Sharks to lose all of their last five games, and hope the Huskies also keep losing. This scenario is unlikely given the Sharks and Huskies still play each other again, meaning one of them will win.
IF THE HUSKIES WIN
- It's game on! Both teams will be on 14pts, though the Huskies will have played one more game than the Sharks.
- The two teams would have a 1-1 split and play each other again in R13. That game becomes a massive encounter that may end up deciding which team will head to Horncastle Arena on July 20/21.
- The Huskies would need to beat the Sharks in R13 as a minimum. Their run home also includes winnable home games against the Airs and the Hawks (who are likely to rest players). The tricky game could be in Nelson against the Giants. Added to this they will be hopeful the Sharks also drop some games - the Sharks run home after this contest includes games against the Airs (H), Jets (A), Hawks (A), Huskies (H), Jets (H).
MOST LIKELY SCENARIO
Even if the Sharks drop this one to the Huskies, they still have three of their last five games at home, which over the years has proven to be a fortress. In front of their home fans the Sharks get two cracks at the Huskies, realistically they need to win just one of those games to have almost two feet in the top four.
