Over the next few days a myriad of stories will be written, a plethora of opinions will be formed and a mountain of questions will be asked.
On Saturday night the Hawke's Bay Hawks (2nd) host the Wellington Saints (1st) and then less than 24 hours later the Saints step out at home to tackle the Canterbury Rams (3rd).
We are about to see the league's best offence (Hawks), the league's best defence (Rams) and the league's undisputed best two-way team (Saints).
Five of the league's current top vote-getters for the TAB MVP Award will be in action, more than 10 Tall Blacks and Boomers will take to the court, three coaches set to be in the mix for Coach of the Year will be pacing the sidelines and arguably the best defender (Isaiah Wilkins) and the league's best three imports (EJ Singler, Brandon Bowman, Nick Kay) will also be in action.
If you're either in Napier/Hastings or Wellington this weekend and not planning on getting to one of these two blockbusters then you seriously need to re-think your plans.
With a month until the Final 4 weekend in Christchurch of July 20/21, you couldn't have asked for a better preview than what will unfold in R11 of the Sal's NBL.
Got your tickets to the Final 4? Don't miss out - grab your seats HERE.
How important are these two games? What will the results really mean?
What you take away from the two games is up to you, but let's take a look at some of the stats that matter and the key facts before these two blockbuster games tip-off.
WELLINGTON SAINTS
Position: 1st
Record: 13-0
Points For Per Game: 100.8
Points Against Per Game: 81.2
Average Winning Margin: 19.6
Average Losing Margin: not applicable
Against Hawks/Rams: 27pt win vs Hawks, 13pt win vs Rams
Fact 1: Lowest score of the season was against the Rams (80pts)
Fact 2: Average winning margin first 8 games (20.8pts) - average winning margin last 5 games (15.8pts)
Fact 3: Team performance from beyond the arc is 146/410 @ 35.6%
Fact 4: Six players have taken the court in every game - Shea Ili, Reuben Te Rangi, Jordan Ngatai, Rob Loe, Nick Kay, Leon Henry (Sunday Dech has played 12 games)
Fact 5: No starter averages more than 30 minutes per game
HAWKE'S BAY HAWKS
Position: 2nd
Record: 11-2
Points For Per Game: 104.4
Points Against Per Game: 91.7
Average Winning Margin: 18.2
Average Losing Margin: 17.5
Against Hawks/Rams: 27pt loss vs Saints, 8pt loss vs Rams
Fact 1: Lowest score of the season was against the Saints (79pts)
Fact 2: Average winning margin first 5 games (10.3pts) - average winning margin last 8 games (21.1pts)
Fact 3: Team performance from beyond the arc is 145/335 @ 43.3%
Fact 4: Five players have taken the court in every game - Jarrod Kenny, EJ Singler, Dion Prewster, Ethan Rusbatch, Everard Bartlett.
Fact 5: Five players shoot field goals at 49% or better, led by Brandon Bowman at 59.7%
CANTERBURY RAMS
Position: 3rd
Record: 10-2
Points For Per Game: 87.3
Points Against Per Game: 74.9
Average Winning Margin: 16.5
Average Losing Margin: 8.0
Against Hawks/Rams: 8pt win vs Hawks, 13pt loss vs Saints
Fact 1: Lowest score of the season was against the Saints (67pts)
Fact 2: The Rams are the only team not to have conceded 100pts in a game and have kept teams to 80pts or less nine times in 12 games.
Fact 3: Team performance from beyond the arc is 95/246 @ 38.8%
Fact 4: Four players have taken the court in every game - Emmett Naar, Mike Karena, Jonathan Janssen, Isaiah Wilkins.
Fact 5: The Rams have nine players shooting field goals at 47% or better.
