Sharks lock in top 3 spot. Now what?

The SBS Bank Southland Sharks capped their home regular season with a 41-point thumping of the Hawke’s Bay Hawks last night at ILT Stadium Southland.

In the process they have taken another step towards confirming its finishing seed for the upcoming Sal’s New Zealand National basketball League Finals.

What we do know is that the Sharks will be playing finals basketball in the Shark Tank. What we are yet to find out is when and against whom that will be.

With last night’s win the Sharks are now locked into a top three finish. The top two finishers at the end of the regular season will host the NBL semifinals in a fortnight's time, whilst the third placed team will host an Elimination Final against the sixth placed team on Wednesday 29 July.

Here’s the possible scenarios – which should become clearer by the game from today to next Sunday.

The Sharks finish the regular season in Wellington against the Saints on Saturday. If the Sharks win that game and the Tuatara lose one of their final two games (today in Christchurch against the Rams or next Sunday against the Airs) then the Sharks will finish top of the table and will not leave Invercargill, earning hosting rights and the direct route to a semifinal and potentially hosting host the Grand Final. If the Sharks win and the Tuatara win both remaining games, the Sharks will finish second on points for/against percentage.

With a loss in Wellington, the Sharks can finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd. They will still finish first if the Tuatara drop both their remaining games and the Rams lose to the Bulls next Sunday. They will finish second (hosting a semifinal) if the Tuatara beat the Rams today, no matter what happens in the final round of the regular season. The Sharks will finish third if the Rams win their final two games and the Tuatara beat the Bulls.

So, in short, much rides on today’s game between the Tuatara and Rams.

A Tuatara win locks in a top two finish and a home semifinal on Sunday 2nd August, while a Rams win means the Sharks will have the chance to go to Wellington and win for the top seed on Saturday with the possibility of dropping to third with a loss.

In true NBL fashion it will go all the way to the final game of the regular season next Sunday evening!