First win: Tall Blacks crush Lebanon

We were nervous as we walked into Halkapinar Arena tonight for the Tall Blacks versus Lebanon game. It was important to win this game, and to win well to have any chance of progressing in the competition. And of course, Lebanon coach Tab Baldwin lead the Tall Blacks to their 2002 World fourth place and this fact alone had to make him and his team a real threat.

From way up in the stands, Nenad Vucinic and Tab look like identical twins: they use the same polish on their bald pates, they're similar body shapes, they stand, sit and gesture the same way, they tuck in their shirts and blouse them out over their neat black belted slacks in exactly the same way. They mirrored each others movements like well-rehearsed synchronised swimmers during the thirty minute pregame routine*. It was a rather disconcerting sight.

Luckily for New Zealand fans, the big difference between Nenad and Tab was the one that really mattered: their teams. The Tall Blacks outclassed the Lebanese players in every single respect.

The Lebanese players looked tired. Four minutes into the first quarter, they showed how tense and tetchy they were by overreacting to a foul call. Right away it was clear that most of the Lebanese team were going to put more energy into whinging about decisions, opposition players and each other than into trying to win.

The refs didn't give them much sympathy. In the fourth quarter Pero Cameron had the ball and was backing his Mac truck body towards the hoop and into Lebanese defender Matt Freije. Freije decided to throw himself on the floor under Pero's feet and got a technical foul for his trouble.

In the stands, the Weka boys were back, leading the Tall Black fans. Their 'striped sheep' looked a little deflated but to compensate they were wearing black fez head gear, customised silver fern singlets and a chant supported by clapping jandals. Their focus was affected only a little by the FIBA One World Dancing Girls from Russia.

These impossibly long legged, scantily clad dancers appear between quarters and during timeouts, presumably to wake up the male punters.

The Tall Blacks play Canada tomorrow. Canada has lost to Lebanon, France and Lithuania so far and will be hungry to get a win. This game will be the Tall Blacks biggest challenge in the tournament so far and with the striped sheep reinflated and flags flying, their fans and supporters will be right behind them.

*Pre game routine: warm-up #1, introduce the teams, play the national anthems, teams exchange gifts (caps, badges, pennants, pins), warm-up #2, during which the Tall Blacks do the haka.

- © Fairfax NZ News