If the difference between making the play-offs or not comes down to goal percentage, then the Steel's 16-goal win against the Tactix in Christchurch last night may prove crucial.
Forget the three-game winning streak - it is tonight's match against the Wellington Saints which will determine whether this Otago Nuggets team can mix it with the best in the National Basketball League.
Steel shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid probably cannot wait for the first centre pass tonight.
The Otago Nuggets have always been at their best when a Dickel or two has been at the helm. This year, there are two.
One of New Zealand basketball's great rivalries will resume on Saturday night when the Canterbury Rams host the Otago Nuggets in Christchurch. The Rams have returned to the league after a five-year absence. Basketball writer Adrian Seconi looks back over some of the more memorable moments between the sides.
Interim Otago coach Nathan King and Otago Country coach Andy Sainsbury have declared their hand.
There might be a slim possibility the Steel can still slip into the playoffs.
Brendon Polyblank is hoping for more than the odd ''scrappy'' win this year.
If you are a Steel defender, look away now - this will probably make for brutal reading.
Otago has begun the hunt for a new coach.
Every team needs a Tony Tolovae.
Otago Nuggets power forward Marques Whippy will not play another game for the franchise this season.
Another week, another final.
New Zealand domestic cricket is not the moribund scene some are suggesting, Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes says.
Who knows which one of the 14 captains will hold the World Cup aloft when the title is decided on March 29 next year?
Suzie Bates and Jesse Ryder claimed the major honours at the Otago Cricket Association awards last night.
It is going to cost 50% more to see the Otago Nuggets play at home this season.
The Mystics had to get their act together eventually.
The shooters get far too much attention in this game.
How is Mark Dickel going to stitch a team of strangers together and lift them to his own impossibly high standards?
