Two years ago, when the team snapped its 33-game losing streak, he was photographed dancing a jig in relief.
No relief this time, just satisfaction. That is a sign of how far this team has come. The Nuggets now expect to win, especially against a team like the Rangers.
The Auckland-based team is very much a development side. It was assembled late in the piece to replace the Auckland Pirates when they pulled out.
Arlidge knows his side will play much tougher games in the weeks ahead. But he was pleased with his side's effort.
''It was a good first hit-out for us,'' he said.
''Antoine [Tisby] had just got off the plane at 10am. He had come all the way from Kansas on four different flights. We were lucky enough to get 20 minutes out of him and I thought he was great.
''BJ [Anthony] has been working really, really hard and that showed. But at the end of the game he came over and said, `We still have a lot of work to do', and he is right - we have.''
Anthony scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a dominant performance.
The Nuggets have a road double-header this weekend against the Hawkes Bay Hawks and the Rangers.
The Hawks present a stern challenge. They have an impressive roster and are led by former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin.
''We need to work on the execution of our moves,'' Arlidge said.
''With Antoine arriving late, we could only run one variation on the sets we've got. We'll work on that during the week and we'll be a lot more polished.
''We also had 20 turnovers, which was way too many. We'll address that this week.''
