Warriors or Tall Blacks?

So, whos gonna take out sports team of the year?

they have both given heaps to nz sport this year, hard to put them apart,

if the warriors take the title out, im picking them, but otherwise, its gonna b close

Also, coach? tab or daniel?

(if either of these teams dont win, there really is sumthing wrong)

I reckon the Tall Blacks...they have just come from absolutely no where and are going places..Its taken the Warriors forever to get it together and finally come in somewhere.

Hard to say really. If the Warriors win in the final they will receive the award. The Warriors season has been a long-term campaign totalling over 23 weeks of matches so far, excluding pre-season training, which illustrates dedication and committment.
Saying that, the Tall Blacks did bloody well at the world Championships and made us all proud.

Animal: They always said that it would take the Warriors a while to reach their top level.

I think the Tall Blacks but it should be close both teams have done outstanding!

Im with X-Press. If the Warriors make the Grand Final they will win the Sports team award

What the Tall Blacks have done cannot be overestimated - they reached 4th in the world against many countries who have fully professional leagues, not to mention NBA players (Sean Marks only played 1 or 2 games).
I think they deserve it more, but the Warriors have done well, and will be almost as deserving if they make it deep into the playoffs.

Tall Blacks. No question. Those guys rock.

Definately the Tall Blacks. Basketball is the second biggest sport in the world, and to get that far is amazing for NZ. League is a minor sport and the Warriors have been doing pretty well.

Shit that is a good question, well if the warriors win the preimership then they have a wickedly good chance, then again the tall blacks performed way beyond expectation.

I would prob have to say at this stage Tall Blacks

very tough question, and, like everyone else, i think it depends on whether or not the warriors win the competition...

sure, league is a definite minority, with something like over 250 million players world wide playing basketball, but i think it is more important that we start applauding real winners...

the tall blacks were awesome and deserve all the support afforded to them, but they didn't win... and the same will be the case with the warriors, if they don't win, then their performance has to scrutinised against the performance of the tall blacks...

even though league is a minority sport, the NRL is the toughest league competition, and there aren't many sports that demand as much from you as league does, and ask it of you for 27 odd weeks, thats right, over 6 months of week in week out tackling and hit-ups...

its gonna go down to the wire and if the warriors win the NRL and take it out of Australia for the first time ever... they deserve it

Tall Blacks should win it hands down. The warriors have finally performed at the level they should have given their players and fan base. If they win the grand final they have done really well. The tall blacks have acheived something we are likely to never see again. It is without doubt the greatest ever achievement by an NZ sporting team so how they could not win the sports team of the year title is hard to finure out.

While I prefer League over BB hands down I think the award needs to be on gravity of achievement so I vote The Tall Blacks

Well done to both teams. They've done well in their own ways... Who should take it out? International achievements do rate higher...but dunno.

and the winners are....the all blacks for winning the tri nations.....that better not happen, or i not b happy, sumreason rugby allways rates higher then other sports

Are there any other worthy nominations?

tough one but i think the warriors are more deserving.....given the nature of the comp (23 weeks --week in week out wins)......the warriors at this stage are trruly the best team in the comp (club team in the world too??).....b/ballers awesome effort but are they really the 4th best team in the world????? does 6/7 excelent results by the b/ballers make you better than a team consistantly achieving....then again the warriors have prolly only had 6/7 exelent reults too considering some games are against much lessor oposition.....fuck i dont really know now...prolly end up going to the b/ballers cause nz was on cnn a couple of days straight.
is league on cnn??

Tall Blacks

They're success has been so much greater

At most theres what, about one million league players in the world? Yet 450 million ppl play basketball....

Tall Blacks,

The warriors have only done well in an australisian competition, the Tall blacks were on a world stage.

coach - definitely tab baldwin
team - the warriors made it to the playoffs last year. the tall blacks didn't even make it to the world champs last time. then they go and take out 4th. tall blacks fo' sho'

the NRL is far and awya the toughest league competition in the world, regardless of how many people play it...

put the tall blacks in the NBA and watch them get hammered... no disrespect to what they have done, but beleza is right, i don't think we should be rewarding flukes like that such high accolade, because when they go to the olympics the expectations will be far beyond their means...

I don't think the Tall Blacks getting that far was a fluke at all. They won warm up games etc to some of the top teams and they played fucking well. The NRL is basically the ONLY league competition in the world worth watching. The UK league is a joke and so is the Bartercard cup. It is a reasonable achievement by the Warriors, but they have performed at a level we should expect with the talent some of those players have shown in the past. They have finally started to play well consistently when they have had the potential to do so for some time.

I still think what the Tall Blacks have achieved far outweighs what the Warriors have done ...national team coming fourth in the world at the second biggest sport in the world, or a club side that may win a competition in a minority sport?

Warriors not even one of the four teams voted for this award.....

Good example of feel-good factor clouding judgments of gravity in acheivment

who was voted?

the crap blacks?

The Finalist are

Yachties Simon Cook and Peter Nicholas, Rowings Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, The Tall Blacks and the Crusaders rugby team

Im sure the Crusaders vote particually impresses you Zenith ;P

poor warriors snubbed again

But the vote for best team can't be based on how much we were impressed by them. It was a great achievement, but considering they were smashed in the final the effort from the Tall Blacks on a World stage should be more highly considered. From nothing to forth at the world champs is a huge achievement in a game dominated by large established nations.

the warriors did damn well this year too.

Should they be eligible?

It is possible for the team to be run by aussies and full of aussies. Its half aussie at the moment anyway. It should only be eligible to NZers and that would rule out the warriors. In the future it may rule out super 12 teams as well.

Then again, a lot of the Tall Blacks sucess can be credited with Tab B, an American. All professional sports have imports so its pretty hard not to give awards to those that have only local players in the team.

just stumbled across this post now, man i should check this forum more often.


"put the tall blacks in the NBA and watch them get hammered... no disrespect to what they have done, but beleza is right, i don't think we should be rewarding flukes like that such high accolade, because when they go to the olympics the expectations will be far beyond their means..."

no offense man but that is a totaly uneducated bullshit post...
that was no fluke, if you new anything about nz basketball you'd know how much incredibly hardwork has gone in development especially at a youth level over the last 10 years, largely instigated by tab baldwin.
there are a number of players playing top level college ball in the states at the mo which isn't far at all from nba quality.
at the sydney olympics the usa's "dream team" were forced to constantly double and even triple team pero cameron cos he was doing the damage under the hoop.
this is just the begining for nz basketball, they convincingly beat australia who more often than not finish in the top 5 at the worlds and olympics.
they should be in the running for team of the year for just being at the world champs, let alone making the top 4, which was beyond expectation.

if its a "leagues harder than basketball" thing you r gettin at you r wrong as well, i've played both and basketball is harder work than league easy, you have to sprint constantly, (its the 2nd fastest sport in the world behind ice hockey -fact) and it certainly isn't the non-contact sport its reputed to be.

Once again..... the Halberg "team of the year" award is announced Thursday

Tall Blacks
Crusaders
The Yacties Cook and Nicolas and
The Evers-Swindel rowing twins

Im gonna go with the rowers

I'll treat that comment like the sinclair being good against spinners one. The Tall blacks should clean up this year, overall, team, coach and possibly sportsman.

ha ha jah, let me take the piss in peace!

Tall Blacks won

Basketball is a world sport, 6 countries play league. The Tall Blacks made a sizable impression and won worldwide respect. The Warriors got right up certain parts of Sydney.

yup well deserved win for the tall blacks there!
Mr Meiner is spot on basket ball is a world sport and league is REALY only played by 3 countries!

Good effort boys!

The Basketball World Cup is not taken seriously enough though

-although I do agree with the TB winning it-

Only by the US though. Everyone else had basically their top team there, including a number of NBA all stars.

Some of the commentators think it should have gone to world champions. Would love to see who they think should win if the all whites came second in the world cup and the other contender was tubby mills from putararu who was the world champion in underwater tiddlywinks.