# 2010 New Zealand NBL season

The 2010 NBL season was the 29th season of the National Basketball League. Foundation member and nine-time NBL champions the Auckland Stars withdrew from the league in 2010, while the Otago Nuggets returned after a one-year absence and the Southland Sharks joined for the first time.
The regular season began on Thursday 4 March and concluded on Friday 19 June. The playoffs began on Tuesday 22 June and concluded on Thursday 1 July, with the Wellington Saints taking home their sixth NBL title after defeating the Waikato Pistons 2–1 in the best-of-three finals series. Saints' guard Lindsay Tait was recognised as the most valuable player of the regular season and of the finals series.

## Summary
### Regular season standings

| Pos |
| Pos | Team | W | L |
| 1 | Wellington Saints | 14 | 4 |
| 2 | Waikato Pistons | 13 | 5 |
| 3 | Nelson Giants | 12 | 6 |
| 4 | Harbour Heat | 11 | 7 |
| 5 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 11 | 7 |
| 6 | Southland Sharks | 9 | 9 |
| 7 | Christchurch Cougars | 9 | 9 |
| 8 | Taranaki Mountainairs | 6 | 12 |
| 9 | Manawatu Jets | 5 | 13 |
| 10 | Otago Nuggets | 0 | 18 |

### Playoff bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| | | | 1 | Wellington Saints | 98 | | | | |
| 4 | Harbour Heat | 77 | 5 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 92 | | | | |
| 5 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 82 | | | | Wellington Saints | 74 | 98 | 82 |
| | | | | | | Waikato Pistons | 80 | 69 | 79 |
| | | | 2 | Waikato Pistons | 74 | | | | |
| 3 | Nelson Giants | 82 | 3 | Nelson Giants | 62 | | | | |
| 6 | Southland Sharks | 67 | | | | | | | |

## Awards
### Player of the Week

| Round | Player | Team |
| 1 | Eric Devendorf | Wellington Saints |
| 2 | Thomas Abercrombie | Waikato Pistons |
| 3 | Rick Rickert | Harbour Heat |
| 4 | Eric Devendorf | Wellington Saints |
| 5 | Jeremy Kench | Christchurch Cougars |
| 6 | Erron Maxey | Wellington Saints |
| 7 | René Rougeau | Southland Sharks |
| 8 | Thomas Abercrombie | Waikato Pistons |
| 9 | Eric Devendorf | Wellington Saints |
| 10 | Michael Harrison | Nelson Giants |
| 11 | Thomas Abercrombie | Waikato Pistons |
| 12 | René Rougeau | Southland Sharks |
| 13 | Lindsay Tait | Wellington Saints |
| 14 | Lindsay Tait | Wellington Saints |
| 15 | René Rougeau | Southland Sharks |
| 16 | René Rougeau | Southland Sharks |

### Statistics leaders

Stats as of the end of the regular season
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Eric Devendorf | Wellington Saints | 25.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Alex Pledger | Waikato Pistons | 12.6 |
| Assists per game | Lindsay Tait | Wellington Saints | 7.1 |
| Steals per game | René Rougeau | Southland Sharks | 3.8 |
| Blocks per game | Jon Rogers | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 2.2 |

### Regular season

* Most Valuable Player: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints)
* NZ Most Valuable Player: Thomas Abercrombie (Waikato Pistons)
* Most Outstanding Guard: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints)
* Most Outstanding NZ Guard: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints)
* Most Outstanding Forward: Thomas Abercrombie (Waikato Pistons)
* Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre: Thomas Abercrombie (Waikato Pistons)
* Scoring Champion: Eric Devendorf (Wellington Saints)
* Rebounding Champion: Alex Pledger (Waikato Pistons)
* Assist Champion: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints)
* Rookie of the Year: Martin Iti (Southland Sharks)
* Coach of the Year: Pero Cameron (Wellington Saints)
* All-Star Five:
** G: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints)
** G: Eric Devendorf (Wellington Saints)
** F: René Rougeau (Southland Sharks)
** F: Thomas Abercrombie (Waikato Pistons)
** C: Mika Vukona (Nelson Giants)

### Playoffs

* Finals MVP: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints)