MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - It's a feast of basketball this Saturday in Melbourne, and then the festivities continue in Tauranga and Wellington next week, so here's my snapshot of what to look out for as Australia and New Zealand collide for a place in the Rio sun.

The people
Recent editions of the FIBA Oceania Championship have struggled to fill the 3,500-seat State Netball and Hockey Centre - and Andrew Bogut's last appearance in Melbourne drew around 6,000 - so for Basketball Australia to fill the 15,000-capacity Rod Laver Arena is an extraordinary effort.

The second leg of the men's championship in Wellington also looks like selling out - promising signs for when the new FIBA calendar of home and away games kicks in.

Andrew Bogut
Many of those casual hoops fans and converts at Rod Laver Arena will be expecting him to dominate simply because "he's an NBA player".

But for the purists, watch Bogut's intelligent defensive positioning, deflections, changing shots, directing teammates, plugging holes before they open. The Boomers were at their best on the European tour when Bogey was on the floor, hopefully he reproduces in his home town.

Boomers high posts
Bogut excels offensively with his smart screening and passing game, and coach Andrej Lemanis has adjusted his sets to capitalise. Watch the Boomers use the high and mid posts to direct the offense, drawing big defenders out of the key and opening up passing lanes.

Bogut, Dave Andersen and Brock Motum all excel in that area, so if their man sags off to help after screening action they become a passing weapon, but if the Kiwi bigs hug their opposite number then back door plays will open up. 

Isaac Fotu and Mika Vukona
Don't worry, New Zealand's bigs will create their own headaches. Fotu and Vukona are offensive rebounding machines, both can nail the jumper - Fotu out to the arc - both can pass and put the ball on the floor and finish.

How can the likes of Bogut, Andersen, Motum and Cam Bairstow keep up with this versatile pair? Will we see Brad Newley or Ryan Broekhoff at the power forward spot at times to negate that advantage? 

Pace poise and penetration
Too often the Boomers transition has turned into a dump into the low post followed by standing around. Other times the reliance on reversal through the high post has allowed opponents to stop flow into the half-court offense.

This philosophy looked its best when Patty Mills was creating havoc against New Zealand two years ago. He's back in the fold, will he find some disciplined running mates who can make this work?

Tall Blacks turnovers
Mills was also creating havoc at the defensive end in 2013, with Jarrod Kenny unable to withstand his pressure.

The unfashionable but effective Lindsay Tait returns to help with the ball-handling, but it's going to take an aggressive team mindset to see off the Boomers' hounds, because as soon as the Kiwis play tentative their opponents will smell blood and turn the screws.

New Zealand hand-offs 
The Tall Blacks relied on dribble hand-offs to get their offense in motion in 2013, and when Australia swarmed them there appeared to be no Plan B. The Tall Blacks aren't going to win a one-on-one battle, so they need ways to get and keep the ball moving.

Utilising their more mobile bigs is a key to this, but just as important are their counters to expose the Boomers when they switch screen and hand-off situations. 

Patty Mills and Corey Webster
This duo have been going head-to-head since junior days. In 2013 they clashed for the first time as senior international stars and didn't disappoint, with Webster shining unexpectedly but Mills having the last laugh.

This year, Webster shapes as the key player for the series. He was top 20 in scoring in FIBA Basketball World Cup and has been taking no prisoners this international season. If New Zealand can maintain flow in their offense he could be a match-winner instead of a gallant loser.

Corner threes 
When the Tall Blacks do flow they spread the floor as well as anyone, with Vukona, Fotu and Rob Loe demanding respect all over the court, and Webster and Tom Abercrombie deadly from three-point land.

That's where the likes of Tait, Everard Bartlett and even Reuben Te Rangi will sneak to the corners and nail open triples after ball reversal. Australia can't afford to let the ball skip around the arc.

Rachel Jarry 
You have to love how Jarry puts her country first, fronting up time and time again despite being on the rebound from serious injuries. She plays with reckless abandon when attacking the hoop, so let's hope she can get through this series unscathed and getting back towards her best.

With coach Brendan Joyce wanting his team to push the ball, if New Zealand can't stop Jarry's penetration Australia's impressive perimeter shooters can expect some wide open looks.

Micaela Cocks
After going through a 2-of-20 horror in Game 1 of the 2013 qualifying series, Cocks didn't go inside her shell, the Auckland sharpshooter bounced back with 25 points, 9 boards and 4 assists.

In her past five clashes with Australia she has averaged 16.4 points a game, making Cocks one Kiwi not afraid to take it up to her bigger cousins. Key for the Tall Ferns this series is for their shooting guard to be on song from long range, where she nailed a remarkable 52 per cent last WNBL season.

Steph Talbot
If you've been waiting for the Sam Mackinnon of Australian women's basketball, wait no longer. Talbot does it all, locking down defensively, cleaning the D-glass, pushing the ball in transition, finishing in traffic or finding teammates.

Like a young Mackinnon, perhaps the area of weakness is Talbot's outside shot, so New Zealand's forwards have to get down in stance early and force Australia's young gun to beat a team defense.

Young Ferns
This is a very young New Zealand team, but it features 10 players from the 2013 FIBA Oceania Women's Championship, and after a quality lead-up campaign they have a chance to show the progress they are making.

The key things to look for are how well they handle full-court pressure, how effective their counters are against Australia's ball-screen defense, and how well their defensive rotations help them cover the Opals' size advantage.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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