2003 New Zealand NBL season
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| 2003 New Zealand NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | New Zealand NBL |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 23 April – 16 August |
| Number of games | 18 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| Minor premiers | Waikato Titans |
| Season MVP | David Cooper (Manawatu Jets) |
| Top scorer | John Whorton (Canterbury Rams) |
| Playoffs | |
| Champions | Wellington Saints |
| Runners-up | Waikato Titans |
The 2003 NBL season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball League. 2003 marked the first year a league-wide MVP award winner was named, allowing imports the opportunity to be recognised; in all previous seasons, only a Kiwi MVP was named, an award given to the best New Zealand player. Australian import David Cooper of the Manawatu Jets was subsequently awarded the first league MVP. 2003 also marked the return of Taranaki after a three-year hiatus. The Wellington Saints won the championship over the Waikato Titans in overtime, as the Saints claimed their fifth league title.[1]
Regular season standings
| Pos | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | |
| 1 | Waikato Titans | 16 | 2 |
| 2 | Wellington Saints | 12 | 6 |
| 3 | Manawatu Jets | 12 | 6 |
| 4 | Auckland Stars | 12 | 6 |
| 5 | Nelson Giants | 11 | 7 |
| 6 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 8 | 10 |
| 7 | Otago Nuggets | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Taranaki Mountainairs | 5 | 13 |
| 9 | Canterbury Rams | 4 | 14 |
| 10 | Harbour Heat | 3 | 15 |
Playoff bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Waikato Titans | 98 | |||||||
| 4 | Auckland Stars | 77 | |||||||
| Waikato Titans | 88 | ||||||||
| Wellington Saints | 97 | |||||||
| 2 | Wellington Saints | 89 | |||||||
| 3 | Manawatu Jets | 70 | |||||||