title: 2001 New Zealand NBL season
text: # 2001 New Zealand NBL season
  
  The 2001 NBL season was the 20th season of the National Basketball League. The Waikato Titans won the championship in 2001 to claim their first league title. The Titans set an NBL record with a 15-game winning streak during the season, a streak that was not broken until the 2015 Southland Sharks squad recorded a 16-game winning streak.
  
  ## Summary
  
  ### Regular season standings
  
  | Pos |
  | - |
  | Pos | Team | W | L |
  | 1 | Waikato Titans | 15 | 1 |
  | 2 | Nelson Giants | 11 | 5 |
  | 3 | Wellington Saints | 10 | 6 |
  | 4 | Auckland Stars | 9 | 7 |
  | 5 | Palmerston North Jets | 8 | 8 |
  | 6 | Canterbury Rams | 7 | 9 |
  | 7 | North Harbour Kings | 5 | 11 |
  | 8 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 4 | 12 |
  | 9 | Otago Nuggets | 3 | 13 |
  
  ### Playoff bracket
  
  | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Waikato Titans | 93 | | |
  | 4 | Auckland Stars | 88 | | |
  | 4 | Auckland Stars | 88 | Waikato Titans | 112 |
  | | | | Wellington Saints | 97 |
  | 2 | Nelson Giants | 88 | Wellington Saints | 97 |
  | 3 | Wellington Saints | 98 | | |
  
  ## Awards
  
  ### Statistics leaders
  
  Stats as of the end of the regular season
  
  | Category | Player | Team | Stat |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | Points per game | Clifton Bush | Waikato Titans | 27.4 |
  | Rebounds per game | Brian Gomes | North Harbour Kings | 14.4 |
  | Assists per game | Paul Henare | Auckland Stars | 5.1 |
  | Steals per game | Travis Lane | Otago Nuggets | 3.0 |
  | Blocks per game | Ben Pepper & Ed Book | Auckland Stars & Palmerston North Jets | 1.3 |
  
  ### Regular season
  
  * NZ Most Valuable Player: Phill Jones (Nelson Giants)
  * Most Outstanding Guard: Phill Jones (Nelson Giants)
  * Most Outstanding NZ Guard: Phill Jones (Nelson Giants)
  * Most Outstanding Forward: Clifton Bush (Waikato Titans)
  * Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre: Terrence Lewis (Canterbury Rams)
  * Scoring Champion: Clifton Bush (Waikato Titans)
  * Rebounding Champion: Brian Gomes (North Harbour Kings)
  * Assist Champion: Paul Henare (Auckland Stars)
  * Rookie of the Year: Damon Rampton (Nelson Giants)
  * Coach of the Year: Nenad Vučinić (Nelson Giants)
  * All-Star Five:
     * G: Hayden Allen (Otago Nuggets)
     * G: Phill Jones (Nelson Giants)
     * F: Clifton Bush (Waikato Titans)
     * F: Brian Gomes (North Harbour Kings)
     * C: Pero Cameron (Waikato Titans)
  