Breakers: Wedidn’t tank
The Breakers deny they tanked over a somnolent final weekend of the Australian NBL’s regular season, though there remains a fair degree of skepticism around the league over those claims.
It possibly depends on your definition of tanking. Did they try to lose their final two games? Certainly not. But did they try their hardest to win them? It is difficult to answer in the affirmative on that, especially given some of coach Paul Henare’s lineup decisions.
They certainly gave a good impression of a team not too interested in climbing up a spot for the looming playoffs as they concluded the regular season with a Friday night home implosion against Illawarra and then a comprehensive defeat at the Sydney Kings on Sunday with star import point guard Edgar Sosa sitting.
In both games the Breakers were manhandled in the final
"We had a focus on us throughout this weekend, making sure we've got healthy bodies." Paul Henare, Breakers coach
quarters. The Hawks smashed them 31-13 to come back from 11 down with three minutes to play, and the Kings won the final term 33-18 in Sydney to close out a hitherto tight contest.
The Breakers were not exactly motivated to succeed over the closing weekend. Already guaranteed a playoff spot, home advantage was out of reach.
By staying in fourth, they ended up with a best-of-three semifinal matchup against minor premiers Melbourne United that will open at Hisense Arena on March 3.
If they had won twice over the weekend, they would have improved to third and secured a semifinal clash against the Adelaide 36ers that would also have opened (and potentially closed) in their house.
‘‘We didn’t speak about wanting to play Melbourne or play Adelaide,’’ said Henare after the 101-86 defeat in Sydney. ‘‘We had a focus on us throughout this weekend, making sure we’ve got healthy bodies, and we were working on a few things, and results will be what they will be.’’
With regular rotation players Kirk Penney (calf) and Alex Pledger (ribs) sitting out, it left Henare down on firepower and reluctant to throw too much onus on his senior men.
They are also not exactly quaking in their boots at facing Melbourne. The Breakers had won 10 of 11 against Melbourne prior to a double defeat in the penultimate round of the regular season. With Penney and Pledger back to full health, they fancy their chances of prevailing in their semifinal.